The Bismarck Tribune Newspaper, March 21, 1936, Page 17

THE BISMARCK TRIBUNE, SATURDAY, MARCH 21, 1986 Taxation of Motorists a Tremendous Problem to Auto Industry Style Is Last Word for Airstream De Soto EXCESS OF BILLION WAS EXACTED FROM DRIVERS LAST YEAR Amount Would Have Been Enough to Run Entire Gov- ernment Few Years Ago ALL STATES HAVE GAS TAX Levies Would Not be so Unfair If Moneys Derived Were Not Misappropriated By ROY F. BRITTON Director National Highway Users Conference To say that our present methods of moving our persons and our goods from place to place differ greatly from those employed by our grandfathers is to state a truism. This great dif- ference in transportation methods has come almost entirely from the inven- tion and the progress in development of the automobile. James Watt, who was granted a pa- tent in 1784 on a “new improvement upon steam engines which are ap- plied to give motion.to wheel car- Tiages for removing persons or goods from place to place,” undoubtedly hadn’t even the faintest idea what he was starting. Even early in the present century the’most enthusiastic automobile and good roads. “booster” couldn’t have dreamed of the 25,000,- 000 automobiles and the hundreds or thousands of miles of excellent high- ways which are now serving this na- tion in such a multitude of ways. The coming of the automobile show season seems a fitting time to review briefly the problems which must be considered by modern high- way users if this new mode of trans- portation is to continue to develop in an entirely reasonable and usable manner. The principal problems facing highway users fall naturally in four general classifications. “Taxation ‘The taxation of motorists has be- come a problem of tremendous im- portance. Although we are no longer startled by mention of a billion dol- lars, nevertheless we cannot compre- hend how much it means. Last year the motorists paid in special, class taxes, in addition to all of their gen- eral taxation, @ total of about a bil- lion and a quarter dollars. A few years ago this special, class tax bill of the motorists would alone have been sufficient to run the federal government for several years. ‘The Oregon law, passed in 1919, providing for a tax of 1 cent a gallon on gasoline was considered a radical departure. The theory was that, be- cause of the advent of the automobile, property owners should no longer be required to pay all of the cost of highway construction and mainte- nance; that the motorists should have @ small share in that expense. With that small beginning, gasoline taxa- tion has now reached the stage where all states impose a gas tax and where even the federal government is now collecting 1 cent a gallon on gas, as well as excise taxes on almost every other product used by motorists. In addition to gas taxes, the small registration fee, which was charged originally to defray the nominal ex- pense of keeping a tab on automobiles in service in each state, has now reached the point where it is de- cidedly burdensome upon highway transportation in many localities. ‘This is particularly true as to trucks and buses. The trucks, which are really nothing but the modern de- velopment of the horses and wagons of grandfather's day, are now bur- dened by a veritable maze of mileage fees, registration fees and other sorts of taxes. It is interesting to speculate on the comments that grandfather would have made had special taxes been levied on the oats his horses con- Custom styling comes to the low-priced car field by way of the 1936 Airstream De Soto, sedan‘of which is shown here. Long. rounded radiator. wing-like louvers, torpedo-type head lamps and tail lights, all contribute to the sense of speed. Mechanically, too. the Airstream, as well as the Airflow. has been much improved sumed or on the lumber wagon which they hauled. Truly, this motor era has brought a ready. acceptance of new, and sometimes oppressive, view- Points. Diversion of Levies These special levies on highway users would not be so entirely un- fair, if the funds so raised were not misappropriated in such a wholesale fashion. Although it has been im- possible to trace accurately all of the many misappropriations of gasoline taxes and other motorists’ taxes levied for highway building and. mainte- nance, it is safe to estimate that such misa| ions amounted in the last year to at least $250,000,000. Ever since the organization of the National Highway Users Conference it has advanced the suggestion throughout the country that surveys should be conducted by impartial and competent commissions in each state to determine the reasonable highway building needs of the respective states, and to base the.state’s program of taxation of motorists on such ascer- tained needs. It is obvious that conditions in re- spect to highway construction vary greatly in different localities. High- ways which are adequate for all ordi- nary needs in the settled sec- tions of the Middle West, for example, are not sufficient to meet the needs of congested Eastern areas. Climatic conditions—the result of frost action and moisture—as well as soil condi- tions and traffic volume must be con- sidered in determining a reasonable construction program in any given