Show uncle sam and his nephews the states are collecting over a billion dollars in n yearly tolls on motor vehicles and fuel more than meets tho the nations billion dollar highway building bill thomas H macdonald chief of the U S bureau of public roads tells striking details detail by JUDSON C WELLIVER america has reverted to the ancient system of collecting tolls wherewith to build and maintain highways in 1925 these tolls amounted to collected through motor licenses gasoline taxes property corporation income production and other taxes on automobiles automobile automobile manufactures the petroleum industry etc in the same year was spent on rural roads it took near a century to build worth of railroads A highway system costing that much will be created in twenty years at present rate al GASOLINE GAS OLINE TAXES BY STATES STA TES gas oa tax gas tax states state per gal Collect lorn states per gal coll alom 1925 1925 1025 1325 1923 1925 ala 2 8 N EL 2 ark 4 N J none non arli ariz a 8 N NIM max 3 cal 2 N Y none non col 2 N C 4 co conn n n 2 1908 ros N D 1 pel L 2 ohio 2 45 via fla 4 1 okla 2 60 0 o 4 ore 3 8 matin idaho 3 renna panna 2 ill III none R P L I 1 ind 3 6 1 S C 5 iowa 2 S D 2 X km 2 tenn 3 3 ky 13 3 te tex 1 la ila 2 utah utah 3 me 1 3 vt 2 md 2 va a 2 mass none wash 2 minn 2 W W val va 3 2155 mich 1 C IL 2 wis 2 hiss S S a 2 2 wyo 2 mo j 2 dist of co 2 mont nf 0 nl 2 neb 2 2 00 nev 4 total these are some ot of the high points presented by thomas 11 MaeD macdonald imald chief of 0 the bureau of punic roads department of agriculture in an in on highway development the equipment of 0 this continent with modern roads has been the most amazing provision of 0 a public utility that arry any community ever accomplished in a similar pe period rioL said MT mr macdonald historians say gay tho the roman empire was hold held together by its highway sy system stenY radiating from rome to the provinces ProT loces but am america edica has coti Con Tertod a continent into neighborhood within a tow few years alls this accomplishment really represents se ats tho the inauguration ot of a new system ot of taxation a system ot of licenses and excises levied against part particular tic cular privileges or classes ot of property the proceeds being dedicated to highway development for 1925 state taxes on gasoline aggregated add to that tor for automobile registration stra and licenses as property taxes on the automobiles pa as the federal excise tax on automobiles parts and ad accessories lor for 1925 to represent taxes special taxes on gasoline or cars and fines collected from motor drivers the total reaches approximately nearly yearly tolls but these figures do not include income and corporation taxes derived from rom the motor car business nor do they include state local production corporation or income taxes of 0 the petroleum industry yet that indus try has a capitalization ot of about A modest eftim estimate ate tor for these added to the preceding figures malies makes a total of 0 which Is ie considerably more than the entire amount spent on country roads you observe that I 1 have not included the governments expenditures ot of near in federal aid to road building in the eight years from inis 1918 to 1925 5 inclusive the tha government cranie nt has contributed to help the states build roads that Is considerably loss than halt half ot of what the country spent on roads in either 1924 or 1925 moreover in the tha same eight years while the government was distributing that to the states it collected in la internal revenue taxes on motor cars parts and accessories other hundreds of were collected in in come and corporation taxes from roin motor car manufacturers and dealers thus it appears that federal con trib ution to roads as compared to the contribution ot of people w who be make and use the cars and aad the gasoline has been decidedly modest nut but while federal contribution Is only about 10 per cent ot of highway expense ed results altogether u t has accomplished accomplish out of proportion to its an amount punt first it was an incentive to the states th tb government required then them to invest as mu much ch as it con tributes trl tri buted then the government takes lakes part pan in a general supervision of 0 con st ruction and a t share in determining routes so we have built roads on better standards san wan dards and have got them organizer organized into a truly national tern tem instead of 0 forty eight state sy teras unifying the road system some day it will be realized that this was the most valuable con tribu tion driving from boston to new york a man may pass through four our mates every one might have a splendid highway system but it these did not articulate at the state lines the iho trip would be almost impossible thanks to tho the dyste under federal bedera influence country roads are boundary line q as as superior to state are railroads the federal highway act ot of required that a complete nation natio reach neach ing gy steal of roads be designated with in two years as the roads to which uncle sam would give assistance it was found t that hat there were mile of 0 highway in tho the country of 0 these 7 p per er cent or zooa miles were to be included in n the national system eligible tor for federal aid nearly every mile of 0 that 2866 was a candidate tor for besl designation ga as a federal highway but in the end ad the system was laid out as a truly na lional one when the map was published it showed nearly the miles of designated routes since thou than miles ot of these roads have hava been improved nearly 1300 more are under construction and over ovar 2000 have been approved tor for early beginning of work in addition to that many states have hata built without aid extensive sections which are included within th this Is national system in fact these state contributions agg aggregates miles so that approximately two thirds of 0 the mile national highway system his has already been improved uncle sam as road along with all of this there la is th the federal supervision over construct construction iou and maintenance when uncle sam helps build a road he bo reserves authority to require its proper maintenance te nance then there la Is the business ot of uniform marking marl ring along highways which makes it possible for motorists to drive thousands ot of miles on a designated route whose markings become so familiar that after a few miles he need not ask directions finally federal participation has kofl made possible a great number 0 bridges at strategic points some of 0 these have been needed tor for years yet 1 state and local authorities have been unable to provide them partly because of 0 the cost partly because of 0 competition between routes when a stream separates two counties or two states it Is often impossible to get them to agree where to build or how to divide the cost of 0 a bridge in such cases the federal authority has repeatedly mediated differences and secured construction let me mention some instances missouri has been a state for or over a century divided east and west wast by the missouri river communication between the tha two sections has been limited to the states disadvantage four bridges across the river were required in the national highway program and federal operation cooperation co with tho the st state ate ot of missouri has mado made them possible two are completed the others are under construction the four our will cost coat a little more than the federal contribution being nearly 1000 1000 getting bridges constructed another bridge that has a peculiar importance both locally and nationally has been needed for or generations across raritan bay new jersey it Is one of the links in the chain of communication muni cation between now new york city and the country at large in 1924 new jersey had some of 0 federal aid allotted to her roads and in 1925 1945 over so the agreed that this raritan bridge should be built costing about federal funds made up about one third of the amount the brid bridge geover over a mile and a half long Is now nearly completed such illustrations raight be multiplied indefinitely national parti participial cipal tion lim repeatedly made possible the tha accomplishment of 0 vitally important highway development according to tho the american petroleum institute the gasoline tax was waa first imposed in 1919 in oregon it has now been adopted by all tho the states slates except new york illinois new jersey and massachusetts the tendency has been continually to increase the rate ot of tax per gallon ax As late as 1921 1911 gasoline taxes tor for the entire country were only about in 1922 la IQ 1923 almost in 1924 anil and in 1925 jr with good prospects thil the the gas is tux tax willbe adopted by stales alleg w which do not have it now and with the gal kinase rates being is others it Is calculated calculAte i that this tax alone will soon raise a year qu ault I 1 to possibly during I 1 |