The Bemidji daily pioneer., 1922-11-29
GASOLINE SAVINGS :.
WOULD PAVE ROADS
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pavement over gravel roads. The
weight of the average vehicle is
placed at 1876 tons. These basic fig
ures make it easy to figure with falr
accuracy the gasoline savings pos
sible from Improvement of any road
on which is known the , number of
motor vehicles using IT daily? co.. =
Applied to the Minnesota trunk
highway system, the test figures in
dicate fuel cost of motor vehicle
operation, per ton mile with 24-cent
gasoline, of 66-hundredths of cent
less on a concrete road than on the
average unpaved road in, the state
With traffice averages OF TO vehic-
les and 966 tons day on the Mime
sofa trunk highways, the gasoline
savings alone would be $2,325 year
plus $675 savings on a maintenance
on paving, or total of $4,000
mile saved annually.
Interest charges included, con-
crete pavement in Minnesota costs
$4,000 a mile. So the possible saw
ings on gasoline with hard-surfaced
roads, with maintenance costs reduc-
ed, would in ten years at the present
price of gasoline, cover the gross
cost of extending paving over all OF
the 7,OOO-mile state highway system.
Babcock Make. Statement
Commenting on the proposals to
be made to the legislature, Commits
sioner Babcock said:
"The highway department will re-
commend first issues of state high
way bonds because it believes the
proposal just good business and what
a good manager would urge upon
stockholders in a private enterprise
under like conditions. The public as
good roads stockholders acting
through the senator's and representa-
lives corresponding to the board OF
directors in a private business must
decide whe,shdr the proposition is
timely. It will stand solely on its
merits.
"The successful business man bor-
rows funds when he finds he can use
them to build economically and ad-
vantageously. Minnesota with
credit of $40 per capita and only
1914 of a debt or net credit OF
nearly $12 per capita, is in better
position to borrow money for needed
highway improvements chan many
other states now going on with much
larger highway funds and programs
Highway bonds and other recon-
mendations to be used by the de-
partment will not add one cent to
taxes. Better roads already are re-
turning to average car and truck
owners more than they pay in motor
vehicle taxes and since the state as
sumed the expense of building and
maintaining the more expensive
main roads, county, township and
citv-villaee levies for road and
bridge purposes are rapidly gong
down. Direct taxes for roads IN
Minnesota are being lowered for the
first time in the history of the state.
Current trunk highway funds to
date have totalled $5,00O,00O less
than was agreed to under Amend
iment No. 1 and reasonably expected.
Highway demands are increasing as
more and more people become con-
vinced that good roads more than
pay themselves by stopping gasoline
tires, and other waste. Reasonable
funds provided, the state will be able
to speed up highway improvements
and to the advantage Of every pro-
perty owner and citizen. 1t will be
possible in all parts Of the state to
hasten results demanded now, where
as, otherwise more limited funds
must be used to best serve the great
est number of highway users and
projects in many localities will be
unavoidably delayed"
Highway officials assert that SO
far the proposed program OF high
way legislation has received unquali-
fled approval when fully understood.
uestions about any features, they
add, will be answered promptly If
addressed to the highway department.
No. 1916 University avenue, St. Paul