The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1941-03-20

With the tax burden upon real
estate arousing growing concern,
steps were taken at the capital
this past week, with indications.
of increased support, looking to-
ward a repeal Of the Dunn one
mill road tax law.
Coupled with the proposal, spon-
sored by a group of legislators
from rural sections of the state, is
a plan to increase the state gas
oline tax from three to four cents
and earmark 81 200, 900 of the gaso-
line tax distributed to counties
for use on state aid roads, replac-
ing the one-mill tax allotment.
Steps taken during the week look
ing toward repeal of the one-mill
tax included:
1. Declaration Of Governor Har-
old e. Stassen that the one-mill
tax should be repealed if the gaso-
line tax is increased to four cents.
2. Action of the house tax COM
mittee in recommending for pass
age the bill repeating the one-min
Dunn road tax law. The house
previously had passed a bill rails
ing the gas tax to four cents, but
at that time took no acton on the
companion proposal to eliminate
the one-mill tax.
8. Decision of the senate motor
vehicles committee in voting to
defer action on the bill to increase
the galoline tax until the house
passes the bill to eliminate the
one-mill road tax.
Authors of the bill repeating the
one-mill road tax. Senator c. I.
Oliver, chairman Of the senate
highways committee, and Senators
Oscar A. Swenson and Anchor
Nelson, farmer members of the
senate, and Representatives And.
Finstuen, Walter Burdick and L.
c. Dorweiler, all from rural sect
ions Of the state. All are authors
on a companion bill to increase
the gasoline tax to four cents.
Senator Swenson told members
of the senate motor vehicles COM
mittee that the repeal of the one
mill tax law would give some re-
left to property owners and that
the people generally will approve
the change. Authors Of the repeal
plan contend that, the one-cent
increase in the gasoline tax will
give rural COMMITTEES Of the state
more money for their local roads
than the retention of the one-mill
tax alone would give them, with
less burden on farmers and other
property owners.
Governor Stassen in a radio
broadcast said that the people
cannot afford both an increase in
the gasoline tax and retention of
the one-mill road tax.
after a careful study Of the
financial problems of the state,
including the ACCESSIBILITY of be-
ginning to pay up the rural credit
loss" he said, "of taking some
action to meet the heavy financial
burden of the twin cities for re-
lief and of looking toward some
relief for real estate taxpayers,
and considering further the fact
that during this next year six and
one-half million dollars worth of
relief bonds issued by the state
back in 1885 and 1887 will come
due, and after weighing these pro
blems over against the 30 million
dollars in highway revenues that
will come in from motor vehicle
taxes and a four cent tax, there
has been a growing support among
both the Senators and Represent.
atives for the proposal sponored
by a number of the leading men in
both houses that the gas tax be
raised to four cents, but that the
one-mill real estate road tax be re.
pealed. They further provide that
81, 200, 900 of the gas tax money be
used to take the place Of the one
will mill tax money and divided
up accordingly between the coun.