The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1920-04-15
FULL EXPLANATION
OF ROAD AMENDMENT

iii Among the nine state measurs to
voted upon at the May Il election is
constitutional amendment ratifcatic
iii OF which is essential to early compl
Ill tion OF the state highway program.
XII IS a measure increasing the constitl
Hi tional limit on state road bond indeb
II! edness from two per cent to four pt
Hi cent OF the assessed valuation of a
iii property in Oregon. AS the assesse
iii value aggregates approximately 81,
Ill 600, 600, 900. adoption of this amendmen
HI would enable the legislature to author
HI ize the issue of total of $40, 00O, 900 O
HI state highway bonds, including all tina
have been authorized or issued to date
II Unless this amendment is ratified tn
II existing two per cent limitation woul,
hold the bonds issued down to 500. 900.
I'LL 600, all of which either has been ISSUED
~ or has been contracted for in state
highway work to be completed during
: 1920.
II The alternative to authorizing this
IL increase to four per cent is to let com.
II pletion of the states main highways
II drag along after 1920 as they can be
II improved from annual revenues, or to
III vote heavy direct state tax on prop
II erty such as has been proposed for the
II proposal is for 5-mill state road tax.
which would visit such a heavy addi-
II tional burden upon property that its
4 enactment is unthinkable so long as
/ there is any other method of financing
II the state highway program.
II AS against the direct tax proposition.
the bonding amendment to be voted
| upon May 21 contains distinct advan-
tages.
Not the leastsof these advantages is
that no property tax whatsoever is in
volved in its ratification. The annual
revenues from the present auto license
fees and gasoline tax will amply finance
both principal and interest of the en-
tire $40, 900, 900 bonds that have been
and can be issued under the four per
cent limitation. No increase in either
of these fees will be required, and as
SAID. no property tax whatsoever.
"A table has been compiled by the |
Legislative committee and published in |
the official state pamphlet, mailed to
registered voters, showing the income
from auto license fees and gas tax and
also the interest and bond redemption
payments as they will be made from
year to year until all the bonds have
been redeemed. This table reveals
that besides taking up interest and
principal of all the bonds, the revenues
from auto license fees and gasoline tax
will yield an annual surplus, to be used
for other highway purposes. The rev.
enue figured upon for bond interest and
redemption does not include anv part
of the proceeds of the auto license fees
that are turned over to the counties.
and neither does it include the cost of
administration of auto tags or auto fee
collection.
Neither of these disbursements are
interferred with nor invaded, and the
revenue for bond interest and redemp-
tion is the net that is left after the
counties have been taken care of and
all administrative expenses paid. This
table. which will be in the hands of
every registered voter, is one which
should be studied carefully. 1t has
been audited and certified as correct.
and shows beyond doubt that the
revenue from the two automobile
sources will be abundant to take care
OF bond principal and interest without
any increase of present rates and with
out any property tax. In the light of
the information in this table. it would
seem suicidal for taxpayers to permit
In addition to all other local property
taxes that must be met in ever in.
creasing amounts.
BY ratifying this bonding amend
ment, the voters of Oregon simply per-
nit the automobile owners to get the
early use of the state roads which thev
are paying for out of their own pock-
cts. III the bonds are issued, all the
main state highways can be connected
lp soon, so that travel may be enjoyed
from each section of the state to every i
other part, via the state highways east
and west as well as north and south.
] he development that will follow in
he wake of this travel will be of in NJ
;alculable value to the state, to say
nothing of the enhancement in proper.
y values that will accrue. Along the q
highways an outlet will be furnished
or the products of all the adjacent
md tributary farming regions.
In addition to providing funds for b
completion of the main state higway
Program, the authorization of total
4 $40, 900, 600 bonds Gncluding the
70, 600, 600 already authorized by the
will enable the state to
match the federal funds that have been
Dportioned to Oregon for post roads
nd forest roads. Unless this pending 81
mendment is ratified, the state will
OF have sufficient funds with which to
leet the government on dollar-for
ollar basis, and thus will be denied
ne aid of millions of federal money on
regon roads.
Failure to adopt this amendment is
ertain to visit heavy penalty on the
ixpayers of many counties. IL is GER
nm that If the state has insufficient
lnds with which to connect up the
ain highways. such clamor will 90
IN many localities that the colmties 3
I'll be forced to vote direct property
lXes to construct the missing links.
this event, the county property tax
ould have to carry the burden that
ould be borne exclusively by the auto
vner under the pending amendment.
o one who has observed the trend of
ntiment in favor of completing these
ate highways but what is aware that
cannot be restrained. If the auto
Vners are not permitted to have their
ln money used to build the roads at
early date, they will unite in sup
1T of any direct tax that may be i'm
sed as means of getting the roads
ished. As safeguard to protect
operty from inevitably heavy taxa
N for state roads, farsighted tax.
yers are giving this per cent bond
Z amendment their earnesst support
Oregon has been singularly fortunate
that the cost of state highways has -
IN held down by an exceptionally
e and honest state highway commits -
n. Paving of state roads in Oregon
J cost from 20 TO so per cent less
n in most other states, and this
yer cost has been in spite of the ad "
ltages possessed by most other
ties in the lower cost Of road mater
}. In no other state. without excen