The Cook County news-herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Cook County, Minn.) 1909-current, 1919-01-29
THE PROPOSED TRUNK .55sl .=l
HIGHWAY SYSTEM.

HIGHWAY SYSTEM.
Propose tho Taxing Of 1Automobiies
to Furnish Funds for State 3
Rosd system. p s ...i 3
Z A bill has been introduced in both
House and Senate changing the pres
ent highway sytem which will place
Minnesota among the best states in
the union in a road building way.
The plan was recommended by High
way Commissioner Babcock and the
principle features are as as follows:
|, Il. Creation of a Trunk Highway
System which penetrates into every
part Of the state and which compris-
es about 5000 miles Of the most. inn
portant highways of the state, in
cluding the North Shore road: !. ...':'.= ::
"2. Establishment Of q fund, the
proceeds of which are to be used ex-
clusively for the Improvement and
maintenance of the roads in the pro-
posed System, said fund to be de-
! rived from the proceeds Of motor
vehicle licenses. as explained, later,
from Federal Aid funds, from un-
appropriated money in the State
Treasury and, if there is deficit in
the fund in any year, then by a tax
on all assessable property Of the
state of a sufficient amount to bring
the fund to sum which will meet
all payments to be made from it. J
"3. Authorizing the Legislature to-
provide for a tax, or. license fee, on
motor vehicles, the tax to be levied
on a different basis than that levied
on other personal property, but pro-
viding that any tax so levied shall
be in lieu of all other taxes on such
motor vehicles for State and County
purposes. ~. .55s -.
"A. Authorizing the Legislature to
issue and sell bonds of the State of
Minnesota from time to time as.
money is needed to- carry on the.
work of improving and maintaining
the roads of the Trunk Highway
System. The bonds will run for
twenty years, will bear interest at. i
rate not greater than five per cent:
and will be retired one-twentieth.
each year. y:
IS. Authorizing the State to en-
gage in works of internal improve
ment so far, and only so far, as the
work of improving and maintaining:
the roads in the Trunk Highway Sys-
tenn is concerned. This is now for
hidden by Section S of Article TX of
the constitution.
"6. Authorizing the Legislature to
provide by law for the necessary
machinery to carry out the intents
and purposes of the amendment and
to enact such statutes as it shall see
fit regulating the construction,
maintenance and use of the roads in
the system.
ut will be noted that the plan
follows closely to that Of the State
of Illinois which was Submitted to
the people Of that state at the gen.
eral election in 1918 and which was
approved by majority of nearly
100000. In Illinois, however, the
plan was submitted i'm the form of
statute which was referred under
the initiative and referendum law of
that state. In Minnesota it is neces-
sary to treat the proposition as
constitutional amendment because of
provisions in the constitution in this
state which must be changed.
"One of the most striking features
of the plan is that it establishes
definite system of roads, serving all
parts of the state, which forestalls
the possibility of the bond issue be-
coming a pork barrel for future dis
tribution. 1t enables both the legis-
lature and the people to consider
the proposition in abstract form and
to provide the necessary constitu-
tional amendments and statutes
which will apply only to the trunk
highway system and leave all the
safeguards of the constitution relat-
ing to other subjects intact:
+"Another feature of the plan is
that it does not disturb the state
road and bridge fund, created by
Section 16 of Article TX Of the con-
stitution. This is the fund which is
known as the s"State Aid Fund" and
which is distributed among the vari-
GUS counties on a basis of one per
cent minimum and three per cent,
maximum to any county. The county
and town road funds are also left
intact" ~ Hut, %>:; >:':s..s: ;:s : ..sz IS
The city corporation Of Belfast
has. given to the American nation
T - =. = : hE.AT