The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1918-12-27
GOOD ROADS IN ILLINOIS
PEOPLE TO SPEND $50, OOO,.
600 on THE HIGHWAYS
Middle West Is Greatly Inter-
ested In Plan Adopted In
That State

| Inc pcOpiS VI IlllllCdS nave SOlfSl
the problem of building good road.
without any burden to the tax pay
ers. At the general election las
month, they voted bond issue o.
/ $60,000,000 to build hard surface
, roads to connect every town of 2,00t
population or over with every Other
town in the state OF like SIZE The
, bonds and interest are to be paid in
full inside of twenty five years with
funds raised entirely from automo
bile license tax.
This method of raising funds will
not prove burdensome to any one. In
fact experts figure it that auto own
ers will save more than the amount
of the license money each year in the
amount of gasoline they consume
and the wear and tear on cars by
having good roads to drive over.
Cars in Illinois are taxed according
to horse power, the tax varying from
So to $50 a year.
In commenting on this plan The
Chicago Herald recently said: when
the people of Illinois on November
5 voted to spend $60,OO0,000 on high
way improvement they wrought a
greater benefit than the most en-
thusiastic promoter of the project
realized
1t appears that the entire middle
west has become interested in the
mic n1D foI hi
the Illinois idea is spreading like
wildfire in consequence of the adver-
Using it was given by the avalanch
of favorable votes.
f., Inquiries are pouring in upon the
Illinois Highway Improvement asso-
citation from Michigan, Iowa, Mime
sofa, Missouri and Nebraska Public
officials and good roads advocates
want to know how the thing was
done. They ask for maps and plans
and details of the campaign which
eliminated in the solution of the
problem.
Outsiders Are Surprised
Outsiders could hardly believe that
a $6O,000,000 project could be financed
without raising taxes. They were
by the simplicity of the I'LL
nois method, under which automobile
license fees will take care not only
of the interest on the bonds but the
principal also. 1t was an eyeopener
to them that there nestled in the
state treasury several millions of
dollars all ready to be turned loose on
the road work, every cent represent
ing money collected from willing
automobile owners.
eff the example of Illinois is fol-
lowed in neighbor states, the benefits
to the people of this state will be
multiplied many times Instead of
voting themselves $60,000,000 worth
Of hard roads they may have created
Indirectly, an interstate system cost
rig hundreds of millions. Few mo-
-orists confine their touring to their
own state, even under present cOndi-
ions which makes country travel
more of an adventure than a past
.ime
by linking its proposed network !
of hard roads with similar systems in
other states, Illinois would be in close
touch with communities
hat now seem as distant as the
noon. And those communities, we
nay well depend would be slow
ntaking advantage of their proxim-
ty.
The Illinois system will consist Of
1900 miles of hard durable highway /
connecting every county and. every
own of more than 1000 inhabitants
With every other town of that class. |
t has been estimated that sixty six
,er cent of the population lives on
he lines selected for the roads and
hat eighty six per cent lives within
i've miles of them. Such roads will
make travel certain. The mortorist
iced have TO hesitation about step
'irg into his car IT, the middle of
Amy night. and heading for st. Louis
" Springfield or Champaign.