Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1921-03-20
BIG INCREASE IN MOTOR
VEHICLES DURING 1920
Number Runs Up % Per Cent
Over One Hundred Million
Dollars Collected.
USE OF REVENUES CHANGE
Total of D,21I,2O5 Automobiles
Arc Registered During Year In
~ States and District OF Column
bin, According to Figures.


a total Of 9.2Il.235 motor cars in
Guiding commercial vehicles. $500
registered last year In the forty-eighr
States and District Of Columbia, ac-
cording to figures compiled b. the
Bureau Of Public Roads. OF tho United
States Dcpa rtment of Agriculture. in
study OF revenue available for road
building purposes. There were also
registered e total OF 23s.IaG motor
cycles. The registration and license
operators and dealers. amounted to
1919. the data for 1920 represents an
increase of % per cent. or l.G45.Si5
motor ears This increase alone lacks
but per cent Of being equal to the
total registrations of the United
states six years ago.
In 1920, In the state OF New York
alone. the number OF motor cars reg
istcrcd, including commercial vehi-
clcs. exceeded the total cars regis
tired in the whole OF the United States
derived from registrations!n the SKATE
OF New York in 1920 wcre'about equal
20 the entire registration revenues
Of the United States for 1913.
The use made Of the revenues has
changed with the passing OF years.
In lJc6. the total registrations were
gross revenue of about sl93. 900. tAri-
iona In 1920 paid approximately this
amount) In 1906 the gross rcgistra-
lion revenncs were equal TO less than
thrce-tcnths Of ! per cent OF the total
rural road and bridge expenditures for
that year
The registration revenues in 1920
were equal TO about % per cent Of
the total rural road bridge expendi-
lures for the calendar year 1919. In
1905. practically none of the motor
road -<naIntennnce or construction
while in 1920, 80 per cent. or total
of s?7.9o7.iGo.co Was used for this
purpose. The remaining 1 per cent
not applied TO road work. was *
pended very largely for number
plates and in carrying on, the pro-
,rntion laws in the several. States
or the total amount applied to road
work. - per cent: or S7T,53i,5s25;,
WAS expended under the control or
supervision % tho several state high
way dcpsi rtfncHtR. n
increasing Amount Spcnt for Work
For Il number OF wears the general
tendency toward dcvoting IN eyer
increasing portion Of the motor-ve-
hicic revenues To ROAD work under
he control and RECT supervision Of
been very noticeable Prior to 1912.
only "A very small portion OF the mo-
tor-vchicle registration was devoted
OF Tie revenue. OF s7s,5s1.5s2p.57. was was
applicd TO road work under tho Iii
rect supervision OF the State High
n,
$50, te5.57s.c4 was applied to road
work by counties or other local super
vision. hut with little or no direct
2Dnpervision from the State Highway
In mos, states tho mo,or-vehicle
! revenues are devoted to maintenance
hnn REAR Of he state roads or other
sceIn 70 have solved fairly well the
d!iiicult problem az securing funds for
me maintenance OF the more import
H.,
tralnc requirements. Az both the
traffic and the revenues increase with
the number OF cars. there apparently
EXISTS possibility of so adjusting
the resistration rates az 10 keen pace
Win the ever growing maintenance
changes.
general but small mileage OF i'm
proved rondS have recently adopted
INC plan OF capitaliz!ug the motor
Vehicle revenues and devoting these
FUNDS TO road construction. The
states doing THIS are Illinois. Maine
Minnesota. Missouri Nevada Ii,ah
ana wyoming. Ia them bonds have
been Noted or issued for road con
s'rnc,ion and the principal. in some
instances. also the interest Is to lie
raid entirely from the motor-vehicle
Limit Load of Motor Trucks.
~ the beginning OF 1921 there were
sun seven states in which motor
trucks registered ut the same rate
e
there has been a very decided ten
dency in most states to increase the
fccS required for motor trucks over
and above those required for pnssen-
ger cars. This increase il usually
based on the weight Of the truck and
IFS carrying capacity. it's horsepower
or combination of these factors.
The most general practice seems to
he toward definitely limiting the
maximum total road weight Of the
vehicle and basing the registration
Zee on the capacity OF the truck.
som" few states have adopted n scale
OF fees. which. in actual practice.
serves TO make the operation of very
heavy truck impracticable.
In Colorado. New Mexico and Ore
Eon. in addition 10 the registration
ices; state tax on gasoline or other
products used for the propulsion of
motor vahiclcs is also levied IN some
Siatcs motor cars are taxed as per-
sdbai property i'm addition to the re-
CURED REDISTRIBUTION fees. In Alabama.
Delaware, Idaho. Iowa Michigan,
New Hampshire New York. North
dakota, oklahoma. Oregon, South
carolina. Pennsylvania Tennessee
and Vermont the registration fees
are in lieu OF all personal property