The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1923-01-19

now are public necessities which
must be built within a few years.
They can be constructed economic
ally now with the bond money or
they will come little later per-
haps with higher taxes and con-
struction costs. But they must be
built and soon.
Favorable legislative action on
pending proposals alone will enable
the highway department to deal
effectively and economically with
its problems. Failure of the. re-
commentators would mean a seri-
Gus situation on Minnesota roads.
Auto Taxes Pay All.
The proposed bonds together with
the interest on them are to be fin
anced wholly with trunk highway
funds-motor vehicle taxes, and
without adding dollar to taxation.
The plan simply anticipates the col
lection of the revenues and applies
them on the roads with greater
fairness to the taxpayer of today.
The highway department is not
advocating any increase in the
agreed SIS average tax on auto
mobiles nor any gasoline tax. The
average rate will produce amounts
ample to cover both the principal
and interest of bonds and leave
annual balances adequate for es-
tablished maintenance requirements
and continuation of needed better
ments from year to year.
The sinking fund required by the
constitution has been carefully
worked out but the detailed figures
would take too much space here.
Paving Held Economical.
Only with highway bond funds
will it be possible to meet reason
able demands, stop waste of money
for excessively expensive mainten-
ance and give the highway user of
today the service and savings to
which he is entitled. Nearly half
OF current trunk highway funds are
going for right-of-way, bridges,
grading and other permanent con-
struction which will be used Tor 25,
SO and even 100 years ands<it is
unjust to charge it all to any single
year. The bond plan will spread
the cost more equitably.
An extreme example is furn;shei
by one section of a heavy-traffic
trunk route which took an average
of S2,145 a mile for upkeep in
1922 and with unsatisfactory re.
suits. The section is used by more
than 1900 vehicles daily according
to the traffic census average. OPP
Grafton OF the average motor veh-
icle costs at least 10 cents a mile
on this section and pavement
would reduce the cost to cents
e easily. Figuring conservatively,
and applying the average for only
200 days in the year, there was
possible cash saving to users of
$4,000 a mile. The cost Of paving
would not exceed 100000 a mile.
No private business would reject a
proposed investment of 100000 i
which would yield more than $9,-
900 in yearly returns. !
And there are several sections
on the system in this class-roads
which cannot be kept up with
gravel surfacing at any outlay with
continuance of the rapid increase
in traffic. @'
More Grading and Crawling. =
While immediate paving of some
sections is Imperative, it must not
be inferred that all the bond money
will be used for pavement extens5
tons. On the contrary, under the
bond plan the large mileages of
highway improvements will ,be of
grading and graveling. as in the
past. i
Where it will meet traffic re-
quirements, the. gravel road is the
best road.
This covers the. highway bond
proposals except for the reimburse
ment authority. The latter is sim
ply to give all counties equal
privileges, to satisfy those which
did not avail themselves Of it two,