The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-12-23
,,rMnnn or Assoc1ArRp PREss
,,,r,o SHOULD PAY FOR ROADS?

It is fact generally accepteu e1oe car-owners should contribute directly to the building of public highways Instead of being in position of having this burden thrust upon them, car owners have been in the forefront of those who have urged road programs in which car-owners should pay all or a large part of the cost. Ala bama's highway law takes cognlzance of highway funds from no other source excent car-owners. Without the ap- proyal and active support of this group. the Alabama highway amend ment could not have been passed Alabama, therefore, in enjoying the beneficial results of such attitude on the part of a great and growing per- centage of it's citizenship, should be mindful of the asset to state progress such an attitude is.
 When the state legislators, however, enacted a law assessing gasoline tax for general state purposes, it struck directly at the best friends of better roads in this state-the owners of au- ton1obiles. These owners would will inglv have been taxed directly for road construction, and would prob ably have abetted such a program had 1t been proposed. Indeed, it was because the majority of people thought the gasoline tax would be applied to the highways that there was little or no initial opposition to 1t. In every state practically where there Is such a tax. the funds are applied to road building as the only Justification of as- sessing a special tax. There is 10 other legitimate basis for assessing . gasoline tax in state which does not produce gasoline.
 The amount that auto-owners should contribute towards public roads is ably discussed in the latest Engineer ing News-Record by Mir. A. R. Hrst, state highway engineer of Wisconsin. Says MT. Hirst; If we could, through the development of real system of highways, reduce the operation cost of motor vehicles one cent per mile (and we can) the annual saving to motor ists would be $56o, 100000. This cap italized at AZ per cent, would repre- sent an investment of about twelve and a half billions This could be proved to be 6 profitable outlay on this one item of saving alone. We must brush our brains clear of cob webs, obsessions, preiudices and bunkum, and calmly recognize that when we bought and insist upon op- erating fourteen million or moro mo- tor vehicles, we bought also high way expenditure of billions of dollars, just as much part of the cost of these motor vehicles as are themselves, their tires, their engines, and their supplies. They go together, the mo- tor vehicle and the highway on which it must run. All the costs must be paid"
 It is calculated by some that the saving in operating costs due directly to good roads would exceed even two cents a mile. Of course, the motor vehicle owners should not be required to give up all their saving to the pub lie cause, for the benefits of good roads are not confined to automobile owners, but contribute immeasurably and indispensably to the general pros perity. The only way in which Ala bama can align herself with her moral obligation in return for the gasoline tax is the expenditure directly upon the state highways of the entire sum collected from this source. The prfn- ciple is admittedly just one, whereas the principle of the special tax on a special group for the general purpose