Evening star., 1953-02-05
New Financing
For Road Plan
Gains Support
HuIf-Cent Cos Tex,
So Registration Fee
Raise Proposed
By Gene Goodwin
Ssur Sfnff Correspondent

ANNAPOLIS, Feb. 5.-A move
to finance the State Roads Conn
12-year highway mod
ernization program with only Q
half-cent increase in the gasoline
tax and about a So raise in auto
registration fees appeared to be
gaining strength today in the
Maryland General Assembly.
The proposal was well re-
ceived when it was presented
to the House Ways and Means
Committee of the General AS
sembly yesterday.
The author Of the amendment,
Delegate C. Awdry Thompson
Democrat, Of Dorchester County.
said 1t would save automobile
owners about 500 million over
the 12-year period and still give
the roads commission enough
money to carry out its program.
The roads commission bills
call for increasing the gasoline
tax from S to 6 cents and rais-
ing passenger car registration
fees from SIS to $40 on small
cars and $23 to $50 on larger
automobiles. Some truck regis
tration fees also would be in.
creased to pay for the 12-year
program, which calls for the
State to raise more than 5000
million. although only 1858 mill
lion. actually will be spent on
roads.
Half for Roads. &
Mr.. Thompson pointed out,
however, that only half Of the
new tax and registration reve-
nues actually would go for the
State roads program. The
States so-called Sherbow fund
distribution system sets aside
half of the revenues for counties
and municipalities to use on
their own road systems.
Mr.. Thompson's amendments
would dedicate all of the in
creased revenues from his addi-
tional half-cent gas tax and the
new registration fees to the 12-
year State roads program. He
proposes raising the registration
fees only $3.50 on small cars and
$3.50 on large ones.
mo real need has been shown"
he said, "for increasing State
road funds to counties and mu-
inequalities. My amendments,
of course, would not affect the
amounts the subdivisions now
receive from the Sherbow fund.-"
Cleveland Reports Views.
Washington. I. Cleveland of
Potomac told the committee the
Montgomery Civic Federation
and the Silver Spring Advisory
Board of the American Auto
mobile Association support the
12-year program. He added,
however. that the federation
would like it to be financed on
a pay-as-you-go system. and the
AAA recommended that the in-
creased taxes involved terminals
at the end Of the program.
Another witness. Joseph p.
Lanigan, executive secretary Of
the Maryland Petroleum Indus.
tries Committee, opposed any
gasoline tax increase. Instead,
he recommended the license fee
for passenger cars be increased
so per cent and that for trucks.
100 per cent.
Mr.. Lanigan. however, urged
the Assembly to hold of on the
program for year to give II
more study. It lis so immense
it borders on the fantastic" he
said.
Two bills closely associated
with the roads program were In
troduced yesterday.
One by Delegates J. PAUL.
Marshall and Mrs. Kathryn j.
Lawlor. Republicans. Of Mont
gomery would reduce the load
limits Of trucks ito save wear
and tear on Maryland's, high
ways"
Load Limits Specified.
The bill would cut the load
limit from 22.40O to $4,000
pounds per axle. However, the
ceiling for trucks with coupled
axles would be decreased from
10000 to $4,000 pounds, and
that for trucks with coupled
axles less than 48 inches apart,
from $4,000 to $4,000 pounds.
Delegates Jerome Robinson.
Democrat, of Baltimore City, and
Carroll w. Royston. Democrat,
of Baltimore County. introduced
a bill for a constitutional amend-
Inent to make 1t mandatory for
the State to spend all its income
from auto licenses and gasoline
taxes directly on the States
highways
In the Senate. meanwhile, Il
was disclosed that Virginia State
Senator Harry F. Byrd. jr., win
be invited here to explain the
automatic tax reduction plan he
wrote for his State.
Senator Bernard s. Melnicove.
one of IL Senators sponsoring q
bill patterned after the Byrd
plan to return surplus State
funds to Maryland taxpayers.
said he will ask Senator Byrd
to come here on February II.
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