The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1956-11-23
Editorial
Highway Fact-Finding Committee Report
cO!NMENDA TION I'M ORDER

To those of you who may why this weeks VOICE
skinny of state affairs let me confde ther
are two Very little transporting during this cain
period following election 2 This Editor has had his nos
volumnous findings of the Highway FactFndmg Com
mittee and has had little time for anything else.
To begin with findings released by the committee unde
the direction Transportation Economist William L. Hall OF
Portland knowledge the first really comprehensive
survey made of the overall engineering and financing
needs of increasingly important highway system
This survey conducted by Hall and his assistants Ralph
Johnson highway engineer; and Daniel Shea and Arthur
Nelson research assistants cooperation with the ote
Highway Department and the making the highway
advisory committee headed by George Schoe OF Butte mas
laid illusions about highway cost
responsibility and has brought to light various neques ana
oophoes in existing highway financing laws These include
for example:
l. Automobile Montana pay three times much
highway per to of travel does the tractor
trailer combination
2 That while single 40 OOOb truck pays $435OO
in Vehicle Weight fees under present law, very
typical combination of $4,000 pounds pulling unit and
pound trailer $4,000 pounds) only S1O5 in
GVW fees
Recommended by the committee a of bringing
about equitable sharing of highway costs between the
various types of highway users legislation which closely
parallels the Oregon weight-stance law. This legislation
which committee has had drafted accordance with leg
ave mandate would replace the present highly nequtable
GVW law taxing schedule based primarily number
travelled by heavier highway vehicles and the type
If fht careos hauled bv those vehicles on the highways
Under proposed legislation trucks of "a 900 GVW and
under because their highway cost responsibility much
less than the big units ranging to $4,000 GVW would con-
pay flat annual fee Surveys of similar taxing
schedules other states show that exemption lighter trucks
combinations greatly decreases the costs of administering
able decrease in available for highway financing
Contrary to the ofmade claim that weghtmie taxing
method would greatly increase shipping costs, study
Montana State University research people in
junction with the highway committees investigation shows that
freight increases practically all commodities hauled
by trucks would be entirely without Justification Translated
effect Of such law general buying
increased cost would be such nntesma fraction OF
there could be justification for increasing the
price of tem whether be of gallon of
line full of furniture In the latter instance weight
mile might increase the retail cost of $500 worth of urn
by SO cents according figures presented the committee
by MSU researchers).
Whether the members of the forthcoming legislature will
study the committees reports and then fit to act in accord
with recommendations developed by the committee matter
of conjecture However, this time unlike in 1885 legislators
will not be able to blame lack of comprehensive information for
their failure make sensible start toward developing
equitable method of assessing highway construction costs the
various types Of vehicle
Economist Hall and his assistants have done splendid
piece of work digging out and developing the facts and be-
of their efforts the 1857 Legislature should have little
difficulty in finally getting highway financing basis which
IS reasonably fair to all
Graphic Example