Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1933-12-28
WHAT SIZE TRUCKS!
(St. Cloud Times and Journal-Pre:

(St Cloud Times and Journal-Press)
Shall the size of trucks be limited
by considerations of public safety.
public convenience and public policy
or shall the strength of the pave
ments be the only test?
strength of pavements," solemnly
proclaims the Federal Bureau of Pub
lie Roads. The American Association
of State Highway Officials willingly
accepts this as final. And the oper-
ators of the big trucks throw up their
caps and cheer.
But in some states Mr.. John Public
has had the audacity to insist that he
has some rights too. He has risen
to suggest that he doesn't give tin
ker's what-not about the official pro-
nouncements of these bodybuilding
bureaus and associations, and that he
cares still less about what the high
waymen think.
After all, I'm the poor sap who
pays for the highways" says John
Public. I'm the chap who's going
to say how my roads shall be used
or not used. If | don't want my wife
petition with a flock of rubber-tired
box cars every time she takes the
children to town, then l don't propose
to stand fer it.
SYou can take your juggernauts,
build your own roads, and run EN-
| q nj INF y
as you're using my roads, you're going
to play by my rules, and | don't have
to look to these bodybuilding bodies
to tell me what the rules should be
either"
This, of course, doesn't fit in with
the natural ambition of the road
builders to spend all the tax dollars
they can lay their hands on. 1t isn't
hard to see that if the physical
strength of the super-highways is to
be the only measure of the size OF
trucks, lot more highways will have
to be built and rebuilt up to those
super-standards. And what a swell
bodybuilding job that will be. What
perfectly delightful orgy of tax
spending. And this, regardless of the
fact that much less expensive road
ways will generally serve all pur-
poses if the oversize, road-pulver-
izing inter-city trucks are barred.
This interference of John Public
is also very distressing to the high
waymen. They strenuously object tC
any restrictions on their so-called
rights to exploit John Public's high.
ways. So when Texas, for instance
says that no truck can operate or
the public highways with a load OF
more than 3 y tons, except where the
load is being moved from farm tt
market, the highwaymen give vent
to unrestrained Indignation.
Now we hear of a petition by the
Federated Motor Trucks Association.
addressed to the Secretary of Agri
culture, asking him to urge the Presi
dent to call off the restrictions which
they say, interfere with the NRA Oh
something. They want the Fedora
Bureau of Public Roads to tell Texas
and the rest of the states what size
trucks John Public will have to pu,
up with-and even how much he car
tax them.
This is about the greatest imper
Thence that has been perpetrated b!
these highway marauders to date
After all, they pay no real taxes-tha
is, taxes for the support of schools
state institutions, police, etc. Ever.
cent of their taxes is returned to tn,
roads they use. And the whole luml
sum is only pittance as compared
with what property owners pay an,
owners of passenger automobiles pa,
for the building and maintenance o
highways and streets.
If anything were needed to rifle u
the fighting spirit of the real tax
payers and the great majority of high
way users, this latest exhibition of tn
colossal crust of the highwaymel
should do it.