Norwich bulletin., 1913-07-24
D0lNCS IN THE AUTO WORLD The Motor Truck in the Packing ndusry-Amercan Roads Congress to be Held at Detroit-Cood Roads Question at Washington

When the president of one of the big
 railroad companies in his New Year greeting to the thousands of employees ! Of the corporation, reminded them that Safety First" was the most import ant policy of the raiIroad-the world approved
 It is to be hoped that these two l words, so easily said, but carrying such deep meaning. will strongly impress every automobile driver in the country. Safety First is the slogan of the efficient automobile driver. It
 should imply to all motorists the ob- servance of the proper amount of caution that they owe to themselves as well as to the consideration due to | the lives, limbs and property of oth- CTS.
 Unless a man is mentally unbalanced and, therefore not fit to drive a car, he starts out with this principal firm ly fixed in his mind and a full equip
 ment of anti-skid chains in his car. There Is absolutely no reason for anyone to take chances on slippery paVements and muddy roads inasmuch
 as sure unfailing grip on the road may always be had by eQuipping all tires with the anti-skid chains.
 A motorist owes a duty of caution both to himself and to others, for to a great extent in his own hands lies the safety of himself and others. Many
 imagine that by taking chances by depending upon rubber alone for suf- f1cient traction and steering steadi-
 ness while driving on wet pavements and muddy roads is proof tht one Is
 an expert driver. and often they do not realize that they are wrong until aft CT the first accident. Therefore, 1t is
 much better to use tire chains and arrive at your destination than to de- pend upon rubber alone and wake up in the hospital.
 l. car more important than the tire chains, and the time Is not far off when their use will be made compul- sory by law.
 The third annual American Roads congress is to be held in Detroit, Mich, in the last week of September, begin ming the 29th. Good roads matters of all sorts, including construction, main tenance, materials, machinery, finan- cing and various scientific considera- tions will be discussed The remark able series of models exhibited by the United States Office of Public Roads, showing street and road surface, cul- Verts and bridges, etc, in graphicform will be one of the features of the congress. It is hoped that President Wilson, several cabinet members and senators, representatives, and gover-
 nors will be present. Among those who will address the congress will be Col. E. A. SteaVens, state highway commis-
 sioner of New Jersey who will describe the proper treatment of worn-out or raveIed macadam road surface. Henry G. Shirley, state highway engineer of Maryland. who will read 8 paper I.1ealing with Systematizing and simpIi- flying the purchase of materials and equipment. State Highway Commts-
 sioner Wilson of West Virginia, who will tell what he knows about the la h0r structfon. State Highway Commis sioner Hurst of Wisconsin, whose text will be the structure of drains for highways and State Highway Engineer Keller of Alabama. who will tell how to care for unsurfaced roads. John A. McIlhenny. President of the United
 States Civil Service commission will also deliver an address
 If money taIks-and the dollar sign
 Is surely the hallmark of American Big Business-then the power of wagon
 has established itself securely in the
 packing industry of this country.
 And the closely bound purse strings of
 the great Captains of Industry who draw direct tribute from all but the
 the tune of few more millions of
 dollars in the near future-for the
 motor trucks they claim to despise.
 And the recorded experience of mo- tor trucks in the packing industry
 freely given in some cases but mostly
 pried loose with the aid of journalistic
 crowbar and dynamite in others
 furnishes absolute and complete cor
 roorbation. Common sense, too, will
 justify all claims for the superiority of the motor in this class or service.
 even if economical considera tfons are
 entirely ignored.
 HIt is easy to see why our fore fathers surmounted almost incon-
 ceivable obstacles in opening up the
 vast new country of the west in the
 early days" said Eldon Rockledge, of
 Los Angeles. when he, with William
 West and Catine Coreila, was well comed in to New York as they com
 pleted the rans-continental trip in R-C-H No. 2. Even if there had not been the prospect of fertile land
 and gold to lead them on. the pioneers
 of our country would have been i'm
 perelled to continue their Journeys by
 the love of travelling over the country.
 There Is nothing to compare
 with the sensation Of satisfying the
 wandererlust by cross country travel
 ing. We have made a trans -oon- tinentaI trip from Los Angeles to New get out of driving. The open air life. 1 the hundreds of miles of wonderful
 scenery and the spirit of conquest one
 experiences in continually entering
 new country, are joys that only the mot orist knows these days. Our fore- fathers must have known these same joys, to a lesser extent, of course,
 household goods into canvass cover ed prairie schooner. and struck out for the land of the sunset. Of course. they had the added incentive of new