The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1919-12-29
MOTORISTS
OPPOSED TO
TAX BOOST
Hammond Committee Thinks
Owners of Cars are Hit
Hard Enough.

Good Roads Program" that this levy
proposed doubling Of all automobile H.
cense f-es as urged by l.. ~. Wright.
director of the Indiana State Highway
Commission, III q. speech before good
road boosters al South Bend recently.
This is the opinion of committee made
up Of z. ]. Boiling. r. y. Bunnell, r. n.
Fudge, DR.. .. o. Melton and l.. j.. Bonn
berger. appointed recently by the Ham
nlQnd Chamber of Commerce 10 cooper
ate with the Hoosier State Automobile
Association in general and 10 particular
ly boost tho new highway coming from
Lima, Ohio, to Chicago, known as the
Huntington -Mapitau-CuiSer Trail.
The committee met today With NJ. +.
Nobiet of Indianapolis. manager of the
Hoosier State Automobile Association,
and J. f. Bippus OF Huntington. prom
inent booster Of the new trail. who are
driving over that part of the new train
between Hammond and Culver. The &C
lion Of The committee relative 60 the
proposed doubling of auto license fees
was based upon the following reasons:
There is now five per cent tan on all
new automobiles and a five per cent tax
on all accessories. There is a personal
property tax on all automobiles, same
rs on any other property. In many
cities there is city tax on commercial
motor cars and on automobile freight
hauling there is q federal tax OF FIVE
rcr cent. Then in addition 70 all this
license fee Is paid on all automobiles
which tax IS about as high as the aver
age Of license fees for the various states
ia the union. C0ntrastcd with this there
are more than six horses to every auto
mobile in the state Of Indians, but no
one asks q road tax ON the horse be-
cause his four iron-shod hoofs cut up
the highways. There are yet more steel
tired vehicles in Indiana than there are
automobiles, but no license fec is paid
on any steel tired vehicle. The United
States government carried on expert
nents which showed that the construc-
ton Of hard surfaced highways in some
sections of the country increased the
value Of adjacent farm land from ten
per cent to as high as 200 per cent, but
no one In Indiana is asking property
adjacent to our state highways to pay q
special fee or tax, because Of the in
creased value of that land due 20 thu
improvement Of these new state high
ways
The last legisIa ture authorized q. ten
par cent levy for the State Highway
Commission and It vas the understand
ing of those most interested IN the
Good Roads Progras" that this levy
would be continued for the increase in
real estate valuations. but the tax board
cut the levy down 20 3.9 cents so as TO
raise the same volume of money under
tho new Valuations as was raised during
1919 under The old property valuations.
This cut in appropriations for the use
Of the State Highway Commission SO
handicaps the commission that it can
not contract for another mile Of high
way to be built during 1920, The com
mission has already contracted for 135
miles and planned 70 build 400 miles all
'old b. the end Of 1920. Even though
rhere Is a special session Of the legisla-
ture during January or February. and
the auto license fees would be doubled,
and in addition TO this a cash appropria-
ton would be made by the Legislature Of
eay about a million dollars. the state
Highway Commission would not have
enough money To carry cut its program.
The plan that is fair in the opinion of
! The Hammond committee is that the ten
rer cent levy be put back. Then add t.
( q ton per cent levy the present anto fees
and tho inheritance tax. as already pre-
mako a decent showing in her state road
/ program Illinois. Michsan and Ohio
orc each planning to spend over fifty
/ million dollars on state highways dur
/ Ing 1aeo-