Bemidji Daily Pioneer Newspaper, October 8, 1920, Page 2

. AMENDMENT NO. 1 TO. BAING. GO0 ROALS (Continued From First Page.) Minnesota road funds last year ag- gregated $16,680,000, all told. ' The proposed plah will provide an average of $27,000,000 a year, officials estimate and their figures are proving very con- servative. Not less than $6,200,000 will be de- rived next year from the higher license fees, they show, and that total will grow each year as good roads increase the numbers of motor vehicles in use. Amendment No. 1 also will enable the state to obtain its full share of $2,840,- 000 a year in federal aid, whereas its defeat will mean that more than half the amount will be lost to Minnesota and reapportioned among states with better road plans. Counties, Towns to Gain. Thus without increasing road taxes or selling bonds, the state will be sup- plied with all the funds that can be economically and efficiently used on the main highways. Relieved of the expense of improving and maintaining trunk roads, which now take nearly two thirds of all funds, counties and towns will have nearly three times as much money to spend on local roads. Amendment’ No. 1° passed, the state on January 1) 1921, will lake over to always maintiin and to improve as its funds will permit, about 7,000 miles of main trunk higliways, as designated in the amendwment which will be offi- cially published in this paper. Funds for the state work will be forthcoming in automobile license revenue and federal aid. | Details Left to Legislature.. | The state legislature, meeting early next January, will work out adminis- tration and other details of the new plan. It will decide upon the new scales of license fees, making those on light cars less than on heavy cars and trucks, according to the road wear from each, as luter explained in more detail. Tt will designate or create the state board or department to carry out the state program. The amendment " leaves the legisluture entirely free to act as good judgment dictates, and po- litfcal influences have heen eliminated by careful preparation of the amend- ent. With all state aid and tax funds, as at present, counties and towns will be able to build adequate and permanent latefal or feeder rouds three times as rapidly as under thé present system. The main roads will not be taking 65 to 80 cents of every state and county road tax dollar. After turning over about §1,500,000 to the state in return for lifting the Dbiggest burden, the counties and towns will have for use ‘on local roads more than $16,000,000 a year or ncarly three times us much as is available now. Things to Remember, Two importantifacts that every man and woman voter is urged by friends of the plan to keep in mind are these: Minnesota cannot meet the public de- mand for "good roads and keep pace with other states unless Amendment No. 1 fs adopted or tuxes are increas- ed. To' pass Amendment No. 1 requires a majority of all votes cast, so fallure to vote at al! is the .ame as to vote “ro." Auto Owners Will Gain. Under the proposal now hefore the voters good roads, as stated, may be secured without increasing road taxes. Thn new license fee on the average J car will be about $18, it is expected. The umaunt will be less on small, light cars and ‘proportionately greater on big cars und trucks, all to be fixed by the legislature according to the road wear caused by each. The average car now yields $7.60 a year in license fees and personal property taxes. Hence, the average In- crease would be about §10.40 a year. Automobile statistics show that op- eration of the average car costs 8 cents a milo on good roads and 10 cents on poor roads. Allowing only 1 cent a mile, the average Minnesota car owner will have made up the increase on the first 1,949 miles driven cach year, and benefitted besides by road improve- ments including all-year going, and every additional mile will mean cash profit o his investment. More Money From Same Source. The higher license fee plan will take motor vehicles off the personal prop- eru: tax lists. This is necessary under the prohibition of double taxation. The statement is made that personal property tax revenue will be reduced and other taxes must be raised as a result. Amendment No. 1 will reduce tax revenue to that extent, but also it will bring nearly four times as much mon- -ey from the same source for a public purpose which otherwise must be fi- nanced by iIncreases in general taxes and the property owners paying the higher amounts are ready and willing to do so. The majority of counties will actually gain thousands of dollars of public funds every year in addition to the direct benefits from good roads. It will be literally a trade of