Evening Republican, Volume 22, Number 73, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 28 March 1919 — EXPLAINS UNIT ROAD LAW [ARTICLE]

EXPLAINS UNIT ROAD LAW

WHY JT IS NECESSARY TO HAVE A STATE HIGHWAY AND COUNTY ROAD UNIT LAW. Roads and road improvement are of vital importance to every taxpayer. The greater portion of the tax borne by the people goes for better roads, and it is only natural that each taxpayer should want to be acquainted with the road laws and road tax, since he is footing the bill. Good roads invariably play the leading, role in the progress of any community and wherever they are found a prosperous, thriving community likewise is found. Jasper county is contemplating road improvement in the near future, and such improvement will doubtless be the subject of general Conversation during the coming months. Meeting at which all freehold voters will be invited will be held in various parts of the county during the next few weeks and it is hoped to acquaint every citizen and taxpayer with the present road laws and how 1 the rate of taxation is imposed. It is up to every citizen of the county who is ia favor of progress and of increasing the revenue of his business to aid in any better jroad movement which is launched. Very few are acquainted with the county unit road law, recently passed by the last Indiana General Assembly, and wfor this reason we publish the following explanation of it by Representative W. L. Wood. Mr. Wood explains the law in a clear, concise manner, showing the primary objects of the law and how and by whom the taxes are met. By Representative •W. L. WOOD The people of the state of Indiana, in their effort to improve the highway, have built and improved roads in every section of this state. They have creerfully paid the expense and made it possible for the tourists of every section of the country to enjoy the fruits of our labor. These roads were partially constructed before the day of the motor vehicle, and were built for the horse and buggy and the farmer’s wagon. We find that we are entering a horseless age, that motor vehicles and mammoth motor trucks are touring our state from east to west and north to south. We find that our townships are bonded to the limit in many instances, and our roads can no longer accomodate the purpose for which they were made, and stand the wear of the motor vehicle that hails' from every state in the union. Therefore, it is necessary that the States that use our roads should help pay the cost of construction, and the cost of maintainance. Therefore, the United State government have agreed to appropriate a sum of money equal to the amount that the stae of.lndiana will appropriate for the purpose of building and maintaining permanent—market highways throughout the state of Indiana. Pursuant to this agreement the sevent-first general assembly enacted the State Highway law, which we believe to be a step in the, right direction, to give Indiana the assistance that is due her in order that she may be relieved from the heavy burden' of taxation necessary to build and i maintain highways. The cost of the 1 present public thoroughfares has borne and been constructed by the different township and’municipal corporations. This has become such a burden that it is necessary to the unit, while the state has found it a burden, the thousand townships pf Indiana have fotfnd it a much greater burden to contract the roads from the proceeds of their taxable property. Therefore, it was considered a wise conclusion to pass a county unit law in order that the county might bear the expense of constructing and maintaining roads, and thus relieve the township of this burden. * We feel that this is right and will be an equitable distribution of taxations and by enlarging the unit it will ’cost less per capita to the individual. This will assist us in connecting main market highways that will be constructed by the State and National Government, and in the next few years will find us with permanent roads and a lower rate of taxes for their construction and maintainance. Jasper county is entitled to her portion of ’the support that she may get from the state and national government. V