Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-03-24
A. A. A. WILL CONTINUE FIGHT
AGAINST PRIVATE TOLL BRIDGES
C ampaign Will Be Revived Before
Seventy-First Congress When It
Convenes Next December.

way systems the existing and con-
templated bridges number so. and on
the 2,750,000 miles of local road there
are existing or proposed l47 toll bridges.
The alarming increase in toll bridge
construction has been due to the rapid
increase in highway improvement since
1922, at which time the program Of road
Improvement began to assume results
Toll bridges established on strategic
locations of the Federal-aid highway
system depend on the heavy traffic
brought to them by roads which have
been improved at public expense. These
locations are eagerly sought by private
interests. If this activity continues. the
free use of the road will be seriously
impaired and the motorists Of the coun-
try will be forced to pay tribute to pri-
vate capitalists
The Bureau of Public Roads states:
Private interests, in their eargerness to
obtain exclusive rights for the con-
struction of toll bridges at commanding
locations. have sought by various means
to obstruct the construction of free or
public operated toll bridges at such 10
cations. They have sought to enjoin
the construction of public bridges in the
courts and they have attempted, and in
some cases have succeeded In blocking
legislation authorizing the construction
of free or public bridges"
Excessive Earnings Shown.
I AS indicative of the attractiveneSs of
investments in private toll bridges, the
bureau, in a recent survey. shows nu-
merous instances of exorbitant charges
and excessive earnings by the operators
of toll bridges One structure. which
was built in 1911 at cost of $l25.000,
earned in the 15-year period to 1926 an
average annual gross income equal TO
nearly IS per cent of its original cost.
Another. built in 1907, at cost Of ST.
900, showed that the total income
earned in 1926 was $56,273.3l, and the
net operating income after the deduc-
ton of all operating expenses was SAL
678.22. In that year the company paid
a dividend Of $4,000. or 80 per cent on
the par value of the common stock.
These are extreme cases, of course, but
the Three AS found it is not unusual to
find toll bridges earning all the way
from 40 to so per cent
Even though well designed and eco
nomically operated. toll bridges result
in loss to the driving public, the aSso-
citation claims. of from Is to q per
cent of the tolls collected. A survey
of the highway system of a Western
State revealed that the cost of service
on the toll bridges was from So to 1S5
per cent higher than the cost of the
same service if the bridges we're free.
The borrowing of money by public
agencies for bridge construction need
not entail an increase of property taxa
ton to provide for a sinking fund and
interest. There is an active market for
revenue bonds, which are secured and
retired with no other fund than the rev.
enueS derived from the tolls collected.
BY resorting to this method of financing
bridges can be built by the public with
out increasing taxes and can be paid
for by those who use them without pay
ing several times their cost in profits.
1t is important to remember that the
public must ultimately pay for the
bridges whether they are privately or
publicly built If the bridges are built
by public agencies there is also the as
surance of open competition and the
awarding of the contract to the most
responsible bidder. condition that has
been noticeably lacking in much of the
private construction upon which the
public is asked to pay dividends in the
| form of toll.
Obstructi0nist Tactics.
| Private toll bridges are mostly depend
| ent for their income upon traffic fiow-
| ing to them over highways built from
| public funds.
There are outstanding examples Of
obstructionist tactics on the part Of
private toll-bridge interests to prevent
the building Of free bridges by the pub
lie or the securing Of legislation to per-
Continued on Seventh Page.)