The Washington times., 1920-12-01
CALL MD. TOLL
GATES BLUFF
American Auto Association
Heads Say Engineers Proposed
Bill Is Threat at D. C.

sion to restore toll gates on the
Maryland roads leading from the
District of Columbia, is taken seri-
ously by the Maryland legislature,
it will cause more annoyance to the
residents of Maryland than the Dis
trict of Columbia. This is the opin-
ion Of officials of the American Au-
tomobile Association at the head
quarters here.
BELIEVES MOVE ONLY THREAT.
They believe that Mackall has no
idea OF restoring toll gates on the
Maryland roads and look upon his
suggestion as threat to those who
are agitating reciprocity in the mat
ter of automobile licenses.
Two bills are now pending In Con-
gress to give the motorists OF WASH
ington the same privilege that is en-
toyed by those OF other States; that
Of using the Maryland roads with
out paying license other than that
OF the District of Columbia. The Grif-
fin bill would withhold Federal road
building aid from any State that re-
FUSED to recognize the automobile
tags of another State or the Distric
of Columbia.
Maryland Is said TO be tho only State
which refuses to recognize the tags
of the District Of Columbia. Motor
lists fpom other States can use the
roads OF Maryland without molesta-
tion
A. A. A. WOULD FIGHT MOVE.
Tho American Automobile Associa-
tion is the pioneer in having removed
the Objectionable toll gates from the
roads OF the country and they will
fight any action toward restoring
them in Maryland or any other place.
One OF the reasons why they are
fighting Maryland for refusing to rec
ognize District tags is that the add
tional expense for Maryland tags is
merely another form Of toll gate.
II Maryland persists in discrimin-
stinE against the motorists from
Washington. automobile officials say
il will rebound to the detrimcnt Of tho
State. They point out that the near
by counties in Maryland are sup
ported mainly by money from Wash
ington. The truck gardens of Prince
Georges, Montgomery, Frederick. CAL
vert, st. Charles and a few other
counties would soon go to weeds, they
say. but for their Washington market
The roads leading from the District
into Maryland are used by Maryland
automobiles, the American Automobile
Association officials assert. In re-
cent survey 1t was found that on
I,ladensburg road for period of six
teen hours only 27.2 per cent of the
automobiles passing the District line
were Washington motorists. The
same survey on tonnage basis
showed that tho District motorists
only had ?S.6 per cent of the tonnage
that passed over the road in that
81
66.7 per cent. The remainder of the
tonnage was vehicles from other
States which used the Maryland roads
without paying additional license
fees.
WOULD ISOLATE RESORTS.
This same condition exists on other
roads leading from tho District, auto
mobile officials assert. and il any
thing in a more marked degree in
favor Of WashinGtonians. The roads
leading to Montgomery county are
used twice as much by Maryland
motorists than Washington autono-
bile drivers they assert.
If Maryland persists in discriminat-
ing against Washington motorists.
officials of the automobile association
claim. it will mean the practical
isolation OF the lower Maryland fish
per cent of their patronage from
Washington, and will also injure
financially such resorts as Braddock
Heights, Frederick and other places
on that road visited every Sunday by
thousands
DR.. II. M. Rowe, of Baltimore,
former president of tho Maryland
Automobile Club and a former pres
idcnt Of the American Automobile As
4. .. .,.N T..
this manner:
Maryland had to issue bonds to
the amount oC SEQ. 900, 900 to build her
roads. She could do this only be
cause OF tho wealth Of the State. The
wealth OF the State IS secured through
the value of its products in the
markets from year to year, the
amount OF money received from the
sale of it's products. The counties
surrounding Washington haul their
products to Washington.
washington money goes out into
those counties. Those counties have
to pay their share of the interest and
principal of the bonds that built
good roads. The money that comes to
them from the sale Of their products,
therefore, pays for the good roads as
we'll as many other things. Wash
ington supplies a large part of that
money. Not all Of 1t, it is true, but
very large portion. Therefore,
Washingto pays for the good roads
in Maryland. If any one can pick a
flaw in that logical deduction ] wish
he would do it,"
SHOWS STATES ERROR.
"Maryland's error Is in assuming that
tho residents of the State alone have
paid for the good roads in the state.
"Ten years ago farm acreage could
he bought in almost any quantity in
st. Mary's Charles. Calvert. Prince
Georges and even in Montgomery
and Anne Arundel counties at prices
ranging from $40 to s25 an acre.
To-day land values have increased
from one to two hundred per cent
and az much as four hundred per cen.
in sections within reach of the new
State roads.
at has been estimated that the
taxable basis of farm lands alone in
Maryland have increased something like
$50, 100000 Tho actual increase will
he revealed when the new assessment
reports arc in.