CHAT ON MOTORDOM

Evening Star, Issue 20053, 19 December 1928, Page 3

CHAT ON MOTORDOM

VALUE OF GOOD ROADS MR WALTON SCHMIDT'S LECTURE lu these days of motor transport there arc few topics more portentions from the progressive point of view than the subject of good roads. At his lecture in the Princess Theatre fast evening, therefore, Mr ’Walton Schmidt, field representative of the National Automobile Chamber of Commerce, struck a vital note when, alter pointing out that motor transport of ail kinds played an important part in the progress of a country, stressed the necessity for good roads. Mr Schmidt's address was illustrated with moving pictures which dealt with practically every branch of the motor industry from “safety first” hints to highway construction. The deputy mayor (Mr J. S. Douglas) was in the chair, and in welcoming Mr Schmidt stated that the lecturer was visiting New Zealand with the object of giving the country the benefit of his experiences in the United States. Mr Schmidt staled that there were about 170,000 motor vehicles in operation in Now Zealand at the beginning of 1928. Jt had been said in New Zealand that people should not bo encouraged to buy motor cars—that there were other things of more importance to their welfare on which I bey should spend their money. Experience in America proved that New Zealand could not afford not to use additional motor transportation. In America citizens wore so convinced of the necessity of economical individual transportation as represented by the motor car that last year in 1927 they spent over 3,500,000,000 dollars (£700,000,000) on motor cars, trucks, and buses. In America there were over 23,000,000 motor vehicles in oneration on the highways, of which over 600,000 miles had been hard-surfaced. America was spending over £200,000000 a year on highway construction and maintenance, and by keeping motor taxes low and using bond issues to build roads had so encouraged the use of motor vehicles that the motorists of the country were to-day contributing 75 per cent, of that £200,000,000 through direct taxation on motorists as a class. If it were extravagant for any country to spend large sums on motor cars and roads, then America should be in a bad financial condition. It was not extravagant for a country to spend money on motor cars, because they earned their keep and left .something over for profit. That was proved by the fact that America, while spending those great sums every year for cars and roads, had during the past ten years registered great gains in all forms of savings. Life insurance in force was more than two and a-half times as great as it was ton years ago; savings deposits wore double; and individual bonk deposits were nearly three times as groat. Motor transport made available new areas for cultivation and production. Industry gained by motor transport, as production-and distribution costs were cut. The average income was larger because of the time saved in getting about. Heal prosperity in any country could only be brought about in two ways. One consisted in increasing the efficiency of the worker. As this was done, his earning power grew, and he could consume more goods. The other was found through improved means of production and distribution, which lowered the cost of the article and so placed it within reach of more buyers. Both of these processes resulted in new fields of employment, and so raised the standards of all. These wore the things which had made America prosperous. Motor transportation contributed much to both of these developments in America. It was doing tho same thing for New Zealand, The automobile was about the only thing that could be bought for less- money than before the wap. Mass production and manufacturing methods gave a. much better car for 20 per cent, less than what_ would have been paid in 1914. All signs pointed to the fact that the

people of New Zealand had decided to buy motor cars, and that they appreciated the advantage of motor transportation over other forms, continued the lecturer. A large investment in motor vehicles by any country without adccpiate provision in tho way of good roads would mean sue!) high operating costs tliat people would lie paying for good roads whether they had them or not. Tests in America had shown that it cost 5 per cent, less to operate a motor vehicle over a concrete road or a wellmaintained bituminous road Ilian over a dirt road, and 10 per cent Jess over a well-maintained macadam road than over a dirt road. Economists asserted that the progress of any country could lie measured by the effort that country was making to reduce the cost per ton per mile of transportation. By building and maintaining good roads tho cost of operation could be reduced. Dealing with the subject of paying for the construction of new roads, and maintaining those already in existence, Mr Schmidt added that tho first thought was, “Tax the motor vehicle which uses the roads.” That was a good theory, but a country in an initial state of road construction could not a (ford to wait for good roads until taxation from motor vehicles provided enough money to build tho roads. Whether adequate highways wore provided or not such highways as existed were used daily by an increasing number of motor vehicles. For the movement of cvciy vehicle there was a certain cost—a cost which was less if the road were improved than if it were left in a stale of Nature. In America it was believed that there should bo general taxtaiou for highway construction and special taxation of the motor vehicle and gasoline for maintenance. That was to say, “ society as a whole,” including owners and non-owners of motor vehicles, should pay general taxes to provide tho capital investment necessary to construct improved roads, but tho motor vehicle owners and users as a separate and distinct class should lie culled upon to pay special taxes to maintain improved highways. Under that plan bond issues or debentures .should always be' the means employed for financing highway construction. Experience had always been thal! where this was done the increase in wealth and the lowering of operating costs returned dividends more than adequate to defray the entire cost of the development. Americans believed in a low registration foe and a gasoline tax. 'flic gas tax was a tax based on highway use. The heavy truck used more gasoline than the light truck, and thus paid for the extra wear and tear on the highway. Tho man vyho did not use his car very much paid less Hum the man wiio used his car and highways constantly. All money collected from motor vehicles should be devoted to highway use, and kept separate from other revenues. Motor taxes should be such that they would not_ check the economic use of motor vehicles. Every country seeking to keep its place among tho nations of tho world needed additional motor transportation cheaply produced. If a country put high taxation on motor vehicles it would not get the additional motor transportation it needed, and such motor transportation as it did get would not he cheaply produced.