quarters for dollars in most cases. Cities and Towns to Profit. Automobile and truck owners in Minneapolis, St. Paul and Duluth will pay a good share of the license fees and the counties in which these ctties are located will get back for work on their own roads comparatively little of the money. The owners favor the plan because while they may drive more hours on city streets, their great- est mileage is covered on the country roads. The cities will profit from good rogds through increased trafiic and trdde. Traffic makes business; good roads spread prosperity. Railroad cen- ters ‘become big cities. A store on a street where 10,000 pass daily brings more than ten times as much rent ordinarily as the store located where only 1,000 pass each day. Property values increase; trade gains and as- 'sessment valuations rise and the un- changed tax rate yields larger amounts. This applies equally to the metrop- olis‘and its great department stores and ‘mills and factories and to the cross-roads community with its gen- eral 'store and blacksmith shop or ga- rage. The state and community moves only' so fast as the people_can move. Gaod roads are used more than poor roads. Road betterments increase tra- vel., 1 i+ i Bond Features Explained. City property becomes more valu- able as it is made more accessible, and farms_are worth more when reached by good roads—the farmers’ railroads. Fear is expressed that the legisla- ture may -permit the sale of large amounts of -bonds and thus shift ‘the cost of good roads largely to the gen< eral tax -payers.. Twelve Wisconsin counties last year issued more than $50,006,000 of honds to build roads and many states are bondiag for road im- vrovemeénts. Amendment No. 1 provides that road bonds up to $10,000,000 a year may be issued in the discretion of the legis- lature, but that not more than $75,- 000,000 shall he. outstanding at’ any one time. Also, it provides that all bonds must be sold at:par or a premi- um and that 5 per cent shall be the maximum iaterest rate. 'The latter limitations are the samo as those which prevent the sale of Minnesota séction of Amendment No. 1 now is virtually of no effect. When 5 per cent bonds were being sold, however, unexpected increases in the numbers of motor vehicle licenses caused officials to.anncunce that the license revenue will be ample to finance the state highway system and that in all probability no bond money would be needed. Special 8afeguards Provided. Shonld the bonds become salable, special safeguards are made. The sinking fund is created before any bonds are issued and it can be used only to.pay bond interest and princi- pal. With a definitely determined sinking fund, the legislature can de- ¢ide how many bonds may be fssued without requiring a tax levy, as eas- ily, as a businessman can find out from hig* bank' book how much money he has on deposit. Otherwise, the bond provisions are the same ags all others governing Minnesota issues. Advocates of the Amendment No. 1 prove a great advantage. ple, they point out, hdtld credit be- come easier and material prices drop, some good roads bargains may be se- {cured. Again, they gdd, should the tdemand for labor slacken, bond money might mean work foryjnany and avert hard times in Minnesota. They main- tain that in no event can the bonding authority work harm and.it may prove of great value should the bonds be- come marketable. And under the sink- {ing fund plan and other safeguards, the cost of the good roads plan will he pald for almost entirely with motor vehlicle license revenue, federal aid to he added also. State System Outlined. \ Minnesota's motor vehicle license fees now are lower than those of any other state. Automobile owners of the other states where higher lcense funds are used for road bhetterments generally are willing to pay further increases upon finding out what big returns they receive for their money. Seventy rontes designated in the amendment make up the proposed state system of trunk highways. They we described in the amendment which soon will be publighed in full in this paper. The routes were select- ad by the legislature of 1919 after in- vestigations and public hearings and it is genmerally admitted that evesy county and section was given fair con- sideration. The original system may be added to when necessary to touch new coun- ty seats, the amendment provides, and also in the discretion of the legisla- ture after the original system is 75 per cent improved and necessary funds are available. “Every Road a Good Road.” The good raads plan is designed to link together the more important cities and towns and to make every Minne- sota farm accessible by roads equal to all reasonable demands. During the next ten