Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-03-25

At a recent New York automobile show
power wagons of one kind and another
were exhibited by fully hundred manu-
facturers. Although the use of the au-
tomobile for commercial purposes be-
gan in a limited way almost co:ncident
with the rise of the pleasure car, it has
not been until the past year or two that
the commercial motor car has been in
considerable demand. This has been true
largely because of the fact that there
We're practically no statistics showing
the costs of operation of horse-drawn We
hices. and the automobile manufacturer
had little chance to demonstrate to the
business houses of the country his con-
viction that transportation by automo-
bile was cheaper than by horse-drawn
vehicles Gradually, however, certain of
the more progressive users Of transpor-
tation have adopted the automobile or
motor truck for their work. and in
large majority of cases the cost of trans
portation has been less with the power
wagon than with the horse.
The results of these experiments have
been heralded widely and have led others
to make similar trials of the motor truck
by the side of the horse-drawn vehicle.
This movement has continued to grow
until today II is estimated that there are
more than COCO firms in the United States
which use motor trucks, and that 2o.oOO
trucks are now in use. The automobile
journals. without exception. predict that
the present year will more than double
the number of commercial cars In opera
ton Elm this country. One enthusiastic
advocate of the motor truck declares that
the indications are that the production OF
such cars in the present year Will amount
to $4,000 trucks New commercial car
factories are opening up every week in
various parts of the country, and 1t is
believed by the automobile trade that
within few years there will be as many
commercial cars produced as there are
pleasure cars.
The main thing which recommends the
motor truck to the business man is the
fact that under proper operating condi-
lions it is able to reduce the cost of haul
ing below that of horse-drawn vehicles.
Hundreds of instances are cited by the
manufacturers of commercial cars. A
few years ago New YORK brewer nad
100 horses and a corresponding number
Of wagons He decided to try out an
auto truck for delivering beer. The re-
suits of the experiment were SUCH that
he found the cost per keg or beer deliV-
cred was considerably less when hauled
in a. motor car than when carried In
horse-drawn vehicle. He finally increased
his supply of motor trucks to thirty, and
declares that this has resulted In an an
nuaI saving of $4,000. With horses it
cost 33 ITO cents a barrel to deliver
beer, while with motor trucks 1t costs
"a ITO cents.
similar experiment was made by a
large western packing house. which kept
record of
Money Is Paid Back tr importation
In Fifteen Months. If three-ton
truck. 1t was found that when the truck
was credited with the money received
from the sale of the horses 1t displaced
and the cost of the upkeep of the horses
and wagons the motor truck paid for it,
self in fifteen months. In still another
case a large department store found that
it saved cents package by using
motor trucks for delivery, and that this.
on the large business of that store, re-
suited in a saving Of $500 a day.
Not only has the motor truck won its
way among private corporations, but 1t