El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-09-14

The cost Of living viii be reduced
by 81 per week to each family OF
six persons in the United States when
the present methods Of horse delivery
are replaced by motor wagon sys-
TENS A further reduction OF 90 cents
will take place when the motor Wago1
is employed instead OF the ra1lIoao
for hauling food products direct from
the truck farming districts to the
centers of food consumption.
For the whole country the aggregate
yearly saving in the cost of hauling
food products alone would amount TO
the enormous sum OF S1,zOO,O0O,000 AT
the present time, II power wagon
haulage were 10 be substituted as FAR
as DossibIe for the wasteful methodS
nov in l,es. and this would be just
about efdRvh 10 pay for all the ma
chimes ,AeS would be necessary 10
take carS-5I this kind Of traffic.
These startling facts were disclosed
BY an Investigation just concluded by
The Power Wagon, OF Chicago DIS
cussing the situation in detail, this
journal cites other independent au-
thorities to eorrOborate its figures.
The railroads of this country, says
The Power Wagon. carry about 1Oo,-
100000 tons OF food products yearly
at the present time OF course this
represents only a part Of the total
food consumed the remainder being
hauled direct by horse wagons rom
the farms to the markets in the neigh
boring cities and towns, or by Darges
and canal boats.
Every ton OF food carried by rail has
To be hauled a number of times. 1t
must be loaded on to horse wagons
at the farm and placed on the rrelSht
cars at the depot, often having TO be
unloaded on TO platform and re-
loaded on 10 the railroad cars At
the end of the train journey the food
must be unloaded from the cars to
horse wagons-Sometimes with an
other unloading and loading process
at a platform-and then 1t is taken
to the wholesale market. Here again
it is unloaded, only to be loaded a few
hours later on 10 the horse wagons
OF carts of the retailer to be taken
to his store. Then comes the final
distribution t. the consumer, usualiy
by the grocer's delivery wagon.
All Of this itemized loading, unload
ing and hauling adds money TO the
cost of the food, besides deprec1aunS
its value. The ideal plan in the ma
jority of cases would be TO haul the
food direct from the farm to the
markets. II the distance is not more
than 100 miles. and # the roads are
passable, power wagons can be eco
nomieally used for this purpose
If the promises given by the Stand
ard Alcohol company are made good
there is a prospect of gasoline having
a connection in the field as a fuel for
company has a process for making
alcohol from saWdust and other wood
waste, and has progressed TO the point
where it is about to start in opera
ton a plant at Fullerton, La, which
will have an initial capacity Of 5000
gallons daily Of high proof alcohol
The Hoosier Motor club, of Indian
apolis, has appropriated $3.50 for sign
boarding the roads in the vicinity Of
their city
The latest estimate as to the worlds
product Of gasoline is at the rate OF
2.OOO,ooo,ooo gallons per year.
CeyIon must be exceptionally hard
on automobiles for some reason or
other According to a report. from the
United States consul in Colombo, there
is a good market there for American
cars that can carry out catalog
promises. The great complaint one
hears against American motor cars is
that they are lightly and carelessly
built and that they do not stand
UP.
American automobile makers built
252, $50 cars Of all sorts from July l,
1911 to July ]. 1912. while the regis
trations have jumped to the amazing
total of e59,sSs.
There were ,272 automobile acct
ing the total TO ~ more than double
the number OF accidents for 1910. Yet
only p persons were killed. The po-
lice ascribe the increase in the num-
Der of accidents to the way the num-
Der of cars has grown and to laxity of
law regulating tie operation OF ma
chimes
iGaudily bedecked automobiles are
being used IN eastern Connecticut by
members of the Connecticut Woman
Suffrage association, who are finding
that they. can thoroughly cover more
ground in less time in this manner
than by any other means
The General Omnibus company, of
Paris, intends to place in circulation
a small number of vehicles with three
pairs Of wheels, of which the middle
pair are to be drivers, while the steer
ing viii be done with both the front
and rear pairs The objects TO be at
tanned are increased carrying capa-
city, ability to turn in a small circle
and the avoiding of skidding, but the
spring suspension of the three axles
presents a problem which has not here
tofore been satisfactorily solved
Commercial vehicles have increased
considerably IN number, as was widely
predicted last winter, the ceHntry's to-
tai jumping from %, Isl in December,
1911, to 1884 by July /. 1912 New
York leads, with a total registration
of 1877. California keeps up her rep
utation by falling into second place,
with $3.50, while Massachusetts, is
close third, with 3,170. Then there is
a drop to Pennsylvania's 2,215 and
the 400 trucks used in Illinois. IN
diana and Michigan come next in line,
with j ,492 and 1900 trucks, respective
~. Then follow Ohio. with L250;