locality. Many other matters must be considered in such a determina- tion; and for that reason it is not believed that a sensible conclusion can be reached unless all of the con- ditions peculiar to a given state are considered thoroughly by a body within that state. Restrictive Regulation Studies of this nature have been undertaken in a few states; they are being considered in other states. When completed it will undoubtedly be found that sound construction and maintenance programs can be carried out in many of the states with a far lower level of taxation for motorists than prevails at present. The fourth general classification of problems facing users of highway transportation is that of restrictive regulation. No one will deny that adequate regulations of highway traf- fic are necessary in the interest of public safety and for the preservation of highways. There are 2 per cent fewer cars in service in the United States at pres- ent than in 1929, but gasoline con- sumption for 1935 was 13 per cent greater than in 1929. EEE STATE FARM MUTUAL AUTOMOBILE INSURANCE CO. / LEGAL RESERVE COMPANY RATED A-PLUS ‘We can save you money. Call us for RATES. More cars insured with us than any company in the United States. Hundreds of satisfied custom- ers in Bismarck and Mandan, Let us figure with you and save you money. Gerald Craig — 207 Bdwy. Phone 820 — H. C. Hanson DESOTO AND PLYMOUTH DEALERS 1936 DE SOTO MODELS BOAST. . _MANY DESIGN REFINEMENTS FLORIDA-MICHIGAN ROAD BALLYHOOED U. S. Highway 41 Begins at Naples in Everglades and Ends at Copper Harbor © Escanaba, Mich. March 21.—A movement has been’ launched to pub-] , leize U. 8. highway 41 as the Isle Royale-Smokies-Everglades National Park trail. U. 8. highway 41 begins at Naples, Fla., in the vicinity of ‘the Everglades National park, passes through Geor- gia, Tennessee and Kentucky, the Great Smoky mountains, Kenesaw mountains and Mammoth Cave na- tional parks, and terminates at Cop- per harbor in the Kewenaw peninsula of northern Michigan, the closest ap- proach by land to mysterious Isle Roy- ale, the Lake Superior island, recently set aside as the twenty-fifth nationai park, It was in Escanaba that the Isle Royale National Park association was orgnized to lunch a vigorous cam- paign to make the island the prop- erty of the people of the nation so that it might be saved from the threat of lumbering despoilation. Isle Royale, which has an area of abouut 130,000 acres, is the top of an old worn-down mountain range, lift- ing out of Lake Superior about fifty miles north and west of the top of the Keweenaw peninsula, the north- ernmost point on the mainland of Michigan. Wild and rugged in the extreme, it has no roads and few trails. The National Park service plans to develop the island in a way to keep its wild character. No motor roads will be built. Trails will be con- structed, however, to make the in- terior acoessible afoot and by pack horse. More than thirty island lakes are hidden between the ridges of the island. Prehistoric copper workings on the island, consisting of thousands of pits excavated by the mound builders or other unknown ancient people by the crude method of fire, water and rude hammer stones, will be insured preservation. These pits have attracted the attention of scien- tists throughout the counry. Isle Royale is also the home of the largest moose herd in the United States. The volcanic formations, for- ests, wild life, plants and flowers have held great interest for scientists and nature lovers alike. A recent survey revealed that, on an average, trucks in fleets were in- volved in only 3.11 accidents per 100,- 000 miles of operation. IN A SAFETY STEEL BODY! E SOTO 695 end up, list at factory, Detroit. Set Corp Ferpereees: Le ee ee, ‘LIVDAHL-CRANNA MOTORS, INC. New ‘Airstream’ Achieves ‘Cus- tom-Styled’ Note Claimed by Its Manufacturer Boasting refinements in g refinements in design and appointment and new engine features for increased performance, the 1936 De Soto models will be on display at the Bismarck automobile and style show Thursday, Friday and Saturday, March 26, 27 and 28. Bismarck dealer for the De Soto is ‘Livdahl-Cranna Motors, Inc. The De Soto has two lines of cars, “Airstream” and the “Airflow III.” ‘The “Airstream” is presented in de luxe and custom edition on 117-inch wheelbase, with the following body models available in both series: Tour- ing sedan, touring brougham and coupe. The custom line, in addition, offers @ convertible sedan and a con- vertible coupe. The “Airflow’ is manufactured in two body types, sedan and coupe. ‘Custom-Styled’ Note From the massive die-cast radiator of chromium to the speed-line tail lights, the new “Airstream” achieves the “custom-styled” note claimed by its manufacturer. The “Airstream,” incorporating many of the “Airflow” features, is priced just above the lowest price cars. The “Airflow” is offered in about the same medium low price field as last year. In announcing the new cars, Byron C. Foy, president of the De Soto Mo- tor Corporation, pointed out that the great success of the “Airstream” in its first year and the established popularity of the “Airflow” made it wise to offer again cars that covered @ wide price range. The 1936 