The Duluth rip-saw. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1917-19??, 1924-10-25
|MOTORCAR TAX MIGHT GO
in PART TO GENERAL FUND
Analysis and Discussion Of Facts Connected with
Fond du Lac-Wrenshal Road Guessing
in Engineering Is Very Poor Practice.

Early in the past summer, through
the state press. MIR. Charles M. Bah
cock, state highway commissioner
expressed himself as follows:
"The Minnesota highway depart.
ment now proposes to renew to the
legislature Of 1925 the recommends.
ton for first issues of state trunk
highway bonds, $10,000,000.O0 for
each Of the next two years, as
provided in Good Roads Amendment
No. 1. No question of taxa
ton is involved. = Motor
vehicle tax receipts at the agreed
$500 average on automobiles and
reasonable rates on buses and
trucks will finance the state trunk
highway program, meet current ex-
penses from year to year and, also,
all outstanding obligations and pro-
posed bonds with interest, precisely
as planned. General prop
erty taxes, 1t is repeated, will not
be affected at ALL
Is this a promise or a threat ?
Many among the common or garden
garden variety of citizens, who have
been staggering under the burden
of confiscatory taxation since the
Inauguration of the good roads
movement in Minnesota, hope that
it is neither, hence, generally, view
| it with suspicion. Rather than being
| lifted up by the assurance of i'm
mobility in the general tax rate,
/ they would welcome with glad &C
claim a radical revision in the same,
provided that the revision be down.
ward.
Some there be, among the extra
| common or sub-garden variety" of
| citizens, who have had the temerity
to urge that a considerable portion
of the $500 automobile tax should
be applied to the relief of the gen.
eral property tax, insisting that the
Minnesota state highway depart
ment has, in effect, hypothecated a
source Of revenue that 1egitimately
belongs to said property tax.
These extra-common citizens fur
Their aver that, under such benefit
| cent treatment, our mountain Of
general property taxes would shrink
to a mere hillock, knoll, kopje, or
what not. To all such, however, Mr..
| Babcock turns deaf ear. Having
| realized the possibilities of the auto
mobile as a revenue producer, the
state highway commissioner SEEM
| ingly feels qualified to take his
| stand with other discoveries of
greater or less renown, who have
maintained, in effect, that findings
are keepings."
Primarily, Mr.. Babcock's article is
unmistakable propaganda and, as
such, primarily invites discussion
and criticism.
In view Of the fact that the
article, as quoted, is but one in a
series, appearing from time to time
in the press throughout the state,
it's propriety we'll may be ques-
toned.
The state highway department has
been functioning under the Babcock
law for several years, sufficiently
long to inform the general public
as to its merits and dement's. Not
propaganda, but a simple statement
Of the needs of the highway de-
partment Is all that the general
public requires Of its worthy serv-
ant Babcock, provided that he has
demonstrated his worthiness.
In praise of the practical work
ing of the Babcock law, all may be
claimed that belongs to any auto
cratic bureau. It 'ets quick results
and secures uniformity in design of
roads and in their construction.
Therein, however, lies its weakness,
as we'll, for If the planning Is
wrong, the evil effects necessarily
are wide spread. That, in some in
stances, the planning has been
wrong is the contention of the Rip
saw. Furthermore, the discovery of
such faulty planning arose, incident
ally, in the suit of Messrs. Foley
Bros. contractors on the Fond du
Lac-Wrenshall road, versus st. Louis
county, which fully justifies ap-
rehension Of further disclosures, If
all the facts are known.
If all the facts were known, be it
repeated. The sRip-saw knows that,
right here in kindly, oomplaeent St..
Louis county, the last dollar of that
enormous $7,500,000.00 bond issue
soon will be squandered. To show
! for that enormous sum, the tax
payers of the dear old county have
a narrow strip of concrete pavement,
Is it. wide and, approximately, 100
miles long,.
Even the board Of county COM
missioners, hardened as they are to
the sight of real money vanishing
under official resolution, recently
were shocked by the discovery that
construction of hard-surfaeed roads
in st. Louis county was costing
SIS, 100000 a mile to construct, and
that the end Of the --oney and road
building was in sight.
An official inquiry at once was
instituted-just why is not clear. 1t
was very much like locking the
stable door after the horse is stolen.
The county commissioners may have
/ hoped to find dollar overlooked in
the general scramble; or, more
ikei7, to find out who threw away
the most. Be all this as It may, the