Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1928-09-20
$4,000 MORE
IN SIDE ROADS
This is Minimum Amount
That Would be Received
in Gas Tax if Amendment
No. 1 Passes at the Next
Election.

Every county in the state will re.
ceive substantial sum from the pro-
ceeds of the gasoline tax to aid in the
development of the secondary roads il
Amendment No. 1 passes, members OF
the committee urging its passage
pointed out this week.
The amendment would take third
of the proceeds from the tax out Of
the trunk highway fund and place il
in the state road and bridge fund
from which it would be distributed
out to the 81 counties for use on local
or secondary roads that are not in:
cluded in the trunk highway system
What this means to the individual
counties was suggested by reference
to the gasoline tax figures for 1927
One third of the gasoline tax for 1927
amounted in round numbers to $780,
600, Had the proposed amendment
been in effect that year, each county
would have received under the laws
governing distribution of the road and
bridge fund not less than $4,000 from
the gasoline tax for its secondary
roads and might have received as
much as $4,000.
If the amendment passes, the
amount available for distribution tC
the counties for local roads will be
approximately twice that which the
state now apportions out to the coun-
ties from the state road and bridge
fund. The one mill tax now brings
in about $2,0O0,OO0, which is distri.
buted out to the counties, each re.
ceiving not less than ! per cent mol
more than per cent of the fund.
No Increase In Gas Tax. -
And the counties will receive the
added fund for local roads under
Amendment No. without any in
crease in taxes, L. P. Johnson, chair
man of the gasoline tax amendment
committee, suggested. The amend
ment makes no change in the amount
of the present gasoline tax, he said
1t merely would take a third of tax
from the trunk highway fund and
pun IL IlIo IhC oIdIO lOelu anu VI " o
fund, where it could be used on the
secondary roads.
Doubling of the fund received from
the state for the secondary roads
would enable the counties to improve
hundreds of miles of roads which can
not now be improved, with the heavy
burden of local taxation. The money
would be paid out to the counties and
would be spent under supervision OF
the county engineers and county com
missioners in cooperation with engin-
GERS of the state highway department
who inspect and approve state aid
projects.
With twice as much money avail
able in state aid, the counties grad.
ually would take over more and more
of the township roads and improve
them, or they could spend portion
of their local road tax in aiding the
townships where this seems desirable
The Cities are EnviOus.
Country districts throughout the
state are rallying to the support Of
the amendment, but there is oppo.
sition in the three large cities. The
st. Paul Dispatch came out vigor.
ously against the amendment this
week, and other interests in st. Paul
Minneapolis and Duluth are sure tt
do what they can to defeat it. The
cities do not want road building ait
extended beyond the trunk highway
system. In fact, they themselves
have envious eyes on that annual funG
of $17,OOO,OOO which the highway de.
partment possesses, for they want the
highway department to help pay fol
the streets over which the routes en-.
ter the cities.
But the country districts which
must depend so much on the second.
airy roads are ready for change
judging from the interest being taken
in the amendment. Committees have
been formed in more than 800 towns
to work for the amendment, and 1,S0(
committeeman now are enlisted in its
behalf.