Perth Amboy evening news., 1920-11-18
STATE HIGHWAY
MEN ARE PEEVED
DENY Accusation of Agree
ment With Truck Manu-
facturers Made by Senator

BY Special Correspondent.
TRENTON, Nov. 1S-Stamping IL
as a reflection upon their attitude
the members of the State Highway
Commission at their meeting here
Yesterday took decided exception to
a letter received by them from State
Senator Charles Il. White, of At
lantic county, discussing the pro-
posed twenty per cent increase in
motor vehicle fees as provided in the
bill recently passed by the House
IF Assembly, but which the state
senate failed to wait for to pass and
"a the governor for his signature.
The commission asked for the
twenty per cent advance to hold
good until next year, when the mo-
tor vehicle traffic commission, which
is studying the question of an equit-
able basis for future fees, shall make
its report. In the meantime more
money is needed for the mainten-
ance of the roads in the different
counties, and for this reason the fiat
advance was proposed to provide
the additional 100000 or 100000
for 1921.
Senator Whites letter was read
at yesterdays meeting and practi-
cally charged that the highway
DOdIu Udu lIldut all dSlttiiitIlb WIN
the truck manufacturers not to urge
more than twenty per cent this year.
This accusation was holly denied
by different members. White has a
bill in the legislature which would
Jump the fees in some instances 800
per cent higher thar they are now.
This measure will not be accept
ed by the legislature" pointed out
Col. Walter F. Whittemore, a MEM
Der of the commission, "'but the bill
for the twenty per cent would have
become a law IL the state senate had
waited ten minutes"
The commission delegated George
Paddock, of Newark, M of its
members to c~ollaborate with Chair
man George L. Burton In the draft
ing of a reply to the senator from
Atlantic, who is chairman of the
senate committee on highways. The
reply will say that the commission
has made no agreement with truck
or other interests. Senator Whites
letter read in part as follows:
IT presume, of course, that the
agreement referred to was not in
tended to bind anyone other than
the parties to it, and since the mat
ter is now in the hands of the high
way commission, / am sure / read
your letter correctly in supposing
you wish to advise us that SO far as
you r concerned, twenty per cent.
increase on trucks would be deemed
sufficient" The letter referred to
was one written by the commission
to the senate or on October 80.
1.-THE legislative committee, of
which / am chairman" continued
White, docs not agree with your
commission IN this particular. We
look with a great deal of disfavor
upon the destruction of our high
ways by the heavy trucks. We do not
need the report of any commission
to prove t us that this destruction
is going on. We are much incensed
at the methods which are being used
by the truck dealers associations to
avoid paying a proper return to the
state for the use of her highways to
carry freight for hire. Many of these
trucks make two hundred dollars a
day, and if they should be used two
or three hundred days in a year, will
take in upwards of forty thousand
dollars for their owners, simply be-
cause the people of the state have
paid for their roadway. These trucks
will do more damage to q road in one
trip than the fees which they pay
Inc state Tor a year WOulu repair,
not to speak of the sinking fund and
interest charges for the building of
The road.
II am astonished that your COM
mission will LEND it's assistance to the
attempt to escape, for another year,
the payment of adequate fees by
these road d~estroyers."
Various members of the highway
board characterized the letter as en-
tirely misrepresenting their view and
Thomas j. Collins, of Elizabeth, one
of the members, moved hal it not
be permitted to go unchallenged. For
this reason Commissioners Burton
and Paddock will frame the reply.
On December s the highway board
will consider the 1921 apportion'
ment of motor vehicle moneys to
the various counties. The sum of
$4,000, 900 will be available for thi:
purpose, it would have been consid-
erably more if the legislature had
increased the motor vehicle fees. A
total of 100000 will be devoted to
overhead expenses and township
roads and the sum of $1,000, 900 for
the maintenance of the state high
way system routes.
Plans for the arrangement of the
highway bridges over the proposed
inter-cOastal canal, which the Unit,
ed States government Is considering
along the coast in this and othel
states, were presented by c. A
Mead, bridge engineer of the high
way commission.