The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1925-12-25
FEDERAL AID
'TANGLEFOOT'
Helena Politicians Scheme to Fool
Taxpayers Into Road Building
Program


had been sent out to 40 leaders
throughout the state. Nobody from
Sheridan county was invited.
The meeting was called for the pur-
pose of "reciting the blunders of the
last legislature" and see if it would
be possible to fool the people into
bonding the state to the amount Of
1925 million dollars for road pur-
poses.
The trouble is, the state highway
commission cut pretty short by the
last legislature and is now out of
luck getting enough money to match
the federal aid money.
In its wisdom the legislature saw
fit to divide the bulk of the gasoline
and auto tax among the counties,
figuring a county would spend that
money more economically and to bett-
er advantage than the highway COM
mission would. So the question be-
fore this great meeting was this:
Will the people of Montana stand for
a 1925 million bond issue, if not,
what scheme can we think of that
will get the money away from the
counties and over to the state high
way commission.
The gasoline tax is now 2 cents per
gallon and brings about S700,00O.00
per year. This money is now divided
up as follows: 55 per cent is divided
up among the counties, 80 per cent
goes to the state general fund and
Is per cent to the state highway
commission.
The auto tax brings about 100000
per year and all the money goes to
the county in which it is paid.
Our good neighbor, Senator J. w.
Schnitzler, from Roosevelt county,
spoke in favor of bonding, eff course,
as being "the most businesslike man.
ner Of handling the situation" He
wouldn't be the proper kind of
banker if he wasn't in favor of bond
ing. Bonding is always good business
for the banker.
But it was not meeting of fools.
They knew it was no use going before
the people of Montana with a bond
issue, so that was voted down and a
pay-as-yOu-gO plan was adopted.
Some suggested the auto tax should
be raised to $500 per car; others
wanted the gasoline tax raised from
2 to 3 cents per gallon. The senti-
ment of the meeting finally centered
on two points: Tax gasoline 3 cents
per gallon and give it all to the high
way commission, and, increase the
license fees on busses and trucks and
give half of all the auto tax to the
highway commission.
The chief engineer for the state
highway commission explained how
the state had built 100 miles of fed
eral aid roads and how they had
planned to build BOO miles more of
graveled roads at the cost of $4,000
per mile with $4,000 per mile to be
spent each year thereafter for main
tenance.
Governor Erickson also spoke at
the meeting, but failed to explain
why he was in favor of letting some
Of the gasoline tax go into the gen
eral fund, which does not lOokquite
fair. But he did say: These were
very wise words said by a governor.
He also recommended that we should
take advantage of the federal aid
money and I think a lot of people
agree with him, simply because they
do not know any better. A lot Of
people have the idea that what we
get from the government is a gift
The government has the mint and the
mint makes the mcney-nothing to
it-just hand it out as you please. But
don't you fool yourself, Mr.. Taxpayer,
anything you get from the federal
government, of from the state, you
pay for it yourself.
When / say taxpayer do net mean
the man who is paying the big taxes.
He is not a Taxpayer; he is taxcollect-
or. Anybody who can pas the tax
on to the fellow is not a taxpayer, he
Is simply collecting it from the other
fellow. Every time you buy a pair
Of shoes you pay part of the store
keepers tax, also part of the whole
Salers, manufacturers, railroads and
so on up the line. Therefore, you and
l, who are at the bottom of the line
and have no one to pass it on to must
pay the taxes.
Mr.. Taxpayer, just to illustrate to
you who can spend the road money
most economically, the county or the
state, let me give you a few figures
Sheridan county has spent about S44,-
10000 on its roads this last year. We
have graded 165 miles Of roads and
done a lot of work besides the grad
ing in form of maintenance and 9th
erwise. Now, if I would ask the peo-
pie of Sheridan county: "Wculd you
rather have the 165 miles of good
enough graded roads and the pile OF
other work we have done for the S44,-
10000, or would you have miles Of
100000 per mile graveled road?"
Not one would be in favor of the five
miles
Someone will probably say that
we could take our S44,000.00 match
it with federal money and build 10
miles of roads, but for goodness sake
let US leave the federal money alone
with its red tape. Let US build our
own roads how and where we want
them, where they will do the most
good 1t is no consolation to a man.
when he is stuck in a mudhole, to
know that so or 100 miles from where
he is sitting is a fine 100000 a mile
graveled road, and it does not cheer
a person up much, if he is stuck pull
ing a load up a steep hill to know
that somewhere in the state the hills
are cut down to a 6 per cent grade
and graveled. The fellow in the
mudhole is interested in getting that
very hole fixed, and the one on the
hill is interested in getting that hill
cut down and have it done without
lot of state and federal hOcus pocus
and graft.
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