Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-08-04
ROAD WORK DELAYED
BY S250.000 GAP IN
AUTO LICENSE FEES
Slow Action on Part of Owners
PrOlOngs Improvement
of Highways.
(Trihune's Helena Bureau

| Helena, Aug 3-Because Of viola.
tons, largely technical. OF the provi.
| sions of the motor vehicle license law
by the owners of automobiles and
trucks, and the failure of state. county
and city officials to strictly enforce
the law. about $500 900 failed to reach
the treasures Of the several counlies
of Montana until the current year had
more than half passed. and the road
work in all those counties was delayed
and handicapped TO that extent
Not only has the county road funds
and the state highway fund been com
PEELED to wait an unnecessary period
for the funds required for the opera
ton Of their departments and the i'm
provement and maintenance of roads.
but large number Of autom obile
owners have svaded the payment of
the license tax imposed upon their We
hicles and many will probably wholly
mated by c. f. Dutton, deputy regis
trar of motor vehicles. in the office of
Secretary of State c. T. Stewart. that
there are about 5000 automobiles and
motor trucks within the state upon
which the 1922 license fee has not
been paid
Up to August s, there had been is
sued from this department $4,000 pas
senger automobile licenses and 5000
truck licenses. the latter figure in
Guiding small commercial and delivery
automobiles and trucks. or about $500
more licenses than had been issued up
to the corresponding date In the pre-
ceding year. The estimate Of the de-
partment on the number of cars and
trucks in the state eligible for license
this year places the total at 10000
Collections $4,000
Up 10 July 1. the collections in mo-
tor vehicle license fees approximated
$500 and were estimated to be
about 90 per cent of the collections for
the entire year After deducting the
expenses of administration of the law.
which will probably amount TO about s
per cent. the receipts are distributed
upon basis of 80 per cent to the
state highway commission fund and so !
per cent to the several counties. all to
he used for the construction and main /
tenance of public roads.
Distribution of the county proportion |
Of this fund was made by the secretary I,
Of states office on July 25. nearly |
seven months after the date upon /
which all licenses became due.
The lew requires that fees must be
paid annually and that applications for
of cars licensed the
preceding year must be filed with the
.egistrar of motor vehicles not later
han January l of each year Despite
his provision only small number Of
Implications were on file January l.
900. and these came from automobile
.wners who were desirous of obtain
ng particular license number.
1t is also provided that automobiles
btained after August | shall be sub
ect to one-half of the annual fee for
ision is applied to used cars which
ave not been utilized prior to
august ! whenever the owner shall
ave made an affidavit to the fact that
he car was not used before that date,
Wait for Halt Rate
According TO Mr.. Dutton there has
cen disposition upon the part of
lany car owners to delay sending in
heir applications until after August /,
order TO obtain the benefit of this
aif rate but when informed Il win
e necessary to make the required af.
uaVit tney usually turn in the full
nnual fee rather than to subscribe to ,
lch an OATH
The department finds that there are
great many ears originally used Tor
assenger purposes that are being con-
erted INTO numerical cars, such as
ght trucks or delivery cars. In these {
lses the owner, if he has previously
nd the passenger car license fee, can c
rocure truck license by turning in c
le passenger license and remitAng the r
fference between that and the truck ?
,enae which is usually 70 70 In