Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1912-02-23
ALEC HAS BUREAU OF COSTS
Shows Difference Between Main.
tanning Stable and Garage.
RESULTS ARE INTERESTING
Omaha, with Its Interests. VIII Re
One of the Foremost Users of
Commercial Truck. In the
Near Future,

The merchant who contempiates the
purchase Of motor trucks today. either
one or many. wants TO be shown con-
e'usively whether or not he is going TO
save money over ths USE Of horses and
whether or not the truck is going TO be
OF value as a permanent investment"
said George Sullivan Of the American
Locomotive company.
The American Locomotive company
has recognized this entirely reasonable
demand by the establishment of a bureau
of costs. II is in charge @: William p
kennedy. known all over the country as
the best informed transportation engineer
We have. lie has large corps of work
ers and assistants. This bureau works
in this manner: Suppose large concern
working say 100 horses on a great many
trucks, has begun to think about the use
Of motor trucks. They do not know
whether Or not the installation Of trucks
will be OF value. They may not be sure
that their work is adapted 10 the use of
motor truck
They apply TO the American LocomO-
tive COMPANY for the use Of the bureau
Of costs. T5's service is absolutely free.
II costs the inquirer absolutely nothing
and puts him under no obliga tons what
ever. Mr.. Kennedy makes a thorough
investigation Of the conditions surround
ing the horse installation of the inquirer.
He finds ou, what the original equipment
cost. what trc depreciation has been and
what its present worth Is. lie goes into
the question u routes. how much the
horses stand idle, whether or not the
load IL maximum to certain point and
then delivered al once or gradually de.
livered-whether or not the truck returns
with a returning load or empty. He
considers expenses Of shoeing. veterinary,
heat. light. power and telephone in the
stable and all that sort OF thing. lie
takes up the subject OF routes and their
geographical and physicsl characteristics
The result Is that when he has obtained
all this information he has a complete
bookkeeping picture Of actual horse costs,
Inuuircrs Are Ahmed.
1t is astonishing how few large users
Of horses actually know what their horses
cost them. They think they do, but 1t
hfF bNNi HAA tNfNAiEh'N AhSA nhNAA ~
quirers receive this information worked
ont by us they ave amazed al its com
pleteness and its new Information. In
side of twenty-four hours from the an
nouncsment OF this service in New York
City We had thirteen Of the biggest con-
Germs in the metropolitan district on our
waiting list for the service. Not one
OF them had the slightest idea what their
horses actually cost them.
Now when this horse cost is obtained
Mr.. Kennedy is able TO recommend the
use of motor trucks, how many. etc,
showing exactly how they can do the
work done by horses or do more work
in the same time and submits an exhibit
showing the cost Of operating this equip
ment Of motor trucks which he has
! recommended. This exhibit Is obtained
from the study of the specific problem
in hand and from the great mass Of data
which the company has collected from
the hundreds Of trucks 2. he3 sold all
over the county and .kei. operating
expense