| Show S D Uncle Sam StITh an and His Ilis Nephews the t Ie N States a es esre A Are re Collecting Over a Billion Dollars in Yearly Tolls s on Motor or Vehicles an and Fuel More I Than Meets the Nations Nation's Billion Dollar Highway Building I Bill Bill Thomas Thomas H H. H MacDonald Chief of the U. U S. S Bureau of Public Roads Tells Sl Striking Details J w By JU JUDSON C C. C WELLIVER ER ERt t America has reverted rc to the thc ancient system of collecting tolls wherewith to bt 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 manufactures manufacture the petroleum industry etc In the thc same year was as spent on ru rural al roads It took tool near a century to build worth of raili rail- rail i roads oads A highway system costing that much will be created in twenty years at present rate GASOLINE TAXES BY STATES Gas Tax Gas Tax State per Galt Collections States State per Gal Collections r 1925 1925 1925 1926 1925 la 2 2 HOSOI N U. U 2 S Ark 4 N J. J None Artz i 3 7 8 N ilex 1 4 3 Cal 2 N Y None Col i r t. t 2 N C. C 4 Conn j t 2 J N D. D 1 Del 2 i Ohio 2 n PIa a. a 4 Okla 2 Ga i. i 4 4 Or Ore 3 Idaho 3 Penna 2 m. m r o A None n. n I. I 1 Ind 3 S. S C C. 6 Iowa J 2 S D. D 2 Kan t 1 2 t Tenn 3 Ky I 3 30 Tex 1 La 2 Utah 31 g Me oJ 3 Vt VL 2 Md 2 Va 3 Mass Mas None None Wash lash 2 Minn 2 W. W Wa Va a 3 Mich 2 Wis 2 2447 Miss 3 J Wyo Wo 2 Mo 2 4 Dist ot of Co J 3 Mont 2 t 2 t Nev 4 4 T Total 0 t a I ii These are some of ot the high points presented by Thomas II H MacDonald Chief of ot the Bureau of Public Roads Department of or Agriculture in an in on highway development The equipment of this continent with modern roads has been the most I amazing provision of a public utility I that any community ever accomplished pUshed in a similar period said Mr I MacDonald Historians say the theRoman theRoman Roman Empire was Vas held together by its highway system radiating from Rome to the Provinces Pro But ut America has converted con a continent into a neighborhood within a few ew years This accomplishment really represents represents the Inauguration or of a new SYB tern tem of or taxation a system of licenses and excises levied against particular privileges or classes of property the proceeds being dedicated to highway development For 1925 state taxes on gasoline a Add to that for automobile registration tion and licenses as property taxes on the automobiles automobiles auto auto- mobiles as the Federal excise tax on automobiles parts and accessories for 1925 to represent wheel o taxes special taxes on gasoline or cars and fines collected from motor ers dryers The total reaches approximately 74 Nearly 1 Yearly Tolls But these figures do not Include Income and corporation taxes derived from the motor car business ss Nor do llo they Include state local production corporation or income t taxes of ot the petroleum industry Y Yet t that Industry Indus try has a capitalization of or about A modest estimate tor for these a added to the preceding figures makes a total of or which is considerably than more more more than the entire n amount spent on country roads You ob observe ene that I have not Included In eluded the governments government's expenditures of nearly in Federal aid to road building In n the eight years from A An tn tit fl IT Urn tha Cov I I has contributed to help the states build roads Toads That Thatis is considerably less than half haIr of what the ho country spent on roads in either 1924 or 1 1925 25 Moreover Moreover-in tho ho same eight y years ars while the Government Go was distributing that to tho the states It collected In ha Internal revenue taxes on motor care cars car parts and accessories Other hundreds hun s of millions were collected in fn income income in come and corporation from Crom motor mo motor tor car manufacturers and dealers Thus It appears that Federal contribution contribution con to roads loads as com compared pared to the contribution of people who make and use the cars and the gasoline has been decidedly modest But Dut while white Federal contribution Is only about 10 per cent of highway expense ex pense pence It has accomplished results altogether al al' altogether together out of or proportion to its amount First it was an incentive to he the States Th Tho Government GO required them to Invest est as much as it con cots cots' Then the Government takes part in a general supervision of oC con and a share in determining routes So we ha have hae e built roads on better bettor standards and have got them organized Into n a truly national tern term Instead of or forty eight state terns Unifying the Road System Some da day it will bo be realized that this was the most valuable tion Driving from rom Boston to NewYork Now New York a man may pass through b four states tates Every ery one might have ha n R splendid highway system but If these did not articulate