Evening star., 1914-08-09
|ND|A|NTERESTED
|NMOTOR TRUCKS
Expected to Be of Great Value
in Commercial
Transport.
WOULD WORK A SAVING
OVER BULLOCK CARTS
Government Ownership of Auto
Ines in Provinces Is
Advocated

Considerable interest is being manifest
ed in India in the motor truck particu-
larry for commercial transport over short
distances, where the slow-going bullock
carts are now used. To those accustom-
ed to conditions in this country where
long hauls are considered almost indis-
pensable for the favorable operation of
motor trucks. this may seem peculiar.
When 1t is considered that the bullock
cart of India has been mentioned time
and again as the cheapest possible form
of transportation. the Indian idea Of saw
ing money by using trucks in the cities
for two and three mile trips is distinctly
odd. Actual tests and careful account
ancy, however. have shown the economy
OF the truck to be great.
Saving Is Possible.
In Bombay, where vast amount of
cotton has to be handled ever year, 1t is
a common sight to see on the streets a
string of about thirty bullock cars. each
drawn by two oxen and loaded with
three or four bales Of cotton. Taking
four bales as a maximum load, 1t is
obvious that 1t requires thirty men, thirty
carts and sixty bullocks to remove 40
bales of cotton and it takes them one
hour to cover three miles. the approM-
mate cost being 1918 for the trip. The
same number of bales could be carried
in five motor lorries. at cost of $1.D
per car, or IS in all. and the time occu-
pied would be fifteen minutes. Besides
this saving in time and in cost of trans
port there also would be great saving
in wages. Allowing driver and one as
sistant for each commercial motor We
hicle, it would be necessary to pay tne
wage of only ten men for quarter OF
an hour. instead of thirty men for 1uli
hour. thus adding at least another *l6o
to the economic advantage possessed oy
the motor vehicle over the bullock cart
for transport purposes.
Another Great Field.
Moreover, it is now recognized that in
India there is great field for motor
transport in connection with railways,
There are many small towns In India
where the cost of laying down railway
Is out of all proportion to the immediate
return that is likely to be received lot
the expenditure. For distances up 10
100 miles. and loads up to hve tons II
can easily be seen that an enormous
economy in time and IN expenditure
would result from the use Of motor
traction. The units being SO much small
er than those of a freight train, there
would be a minimum Of difficulty In reg
ulariy finding full loads for the vehicles.
and a properly organized system could
be so arranged that the running OF un-
laden vehicles on the return journey
would be reduced to minimum. In this
connection an economic conference,
which was held in the state OF Mysore
last June under the auspices OF the gov
ernment of this progressive native state.
passed resolution declaring that: ;.
..In the opinion Of this conference 1t
may be possible to introduce motor
traction services for passengers and goods
on some of the important routes In the
state and that the committee OF indus
tries and commerce be requested to con-
slider the subject and place their report
on 1t before the next session OF the con-
ference, such report to include (a) par
ticulars of routes on which such a serv-
ice may prove remunerative, with traffic
statistics, Cb) particulars Of vehicle serv-
Ice recommended. and (c) mode of or
ganizing and financing"
Bulletin Is ISSUED.
In response to this resolution, Alfred
Chatterton, director of industries and
commerce of the Mysore government. has
prepared bulletin on the subject of
feeder railways and motor transport In
this he gives list Of some of the more
promising routes and outlines the meth
cd of operation and advantages. He
says. in part:
Motor tractors with a short train OF
wagons taking loads of ten to twenty
tons can easily compete with bullock
carts when the latter have to be hired
but there must be sufficient work to keeI
them regularly employed. To insure this
out agencies working with the railways
will have to be established and goods re-
ceived at and consigned to these agen
cies This means establishing ware
houses and goods yards. The longer thu