Glacier County chief., 1939-08-25

If Montana is to continue to ex-
pand its highway system and to
maintain its roads after building
them it must stimulate its tourist
patronage, D. A. McKinnon, chief
engineer of the state highway
commission, told the members of
the Butte Rotary club in a recent
address. McKinnon, who was the
chief speaker, said that additional
revenue must be obtained if more
roads are to be built because the main
tenance demands increase with the
mileage.
To increase the gas tax, he said was
of revenue that can be levied on is
tourist travel. He recommended the
establishment of a tourist agency de-
voted to advertising Montana'S many
attractions for the promotion OF in
creased travel and longer stay in
the state by the travelling public.
Some 10 years ago there were only
10 miles of improved highway in Mon
tana, McKinnon said. Today there are
4,7OO miles which cost 1913 1000 900. Hav-
ing been built. the next step is main
tenance If one said a highway must
be rebuilt every 10 years he would not
be far from the truth, the speaker
said. But, assuming that the road must
be rebuilt every 80 years, it means
to be built each year. In the past 10
years the commission has been re-
building only so miles a year.
Many Highways Needed
IF we keep on building highways
and there are many parts of the
state where highways are needed" he
said, "our repair bill will grow also
and unless additional revenue is OBJ
tanned our highway system will be-
enue is the increase in tourist travel
and in the longer stay of the tourists
within the borders of Montana. If pop
ulation increases as the highway sys-
tenn expanded there might be remedy
in that; but it does not
The highway system has followed
"pay-aS-you-go' system, he said. The
only debt outstanding is the, $4,000 .OOo
Very little of this money has been
spent, he said Montana, it must be
remembered, he said, is the third larg-
est state in the Union, in point OF
mileage, and the 35th in point of pop.
ulation. Montana is more tourist con.
scious than any other state and does
said, notwithstanding the fact that II
is shown beyond question that thu
tourists bring from S25, 100000 to $780,
100000 to the tills of this state each
year.
The state highway system gets one.
third of the gas tax collected, he said
from tourists. Chambers of commerc'
advertise and make appeals to tours
travel; Montanans, Inc, sends ou
much advertising. The dude ranch as
ISOLATION makes it appeal but it is no
enough. The communities must help
An agency for the promotion of tour
list travel must be put to work. We have
many appeals to the tourist sightseers
scenery-mountains glaciers. geysers
forests, flower-decked prairies, water.
| falls-things unmatched in any othel
part of the world hunting, fishing anc
numerous other attractions. But Mon
| tanans are the last to be sold on theil
own state" he declared.
| With tourists bringing in a revenue
of $4,000, 900, he said, during a three.
| day visit, the sum could be raised tc
$40 900 900 if they were sufficiently at.
| tracted to spend four days within the
state, he said. McKinnon said thai
while Montana had established STATE
highway commission many years ago
it accomplished nothing until the ga:
| tax was voted.