Milford chronicle., 1937-08-20
DOWN THE ROAD
BY Charles M Upham
Engineer Director
American Road Builders Associ-
the YOKE or DIVERSION

Uncle Sam has penaltzed tn
State of New Jersey to the tune o
S250,000 for the misappropriation o
highway-tax funds by the State Leg
islature. These funds were collect
ed from automobile owners and in
tended solely for the construction
and maintenance of New Jerse,
highways. What does this statemen
mean to the American motorist a
Isrge?r 81 a y.
American citizens love their lib
erty. They frequently boast thai
they wear no mans collar" The
collar. or yoke, In by7gone days
designated seryitude TO q master by
the one who was forced to wear it.
The collar, then, as symbol OF ser
vitude, has been handed down
through the years and Americans do
not like the idea Of being thought of
any master. They resent being plac-
ed In the same category with dumb
animal whose collar is part of the
harness by which his master makes
him perform certain tasks. Yet there
are in this great nation of ours
where freedom is so highly priced.
despite the wide use Of this charac-
teristic boast. a vast number OF Am
erican citizens who are harnessed to
the whims of uneoncerned. politi-
clans. These politicians do not seem
to care where the taxpayers money
goes as long as the proper" parties
are pleased The American motorist
uses the highways more than 400
hours each year and works approx
imately 100 hours a year to pay for
that privilege. Twenty-eight million
strong, they are the citizens who
have been eollared into seryitude by
irresolute Legislators.
Everyone for himself and the devil
take the hindmost used to be the at
titude of the highway taxpayers con-
cerning the condition of the high
way. The outcome of that attitude
was that the devil took the highway.
BY 1.-The devil" ] mean the diversion
of gasoline taxes and other motor
vehicle revenue to non-highway pur-
poses.
When "the devil" began taking the |
whole highway program. as well as
the "hindmost" part of IL, Uncle Sam
took the situation in hand. Most i'm |
portant consequence Of the govern
ments action was the passage OF the 4
Hayden Cartwright Road Act ON
June l8, 1884. Section IL of this Act
provides that any state that diyerts
gasoline taxes and other motor-ve-
hicle revenue from highway pur-
poses in greater amount than pro-
yided by law on the date of the pass
age of the act shall be peRaliEed not
10 exceed one-third of the federal
aid funds made available TO that
state in any year.
The diversion of gasoline taxes and
other motor-vehicle revenue to nom
highway purposes has, therefore,
Deen tried by the highest tribunal In
he land next to the Supreme Court
md has been found guilty. The Con-
yress Of the United States has la ,
,elIed the practice of diversion by
,tate legislatures as unfair and un-
ust." t- s'
The $I,676,718 In federal-aid funds
or highways available to New Jer- :
ey for the year ending July j, 1887.
has been reduced
25O 600 because the state used gas l
line taxes and other motor-vehicle
evenue for purposes other than b
iehway maintenance and construc>
ion by legislation enacted subse-
pent to June IS, 1884. New Jersey 6
! the first state TO receive the pen
lty of Section IL of the Hayden :
Road Act. The people oil =
he state who use the highways are
he real losers. 4
The American motorist at large d
as learned a valuable lesson at New =
ersey's expense. No state legisla- Il
ire can continue to divert ROAD c
,oney to non-highway purposes p
-ithout being penalized by the Uni- 6
ID States government for an unfair
nd unjust act. Politicians can now \
2 told by the automobile taxpayers =
no uncertain terms what is ex-
ected of them in the way of high y,
ay legislation. State legislators G
no fail to Justly and fairly" serve -
,eir constituents who use the high a,
avs can alone be blamed for penal tc
IS in federal aid for highways that lie
III surely be incurred If highway
md diversion legislation Is contin- In
ID. r.