The Sauk Centre herald., 1928-10-18
"Out Of the Mud" is
Slogan Of Minnesota
Organization Joins in Fight for
One-third of Gas Tax for Use
on Secondary Roads

Adopting as their slogan Out
of the Mud" members of the Min
nesota Farm Bureau have enlisted
actively in the fight for better
roads for rural communities now
being waged by the sponsors of
Amendment No. L.
The amendment would authorize
the use of third of the proceeds
of the gasoline tax on the second
ary roads and would enable the
counties to improve hundreds of
miles of roads which cannot be
improved at present with the great
burden of local taxation. 1t would
give minimum of $4,000 year
and a maximum of $4,000 year
to this county for use on the Sec
ondary roads. At present all the
gasoline tax receipts go into the
trunk highway fund along with the
motor vehicle tax money.
Not only has the Minnesota
Farm Bureau Federation endorsed
the amendment, officials of the
state organization pointed out this
week, but plans have been made
whereby the 10000 members of
the farm bureau will carry on an
active fight for the amendment in
their local communities until elec-
ton time. Members of the local
units will joir with those in some
/. 200 other communities in this
campaign.
IE calling Cor active support cf
the amendment. A J. Olson, Rem
vile, the new president of :.,le
Minnesota Farm Bureau, said:
"The amendment is of vital con-
Germ to the rural sections of the
state and all those towns and cities
that depend to any extent upon
farming. We must have better
roads for farmers. The farmers
are not so much interested in WIS.,
5iting or touring along the trunk
highways as they are in getting
to and from market with their pro-
duce and their crops"
The Luverne Star during the
past week stressed a similar point.
officials of the Tax Amendment
Committee suggested. Joining in
the chorus expressed by group
of country papers, the Star said
in an editorial:
"The gas taxes of the past have
given us roads to entertain our
tourists, now let's amend the law
to give roads to haul our produce. "
Approximately two-thirds of the
farmers of Minnesota still live on
dirt roads despite all of Minneso-
-ta's great progress in highway i'm
provement, the United States Gen.
,sus indicates, and during the spring
months have to battle with roads
of hottomless mud to get to town
or take the alternative of staying
at home. The amendment thus is
meeting with great favor in the
rural sections Ct the state and
among those who have at heart
the welfare of the state as a whole.
"The time has come to fill tthe
promise that was made when the
Babcock amendment for the trunk
highway system was adopted" Mr..
Olson said in his message to the
Farm Bureau. "At that time the
promise was made that if the
farmers and others in the rural
communities off of the trunk high
ways would come along and vote
for the amendment, aid would be
extended to our side roads when
the trunk highways were put in
shape.
"The trunk highways now are in
good shape. More than 90 per
cent of them are paved or surfaced.
think it is time to consider the
men out on the side roads,"
The amendment will result in the
improvement of large mileages not
only of county but township roads,
Senator L.. P. Johnson, chairman
of the state committee working for
the amendment, said this week
About $1,800,000 a year will be
distributed out to the counties
from the gas tax if the amendment
passes. With added funds in the
way of this state aid at their dis
posal, the counties gradually may
take over and improve more of the
local tax fund in aiding the town
ships in improving the township
roads as many counties do now i.
With this new fund, each county
will be that much freer to push
the development of roads that can
not be improved now.
cJIPcrpIpL, FOp TuE uEp JD