Los Angeles herald., 1906-05-13
AUTOS VIE WITH
RAILROAD CARS
SAME ADVANTAGES ARE NOW
OFFERED
Traffic Chain Has Been Completed
and From Humble Beginning the
Auto Has Supplied a Crying
Want Of Commerce

For many years the idea of apply
ing mechanical traction to vehicles
which were adapted to traffic upon the
common highroads was looked upon
with complacency by a few far-seelng
individuals, considered as a desirable
possibility by others, and by still
others looked upon with downright
scorn.
But the automobile, growing from a.
ludlcrous beginning, and suffering
many vicissitudes during its matura-
tion, is fast knitting up the gap which
has existed between the door of the
consumer and the warehouse and depot
IL Is completing the chain of trans
portation and broadening the circua-
ton which hitherto has linked country
and town, and town and town, until
1t reaches out to embrace not simply
the town, but the Individual.
And the advantages which apply to
the railroad apply equally as well to
the motor vehicle in its capacity of
serving the use of mankind.
Business Autos Well Advanced
Just at present a somewhat euuivocal
situation exists with regard to the
motor business vehicle, for its ad-
herents, suddenly grasping its possl-
bilities and appreciating what has
been achieved In the way Of design
and construction in the field of pleas
ure vehicle. have jumped to the con-
clusion that the commercial value is
equally as well advanced in point of
structure, and that it remains but to
stimulate interest in It's possibilities
when q great use for it will at once
spring up, and a gigantic demand for
vehicles.
The prospective users, on the other
hand, are still holding back to great
extent, profting by the lessons learned
by the earlier adventurers, and skep-
tically regarding every proposal which
comes to their consideration.
The number of experimenters, how
ever. is constantly increasing, hun
dreds of business vehicles are now in
use, and successful use. From these
their owners are learning lessons of
maintenance and service which will be
valuable to them and to others as
well. But the growth is slow, COM
paratively speaking, and the symptoms
which augured so much for the pleas
ure vehicle a few years ago indicate
far less in the case of business con-
SerVatiSm.
Use of Cars Increasing
Even with slow rate of growth, how
ever, and with a certain number of
attempts going down into history as
failures, the constantly increasing use
of the commercial vehicle is far from
insignificant.
For many of the machines which
are now being operated on a basis
which is admittedly unsatisfactory, are
eclipsing the service possible with the
use of animal traction, and of the
others many are running under con-
stantly improving conditions which
measure the degree of experience of
the users.
AS to the possible spread of the use
of this type of motor vehicle, its ex-
tent is that fully 80 per cent of all
goods transported by rail is rehandled
by other vehicles subsequently.
At presents there is a minimum limit
to the practical applicability of the
motor vehicle, but with the growth of
the industry this will be lowered grad
ually until it's practical capacity is
measured only by the ability of the
user to justly proportion his trans
portation facilities with his need of
them.-Motor World.