The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1929-02-01

Z
!, have decreased more than 20 pei
j cent. This is considered an ad
vantage which out-weighs any oh
; lection which might be raised
against it.
: Statistics prepared show that
: during last year 239,668 foreign
automobiles entered the state with
2 an average of 8 and 3-1Oths persons
to the car. Each one of these three
persons expended an average of
$3.50 a day in the state of 1884
for each automobile and Montana
has benefited to the extent of
SIS, 089, 497 by these tourists from
outside states this year, compared
with ten million for 1927, which
shows an increase of $5,O89,497 or
SO per cent over 1927. The aver
age stay in the state per car was
6 6-10 days and the mileage Gov
cred 632 miles. Each automobile
accounted for S62.96. On this
basis of Is miles for each gallon
of gasoline these tourists purchas-
ed 10,09S,612 gallons of gasoline
and paid 1902, 940.36 at three cents
a gallon tax and matched with
federal aid of $685., 56O.64 the Sc
Clio share of the government.
The tourists visiting Montana
last year made possible S6S8, SOL
for the construction and mainten-
anace of highways in the state.
Based on the maximum cost of
$4,000 per mile as figured by the
state highway commission the
money received from the tourists
last year would build 76h miles
of neW highway. The total num-
Der of gallons of gasoline sold last
year was 72,875,683 as compared
with 81 1926 $40 in 1927 or a gain
of AZ per cent.
Behind &c Gas Tax
The directors of the Montana
Automobile association have gone
on record as approving and getting
behind a movement to request the
next Legislature to add a temper
airy two cent tax on gasoline for
a period of four years. A bill has
already been prepared and plans
in~augurated to carry on a sensible
and reasonable campaign, present
ing to the people and to the legis-
just how much this extra
will bring to the state for the
building and maintenance of roads.
at the present time there is an
accumulation or surplus of federal
aid funds totalling in round
$4,500,000, which the state
highway commission cannot reach.
The annual federal aid delease
into the neighborhood of
500, 900 and this is matched by
he incoming three cent gas tax,
which is not sufficient however, to
.bsorb any of the AZ million sur
illus.
If the extra two cent tax mea-
ure is passed, it would mean that
t would bring in at least $1,25O,-
90 per year and matched with a
Ike amount of federal aid, and
yould give the state $4,000, 900
yer and above what they are now
and allow them to build
bout 500 miles of highway per
ear for the next four years in
tead of $50 miles under the pres
Mt program, in other words, we
vould be able to complete our
year program in 4 years.
This surplus of Az millions of
,deral aid has accumulated dur
lg the 5 year period when we
W dormant from 1921 to 1926
ithout making any provision for
'deral aid for Montana on a basis
Al per cent state funds to Sc
or cent of government funds.
he matter of maintenance is an
her problem that has to be met
7 the state highway commission
the roads are completed the
aintenance must be kept up for
| projects built previously with
deral aid funds and also for that
ork completed since Initiative
Ill No. 81 went into effect. For
try and Indian reservation high
avs built with 100 per cent gov
nment money must also be
s-4-.--J l. IT, -4~L~ l,N
ter completion. In addition to
e funds derived from the gas
x, other sums for road building
bring the grand total up
nsiderably. This includes roads
rough the national forests, In
an reservations and national
rks which this year was approx
ately two million dollars. The
receive their regular road
7ies amounting to about three
llion dollars annually and the
to license plates run to around
e million three hundred thous-
d dollars, making a grand total
gas money, federal aid, county
les and license plate moneys Of
Irteen million dollars of money
road purposes in Montana.
What Other States Spend
want at this time to show you