Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-03-24

Disappointed because two measures
designed to remedy the private toll
bridge evil failed Of passage in the clos
ing days of the SEVENTEEN Congress, the
american Automobile Association plans
during the Summer to continue the fight
against unnecessary private toll bridges
and TO carry the matter again before
the Seventy-irst Congress when 1t con-
veneS next December. The association
bridge matter. believing it is against
the public interest and contrary 10
road economy to permit the conStruc-
ton of profit-making toll bridges which
draw their income from the public roads
and do not contribute anything of vast
public convenience without considerable
cost to the user
At its meeting last June in Cincinnati
the association adopted the following
resolution. That the American Auto
mobile Association urge that whenever
toll bridges are necessary they should
preferably be financed from public bond
issues and should remain as toll bridges
only so long as may be necessary to
defray the cost of improvement and
upkeep. If public funds cannot be made
available. the right to build and operate
toll bridges should be granted to private
parties only after a most careful inquiry
and with a definite understanding that
such franchises shall be limited in ma
| ture, shall prevent overcapitalization of
the contemplated bridge and shall be-
come public property and free to all aft
or the cost of construction plus a fair
return upon investment has been met;
and
That the American Automobile ASso-
citation urge congressional legislation
which will insure the proper regulation
OF the construction and operation of pri-
vate toll bridges and their eventual re-
capture in the public interest
Backed Two Measures.
With this resolution before it. the as
| ISOLATION aligned itself behind two
| measures in the last Congress, one
| sponsored by Senator Brookhart and
| Representative Cochran. and the other
Senate concurrent resolution, No. IS,
introduced by Senator Oddie of
| Nevada. The latter would provide
for an investigation by Congress cover
ing the entire subject of toll bridge
operation. and was designed to crystal
lie public sentiment upon the subject
and obtain all the facts. 1t would au-
| thOriZe the appointment of a joint Sc
| lect committee consisting of three
| Senators, who are members of the COM
| mittee on post Offices and post roads.
and three members of the House, who
ere members of the committee on
roads to investigate the toll bridge
situation between the close of the last
Congress and the converting of the
| Seventy-firSt Congress.
| Passage of this resolution. the aSSo-
citation believed. would accomplish two
| things, which the association summa-
rizes as follows: 1t would crystalline
public sentiment in favor of enactment
of remedial legislation to correct the
present private toll bridge nuisance
and would afford Congress an oppor-
tunity to obtain all the facts upon which
remedial legislation might be based. The
association views with alarm" the rapid
growth of private toll bridges on stra-
tegic points Of the Federal aid highway
system.
Facts Are Summarized.
Here are the facts, as summarized by
the association:
A majority of the toll bridges in the
country are on roads which are part
of the Federal aid highway system, the
reason being that this system of 1877 ,000
miles includes the most improved State
and interstate roads. which are, there
fore, the most heavily travelled roads in
the country. Two hundred and seven
teen of the bridges in operation. under
construction and proposed late in 1927
are on this limited system. On the more