The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1924-02-28
$16.23 Automobile Tax Is
2 New Yearly Rate Average
Reduction from Old Personal Pro-
erty Tax Continues Under, 1924
Schedules-Other Comparisons

Minnesota owners failing to
register motor vehicles with the
secretary of state on or before
Friday of this week are subject
to a penalty of rs cents a day
for the first 20 days, plus So
month thereafter, not to exceed
five months. Register now.
Automobile taxes for Stearns coun-
ty car owners will average less under
new rates this year than under 1923
and 1922 schedules, in spite of in
crease forecasts, according to adj
vance figures from the secretary of
state.
The average this year is S16.23 on
the first 200 registrations for 1924,
official figures show. The average
for the last two years complete was
$16.52-$16.93 in 1922 and SIGH
in 1928. The old personal property
tax law average was more than 81 Z
and under Good Roads Amendment
No. and Is average was agreed up
on Herald readers will recall.
Auto taxes in all the states average
$18.56 or 1888 more than in Min
nesota where highway users are re-
ceiving more than average dividends
in good roads savings on car depre-
citation and repairs, gasoline and
tires.
Because the motor vehicle tax is
the only direct levy for. trunk high
way purposes, as well as the only tax
on the machines, the owners are pay
ing both car and road expenses in
Minnesota, current highway bulle-
tin points out. S
To run the average car costs II
cents a mile on dirt and ia cents on
gravel roads and z cents a mile on
paved highways-car depreciation,
repairs, gasoline, tires and all other
items counted in. Average state
trunk highway cost added, the eX-
pense is increased to 11.22 cents a
vehicle mile on dirt roads, 1872 cents
on graveled and 7.79 cents on paved
highways. So the total mile cost is
3.43 cents greater on dirt and /. Is
cents on graveled roads than on
pavement. Full details of the cost
comparisons will be furnished on re-
quest by the highway department, st.
Paul, the bulletin states. Ear4
At 8 cents mile, the driver COW
ering 5000 miles year saves $3.50,
or nearly ten times the motor vehicle
tax. These savings depend on prog
ress on the highway program. They
must come with paving on the heav-
lest travelled trunk routes and grav-
cling on others, the engineers assert.
Minnesota, with 458 miles of paw
ing on trunk highways, including AZ
miles built last year, is being out
distanced by many other states
where car owners are paying higher
car taxes, gasoline taxes and other
wise increasing road funds to speed
improvements and profit by good
roads savings.
Wisconsin paved 43O miles last
var, ten times as much as Mime
sofa, and now has 1911 miles of
paved highways. Michigan with L.
270 miles plans to add 500 miles in
1924. Illinois built LOTT miles last
year, bringing its total to 2,438 miles,
and plans a new $100,000,000 bond
issue to hasten results.
Minnesota stands 18th on a list
of FL states reporting highway paving
California leads with
3,211 miles of pavement; New York
has 2,157 miles; Pennsylvania, 1,898;
Ohio 1,277, and North Carolina, 51s
miles.
Charles M. Babcock, state highway
commissioner, repeated that the Min
nesota good roads plan is working
out successfully, but that bond issues
will speed up progress, giving i'm
mediate benefits without increase in
taxes. a.,ss il
The proposed gasoline tax amend
ment to the state constitution should
be voted next November to empower
the legislature to make such revis-