The Bismarck tribune., 1925-02-23

An effort was to be made today or
tomorrow by members of the House
of Representatives Highways Com
mittee' and others to revise the state
road building program, as a result of
the defeat in the House late Sat-
urday afternoon Of the bill providing
an additional one-cent tax on gas
oline, to raise money to match Fed
: eral Aid for state road building.
Since this bill, House Bill No. II,
failed to pass, the highways situa-
tion was left in an unsettled state.
1t was declared by proponents of
the measure that since the motor
vehicle bill had passed, providing a
method Of division Of money, and
county money cannot be used to
match Federal Aid after 1926, the
situation now is that the state will
have Highway commission and or
ganization with no funds to build
roads.
When the gasoline tax measure
came up for final passage, party
lines were entirely broken. Rep.
Watt of Cass county declared he
Views Expressed
"We've been talking about cutting
taxes" said Rep. Watt. "The other
day we passed motor vehicle IL
cense bill which adds 100000 to
100000 to motor vehicle licenses.
Now we are attempting to put on a
gasoline tax of 100000. This money
is to be spent on trunk highways,
and not for roads from the farmers
home to town, and l am against it,"
Rep. Twichell, Cass county, said
that when the session opened some
good roads enthusiasts figured out a
scheme calling for raising $2,6OO,OOO
year for good roads. This was re-
jected, he said. The House had al
ready, in the motor vehicle license
BILL, he said, put the expense of
maintaining state highways already
built, on the Highway Commission.
The Commission will get just about
chough from the motor vehicle funds
to do this, he added, and said the
gasoline tax money would match Fed
cral Aid for building new roads.
"This is not increasing the amount
of money for Federal Aid roads-it
is decreasing it," said Mr.. Twichell.
"The counties are relieved of main
tanning these roads. You are taking
off the county tax to match Federal
Aid, You won't spend as much mon
ey for Federal Aid roads under this
plan as you are now."
Rep. Divet, Cass county, opposed
the bill, declaring he was opposed
to it because it is a 100000 in
crease in taxes without a cores
ponding reduction any place." He
declared that some members had
been "bunked" step by step into
supporting many measures and
shouted that "the time to fight these
good roads grabs by the Highway
Commission and other commissions
is at the start"
Local Man Opposed
Rep. Thompson of Burleigh county
declared that the expense of main
tcnance of roads built under the
plan would mean additional taxation,
while Rep. Twichell declared that
since the maintenance must come out
of the state road fund created, it
meant that the amount of new roads !
build would be decreased as the
maintenance increased.
Rep. Hardy of Slope declared that
the gasoline tax would force the |
tourists to help pay for main roads,
and Rep. Peters declared this was |
an admission that the roads were
being built for tourists and declared
the gasoline tax the tourist would |
pay was small as compared to the |
tax that farmers would pay for the
roads.
The roll call on passage of the bill |
was:
Ayes-Brown, Burkhart. Burns,
Butt, Carr, Croker, Currie, Dough-
erty, Doyle, Elken, -Ellingson of |
Trail, Ferris, Frank, Freeman, Hal
crow, Hardy of Slope, Hardy of |
Mountrail. Hartl, Helbling, Hildre,
1verson, Jacobson, Jodock, Johnson
of Foster, johnson of McHenry,
Johnson Of Pembina, johnson of
Ransom, Keierleber, McManus, Mar
tin, Montgomery, Mus, Oberg, Rabe,
Rasmussen, Richardson, Rulon, Sa-
gen. Sanderson. Sanford, Schmidt,
Shepard. Shurr, Skogland. Sproul,
Starke, Tweten, Twichell, Yeater.
Noes-Anderson of Divide, Ander-
SON of Sargent, Anderson of Stuts-
man. Arduser, Borman, Bollinger,
Bubel. Cart. Craig, Divet, Ellingson
of Ramsey, Erickson of Divide,
Erickson Of Kidder, Erickson Of
Steele, Fine, Flom, Hanson, Hempel,
Hoople, johnson Of aMcHenry, John
SON Of Trail, Jones, Kamrath, Lazier,
Leraas, Levin, Loudenbeck, McCay,
McDowall, McGapvren, Miller Of
Williams. sOlafson, O'Neik Fetert