Evening star., 1922-07-27
FAVORS GAS TAX
FOR RECIPROCITY
A. A. A. Advisory Board
Urges Commissioners to
Accept MaryIand's Terms.
LOCAL MOTORISTS SPLIT
5S4 Indorse Proposal, While Others
Insist Plan Would Increase D. c.
Cost of Keeping Cars.

Should the District Commissioners
adopt the recomme dations of the To-
cal division of the American Automo-
turn. adopt the recommendations of
the Commissioners. automobile reci-
procity between the state of Mary
land and the District of Columbia
will become fact January-1. 1924.
The Districts long drawn out
struggle for the same motoring rec
ognition which Maryland gives au-
tomobilists from every other section
of the United States may be ended,
provided the District accepts the
terms laid down by MARYLAND and
imposes upon local motorists two.
cent gallon gasoline tax in lieu of
the present horsepower fee.
1t is understood that the Maryland
proposal contemplates full and COM
plete" reciprocity after January l.
1924. which includes free and unre-
Stricted use of Maryland roads by
District autoists without a Maryland
state auto tag. Elimination of the
titling feature of the state require
ments. which many local motorists
consider an unnecessary annoyance
and which has created much resent
ment on the part of local motorists. Is
not mentioned, however.
This is the proposal which the
A A A. advisory board is said to
have unanimously indorsed at meet
ing yesterday, after presentation or
the Maryland plan by State Highway
Comm ssioner John Mackall and in
view of a favorable vote by individual!
members of the association.
Answers to QuestiOnnaire.
The wishes of local motorists were
made known through a QUESTIONABLE
sent out by the \. A A. These queries
were sent out to $500 District auto
lists representing the A. A. A. men,
bership in Washington, it is said:
Answers were received from 109. of
which number 5S4 favored the Mary
land plan and 125 voted against it.
The A. y. A. advisory board. which
voted to accept Maryland's terms, was
composed of NJ o. Eldridge. DR.. F. V.
Coville. Col. Charles Keller and Isaac
Cans Other members of the board
said 70 be in favor of the plan. but
who did not attend the meeting, are
DR.. John c. Merriam, D-. c. H. Mer
riam and Pyke johnson.
Because the A. A. 4. membership
represents such a small number of
the nearly 10000 local motorists. it
is expected that the District Commits
sioners will seek a wider opinion in
the matter before making recon-
mendations TO Congress. 1t is known
addressed direct on the subject by
capital autoists and that there has
been vigorous objection to what one
motorist characterized as "bowing to
NarylandS terms. handed out in
leisurely manner after fifteen years
of abuse and high handed procedure"
D. c. Motorist Goat
Also many motorists have been
doing their own figuring and claim
that a computation of the tax in
volved in the Maryland plan reveals
that the District car owner is getting
the short end of the bargain. StatiS-
tics are being prepared to show that.
based on average annual mileage and
miles per gallon of gasoline that
every car. from the humblest f1ivver
to the proudest limousine. will be
obi sed to bear more annual tax
under the plan as it stands now and
without including a number of ''nomi-
nal" charges which will be necessary
Among a large number of motor
lists interviewed the feeling exists
that it is an inherent American right
to travel anywhere in the United
Sta ties by motor without paying trib-
ought to be protected by federal leg
islation. According to one former
member of the 4. A. A. advisory
board District license fees ought to
be worked out by the District for the
District and not by Maryland for
Maryland
Thus it would seem that despite the
A A. A. decision in the matter, there
are many varying opinions among the
majority of Washington motorists
upon which hinges a perpleXing prob
lem for the District Commissioners.
D. C. HEADS FAVOR PLAN.