Evening star., 1941-10-22
Member of the Associated Press.
Arbitrary and Unjust

Action of the House yesterday IN
voting to double the gasoline tax
here constitutes an unjuStiflable and
unfair imposition on District motor
lists. The logical inference to be
drawn from this surprise move on
the floor of the House is that mem
bers who voted for the 100 per cent
increase desire to saddle the District
with an unreasonable, inequitable
share of the cost of highway i'm
provementS neceSsitated by defense
expansion. The proposal to boost
the gasoline tax from two to four
cents gallon was opposed by Repre-
sentative Hunter, chairman of the
District Committees Fiscal Affairs
Subcommittee. who pointed out that
revenue of the District Highway
Department now amounts to
$6,O0O,OOO a year and that any
immediate construction beyond the
urgent requirements of the emer-
gency would be unWiSe and probably
impracticable In fact, it is distinctly
contrary to governmental policy at
this time to undertake construction
not related to defense needs, and it
is doubtful that priority could be
obtained on non-essential projects.
Local civic, automobile and trade
organizations are opposed to any
increase in the gasoline tax beyond
the three cents recommended by
Chairman Hunters committee.
Highway Improvements which are
being given the right-of-Way now
are those designed to bring relief
to traffic conditions resulting
chiefly from WaShington'S mushroom
growth since the outbreak of the
European war. More adequate ap-
proaches to the bridges across the
Potomac must be provided to care for
traffic to and from the new Federal
Offices under construction in Airing
ton; new or improved access thor
oughfareS into the heart of the gov
ernmental area have become essen
tial; grade separations, underpaSSeS
and bypasses which ordinarily would
not be built for years are being
placed on the immediate action"
list Federal authorities have con-
ceded that the Federal Government
has a large responsibility in the
financing of these defenSe-aSSoci-
ated projects And the House yes
terday passed an administration
defense highway bill under which
the District certainly should be en-
titled to share with other defense
centers in funds for emergency
"access" roads of the type called for
in the latest highway program. That
program includes the grade separa-
ton at Fourteenth street and Maine
avenue southwest, extension of In
dependence avenue westward, the K
street viaduct, widening and extern
sion of Twenty-third street and
other urgent improvements designed
to eliminate bottleneck conditions in
or leading to the Federal area.
If the Federal Government is going
to assume its rightful obligations
with respect to the financing of these
expedited, costly operations, there is
no need to double the amount which
motorists pay into the local gasoline
tax fund. In view of the need for
Fastening some of these improve
ments, it could be argued that the
one-cent increase advocated by the
House committee was not unreaSon-
able. But the only excuse for Jump
ing the tax 100 per cent seems to
have been the lame one that gasoline
taxes in some other States-particu-
larly in Maryland and Virginia-are
higher than those in the District.
To compel District motorists to pay
high gasoline taxes solely because
citizens of some of the States choose
to do so is to penalize local citizens
arbitrarily and unjustly.