Little Falls herald., 1922-11-17
LEGISLATURE TO FIX
2-YEAR ROAD FUNDS
HIGHWAY DEPARTMENT.. RECON-
MENDS PROVISIONS NECESSARY
TO KEEP IN GOOD ROADS RANKS

PuA Poooo IO~ recommend TO the state
legislature early in January the pas
sage Of enabling acts for trunk high
way reimbursement bond issues by all
counties which did not act under the
1919 law and for $lO,OO0OOO of trunk
highway bonds in 1923 and 1924, also
rcvlslons of motor vehicle tax sched-
ules to correct inequalities without sac
rlticing reasonable returns, considera-
tlon of increases in taxes on trucks
and busses for hire, and minor changes
in highway laws.
Charles NJ. Babcock, state highway
commissioner, Wednesday made public
the department s proposals for fnan-
cling the state highway program during
the coming two-year period. The com
missioner pointed to these considera-
tions:
Minnesota must speed it's highway
program now that other states are
fighting for good roads leadership and
benefits.
Current trunk hi ghway funds to date
have been but three-fourths Of the
agreed total and one-fourth of Mime
sofa road funds, local roads taking
! three times as much.
Present limitations on paving funds
make for waste of money in partially
successful attempts to keep gravel sur
facing on heavy traffic sections.
The new highway plan already has
cut local road taxes more than $3.50;
600 and further reductions will follow,
now that counties are relieved Of the
burden of work on main roads.
Better road conditions are making
savings On automobile depreciation
and repairs, tires and gasoline, in
amounts exceeding the motor vehicle
tax each year.
The proposals were announced after
election to avoid political entangle-
ments but we'll in advance Of the legis-
lative session to afford time for public
discussion of the tentative program.
Commissioner Babcock in an infor
NAL statement asserts that whether the
highway program goes forward OF
backward in the next two years will
depend mainly on new lcgislation-f'
nancial provisions. He points out that
under the 1919 reimbursement bond
! law quite a number of counties gained
i precedence over others with equal or
superior claims to highway betterments
and proposes to remedy this situation
by re-establishing the authorization
for counties which did not take ad-
vantage Of it. Reduction of motor We
hlcle tax revenue must be guarded
against now that automobile prices
! have declined, he says, adding that
present taxes are only slightly higher
than under the old personal property
| laws and less than the agreed average
| of $l8. The value Of the car as tax
able property should be reckoned, and
! any gasoline tax should be levied only
as an additional tax. The latter plan
should be adopted when automobile
owners are willing to contribute $7.5U
or $500 a year average in return for
| $2,500,000 extra road bettermentl an.
nually which would follow from a tax
at 2 cents gallon on gasoline con.
sumption.
Minnesota's good roads leadership,
the commissioner continued, is threat
ened by many other states now launch
! ing highway improvements on large
scales, bond and other provisions run
ming over $50,000,0OO in many instan-
ces and as high as $100,o00,O00. Cur
rent revenues in the Minnesota trunk
! highway fund the last two years aver
! aged about $7,500,00O compared with
$1O,0CO,000 pledged under Amendment
No. l which also provided for highway
bonds in the discretion of the legisla-
ture and also with the average Of
| $2O,000,000 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
traffic sections of the trunk system
where the cost of gravel maintenance
represents plain waste of money and
with unsatisfactory road results, ac-
cording to Commissioner Babcock. The
| highway department. will be enabled
also, he declared, to make important
progress III every part of the state,
carrying on opera tions in proportion
to the needs Of various localities. Re-
enactment of the reimbursement bond
i statute will go far, toward evening ac-
counts with counties which now appear
on the surface to have been discrimi:
mated against, he explained but au-
thorization Of the first state highway
bonds is equally important to put the
program on a fair, systematic basis.
| Commissioner Babcock regards high
way plans as removed to some extent
from those demanding funds which
raise the demand for tax reductions.
He quotes figures showing that county,
! township and city-village tax levies
] for road and brio ge purposes Increased
steadily until 1921. Then with the ex.
pense of the main highways taken over
by the state, local road levies dropped
for the first time, to 1881 900 from
! more than $21, 100000 and there was
actually more money available TO.
| local road betterments In spite Of the
lower taxes. Further reductions will
be possible as the local roads are built
up. ~-.~
Highway transportation experts as
sert that motor vehicle tax funds
used for road improvements and main
Etenance cannot be classed as additional
tax outlays by the car owner, because
he receives in rhnrn highway better
ments which greatly reduce his car
expenses. In other words, he is only
contributing to roads the money that
he must spend otherwise for springs
and other repairs, tires and gasoline.
Practical tests show big savings in
4 operating motor vehicles on !, good
roads, compared with unimproved
1 roads. Is s$S$ss s.
The commissio ioner repeats that now
/ adays good road pays for itself many
times over besides affording greater
convenience and comfort and working
i to the development and prosperity q
the state. He asks study Of the facts