Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-07-11
NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS
AND AUTO SUBSIDIES
Particular Interest in Question as
Possible Development in
Near Future.
English Government, Prior to War,
Arranged for Cars Necessary
if Break Came.

National preparedness as subject,
is one of the most engrossing that is
before the American public today.
Newspapers, magazines anu public
speakers have handled many phases of
il in the past few months, but there is
one element of the question that, SEEM
ingIy. has been given small share of
attention-that of motor truck sub
sides. 1t was through having adopted
the policy of giving subsidies that
France, Germany and Austria and, to
a certain extent, England were enabled
to gather great fleets of motor trucks
together at the outbreak of the Euro
pean war.
Just prior to the start of hostilities
the British war department drew up
subsidy regulations that were the re-
suit of number of years experience
In Il recent number of the Engineer,
a recognized English authority on en-
gineering matters, the first truck TO
conform to the subsidy regulations was
described, and as preface TO TINS de-
scription gave a resume OF the coh<n-
tons imposed by the war department
These have a particular interest IN
this country now as possible deVel-
opmsnt of the move for mliltarv pre-
paredness in the United states must,
sooner or later, bring up the question
OF government subsidies here. The
Engineer says:
In all matters relating to military
transport the military point OF view
must take precedence for the moment,
but peace will come sooner or later,
and with it presumably a somewhat
sudden cessation in the demand 1or
military supplies and period OF anxl
ETY. on the part of manufacturers o.
lorries among other things. as to the
disposal of an output swelled, as II
will have been, by the present ab-
normal and Unsuitable requirements OF
war Terrible difficulties would arise
if the vehicles hich now have to be
built to meet service requirements
were inherently unsuitable for other
than military purposes. This Is point
to which the mechanical transport
ton when drawing up the regulations
governing it's subsidy scheme Tor tunes
of peace. and which apply, we believe.
to all vehicles now being constructed
for the war office. 1t will be remem-
bered that the object of the scheme
was to put the government, on the
outbreak of war, not then foreseen. In
possession of an adequate number OF
mechanical transport vehicles OF
more or less standard pattern, with
out involving the taxpayer in enormous
expense by the direct purchase of large
heets which would have been COMPARE
lively idle during peace time. With
these considerations in mind the me-
chanical transport committee drew up
a subsidy scheme, which was put into
final form last year. Under it, II the
civilian owner of lorry agrees to
have embodied in the construction of
his vehicle certain features which are
desirable from a military standpoint.
but which in no wise interfere with its
utility for commercial purposes, and
allows the vehicle to be inspected
every six months by an official of the
war Office, he not only obtains grants
amounting in all to from lilo to f120.
but on the outbreak of war is paid
a prearranged price for his lorry.
Thus. not only is the owner assured
of a fair-even generous-price. but he
obtains a report every six months to
show that his vehicles are being prop
erly looked after and driven by his
staff.
"a careful study of the regulations
indicates that in only one essential fea-
ture of design Is the liberty Of the de-
signer interfered with--a chain drive
is barred on any vehicle which is to
earn the subsidy. The reason for this
is military one. On active service
the work which the lorry has to do is
very severe on wheels and tires. and
the wheels must therefore be able to
be removed and replaced in the least
possible time. In a gear-driven vehi-
Gle the wheel may be taken OF by the
removal of few nuts. 1t is equally
simple to replace il. In a chain driven
vehicle there are difficulties in connec-
stretched chains to be allowed for. On
the score of ease of replacement of the
back wheels gear drive is. therefore.
called for. This does not matter in the
least to the owner: in fact, he gains the
same advantages as the military man
does. though they may not be Of quite
the same value to him. The worst that
he has to suffer is the sacrifice of some
personal prediction in favor of the
chain derived perhaps from lengthy
and satisfactory experience with this
form of drive.
The insistence on a gear drive is the
only really important point in the con-
trast of a subsidy lorry which may
fail to commend itself to the civilian
owner unless he attaches more i'm
portance to low platform than to the
advantages of a large wheel diameter
and ample ground clearance. Alto
gether then il will be seen that the
civilian owner has everything to gain
and nothing to lose by buying a vehi-
Gle built to earn the subsidy, and there
10 no hidden trap behind the excellent
bargain that is offered him.