Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1921-11-04
WOULD TAX STAGES
PASSENGER MILE BASIS
CONTINUED from first page)

ing to the roads. The ordinary traf-
fic by automobiles is greatly cur
tanned during bad weather. Further,
driving the stage vehicles at high
rates of speed during the time when
the roads are soft-well, the damage
in this case to the roads need not
be enlarged upon.
stage line competition will re-
duce the earnings of railways and
with reduced earnings sooner or lat
er railway property will have to be
assessed at lower values. Hence,
again the taxpayers will suffer be-
cause of the loss of revenue due to
lower assessment.
ITO sum the matter up, we NAV
say that the taxpayers of Whitman
county lose financially in two ways
through stage line operation. They
have the increased cost of road main
tenance, and they will lose tax reve-
nue. due to lowering of value of rail-
way property.
The stage companies may be able
to shift to their patrons a tax placed
upon them. If they can not do this
they must bear it themselves. There
seems no reason why the stage lines
should not be asked to bear a tax.
If other transportation companies
can meet the expenses of building
and maintaining road beds for their
operation, the stage lines should at
least be taxed to meet the added
costs which they place upon the
roads of our state. If they can not
do this they should be taxed out of
existence.
THE plan of taxing these stage
companies which l wish to suggest
is as follows
q. Each company operating a
stage line should furnish to the
counties through which it operates
a map showing exactly the route
over which it operates and the mile
age VI IOduS InNOlN6u.
2. Each company periodically
shall render to each county con-
cerned statement of the number of
passengers-miles of passenger serv-
ice operated during the period and
pay a tax therefor, levied in terms
of rate per passenger-mile. Each
company shall also report the num-
Der of ton-miles of freight service
operated and pay the tax therefor,
levied in terms of rate per ton
mile.
"A passenger-mile shall be under
stood as follows: car operated for
one mile shall be regarded as hav-
ing been operated as many passen-
ger-miles as it has passenger capac-
ity. For example, a passenger
car operated one mile has been oper-
ated seven passenger miles regard
less of the number of passengers ac-
tually carried.
"A ton-mile shall be understood
49, AOhAC"o' "a u uCh ODSGdIeu lot
one mile shall be regarded as having
been operated as many ton-miles as
1t has tons capacity, regardless of
the amount of freight actually car
ried. That is, a two and a half ton
truck operated for one mile shall be
regarded as having been operated
two and half ton-miles
ITO illustrate how this tax would
work assume stage line operating
from Spokane to Pullman, dis
lance, let us say, of 80 miles. the
round trip being 100 miles. If the
tax rate We're one-half cent per pas
senger mile, the company would be
taxed $500 on the trip.
The rate per passenger or ton
mile might be uniform for all sizes
OF cars and for all routes. Since.
however, the larger, heavier car
might be regarded not simply as pro-
portionately, but as progressively
more damaging than the lighter cars,
1t might be feasible to grade the rate
somewhat according to the size of
the cars operated.
This plan is to apply only to com
mon carriers. That is, to carriers
maintaining regular traffic routes.
All cars operated over these routes
should be plainly and uniformly
marked with the name of the com
pany or some other uniform designa-
ton.
One further thing might be sug-
gested in the matter of taxing auto
mobile use of our roads. Many mer-
camille and manufacturing plants are
making extensive uses of trucks for
the transportation of their goods in
stead OF using rail transportation.