The Donaldsonville chief., 1921-04-23
ARTICLE COMPLETED
Provides for State Tax and Tax on
Automobiles, Trucks and Gasoline.

Provides for State Tax and Tax on
Automobiles, Trucks and Gasoline.
The roads and drainage commit.
tee of the Constitutional Convention
completed the draft Of state high.
way article. The article directs the
Legislature to provide for the es.
Establishment Of system of state
highways under the supervision OF
the board of state engineers. Il
maintains the present special tax OF
one-eighth of a mill and authorizes
the legislature to increase it to one.
half mills, and to levy a license tax
on automobiles, trucks and gasoline
The article reads as follows:
"Article /. The legislature shall
provide for the establishment and
maintenance Of system of state
highways and bridges, under the
supervision of the Board of State En-.
gineers, and shall provide for a gen
eral highway fund for the construc-
ton and maintenance thereof; shall
authorize the acquisition, by expro-
priation or otherwise, of right of
ways for highways, drainage canals,
and bitches, and shall require par
ishes, cities, towns, villages and road
districts to contribute to certain
proportions of the cost of construc-
ton of state highways and bridges
shall provide for the maintenance Of
the system Of state highways and
bridges from the general highway
fund.-" and may provide for the build
ing of bridges over navigable streams
wholly from the general highway
fund.
"Article 2. The legislature is au-
thorized to provide for the creation
Of road districts through the state
the government thereof; the voting
Of taxes and the funding of same
therein, and may prescribe for the i'm
position of property tax or gradu-
ated contribution or benefit tax on
all property situated therein.
"Article 8. The legislature shall
provide for the expenditure of the
general highway fund created under
the constitution, under such terms
and conditions as may be prescribed
by law in order to perfect general
system of state highways; and when
said system shall have been COM
pleted, the legislature shall provide
an equitable reimbursement to the
parishes for the monies heretofore
spent by them on the state highway
system.
"Article A. The general highway
fund shall be derived from the fol-
lowing sources:
"(A). The special tax of one
|eigth Of one mill now, and heretofores
|levied and collected annually upon all
properties, subject to state taxation,
is perpetuated, and may be increased
by the legislature not to exceed one
half Of one mill on the dollar.
"(B). ALI state taxes collected, or
licenses imposed, upon gasoline, ker-
|osene and motor vehicles of all types,
shall be, and the same are hereby ap-
propriated to the general highway
fund and shall be paid directly into
the state treasury to the credit of the
general highway fund.
"(C). The legislature shall provide
for the registration Of drivers of all
motor vehicles, and shall impose a
license tax upon all motor vehicles, as
follows:
"On automobiles for private use
there shall be imposed an annual
minimum license of fifteen dollars,
said license to be graded up from this
amount based upon horsepower.
"On trucks, or automobiles, used
for the transportation Of passenger or
freight, or for the delivery Of carry
ing of goods or merchandise, there
shall be imposed an annual minimum
license of twenty-five dollars, said IL
cense to be graded up from this
amount based upon both horsepower
and carrying capacity or tonnage.
"On all motorcycles there shall be
imposed an annual minimum license
Of FIVE dollars; said license to be
graded up from this amount based
upon horsepower and carrying ca
pacity.
"On all other vehicles using the
public roads the legislature is au-
thorized to impose an annual graded
license tax based upon carrying ca
Ipacity and tonnage.
"The vehicle licenses levied un-
der this constitution or imposed there
under by the legislature shall be col
lected by the secretary Of state (un-
less and until otherwise provided by
tlaw), and the legislature shall pro-
vide such additional compensation
and office expenses that may be ne
cessary to carry the provisions OF
this constitution into effect"
President Harding told delega-
ton of women representing the world
disarmament league, who made plea
| to him for world disarmament that
l