The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1911-04-15
AUTO TRUCKS SOLVE
TRAFFIC PROBLEMS
Economical Because of Great Carry
ing Power and Time Saved In
Covering Long Distance.

Some people, even while they are
advocating. selling or using thehi'
contend that motor trucks, iwhlcr III
chdes all forms of self-propelled We
hicles used for hauling goods are
rot so cheap as horses. Others, VINO
also have had experience, declare that
they are cheaper. Probably the rae
tor of time is not figured at full vaiue
i'm most cases. Anything which en-
ables one to do three times as much
in a little less time than before, Is
cheaper unless Ii costs more than
three times as much.
Foremost OF the commercial con-
ditions that call for the motor truck
ia the demand for time saving, In
It's. speed alone the automobile hnds
it's reason for existence. The clock
dominates the business world. The
great desideratum Is TO make digger
profits by doing more WITHIN eacn
hour. The superior travelling ability
OF the motor truck probably would De
sufficient to effect it's adoption hnaily'
even II IL cost little more than the
horse-drawn truck. Business COM
petition would settle that and gradu-
ally force into general use the method
most expeditions. Some light from
experience can be thrown on this. A
few years ago a big mercantile house
put into commission a number or mo-
tor delivery trucks. After a while
they returned to the old style horse
and wagon delivery. They found the
motor trucks more expensive than
the horses and not so reliable, as
twas said. The customers. however.
liked the motor-wagon delivery. Now
that competitors Of this firm are
adopting motor trucks they are being
forced again TO replace their horses
with motors. Their experience tells
them that the motor trucks are more
expensive, but the pressure OF com
petition and the demand OF custom
ers are compelling.
Every day, AS motor cars and motor
trucks multiply, and as the extent or
smooth pavements that favor auto
mobiles and cleanliness increase, the
horse is at a greater disadvantage in
city streets and on the highways. The
automobiles nose in ahead OF him
everywhere. they beat him and thwart
him in many ways. Observations at
points OF heavy traffic AFFORD many
interesting illustrations OF this fact
In spite OF his load rolling easier on
Il, the smooth pavement Is bane 10
the horse. In wet and icy weather
he makes progress on asphalt be-
tween a series Of falls. and even in
dry weather he often loses his footing
on IL and drops heavily. to be pushed
along a bit by the wheels OF his We
~ urh he
properly shod and "sharped' TO pre-
vent slipping are becoming fewer IN
number and farther apart. This Is a
serious matter. as horse should not
be driven far on naked hoofs over
city pavement The rapidly rising
value OF property and the higher
rents that are scattering the black
smith shops, with their picturesque
forge and anvil. their disturbing clan
gor and smell of burning hoofs,
are forcing out also the wheelwrights,
and IL is an expensive thing to drive
a truck on bare felloes long way
TO have tire shrunken onto the
wheel II Is becoming more and more
difficult in big cities to find convent
ent places near their work to leave
empty trucks and wagons over night;
worse yet. the distance from the work
TO the stable is lengthening, for the
increasing value OF property Is driy-
ing the stables steadily into the out.
skirts, so that man and beast must
make long journeys to and from WORK
each day. the beast carrying the
weight OF the driver for miles after
spending the day at work in the col
lar. This condition is assuming quite
rapidly the proportions OF an imprac-
ticabilty. Big concerns having many
teams and wagons are resorting TO
the sole means OF neutralizing high
rents by using stables several stories
in height. The horse. however. is
not q convenience above the ground
floor another thing. stables and
stablemen are undesirable neighhors.
They are apt TO lower property values
and the social tone OF the vicinity;
and so everything seems 10 be favor
ing the coming OF the motor vehicle
and the departure OF the horse.
A great organization realized this in
evitable dominance OF the motor truck
as long ago as five years and begr-
to build its three-ton trucks as
soon as 1t bad It's automobile busi-