The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1911-04-22
UT0TRUCKs SOLVE.
TRAFFIC PROBLEMS
Economical Because Of Great Carry
ing Power and Time Saved in
Covering Long; Distance.

dvocating. selling or using them
.ontend that motor trucks, (which IN
Indies all forms, or self-propelled We
{clps used for hauling gOods) are
~ 60 CHEAP as horses. Others, who
.1~o have had experience, declare that
nov are cheaper. Probably the rae
~ or time is not filplred At full value
most cases. Anything which en-
hIes one TO do three times as mucn
a little less time than before.
~beaper unless il costs more than.
fhree times as much
Foremost of the commercial con-
aitions that call for the motor truck
the demand for time saving. Ia
IN sneei alone the automobile hndS
~ reason for existence. The clock
.,o,ninafAs the business world. The
1000 desideratum is to make bigger
6ro6ta by doing more within each
our The superior travelling ability
IN the motor truck probably would be
~nfficient 10 effect its adoption finally,
eyen II II cost a little more than the
5orse-drawn truck. Business COM
netition would settle that and gradu-
-lly force into general use the method
1nost expeditiouaI Some light from
experience can be thrown on this. A
frw wears ago a big mercantile house
mt into commission a number OF mo-
for delivery trucks. After while
&hev returned to the old style horse
and wagon delivery. They found the
motor trucks more expensive chan
ne horses and not SO reliable, as
twas said. The customers, however.
Ilked The motor-wagon delivery. Now
that competitors of this firm are
adopting motor trucks they are being
forced again to replace their horses
~ith motors. Their experience tells
them that the motor trucks are more
|expensiye, but the pressure OF com
|petition and the demand OF custom
era are compelling.
Every day, as motor cars and motor
trucks multiply, and ans the extent or
/ 1mooth payements that favor auto
/ mobiles and cleanliness increase, the
horse Is at a greater disadvantage in
4 city streets and on the highways. The
automobiles nose in ahead or him
Everywhere, they beat him and thwart
/ him Iii many ways. Observations az
/ ooinks. -of. heavy traffic afford many
Interesting illustrations OF this fact.
Ia Spite OF his load rolling easier on
Al. the smooth pavement Is a bane 10
the horse. In wet and icy weather
\ be 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
hicle. The places where he can be
\ properly shod and "sharped" to pre-
vent slipping are becoming fewer in
number and farther apart. This is a
n serious matter, as a horse should not
be driven far on naked hoofs over
& city pavement. The rapidly rising
value OF property and the higher
I, rents that are scattering the black
smith shops, with their picturesque
forge and anvil, their disturbing clan
gor and smell or burning hoofs.
are forcing out also the wheelwrights.
and II Is an expensive thing to drive
truck on bare felloes a long way
< TO have a tire shrunken onto the
wheel II is becoming more and more
. difiicult In big cities to find convent
emit places near their work to leave
empty trucks and wagons over night;
2 worse yet, the distance from the work
to the stable is frightening. for the
K increasing value of property Is driv
ing the stables steadily into the out.
skirts, 90 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-
3 ticabilty. Big concerns having many
teams and wagons are resorting TO
the sole means of neutralizing high
rents by using stables several stories
4 In height The horse, however, is
not convenience above the ground
f1oo-. another thing. stables and
stablemen are undesirable nelghbors.
R they are apt to lower property values
and the social tone OF the vicinity;
and SO everything seems to be favor
ing the coming OF the motor vehicle
s. and the departure of the horse.
A great organization realized this in
evitabie dominance OF the motor truck
as long ago as five years and begun
to build It's three.ton trucks as
soon as 1t had its automobile bust
ness launched. This company was
& far-sighted, also, In deciding that most
economical vehicles would be those
having the greatest length OF life and
NJ
& stability. The greatest profits to the
user accrue from the vehicles that are
I'm commission the largest percentage
OF sthe time and least in the shop.
Too many motor trucks are TO be
seen having engines too powerful for
this character OF vehicle. The big
engine has tendency to shake the
truck with undue vibrations, and,
again, II encourages the driver TO
drive fast when his truck Is empty.
To find the exact balance between
power and weight and proportions and
materials brings the highest perfec.
s ton. This seeking balance" IS the
constant air OF its engineers, and Il
Is said that the Alec trucks give evil
dence OF II In the way their
q trucks stand up One big express
company has about 30 OF them, and
they are kept in service from is to %
hours a day.
When the horse Is eliminated from
ciy streets there will be great
Multiplication OF their capacity, 10
. say nothing OF the sanitary gain and
fht saving In street cleaning. The
change would mean not only these
things, but also some very definite
bcpefis OF humane. ethical and social
&14f1rlor The time Is near when n