at tho the state slat lines he trip would be almost Impossible sible Thanks to the systematization under Federal Influence country roads are areas areas areis as is superior to state boundary lines as asare asare are railroads The Federal highway act of ot 1921 required that a com complete nation reach nation reach Ing ink system of ot roads be designated within two years as the roads to which Uncle Sam would give assist ance anco It was found round that there were wore miles of highway in the country O Of these 7 per cent or They rhey used to io get twenty miles on a gallon but now lie liethey they can an get get to heaven on a pint nn n n miles were to be included In the national system eligible for Federal aid ald Nearly every mile mITe of ot that 2566 2866 was a candidate for tor designation as a Federal highway But in the end the system was laid out as a truly national national na I one When tho the map was published it showed nearly the miles of designated routes Since then miles of ot these roads have been improved Improved Improved Im Im- proved nearly more moro are under construction and over 2000 have been approved for early beginning of or work In addition to that many states stales have built without Federal aid extensive sections which are Included within this national system In fact tact these state contributions aggregate miles so that approximately two two- thirds of the mile national highway system has already been im Im- proved Uncle Sam as aa Road Supervisor Along with all of at this there thore Is tho the Federal supervision over construction and maintenance When Uncle Sam helps build a road he reserves authority authority au au- au to require Its proper main main- Then there thero Is the business of ot uniform marking along llong highways 8 which mal makes es It possible for Cor motorists to drive thousands s of ot miles on a desIgnated designated designated des des- route whose markings become become be be- come so 80 familiar that after a few miles he need not ask directions Finally Federal participation has made possible a great number of ot bridges at strategic points Some of or these have been needed for years yet state and local authorities have haye been unable to provide them partly because because be be- cause of ot the cost partly because of or competition between routes When a i stream separates two counties or two states It Is often Impossible to get got gotthem them to agree asree where to build or how I Ito to divide tho the cost of or n a bridge In such cases the Federal authority has repeatedly mediated differences and secured construction Let me mention men mention tion some instances Missouri has been a state for over overa a century Divided east and west by bythe bythe bythe the Missouri river communication be bo- between between tween the two sections has been limited lim to the states state's disadvantage Four bridges ac across oss the river were required In the national highway program and Federal operation co-operation with the state of ot Missouri has made them possible Two are completed the others are under tinder un tin der construction The four will cost costa a little more than the Federal Federal Fed Fed- eral contribution being nearly 1000 Gett Getting ng Bridges Constructed Another bridge that has a peculiar Importance both locally and nationally nation ally has been needed for generations across Raritan bay New Jersey It isone la is laone laone one of or the links In the chain of or communication com between New Now York city and the country at large lare In l 1924 24 New Jersey had some of or federal Pod fed eral aid allotted to her roads and In 1925 over So the state agreed that this Raritan bridge should be built costing about I Federal funds made up about one one- third of tho the amount The bridge over overa a n mile and a half halt long is now nearly completed Such Illustrations might be multiplied multi plied Indefinitely National participation tion has repeatedly made possible the accomplishment of or vitally Important highway development According to the American Petroleum Petroleum Petro Petro- leum Institute the gasoline tax was waa first Imposed In 1919 In Oregon It has now DOW been adopted b by nil all the I states except New York Illinois New Jersey and Massachusetts The tendency tendency ten ten- I I dency doncy has been continually to Increase In crease the rate of ot tax per gallon Asas As I i late as 1921 gasoline taxes f for tor or the entire entire en tire country were only about In 1 1922 22 In 1923 almost almost al 01 al- al most in 1924 1921 H I at and 11 In 19 1925 5 14 I With good p prospects ls that the gas tax will be adopted soon by states which do not ha have 0 It now and with the rates being Increased in other states it Il Is calculated that this tax aleno will soon raise a year quite possibly during 1926 |
