Evening star., 1922-09-25

Connecticut. Wisconsin, Georgia and
Rhode Island avenues. The roads OF
Maryland are for the most part
superior to these arterial roads in
state of Maryland has for a number
OF years objected to extending reci-
procity to automobiles in the Dis
trict Of Columbia, with the result
that the motorists of the District
must obtain duplicate tags In Nary
land, a drivers permit and take out
title to their cars in that state,
the cost of all this amounting to
something like s4o0.eoO or 100000 a
year. 1t is believed that il our roads
were adequately paved it would
be a comparatively easy matter to
convince our neighbors in Maryland
that we should have reciprocity. thus
saving our people a tremendous amount
OF money and Inconvenience.
Paved Only With Mud.
There are literally miles OF streets
in the suburbs of Washington which
are paved with nothing but mud and
good intentions. although these
streets are built up on both sides
with magnificent homes on which the
owners pay taxes. Many of these
owners' have automobiles and pay
taxes on their machines as well as
on their property. They are certainly
entitled to some sort of hard sur
laced pavement in front of their
10 pay their share OF the cost IL per-
mitted to do so.
1t Is estimated that there will be
registered In the District Of Colum-
nia before the season if over approx
imately $4,000 automobiles We esti-
mate that the annual receipts from
registrations now amount to $s45. $50;
from drivers licenses $4,000; from
personal property taxation on auto
mobiles about S225,000. and from fines
ano saI ,ees S11S,b0o, making a grand to-
II 1t is assumed that the motorists
should pay in taxes and fees enough
to take care Of the repair and matnte-
nance OF streets and roads, then it
follows that on the basis of 60.40. as
ington Is entitled to a fund Of about
$l.26O,000 for street and road repairs.
Figures obtained from the District
once, however. show that even II new
construction Is added for street i'm
provements our total expenditures for
all purposes do not begin to come up
to that figure.
But 1,732 Auto. in 1912.
TN 1912 we had only 1882 automo-
year we expended for highway and
street construction and repairs the
total Of $9ss.5s2. Our appropriations
for these purposes during 1922 were
ss6s,s40 and for 1928 were $91s,540,
which indicates that we are spending
less now for street and road construc-
ton and repairs than we were spend
Ing ten years ago. in spite Of the fact
that the number Of automobiles and
consequently the amount Of traffic has
increased about 1900 per cent. If our
appropriations had increased during
the past ten years in the same proper
tfon as our automobile traffic and in
proportion to tho revenues derived
from such traffic, we would now be
spending in tho neighborhood of S47,-
100000 for this purpose.
people in all parts Of the United
States are greatly interested in this
ital. Many Of them visit 1t each
year and they want to at least COM
pare favorably with other cities in
the country.
these Illustrations should con-
vince any clear-thinking man that
we are spending more money than
the traffic would justify in 1912 or
that we are spending less than the
traffic calls for at the present time.
Offers Facts I'm Table Form.
For your information we desire to
call your attention to the following
table. which shows the number of
automobiles registered in the District
for 1923 and 1924, also a tabulation
showing the expenditures for streets
and roads during the same period. A
mere glance at this table will, we
trust, convince you that the esti-
mates prepared by the District Com