The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1924-08-22
PROBLEM OF PAYING
FOR BETTER ROADS

Never before were the highways so
thoroughly public property as now.
They will become increasingly public
as they are improved and as auto
transportation becomes more general.
Who, then, should pay for their con-
struction and upkeep? Surely not
wholly or even largely the abutting
property owners.
In the days Of the horse and wagon
and buggy people did not go far from
home. Roads were Of more local
use. Now they are of national use.
The car from Maine uses the highways
Of all the states between Maine and
California. The car from every lo-
cality uses the highways Of every
other locality. We are nation OF
travellers, Of tourists. It is well that
we should be. 1t is to be encouraged.
The OK team and the horse team
could use mud roads. Mud did not
slow them up. much and seldom
stopped them. They moved so slowly
that time was not an object. Distance
was always reckoned In miles. Mud Is
now fatal to transportation. quar-
'ter-mile OF mud will block the traffic
on hundred miles of good highway
All our plans for travel now are de-
pendent upon the statement "if It
doesn't rain unless the roads are good
in any kind Of weather. Distance now
is matter Of minutes, not miles, from
a given place to determined dis
lance.
Therefore the roads are indeed pub
lie highways. The public, not the
abutting property owners, should pay
for and maintain them. PROPERTY own
ers for some distance back should pay
perhaps a very small tax, because
they use them frequently with teams
and wagons that do more or less dam
age to the road surface, greater
damage than soft-tired trucks and
autos do The abutting property owner
no doubt uses the local road more fire.
quently than any other highway, and
more frequently than any other user.
Nevertheless, he should not pay any
great amount Of the reconstruction
cost or upkeep Of even the road that
goes past his farm. The farmer these
days without car is hard to find. He
contributes to the upkeep, at least,
when he pays his auto license. Many
states have a gasoline tax which
makes those pay most who travel
most
Transportation is a national matter.
It would be unjust for even states to
pay the entire bill for their highways,
much less fair for counties to do it all,
even when 1t is no doubt true that
travel is large percentage local.
Whatever we may think of the kind Of
roads we should build. we should de-
wise a means Of distributing the cost
over all the people Of the nation, bear
ing most Of the cost In the locality
that gets most use Of them, gradually
spreading the tax thinner as the field
is enlarged. The toll-gate system is
a nuisance. It does make the users
pay, but it Is not sure way of assess
ing a tax sufficient only for upkeep of
the highway. We do feel that heavy
abutting property tax is wrong.
1t is the road nearest large town
or city that gets the most wear. The
traffic pours In from distant points and
passes into the city, over roads lead
ing into town. The greatest upkeep
charge is for these highways. The ad-
vantage Of living near town is more
than Offset If abutting property pays
most Of the highway charge Likewise
the city streets are used by country
people and tourists, yet the common
practice is for abutting property to
pay for the streets. Some way must
be devised to more equitably distribute
the cost of building city and country
highways Successfu Farming.