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Show ROADS GET PART OF MOTOR COST Ten Per Cent of Motoring Bill Goes to Highways in Minnesota. (B E. E. DUFFY.) When the motorist-taxpayer reads that his state is spending millions of dollars for road Improvements he may feel that the expenditure Is ample. However, the money that Is actually devoted to road betterment is but a small percentage of the total motoring cost. Minnesota Figures. Taking figures compiled for Minnesota, Minne-sota, which are exemplary of most other states, the total state and local road bill Is but 10 per cent of Minnesota's Minne-sota's complete motoring expenditure. Replacement of parts, fuel, lubricants, lubri-cants, accessories, financing, new cars and trucks, Insurance, and so on, this year cost Minnesota motorists $372,-000,000. $372,-000,000. It is estimated by the state highway department that in 1930 Minnesota Min-nesota will spend $38,500,000 for roads. It is prophesied that the total motoring motor-ing bill for 1930 will be $390,000,000. Consequently, the license and gasoline tax moneys which go into the trunk highway fund will be less than 5 per cent of the total motoring bill. C. M. Babcock, Minnesota's commissioner com-missioner of highways, recently . declared de-clared : Vehicle Cost Decreases. "Although our total motor bill Is Increasing, In-creasing, the cost per vehicle mile Is decreasing. This is partly due to Improvements Im-provements in the cars, but mostly due to Improved highways. With further fur-ther Improvements In our highway system, sys-tem, we can still further reduce the cost per car mile. Every dollar spent for better roads will save dollars for gasoline, tires and repairs." .With automobile registrations Increasing In-creasing rapidly and with a steady increase in-crease In the mileage covered by the Individual motorist, most states would not be violating any economic rule by devoting more money to first-class pavement construction. Quite to the contrary, the wise spending of more money for smooth pavements would bring a proportionate reduction In car operating costs. The Invisible charge collected by inferior roads is far greater great-er than the motorist realizes from one to two cents a mile. |