Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1912-11-16

SDutnetn critics today ANA see what
Glasses of people are using trucks
lumber dealers. hide dealers. coal deal
ers, paper manufacturers, steel manu-
facrurers wholesale grocorS, retail gro
GERS and transfer people
in Atlanta we find it hard o = II
trucks to the big department stores
and merchants because of their con-
nection with parcel delivery conn
pany But this condition win not long
persist noticed in recent issue of
Metor Age the following statement
about what Chicago department stores
We're planning i'm The way Of replacing
horses with motors
For Department Stores.
downtown Chicago department
stores are planning to do away en-
tiraly with horses and substitute the
motor truck for all delivery. In the
list of those thus planning are Mar
shall Field ~ Co, Mandcl Bros. Car
son, Ptic. Scott Y Co. the Boston
store. The Fair. etc. About 600 horses
viii be displaced by commercial motor
vehicles when the change is finally
completed.
This win mean the operation OF be-
tween 700 and 900 more motor vehicles
Chan are at present in use in Chicago.
Taking $50 teams and wagons from
Chicago's streets and substituting mo-
tor vehicles VIII mean a. saving Of
nearly two miles of street space, to
say nothing of the gain in other lines
OF the city's progress.
For some time the various Chicago
department stores have been using mo
tor trucks. The first machines were OF
large tonnage and were used for haul
ing the heavy transfer loads from the
main stores to the delivery sub-sta-
lions north. west and south The ma
chimes We're put into use not with any
thought Of financial gain other than
that resulting from better service. With
the motor vehicle the load could leave
the downtown store an hour later than
was required Of horSed wagons. and
arrive at the shipping or distributing
point in time to meet the small horse
wagons there, at the regular schedule
hour for delivery. Thus each truck
saved one hour Tor each of three or four
deliveries a day. Phis paid in service.
After a time il was seen that if Ger
tain things could be done with the
trucks to keep them continually NOV
ing that they could be made to pay
actual dividends over horsed service.
Then 1t was that few large gas
cline cars We're put in for furniture
work, delivering bulk loads in house
toulouse work. These trucks are now
doing better I'm the matter of cost than
any other machines in the department
store service, some of them running so
to 100 miles a day. one van for Mar
shall Fields is quoted at the latter f1g-
ure.
when it was found that these ma
chimes were a success, smaller ones
were tried out by a couple Of the firms,
notably Marshall Field u Co. for the
longer hauls TO the suburbs. In this
work loads were smaller so that small
trucks We're put to work. These run
ming from six To nine miles from the
store before commencing deliveries
then engage i'm house to- house delivery
work and have provided success both
as to service and cost. From one to
and with more reliability than was pos
two hours is saved on each delivery
sible with horses. especially in winter
work.
"SeigeL Cooper K co. operate four
three and une-half-ton gasoline trucks
and no electric cars. Some POS horses
are used also i'm the house-to house
work. This firm is not yet convinced
of the coming of the motored vehicle
for this latter branch Of aorll. hut is
enthusiastic over the hauling OF the big
machines for transfer work and fur
niture hauling. The eventual morovi-
cation of this equipment would mean
possibly 100 motor vehicles
1--WE favor the gasoline truck. said
the shipping clerk of this firm. 'on ac-
count Of its mileage capacity. 10 can do
things impossible to the electric. For
instance we had a breakdown ON the
north side one afternoon A big truck
from Hammond got in about 4 u. m.
and was sent north with a load at
once. With an electric this would have
been impossible. 1t would have had NO
charge for the trip. Again sometimes
there is an extra bulk delivery like a
talking machine and cabinet we sent
out today. The gasoline truck can
make a detour and deliver this an "a
point one mile west Of the regular
route. With an electric ! couldn't do
it on account of low mileage.
with horses on the hou~e-to-huuse
work, too. the drive. is out and ON TN,
way to abe daa. before fhu vehicle
stops. with the motor he can not do