years it will provide the state with upwards of $100,000,000 and the counties and towns with $175,000,- 000 more for road building and main- tenance. That will enable Minnesota to advertise itself then as a state with 78,000 miles of public roads and every mile adequately improved. Good roads mean almost countless penefits and advantages. They estab- lish eloser communication between people in the country and in the towns. They lower rents, reduce the cost of foods and qther necessities of life. They make it easier to keep the boys and girls on the farms. They aid work- ingmen to own homes and cars to take their famides to the country and to !the lakes. They enable the farmers to reach markets when the highest prices are being paid. They increase tourist travel which spreads prosper- Ity both in the city and in the coun- try. They bring innumerable benefits, all of which can, be appreciated only when good roads \are made a reality \dl soldiers’ bonus bonds:. So the bond | {plan hold that the bond clause may |- For exam-; e s THE. BEMIDJI DAILY. PIONEER in Minnesota and then will be votec a common blessing. K Call Plan Best Possible. In the absence of any better plan Good Roads Amendment No. 1 is pre sented as the nearest perfect, a pro posal combining all the best features yet developed. I'or that reasonm, its friends suggest that the real question is simply whether Minnesota can af- ford to delay and then increase taxes and possibly sell bonds to merely keep its highways passable under the wear and tear of increasing motorized traf- Minnesota Federated Farm Bureau and many other farmers’ organizations have adopted resolutions urging their members to vote ‘yes’ for Good Roads Amendment No. 1. Organized labor has endorsed - the amendment and many local unions are following the example of the Minnesota Federation of Labor which at its annual meeting in Rochester pledged support for the proposal. The Minnesota State Auto- mobile associaticn and scores of local automobile clubs are active in the cam- paign to get the amendment belora,. the veters and make sure of its adop- tion. . Commercial and other civic or- ganizations are giving valuable assist- ance in the good roads movement and are a unit in favor of Amendment No, 1 Women Plan to Vote ‘Yes.’ ‘Women voters are expected to swell the majority of votes. ‘yes’ on Ameénd- ment No. 1.' The Minnesota Federa- tion of Women's clubs at the recent meeting in Northfield heard the good roads plan explained in detail, and unanimously passed a resolution ask-|{; ing -its members and all:.women to vote for its adoption. Other’ organiz tions of women are studying the plan | and giving Anrendment No. 1 their;; And. perhaps |- hearty endorsements. the farmer's wife who knows what it is to live on a poor, muddy road can be countéd on more certainly’ to’ cast'|" ‘¥ her first vote for a good road. Good roads, good schools, good churches, good citizens and good communities go together, it is said, and the women appreciating this will take most pleas- ure in voting for Good Roads Amend- ment No. 1. The Minnesota Highway Improve- ment association, a voluntary organiza- tion with offices in the Merchants Bank building, St. Paul, is conduct- ing a statewide educational campaign on Amendment No. 1. 1Its staff and volunteer speakers are going over the state explainipg the plan at puhlic meetings. The speakers will answer any quéstion about the proposal. The association algo 'is ready to answer individual questions by mail, so con- fident are its officers that if it is fully understood, every man and woman vot- er will not fail to vote ‘yes’ on the pink ballot and Good Roads Amend- ment No. 1 will be adopted by a de- served major!ty‘ """ Doctors Order Good Roads | Doctors know what is good for us- and they are giving cash to help pass Good' Roads Amendment No. 1. Your doctor is trying to get roads on which he can reach your home in case of sickness. Are you going to join a suicide club? Long Roads Made Short. Good roads shorten distance. It's a good thing for the fcllow who plans to vote “no” or not to vote at all on Good Roads Amendment No. 1 for should it fail he would want to keep as far away from everybody as, he can. Good Maintenance Comes First. Common-sense, economical mainte- nance comes first, then improvements as demanded by traffic and other con- ditions on each road—that is the plan under Good Roads Amendment No. 1. All Travel Same Roads. We' may attend different éhurches, belong to different clubs, vote different tickets, wear different clothes, and so forth, but we all have to travel the same roads, so let's vote ‘yes’ solidly on Amendment No. 1. Wheels That Use Will Pay. Good roads everywhere in Minneso- ta, paid