Evening star., 1937-05-02

highway aid funds from New jersey
under the orders Of Thomas H. Mac
Donald, chief United States Bureau of
Public Roads, makes New Jersey the
second State to be penalized by the
Federal Government within a month
for misappropriating income from gas
oline sales taxes and motor vehicle
registration fees to purposes other than
highway financing. A few weeks ago
Maryland was informed that it had
been penalized nearly $3.50 900 of Fed
eral highway aid because it had di-
verted S4,000,000 of road funds to the
general purposes of government
Gov. Hoffman of New Jersey recent
~ vetoed bill designed to provide for
additional diversion of $8,000000 of
the States highway funds to emer-
gency relief financing. In 10000
word veto message he branded the
practice of diversion as racket
through which the States have preyed
upon their motorists since 1880" He
called attention to the need of high
way development to halt the increas-
Ing number of deaths in highway ac-
eidents. declaring; We do not see.
nor do We hear of, persons dying of
starvation :. But the newspapers OF
the country daily carry pictures of
the mangled bodies of men, women
not provide highways of the right type
to assure their safety"
The Bureau of Public Roads is in
vestigating the highway financing
policies of all the States with the idea
of penalizing diversion by reducing
Federal aid grants one third, under the
authority of the Hayden-CartWrigh
act Of 1884. In the case of New
Jersey, the bureau said it had found
that S7,572 437 in automotive tax re-
eeipts collected to finance highways
had been used for emergency relief.
State gasoline taxes cost motorists
S694,611 1903 net in 1886 new all-time
high, and 127 per cent, or S77,759,632
above the 1886 cost of $616,851 ,671,
according to preliminary estimates of
the American Petroleum Industries
Committee.
Actually motorists paid far more,
the sl86,321, ,449 representing dupli-
eating Federal gasoline taxes in 1886,
increasing the tax bill to $3.50, 932, ,752,
the committee explained, this total
further being enlarged by the cost of
county and city levies, unrecorded, but
believed to run into additional mil
lions of dollars
The gain in tax receipts of 1877 per
cent is greater than the 1915 per cent
gain in gasoline gallonage, this mar
ginal increase of around S12,000,000
being ascribed, in large part, to
elimination of evasion in several
States. In past years approximately
6 per cent of total gasoline consumed
has been non-taXable on the assump-
ton it was used for non-highway pur-
poses, and frauds under refund and
exemption laws have been a large
source of financial loss to the States.
Administrators now are inclined to
favor the elimination of exemptions
and refunds as an aid to law enforce
ment and complete collection of the
tax, it was explained.
In IS major cities are running % per
cent ahead of last year, the American
Automobile Association said today
that affiia ted motor clubs in all sec
tions are launching a vigorous pro-
gram for strict enforcement of motor
laws.
The striking increase in motor
deaths in key cities" said Thomas P.
Henry, president of the A. A. A., in
dicates that a wave of disregard for
sound driving practices is sweeping
the country. 1t comes on the heels
of decided Improvement during all of
1886 in the accident situation in
urban, as compared with rural areas.
Strict enforcement of motor laws Is
absolutely essential to offset 1897
toll of fatalities that will stagger the
country Obviously we cannot have
adequate enforcement until our cities
have sufficient traffic personnel COM
posed of trained men. Traffic insti-
tutes and training courses offer the
logical means for such training"
Citing the fact that 2.340 persons
were killed in motor crashes occurring
in IS major cities during the first Is
weeks of 1887, as compared to 1857
during the same period in 1886, the
national motoring body said that the
increase of % per cent was largely
due to more fatalities in the greater
metropolitan area. The statement,
based on official figures from the
United States Bureau of the Census,
said:
Reports from IS key cities show
that So had a greater number Of
fatalities during the first 16 weeks of
this year than during the same period
in 1896. The increase was more pro-
nounced in the country's first cities.
New York City's total jumped from
226 to 302. Chicago had 259 against
1871 Detroit reported 122 this year
and 78 last year, and Los Angeles
had 1877, or 81 more than year ago.
Improvement was shown in Atlanta.
Ga; Miami, Fla; Seattle, Wash, and
St. Louis, Mo-, while many smaller
cities maintained about the same level
as last year.
Available figures indicate that the
AIlS1CdSC III lIlOUOl OCdOAAo OAA A4 "a
highways is about Is per cent ahead
of last year. Thus the accident situa-
ton in cities is again becoming as
acute, If not more so, than that on
the rural highways"
The approach of Summer has focused
attention in the automobile world on
the efforts of engineers and accessory
manufacturers to produce an air.
conditioning unit that will be suitable
for the passenger car. according to the
North American Newspaper Alliance.
The manufacturers declare that so
much time is occupied in the auto
mobile during the Summer months
that, if it is desirable to cool fac
tories, Office buildings, restaurants and
recreation centers, it must be equally