The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1919-05-02
Auto and Gross Production Tax
Pay Interest and Retire the
Bonds, Says Hughes
County Man.
QUOTES TAFT ON
NEED OF HIGHWAYS
Show Other States to Spend
More; Tells How Upkeep Is
to Be Handled; Railroads
to Pay Part.

That The automobile tax and gros
production tax will handle the in
terest in the proposed $4,000, ,00t
road bonds for the state, as well as
retiring the bonds, leaving un
touched tho advalorem taxes of the
| state, was one of the high lights in
the speech Of Ben Harrison, former
| secretary of state and present rep
reesntative from Hughes county, de
livered here last night before large
! crowd at the corner Of Chickasha
avenue and Fourth street.
The. state solon took up point by
point and showed that without adj
ditional advalorem taxation, Okla
homa may obtain one of the best
systems of hard surface roads Of
any state in the union, and that now
Of all times is the time to build
them, while there is large gross
production tax to be levied upon,
while jobs for many men are needed
and because any state without such
a system Of hard surface roads is
doing a state and the citizens an in.
justice not to build such a system.
Quotes Taft on Roads.
The speaker referred to CONVEX
sation between VIM Howard Taft
former president of the United
States and Senator Fred Tucker of
Ardmore, wherein the senator asked
Mr.. Taft's opinion on the proposed
Oklahoma road bill The former
president replied that good roads
were essential to any state and
about the only way Of raising
money that he knew of was by
bond issue.
"Mr. Taft also added" the speak
er said that as Oklahoma has a
popular form of government, the
people should have confidence en-
ough in the men they have put in
office to trust them to expend the
money in the proper manner"
Are Good Roads Needed?
In touching upon the point as to
whether good roads are needed in
Oklahoma, Mr. Harrison pointed to
the state of Iowa, that is said to
have the best system of dirst roads
in the United States. Despite the
fact that Iowa has the best system
Of dirt roads in America the people
of that state are voting $60,000,OO0
bonds for the purpose of building
system of hard surface roads"
Continuing, he said oklahoma is
not alone in the hard surface road
proposition. Also figures show that
the S5OOOO,OOO Oklahoma proposes
to spend on hard surface roads is
less than is being spent
in some states. Illinois, for in
stance is spending $75OOO,O0O by
bond issue for hard surface roads. |
1t will soon be the Oklahoma will
fall behind if that state refuse to
ratify the expenditure of money on
an organized system of roads"
Maintenance Provision.
Representative Harrison touched
upon the maintenance feature of the
$5O,OOO,OOO road bill, showing that
the money to keep the roads in re-
pair will be derived from various
sources. He showed that a grad
uated tax on land abutting the road
or within three miles of the road
will handle a portion of the main
tenance. This levy provides, it was
shown that land abutting the roads
is assessed eight cents an acre,
grading down by the quarter section
to an assessment of one cent per
acre for land from two and a half
to three miles from the road.
In addition, it was pointed out by
the speaker. main lines of railway
will be assessed at the rate of SIS
per mile and IS per mile for siding,
Continued on Page Eight)