New Ulm review., 1922-12-27
Better Road Conditions
Cause Savings In Re-
pairs and Tires. j


changes in highway laws,
Charles M. Babcocll, state highway
commissioner, today made public the
departments proposals for financing
tie state highway program during the
&C ming two-year period. The com. ON:
missioner pointed to these consldera;; r
tions:
Minnesota must speed it's highway J
program now that other states are
ighting for good roads leadership a1ne
benefits. .t
Current trunk highway funds te
i. tie have been but three-fourth Of tht
agreed total tand one-fourth Of Minnie
scta road funds, local roads taking 4,
s rec times as much.
Present limitations on paving funds
make for waste of money IN partially
successful attempts to keep grave
surfacing on heavy traffic sections.
The new highway plan already has
cut local road taxes more tlan $l,'
250,OOO and further reductions viii
follow, now that counties are relieved
Of the burden Of work On main roads
Better road conditions are making
,syings on automobile depreciation
and repairs, tires and gasoline, IN
amounts exceeding the motor vehicle
tax each year.
Commissioner Babcock in an mfor-
NAL statement asserts that whether
j e highway program goes forward or
backward in the next two years will
depend mainly on new legislation
financial provisions. He points out
tlat under the 1919 reimbursement
bend law quite a number q counties
gained precedence over others with
equal or superior claims to highway
betterments and proposes TO remedy
t}is situation by re-establhhing the
.uti orization for counties which did
not then take advantage Of It. Reduc-
ticn of motor vehicle tax revenue
must be guarded against nov that
automobile prices have declined, he
says, adding that present ! taxes are
only slightly higher thanunder the
old personal property laws and less
skan the agreed average OF SIS. The
value of the car as taxable property
should be reckoned, and any gasoline
tax should be levied only as an addi-
ticnal tax. The latter plan should be
adopted when automobile owners are
willing to contribute $3.50 or So 9
year average in return for $2,5O0,OO0O
extra road betterments annually which
would follow from a tax at 2 cents q
,allon on gasoline. consumption. S Il
Minnesota's S good roads leadership,
the commissioner continued, IS threat
aned by many Of the other states now
launching highway improvements on
large scales, bond and other provisT
sions running over $50, ,0O0,e00 in
m.ny instances and as high as $780,
100000. Current revenues in the.
Minnesota trunk highway fund the.
last two years averaged about $780,
oO0 compared with $10,00o,000 Iledg-
ed under Amendment No. | which alsc
provided for highway bonds in the dis
cretion Of the legislature, and also.
with the average Of 20,0o0,0OO a year
raised for local roads carrying only
one-fourth Of the highway traffic in
the state. -
Adequate financial provisions will
cover paving necessary on many.
heavy-trafic sections Of the trunk sys-
TEN where the cost Of gravel main
tenance represents plain waste. Of
money and with unsatisfactory road
results, according to Commissioners
Babceao,cck. The highway department.
will be enabled also, he declared, to-
make important progress ID every
part Of the state, carrying on opera
.5iions in proportion to the needs Of
various localities. Re-enactnent Is Of
the reimbursement bond statute will
90 far toward evening accounts with,
counties which now appear On the sur
face to have been Disseminated "a.
gainst, he explained, but authoriza-.
ton Of the first state highway bonds
IS is, equally important to place the pro-
gram on a fair, systematic basis.
4 Commissioners Babcocl regards
highway plans az removed to some ex
tent from those demanding funds
which raise the demand for tax re-
auctions. He quotes figures showing
hat county, township and city-village
Ak leyies for road and bridge pur-
poses increased steadily until 1921.