Jasper County Democrat, Volume 16, Number 83, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 January 1914 — MONEY IS SENT TO COUNTIES. [ARTICLE]

MONEY IS SENT TO COUNTIES.

Ante Tax Receipts and Disbursements Listed. x-. G. Ei 1;i. gham. secret ary of s a "e. lias ■omplcted the oihcial report :<■ v.'. H. O’Brien. auditor oi’ state, on tie total receipts arid disbursei,:epts of inoney trot. the registration and licensing, of motor vehicles in Indiana durin'- the first six months that the hew au*o tegist ratioh law has been' in effect: The new law went into effect .Inly 1. 1913. and the rep< r covers the period to January 1,1914. The total amount of fees received by the state in that time was $150,235.30. the iotai expense of operating the secretary's licensing depar;nient was $31.989.72, and the net amonu: of licence fees distributed to the counties was $1 18,3 45.58. The expense of the first half year of operation does not correctly indi ate the operating expenses that the new department hereafter ".id in«-ur. Due to the primary expense of g tting the new depa'tment of the secretary’s office under way and to 'ho fact that the total expenses o f this half year v'.ill be only slightly augmented throughout the entire ensuing year, the expense total appears larger for the last six months of 1913 than the expense total of 1914 will appear in relation to. the total amount of receipts. The heavy collections of auto revenue will be made during the first month of this year and the fees collected up to July will be total amounts of fees required by law. Following that date, however, the license fees are cut each month. It readily may be seen, therefore, that while the total expenses of 1913 will remain little changed in 1914, the revenues will be greatly increased. The distribution of the total amount of money received by the scecretary is made by law in the following manner: One-third is to be distributed equally among the .nine-ty-two counties; one-third of t)ie total —is to be—distributed pro rata among the counties according to the number of miles of free gravel and macadam roads therein: one-third is to be distributed pro rata among the counties, according to the total amount of ne that is received irom them 1 y the secretary. In some counties it is apparent by a survey of the first total figures 'hat the county will receive more from the state than it pays in, while in some others, principally the larger counties, the amount paid out in auto taxes is not returned to the county by hundreds of dollars. This same condition has existed for many l

years among the counties with regard to the distribution of the school funds. In the case of the auto license law. however, friends of’ the law declare that the larger counties, which have within their borders the greater num her of an to mobiles ought to stand the heavier burdens, since the auto owners operate their machines over all the roads -in the state. Besides the license fees paid in on autos, the secretary of state's report includes iees . <>]}p rod t’rpm dealers, <liaiiffeurs and motorcycle owners.