Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1914-02-06
Limitations OF The Auto.
From The Western Horseman.

and again been called to the fact by The
Western Horseman that Notwithstanding
the large increase in the number of horses
in the last ten years and the manufacture
of thousands of automobiles, the price OF
the horse has annually increased during
this period. All kinds of horses and mules
are worth more today than at any time
in our history, while the demand for really
high-class horses at big prices was never
so strong as at the present time. Pros
pective stake trotters and PAGERS are COM
manding anywhere from So, 900 to SIC, 900,
and those prices are being cheerfully paid
by owners of campaigning stables. Breeders
OF trotters are not only interested in the
demand for race horses but for saddle, car
riage, work and general purpose horses,
the great by-product of every establish
ment for breeding the trotter.
In spite of these facts, there are occa-
sional pessimists who declare that the mo-
tor wagons are going to destroy the market
for the horse and that breeding will soon
become an Improbable industry, To those
who lend ear to. these gloomy remarks we
would call attention to the fact that bust
ness in this great country of ours is devel-
oping so rapidly that transportation other
than by means of animals is absolutely
necessary, just as the locomotive supplanted
the stage coach and the trolley car the
street car. In the two latter
instances there was great hue and cry
about the disappearance of the horse, but
all now recognize that were 1t not for the
steam and electric roads manufacturing
and farming would never have developed
to their present huge proportions. There
are limitations to the use of railroads,
both are fixed and while the trolley is a
feeder to the steam road the horse is a
feeder to both. His greater fiexibility makes
him essential to the success of both and
neither would be commercial success
without his assistance
The automobile, especially the automo-
bile truck, has marked limitations and I'M
less greatly improved will never be the
dangerous competitor to the horse that
some imagine. 1t would seem that if any
where the automobile truck would find its
greatest use on the well-paved city streets,
but many who have tried them are now
giving them up. They are not handy"
for retail deliveries where many stops have
to be made. Many believe that the truck.
like the touring car, for week end" trips
will find its real place in long hauls, in
trips where tons have to be carried many
miles without transfer. Until the roads of
the United States are greatly improved
these long hauls will be impossible save
possibly in New York City and Chicago.
Even after practically everyone is interest
ed in the good roads movement several
generations will pass to the great beyond
before roads are in condition for long hauls,
80 there is no immediate danger to the
breeding business in that direction. If
State auto roads should be constructed,
Instead of diminishing the demand for the
horse more animals would be in demand to
bring supplies and produce to central points
for transportation on the trucks.
The greatest handicap of the auto truck is
the great cost Of maintenance and its rapid
from high-priced machine
10 scrap iron. Gasoline is expensive, en-
sines need constant repairs. and high-priced
tires need frequent replacing. The expen-
'ive first cost and the heavy maintenance
make it impossible for the pres
ent-day truck to take the place of the horse
in general transportation and delivery
work, much as would the automobile adj
Vertisers like to convince all of the passing
If the horse" These latter gentlemen have
spent thousands of dollars. possibly hun
1reds of thousands. harping on this theme,
but the hOrseless age is further away than
ever unless millions more horses since the
irst auto was constructed and high value
per horse pictures the "horseless age. E"
Stories in the daily papers written or in
'pired by automobile dealers. constantly
'eiterate that an auto truck costs less to
than a horse while doing the
work Of two or three horses, but this does
lot square with the many, very many,
Isers of transportation who are discarding
the auto truck and replacing them with
horses.
Facts are more convincing than theories,
and the following by DR.. Francis II. Row
ley, president of the Massachusetts Society
for the prevention of Cruelty to Animals,
presents facts from an unimpeachable
source. Under the heading. The Horses
Won" DR.. Rowley writes as follows in Our
Dumb Animals:
THE following happened a short time
ago in Boston. Mr.. A. wanted to sell Mr..
fve-ton auto truck Mr.. b. said, "If
your auto truck can do as much as my
span of horses, and do 1t at less expense,
I'll buy 1t, but you must prove that it can,
Just at this time Mr. b. had a large ship
nent OF butter arrive which must be trans
ported from the freight depot to North
Market street. Team and auto truck started
n at the same hour and worked all day.
! he team delivered five tons more during
the same time than the truck, in spite of
the fact that the truck had one more man.
MIR. A. asked for second days trial.
This was granted. only Mr. B. said, 4 must
have the same number Of men on my team
that you have on your truck" Agreed.
Thatday the team delivered ten tons more
than the auto-truck.
IF anyone questions these statements
we shall be glad to furnish names, date
and witnesses. Also the name of prOmi-
nent firm in Boston that bought two hand
some delivery cars at $4,000 each. After
an experience sufficient to determine their
value the order was given to sell them and
replace them with horses. One sold for
Sl25, and the other for 500. When asked
why the effort was not made to get more
Tor them, the answer was given, We Grew
30 sick Of having these in the shop when we
wanted them that we we're glad to get rid
Of them at any price. and have something
we could depend on.
I'VE only mention these two cases out
Of others that have come under our per-
SOnal observation to confirm our claim that
the horse is not yet in any danger of be-
coming memory OF tne past.
The automobile has become a fixture in
business and social life, but the highly
colOred, dreams of "horseless age" will
never come true. AS this country grows in
population its farming and manufacturing
will increase and there will be a greater
demand for the horse than ever before and
indications are that prices will rise. The
demand for the pleasure horse will be sur
prisingly large in the next few years AS
industry prospers so will the men connected
with it turn 10 the horse for relaxation
and amusement, and there is nothing that
equals the high-class horse in these respects
Automobile races were n novelty that
have ceased to attract and even the great
est automobile race track in this country
attempts to stage but one race year,
the original intentions Of the own
ers were to hold two or three meetings Of
week each every year. On the other hand
there were more race meetings for the
trotter and PAGER last year than heretofore,
more horses took part in the contests. the
stakes and purses were more valuable and
the attendance much larper