Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-02-02
LOWERS LIVING COST
Motor Trucks Saving Mer-
chants Much Money.
ARE REPLACING HORSES
Will Ultimately Improve Suburban
and 1nterurban Trans
portation.

Most business men at the head of large
| manufacturing institutions have intro
duced systematic and consistent improve
ments in all their methods of manu-
facture. They have replaced old ma
chinery with new: they have introduced
| abor-saving improvements which have
revolutionized methods. and by the sub
stitution of machinery for hand work the
number of employees for given output
! has greatly decreased. These methods
have been accompanied by equally radi-
| cal changes in methods of manufacture.
which have at every point introduced
| savings through short cuts and through
the utilization of wastes heretofore con-
sidered unavoidable losses.
| One of the elements Of manufacturing
cost which have very generally escaped
| the attention of the keen-minded mana
gers of manufacturing enterprises is that
| Of the transportation Of the raw ma
| terial and the finished product to and
| from the factory by means OF teams.
Teaming has been considered as nee
essary evil. and its cost has been to a
large extent neglected. because it did not
| appear to Offer an opportunity Tor saving
which would be noticeable. as compared
with the possibilities of improvement IN
other directions In proof Of this state
ment is the fact that comparatively fe"
manufacturing concerns with whom one
comes in contact through agencies are In
position to state the cost of their teamlns
| in terms which would be satisfactory to a
careful and not too easily satisfied IN
quirer.
influence Team Cost.
The increasing applications of motor
trucks to commercial work will have an
influence on the general question of cost
Of teaming. because it is necessary to
know the cost in order to estimate the
value of trucks, and this is perhaps not
the least of the advantages to be OBJ
tanned by the present movement In the
introduction of power wagons.
Motor vehicles are not certain TO re-
duce the cost Of transportation In all cases
and it is necessary first to know the con-
ditions in order to estimate the possible
value of trucks. 4 study of the cost or
teaming will in itself lead to economy,
as the analysis Of any complicated source
| Of expense Is likely to lead to improve
ment.
Frank With Advice.
manufacturer, in approaching the
question of the application Of trucks to
his business, must first know whether or
not they will pay
One result of the agitation of the
truck question which is generally
| noticeable is that not only manufacturers
but also express and other transporta-
| ton companies are looking into the cost
OF horses and wagons. 1t probably VIII
| surprise many to learn that their horse
teams are not in actual operation more
than . to 30 per cent Of the working
day and that mileage averages are eX-
ceedingly low-down perhaps from twen-
ty-flve to twenty miles per day.
| Before long We shall be giving credit
| to motor trucks for a general improve
ment in urban and interurban transporta-
| ton simply because the problem OF
whether or not trucks shall be used natu-
rally suggests a study of present costs
and as naturally leads to improvements
| therein. Because of the fact that motor
trucks will constitute an investment of
! considerable proportions the owners will
naturally look on every side for means
and methods for utilizing the investment
| to the best possible advantage.
| This will lead to prompt and efficient
methods of loading and unloading. and
| in other directions possibilities will de-
velop for Improvement. manufac-
| turer who instalis an expensive machine
becomes Immediately interested in keep
| ing that machine busy. in order that the
greatest return may be obtained from the
| capital involved. That this Is true of
| motor trucks has already been fully es-
tablished. The motor truck may, there
fore, be expected to exert a noticeable
| influence in the direction Of reduction of
| the cost of living.