The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1933-01-16
VIRTUAL DESTRUCTION FOR
STATE HIGHWAY LAW SEEN
In IMPENDING MEASURES
Bills Which Provide Slashng of Revenue or Diversion
of Funds Would Wipe Out Results of the
Legislation Enacted IN 1881
The TimcS-Ncws Bureau
ST. Walter Hotel

RALEIGH, Jan. 16.-Measures
introduced in the legislature last
week designed either to slash or
divert funds of the highway cont
mission, would virtually destroy
the new state highway law of
1881, turning the county roads
over to the state for maintenance,
should they be enacted.
The latest piece of legislation
that would effect the commissions
funds was submitted in the senate
Saturday by Senator Mcneil OF
Ashe. His bill proposed to divert
one-third of the revenue from Inc
collection of gasoline taxes to the
counties. The money would be ap-
portioned on the basis of the
counties area, population and
road mileage.
On the basis of estimated gas
oline tax collections for the past
year. the amount given to the
counties would be approximately
S4,25O.OOO. In 193O-31 it would
have amounted to about the same,
and in 1882 a third of the tax
collected Appropriated 5000
900, due to a one-cent increase IN
the tax. However, since 1885,,
the revenue from gasoline tax col
lections has dropped in excess Cl
$2,00O,000.
Two other bills pending in the
general assembly would cut the
amount of automobile licenses.
One of these bills would cut the
cost an even so per cent, while
the other would reduce the cost
by about 60 per cent. Enactment
of such legislation would leave
the highway department with
hardly enough money to MAINTAIN
the state highways, and the coun-
tv systems would either have to
be kept up by the counties as they
were before the 1881 law, or else
fall into the shape they were IN
before they had any systematic
maintenance at all.
While the Ashe senator's bill Is
designed to help the counties pay
off their bonded Indebtedness. 1t
would have about the same effect
on the maintenance of roads as
the license tax reduction bills
would have. The passage of any
of the three bills would have q
Iisastrous effect on the upkeep OF
the road system, and the passage
OF two of them would have the
effect of almost destroying both
state and county maintenance sys-
TENS.
Motor vehicle registrations have
idropped from S6,861, 1876 IN
1929-30 to $4,5O0,0O0 (estimat-
edl in 1928; gasoline tax col
lections have dwindled from S12,-
895,O51 in 1929-30 to $12,S72,-
824 in 1928, despite the addI-
tional one-cent tax imposed IN
1881. and title registrations have
dwindled from $142,744 in 1929
80 to 500, 1891 in 1928. Thus
collections in 1928 will be
S17,436,715 for 1928 COM
pared with S19,91S,931 in 1929.
30 representing a shrinkage OF
S2.482,216.
If the Ashe bill were enacted
directing a third of the gasoline
tax collections to the counties, X
would take away about S4,29u,-
GAL from the state highway tund,
leaving a balance of $13, 145, I49'
If the bill hitting the cost OF IL,
censes so per cent were enacted
also. it would take away an al
ditional $2.5OO,OOO. leaving a bal !;
ance for the state highway tund
of less than $11,000,0OO.
Interest on state highway nonaS
for 1928 amounts to $4,644,,,
932, while S3,250,000 goes toward
redeeming the bonds. These, WIN
the S5OO,OO0 that must 60 d INTO
the sinking fund, total $9,594,YoZ,
Deducting this from the Dalanee
Continued on page FOUR