for by wheels that use them— Amendment No. 1 means just that and nothing else. Put your x after the first ‘yes’ on the pink ballot at the general clection Nov. 2. . Truth and a Moral. Every road a good road—pald for with automobile upkeep savings—no increase in road taxes. That s the terse truth about Good Roads Amend- ment No. 1. Vote “yes” for it on the pink ballot Nov. 2. A Lot in a Little. Automobile savings and federal aid to build main roads—-state aid and tax funds for county and town roads— every road a good road—that's the proposal under Good Roads Amend- ment No. 1. Keep Out of Garages. Better buy good roads than mnew springs and more tires and gasoline, is the way the wise automobile owner looks at it. Let him do it—vote “yes” on Good Roads Amendment No. 1. +No Vote is Vote “No.” No vote is the same as a vote ‘no’ so you will want to get posted on Good Roads Amendment No. 1. And when you know the facts you'll vote ‘yes’ on the pink ballot Nov. 2. Legions to Vote “Yes.” Well-informed voters are going to cast ‘yes’ ballots en Good Roads STATE BOY AND GIRL CLUBS WIN HONORS Minnesota boy and girl club memb- ers made a creditable record in the competition with other mid-west state groups at the Interstate fair at Sioux City. The Minnesota lamb club, composed of Gertrude O’Connel, Gerald Sullivan and Walter Sohn, all from LeSeuer county, took first, sec- ond and third places, The Winona team was- given first rank in club canning exhibits and the Minnesota club exhibit in sewing. was placed third in the campetjtipn.’ Nebras had.the champion ctop project dem onstration team, with' Minnesota close second. Minnesota Wi sented by-the Grand, Rapids potato team consisting , of ;, Harold Aiton, Clarence Bunnell and Emil Br and they won first prize on & of late. potatoes gnd first and second on exhibits of carly protatoes. Jun- iors from 10 states took part in the contests. 2.000 STUDENTS T0 ° & ENROLL AT U FARM Registration : another year’s work at the :‘Minnesota college of Ari- culture; and the-Central School of Agriculture at University Farm, St. Paul, indicates that the attendance this year at these two units of'the’ state universiy will be even greater than last year when’the increase in’ the student body was 40 'pericent over previous registrations. The regist- ration in the college last: year was 11733 and in Central School 1,027, or a total of 1,760. Dean R. W. Thatcher prediots a combined enrollment this year of 2,000, Federal board stu- dents are expected to number 400 as against 250 last year. The College of Agriculture opened this week.’ Subseribe for The Daily Pioneer. AlIHTHEN l \ %\\\\ | OX-BLO Eg BEST FOR HOME SHINES—SAVE THE LEATHER ' - THE BIG VALUE PACKAGES N Also PASTES and LIQUIDS for Black, Tan and White Shoes THE F.'F. DALLEY CORPORATIONS LTD., BUFFALO, N. Y. DAY EVE Miller’s Cash and Carry Store PRICES for FRIDAY and SATURDAY Sugar,perTb....Z.............\..;15c Cremo Flour, 49-1b sack:.....,..$3.35 | Cremo Flour, 243-1b sack.........$1.75 White Borax Naphtha Soap, per bar, , .5¢ : Kirk’s White Naphtha Soap, per-bar. . .8c: Lenox Soap, six bars for...........25¢c " Quality Spaghetti and Macaroni, pkg. .9¢ Quality Vermicelli, pkg.............5¢ Danish Pride Milk, tall cans, each...13c Danish Pride Milk, tall cans, 5 cans. .60c Fancy Red Salmon, 1-1b flat cans. . Uzar Coftee, 1-1b, steel cut....... White House Coffee, 1b.......... Daily Cup Coffee,Ib............. Barrington Hall Coffee, 1b. ..... Kellogg’s Corn Flakes, 2 pkgs. Quaker Quakies, 2 pkgs:...... Bananas, per 1b............ Crab Apples, pertb......... Head Lettuce, pef head .. ..:. HENRY MILLER £ 814 Beltrami Ave. Phone 295 DALLY PIONEER WANT ADS BRING RESULTS R WIS g ; ity / Amendment No. 1. We hope that they are legions. More and Better Roads. “Better roads and more of the bet- ter kind,” is the Minnesota plan under Good Roads Amendment No. 1. 7 BEMIDJI " GOOD RO/ | MENDMENT No. 1 " On Pink Ballot November 2, Deserves Your - Purpose is to enable state to take over and finance Main Highways. ' Plan leaves counties and towns larger funds to build up local roads. State, county and tbv{plhip roads—all will be improved. ; - AUTO CO. pitlii AT RS ISR O ALY ‘All Roads Good Roads , Né Road Tax Increases to Savings Pay Extra Cost DS Favored by Minnesota Farm Bureau, State Federation of Labor, Commercial and Civic Associations, Minnesota Federation of Women’s Clubs, Rural Carriers, and Public Organizations in General--Benefits . All “To Know Amendment No. 1 Is To Vote Yes’™ b Failure to Vote Counts the Same as Vote ‘No’ Women Will Vote ‘YES’ for Good Roads These Public-Spirited husineu and Professional Mza Paid For This Space HOTEL MARKHAM MOTOR INN C. W. JEWETT CO.,, INC. Oy