The Sauk Centre herald., 1920-10-21

ly S1O,0OO,0OO a year OF current rev.
enue to spend on the trunk highway
system. Proper maintenance of the
entire system, WHICH the state is
bound to provide first, will take the
biggest part of the fund. Engineers
are positive, howerver, that after
this requirement is met, there will
be enough money besides to grade
and gravel 400 miles every year. In
six years theentire system will be
well graded and graveled and there
will b 1850 miles of hard-surfacing
wher gravel maintenance would ex-
cessively expensive.
Cost is. Unaffected
"Good Roads Amendment No.
says nothing about types of roads,
and under it the state will use grav-
ell, concrete, macadam, brick and
other kinds pust as the counties are
doing now. Roads on which the
gravel is ground up and blown or
washed away almost as fast as it is
applied, must be hard-surfaced for
economy, whether by the counties
with increased tax funds or by the
state with automobile savings under
the Amendment No. l plan.
Furthermore, with the present
scarcity of labor and materials, en-
gnieers assert that $1O,OOO,OOO a
year is all that can be economically
and efficiently spent on the trunk
system.
"The proposed plan will yield up
wards of 100000 wear without
tax increases on bond issues, COM
pared with the total of less than
SIT, 100000 this year. Counties and
towns will continue to receive more
than S15,O0O,000 representing all the
state and other present tax receipts
for use on local roads, and no longer
will carry the burden of maintaining
and improving the main roads.
Claims Easily Proved
s"These facts prove the claim,
Every road a good road continued
the secretary. "Many farmers living
off the proposed trunk system regard
the plan as the greatest beneht 10
them because local roads will be I'M
proved as fast or faster than the
trunk roads. They show the lmpor-
tance of getting the truth about
Amendment No. l, and refusing to
credit mere rumors. The Legislature
of 1919 is almost unanimously on
record as presenting Good Roads
Amendment No. /, as the best that
can be devised and that eS-orsement
alone is entitled to more weight with
the thinking men and women voters
of the state than can prejudice OF
rumors.
. Tax or Auto Money?
Important points to keep in mind
are these:
"Steadily increasing traffic, and
notably motor traffic, will force Min
nesota to spend larger sums each
wear for road maintenance and i'm
provements, regardless of the road
program adopted.
amendment No. l Will place d
fair share of the expense on motor
traffic, which is willing to pay, and
there will be no need for increasing
road taxes or issuing bonds which
otherwise must come.
"The big question is simply as to
whether the automobiles and trucks
will be allowed to pay for the damage
they do to the roads or whether the
bill will be placed ON the general tax
payers-charged to the land"
The Minnesota Highway Improve
ment Association, 1926 Merchants
Bank Building, St. Paul, stands ready
to answer any questions concerning
Good Roads Amendment No. 1, and
to furnish complete information about
the plan without cost to any citizen
of the state. 1t was orbanized to
place the proposal before the people
on it's merits and reports indicate
that it will have been found success
full when the votes are counted in the
next election.
Amendment No. Comes First