The Liberal democrat. [volume] (Liberal, Kan.) 1911-1924, 1919-01-16
What Tax Would Bring

WlIHli lOuI years lHeIe Will pEOp-
ably be at least 100000 autos and
trucks in Kansas. Assuming that the
cost of upkeep and depreciation to
each car is $3.50 per year it will mean
that the car owners of Kansas will be
expanding annually $135,000,000 to
own and operate their cars. If Kan
sas had system of 1000 to 5000
miles of paved roads over which to OPP
crate these trucks and cars each own
err could save at least $50 per year,
or a total of S15,OOO,0O0 saved an
nually.
The average auto license in Illinois
is to be about SIS per car. 1t is grad
uated according to horse power. If
Kansas had similar law and we had
100000 cars it would raise a fund
annually of $4,5OO,OOO. In twenty
five years it would raise a fund of
$112,500,000 or enough to pay for
1000 miles of good roads. If each
car owner can expend SIS per year
for his license and at the same time
have his car exempt from all other
forms of taxation as is proposed and
with the system of paved roads save
$50 per year in upkeep and deprecia-
ton of his car, why would it not be
a good business proposition?
Encourage Agriculture
Kansas needs to encourage more
intensive agriculture and to do so the
most important need is a system of
365-day roads in each county.
The trucks and autos are fast be-
coming essential factors in the life of
every farmer and to get the desired
service they must have hard roads.
The government; state, county and
city officials and all patriotic and
progressive citizens must cooperate
with the farmer to get these good
roads.
The plan proposed does not inter-
fere in any way, with the present pro-
gram of the county and townships
building and maintaining their roads
and bridges as usual except it diverts
the auto license fees to building the
state system of hard roads. In every
county the state would take over
from twenty-five to 100 miles of the
important county roads and construct
and maintain them, in lieu of the
present auto license fees that are used
to drag the dirt roads.
Refund Former Costs
The plans as outlined by the Good
Roads association proposes to refund
to all counties; townships and benefit
districts the cost of any hard roads,
that have been built during the past
two years or may be constructed be-
fore the state system is taken over.
By this plan there would be no halt
ing the present program of financing
and building hard roads under the
benefit district law. If the road was
on the state system the money would
be repaid. The people who build
these hard roads before this state
system is taken over will be getting
the use of the roads just that long in
advance of those built originally I'M
der the state plan.
The plan as proposed by the Good
Roads association contemplates that
the construction shall begin in all sec
tions of the state at the same time
and that the whole system will be
completed as quickly as possibly.
The plan proposed contemplates
that the system of good roads will be
built under the general supervision of
the state highway department.
Soldiers Will Demand II
A bill is now before congress that
proposes to appropriate from $780,
600, 900 to 500, 100000 annually for