De Sotos, both “Airflow” and “Airstream,” have the following advanced features: High-compression engine with full-length water jackets, synchro-silent transmission, hypold rear axles (custom “Airstream” and “Airflow”), a new “gas saver” over- ‘drive, new Amola steel semi-elliptic tapered leaf springs, self-equalizing hydraulic brakes, “floating power” engine mountings, Anodic pistons, rust-proofed bodies and safety steel body. As in the past, De Soto engineers have put great emphasis on safety, with safety-steel bodies, hydraulic brakes and safety glass. This year’s models add another important fea- ture to this list with “safe vision” lighting. These new lights reduce headlight glare on the highways and provide more penetrating rays for ‘driving in rain and fog. They have two ms, an upper for clear road driving and @ lower for meeting other cars. The non-glare feature is incorporated in the lower beam, which deflects not only down but to the right. The “Airstream” is longer and low- er than its predecessor, having a wheelbase of 117 inches. It is 196 inches from bumper to bumper. The interiors are longer and wider. Through rearrangement and con- struction refinements, the line from the windshield to the rear window now is four and a half inches longer than in previous models and seats are wider. PAR So oben Brakes Stop haga’ Chevrolets Chevrolet's most significant innovation for 1936 is a perfected hydraulic brake system, for both Master and Standard models. Both types, too, have narrower and higher radiators, more powerful engines witb full-length water jacketing, and balanced carburetors for greater fuel economy. The Master de- Juxe town sedan is shown above. COMPLETENESS IS EMPHASIZED IN ALL NEW CHEVROLET MODELS Outstanding Among Many New Features for Both Models Is Hydraulic Brakes Completeness in equipment, in ap- pointments and in convenience is emphasized in the Chevrolet Motor Company’s new models, which will be exhibited at the Bismarck automobile and style show March 26, 27 and 28 by the Capital Chevrolet Company, Bismarck dealer. ‘The Master de luxe, offered with either knee action or conventional springing, has been restyled in its more important appearance elements, notably by the adoption of a higher and narrower grille of distinctly orl- ginal design, in combination with a new treatment of the hood louvres, new style headlamps mounted on the sides of the radiator shell, and new interior trim. ‘The Standard models have been completely redesigned in chassis and ibodies, Last year the Standards dif- fered materially both in appearance and in construction from the Masters; this year, the two lines are identical in all major features of styling, engi- neering, and performance, the chief difference being only a matter of wheelbase. Have Hydraulic Brakes Outstanding among the many new features of both Master and Stand- ard models for 1936 are perfected hydraulic brakes; improved engines having higher compression ratio (6 to 1), balanced carburetor, full- length water jacketing, and other changes resulting in* better cooling and improved gasoline and oil econ- omy; and cromodine rust-prevention of fenders and running boards. Front doors of all models of both lines are now hinged at the front. The solid steel turret top, exclu- sive last year with the Master mod- els, has been adopted this year for Chevrolet's high-compression valve-in-head engine Every test proves it’s more:eco- nomical . ... Every Chevrolet owner knows it’s more economical . . - And every person will readily understand these simple A-B-C reasons why it is more economical CHEVROLET A GENERAL MOTORS VALUE NEW PERFECTED HYDRAULIC BRAKES . . . IMPROVED GLIDING KNEE-ACTION RIDE? . . . SHOCKPROOF STEERING*. .. GENUINE FISHER NO DRAFT VENTILATION . . . SOLID STEEL one-piece TURRET TOP BODIES ... HIGH-COMPRESSION VALVE-IN-HEAD ENGINE . . . 6% NEW MONEY-SAVING G.M.A.C. TIME PAYMENT PLAN. Compare Chevrolet's low delivered prices and low monthly payments. Chevrolet Motor Company, Detroit, Michigan. - Capital Chevrolet Co. 101 Broadway Avenue . Bismarck, N. D. Telephone 432 the Standard line also. Spoke-type pressed steel wheels, instead of wire wheels, are used on all Standard ‘models, Body interiors of Master models show marked advances in comfort and style. An important innovation is found in the design of the front seating arrangement of the Master coach and town-sedan. Instead of the usual divided and hinged front seat of two-door models, a single seat cushion extends the full width of the car, permitting three passengers to ride comfortably. The seat-back is divided, the right side section being hinged to fold forward over the seat cushion to open a passageway to the rear compartment. Chevrolet's Standard models for 1936, besides incorporating features that appear for the first time on the Masters, take their place in the line as entirely new models, with new box girder chassis frame, more pow= erful engine, longer wheelbase and larger bodies. The line of body types has been increased to seven by the addition of three models—the fours door sport sedan with built-in trunk, the two-door town sedan with built in trunk, and the cabriolet, ea engines, and adv: cone gives maxi- tt (or power)