The Duluth rip-saw. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1917-19??, 1922-04-15
THE PEOPLE PAY ROUNDLY
FOR RUNNING COUNTY CARS
More That OneThnd Of Million Dollars Represented Last
Year in Cost, Maintenance and the Operation Of Gas
oine-Power Vehicles Owned by the County,

/ the operation and maintenance of 81
trucks and l6 passenger cars.
The average cost of maintenance and
| upkeep for each ear and truck. last year
was $2,O47.34, not including the wages
, of the truck drivers and chauffeurs.
The chauffeurs for the commissioners
get a wage of $3.50 a month apiece.
The First commissioner 8 district has
22.7 miles of passaible road. Less all
deductions, it cost $5,ss5.2+ last year to
operate four trucks.
The second district has 1888 miles
of passable road and it cost $21 ,373.1S
to operate one car and eight trucks.
The Third district has 3l.9 miles of
passable road and the operating costs
or four trucks was $8,154.S4.
The Fourth district has 1884 miles
of passable road and the operating ex-
penses for ten trucks was $l4 ,905.69 for
the past year. 5.s<s
The Fifth district has 769.7 miles of
passable road and the operating costs
for one car and ten trucks was ST.
1854.
The Sixth district has 537 miles Of
passable road and the operating costs
of six carc and Is trucks aggregated
SAC, s6O.s4.
The Seventh district has 537.7 miles
of passable road and the cost of oper-
ating two cars and eight trucks was
$2l, 1926.
The total cost last year of operating
four cars of the superintendent Of eoun-
ty schools was $13,S44.1S, an average
of $l1.39 a day for 800 working days
for each car.
The fore going figures are taken from
recent compilations of facts and figures
made by the experts for the st. Louis
County Taxpayers League. At the
time the League made its survey, coun-
ty officials were unable to tell with any
degree of accuracy what it had cost to
to run separate motor vehicles under
their charge in 1921, and they also
were unable to tell what it had cost to
r1a the entire group of motor vehicles
assigned TO each one. There were prac-
tically no records as to cost, mileage,
work or time sheets.
The League investigated for six
weeks, going over some 1872 vouchers,
issued by the county last year, to get
what is substantially given in this col
umn.
"Most business houses,' says the
League in leaflet recently issued,
"are able to give the cost of opera
lions of motor vehicles on few hours
notice. Should not the county be able
to do likewises'
The League in its leaflet on "County
Motor Vehicles" says in conclusion,
viz:
Responsibility for motor vehicles,
owned by the county, is vested in seven
commissioners, the engineering depart
ment, the county health officer, the pro-
baton officer, the sheriff and the coun-
ty garage. There is complete lack OF
detailed information concerning cost of
operation, maintenance, repairs, and
other facts necessary to effect an ade-
quate control. Without this informa-
ton, it is impossible for department or
division heads to supervise the use OF
motor vehicles assigned to their depart
ments.
"Would it not be worth While TO
bring all county owned vehicles within
the management of one heads Such a
system resembles. taxi-service. Eco
nomical operation of cars has resulted
in New York, Detroit and other cities
where this idea has been installed. With
certain notifications would it not be
practical to apply such plan to at
least large proportion of the. county
gas-propelled vehicles?
"Under aaaek of system such as this,
is it surprising that the survey made
by The League showed an ,arbitantly
high cost for the Operations main
tenance of the county motor ehicles9
The cost will be the subjecs Of subS&1
quent Bulletins = w