New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-10-11
American Firms Contract
for Big Deliveries With
in Two Months.
ALL TO BE FITTED
WITH STAKE BODIES
Said TO Be for Use of Commits.
sary Department Unlikely to
See Harder Service.

While the war in Europe has almost
shut off the expectation of passenger
cars from this country, it has stimulat-
ed the motor truck division of the in
dustry TO an extent that even the most
optimistic could not have foreseen a
few weeks ago.
More than sixteen hundred motor
trucks OF the most expensive makes
have already been ordered for use in
the war zone. and negotiations now
under way are likely to increase the
total greatly in the next few weeks.
If the interested governments are able
TO place the material where they want
it the probability is that American
built motor trucks will play a most i'm
portant part in the great struggle.
Thus far representatives of the
French government in this city have
signed orders for 1880 vehicles, while
the English authorities will receive
about two hundred through Canada. II
need hardly be said that the orders are
to rush deliveries at the earliest pos
sible moment. The trucks for the use
of the French army are to be delivered
in this city, the first in two weeks and
the entire lot in two months.
The firms participating in this mel
on cutting" and the amount of their
contracts are as follows: White Com
pany, of Cleveland, $50 trucks; Pack
ard Company, Of Detroit. 400 trucks
Perce-Arrow Company, of Buffalo, 200
trucks; Jeffery Company. Of Kenosha,
Wis, 100 trucks; REQ Motor Car Com
pany, of Lansing, Mich, 100 trucks, and
the Kelly-Springfeld Company, OF
Springfield, Ohio, 80 trucks. In add
tion the Jeffery Company has an order
through the Russell Motor Car Com
pany. of Toronto. for one truck n day
for six months. The latter order, it is
said, is for the British government.
The amount of money involved exceeds
100000 900.
The specifications call for machines
Of from / y TO 3 tons capacity, fitted
with stake bodies. There has been some
talk of building armored cars, but GER
tainly none will be included in these
consignments. According to the men
who made the purchases, the trucks are
for the use of the commissary depart
ment.
By those who have watched the prog
ress of the struggle in Belgium and
the north of France it is believed that,
while the commissary departments OF
the various divisions will find motor
trucks a great help, the American vehi-
Giles are likely TO see service closer to
the front. There is no doubt that many
Of them will be used for the transport
OF troops from one part of the battle
area to another and for the transfer OF
light artillery and machine guns.
Reports from Paris show that mill
tary officials find it possible through
the use of automobiles to travel from
Paris to the front in three or four
hours, while trains make the same
journey in from fifteen to twenty hours.
This, of course, refers to high powered
automobiles, but the probability is that
motor truck could make the same
journey in eight or ten hours.
At any rate. motor truck capable
of carrying from thirty to fifty men
could cover ground at least four times
as fast as a soldier on foot under forced
march. The Germans demonstrated the
value of motor vehicles in their amaz-
ing dash to the gates of Paris.
Those concerned in the purchase OF
the trucks in this country are emphatic
in saying that France does not want to
buy any passenger cars.