Omaha daily bee., 1906-12-26
ARMY AND THE CHAUFFEUR
Quartermnster General Humphrey
starts Talk Among Automobile
Manufacturers of America.

ouartermaster General Humphreys
speech at the dinner given In Washington
last week by the members iof the Associa-
ton OF Licensed Automobile MAnufactur-
ers. who went to Washington to invite
President Roosevelt to the seventh ma
tional automobile show was not only in
teresting from the point Of view taken
by the head Of the army relative to au-
tomobiles as a coming means Of army
transportation, but contains some very in
teresting predictions as to the future Of
the gasoline buggy, He cited many In
stances where the automobile would ia
cllitate the work at the army posts. As
a means of transportation Of soldiers he
was non-communicative. He predicted that
the automobile for the heavy work Of
hauling material and ammunition and do
ing the usual work OF the army horse or
mule was possible and that the innova-
ton of the automobile would soon sup
plant the former method OF transportation.
He was in favor, of the automobile for
general use in the army and hoped that
the time was not far away when the adop-
ton OF the automobile would facilitate
the now arduous work of many of the
army departments. General Humphrey,
however, Is of the opinion that in order
to make the adoption Of the automobile
in the army practical It would be necep-
! sary to consider the all-important ques-
! tion-that Of the chauffeur He was of
the opinion that to perfect the system
and maintain well-organized automobile
! corps in the army that a department fol
chauffeurs would have to be established
at West Point or at the various military
posts. How near General Humphreys re-
marks were to the point is evidenced by
the formation and action taken by the
/ Chauffeurs club at Hartford This or
| ganizat!on has just issued a circular call
| ing attention to the fact that the CO.
] operative movement among the rnanuf1c-
turers of automobiles has been so success
| full that the chauffeurs of America could
not do better than follow the lead OF the
automobile makers. In part, the circular
reads:
| The automobile industry itself. that
! brought into existence the necessity fol
! the profession of expert motor drivers, ID
! yet quite young, although its present mag.
| nitude makes it a thing that must be reck.
/ oned with in the commercial world. II
| would seem from a superficial view point
| that the interests of every manufacturer
of automobiles would be Numerically op
posed to that Of every other manufacturer
| of automobiles, because he Is in direct
| competition in the sale of his cars. But
| the brains controlling the millions of doilarI
! invested in this industry conceived the
different. and very correct idea that by
close association and exchange. of views
| the industry, as a whole.s4would be better
| benefited and improved Ssand they were
| shrewd enough to se9thak{this must neceR
sariy benefit EACH indtA idQel manufactures
| provided, Of course thatEthe work he wa
| turning out was meritorious. The sam'
! rule applied in a smaller way would alsC
! be good for the men who were driving
! their own cars. The S6Inpetitfony featuri
with us was, of course, not an inportan
factor, and the better element among
chauffeurs could zee and feel that Their
were many abuses thstt could be eliminated
many wrongs that could be righted, ant
many things that could be done to i'm
prove the personnel Of the chauffeur, ant
thereby improve HIS Standing in the com
munity and the esteem In which he wa.
| held by society as q whole This was q
contamination deVoutly wished" by tn,
| more intelligent among us, 30 the question
of organizing for the common good begaI
| TO take shape, ana after little intellgen
work and discussion. out of chaos sprRnl
the Chauffeur's club of Hartford,
We are endeavoFing to raise the stand
ard of our profession and every applican
for membership must undergo thorough
examination. Morally he must be up I,
our high standard, AS to his ability L
operate and care for car, each applican
must stand an examination as rigid as
civil service organization.