Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-01-22
AUTO|STS FIGHT
HIGHER FEES
Claim Exempt Foreigners 10 MoSt
Damage to Salem County
Roads.

penu's Grove. N. j., Jan. 22.--M Motor
;sts ara not taking altogether kindly TO
the proposald Of Salem county oii'clai9
that the new legislature triple the anhusii
Iconse fees for motor vehicles IN order 10
provide the nearly bankrupt counties
If the state with more money ior soaring
road building and road repair expenses;
How far the proposal VIII go 'o"aiu
changing the present license iees Is not
now apparent. 1t has brought UP again
The old question of interstate automobile
reciprocity and the chatgc from farmers
and also some motorists in the southern
counties of the state that thousands oi
ontside motorists who have free access
10 the state and who pay nothing at all
m direct taxes or license fees INTO the
roffers Of New Jersey, do vastly more
damage 10 the highways than the resident
drivers.
The suggestion has been advanced by
he finance committee of the Salem county
BOARD of lreehodcrs that motorists would
-athcr nav two or three times the present
iccnSe fec I'm order to get better roads
-ather than snend several times as much
for rcnalrs made necessary by rough and
poorIy kept roads. The committee points
mt that this county would have S210,00O
,vailnhlc this wear from the state motor
rehicIe fund for road work instead of
go 900 as now. and other counties IN
proportion, if the MOTOR vehicles fees were
ulplod
No official action has been taken by the
salem county board at irccholders as u
whole IN recommending 10 the state
legislature that motor license tees be IN
creased but Il IS SAID that the matter may
come M again ~ the hearing on the an
{
Il the frceholicrs having declared that
ihcv would like to hear the motorists
sid,, of the question Automobile and
ruck owners say that they arc already
aaving their full portion into the state
and municipal treasures as they arc
compelled to pay personal property
fax on their cars. amounting anywhere
from $40 to St00. according TO The value 81
the car. in addition 10 the regular state
fees for vehicle and drivers hCcpscs Tho
owner Of car valued around 81 900 pays
annually IN license fees and taxes from
$40 70 Sti0 year. according 10 the asscss-
ment and tax rates in the district N which
he lives
The motorists say that Il they aro re-
lieved ol this double taxation and per-
mltted to pay one fat fee they would not
object TO a reasonable increase in license
fees. but they declare that with tax rates
already soaring il would be infictlng an
unfair burden upon them 70 also make
a big boost 10 the licenses. Some ol
the motorists III this state are advocating
national automobile licensing system
under which the government would apply
the receipts to national road building
apportioning the money not according
"a the percentage Of cars licensed in each
state, but on the basis Of the actual traffic
over the roads Of q state BY motor We
hicles. In this way, they say, many
thousands Of PENNSYLVANIA and New Work
motorists would share the expense oi
keeping up the New Jersey roads which
they now help to wear ont.
The greater increase III the number 81
motor hehicles which would result from
better roads, the motorists say, would
automatically increase state and municipal
evenues for financing such improvements.