The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-09-26
MOTOR TRUCKS ARE NOW BIG FACTOR IN
 AMERICAN BUSINESS
Rec Sales Manager Talks Interestingly of Develop ment of Business End
 of Industry
By ELLIS c. HOLLUMs

Whether the frantic demands of Flu ropean nations for American motor trucks, when they were confronted with the necessity for rapid transportation of goods had anything to do with arousing American business men to the advantages or the modern method of transporta ton cannot say. but it is an interesting fact that coincident with the European demand the motor truck has come into it's own here at home" says R. c. Reus- chaw. sales head of the dual monarchy Rec Motor Car company and Reo Motor Truck company,
 MT. Rueschaw has just returned from an extended trip which embraced the Pa ellie coast states. and he states that the thing that impressed him most was the tremendous demand that existed every where for motor trucks.
 We have all looked forward to a time when big business and little business would awaken to the tremendous superi- ority of the motor delivery vehicle. We all realized that when 1t did come 1t would come with rush-and one has only to travel across the country to realize that that has happened.
 " IS not exactly happy coincident that the nationwide demand occurred simultaneously with tho needs of the nelilGerent European nations. It has caused an almost unparalleled condition or exoessive aemand-a demand out of all portion to supply.
 "As one instance of thls I might state that the Rec Motor Truck company has Tor some months been deliverlna a new model truck; in that time several hun dred of them have gone into use. and up 10 this time no general announcement of !. mas been made in the public press This Is 16o0-pound 'hurry-up wagon We had been working for some years on the solving of the problem of truck of ample load capacity but with higher rates of speed than were possible with Tor example, our 2-ton truck mounted on solid tires.
 After having put the machine through every kind of test we finally ventured to exhibit 1t at the Boston automobile show
 last March. To our consternation we were flooded with orders. However, we did not consider that a serious matter. as dealers are prone to order any new model in quantities, and they are just as likely as not to sell 1t in units, and not many or them. So we planned to make a national announcement of this model in July. Came July. and glance at our order books showed we dare not say any more about that model until the factory had more nearly caught up with orders on hand. So the announce ment was postponed to August, and from
 months to month since then-and still | the demand keeps up.
 T do not think this is an isolated case.
 It Is a very good indication of the ap- preciation in business generally of the
 oelerity and economy of motor driven trucks. More noticeable than ever, the public
 demand is the attitude of the automobile dealer toward motor trucks nowadays
 Formerly they looked at them askance
 and when a dealer did deign to take on
 the lino he ordered demonstrator and set 1t back in a corner of the show
 room. There is was to be had by anyone
 who came in and forcibly took it away from him.
 During the past few months I have found dealers quite as enthusiastic over
 motor trucks and in great many cases
 more so than pleasure vehicles. They
 realize that it is big, permanent depart
 ment of the business, and treat 1t as such I-those among them who are merchants
 and not merely order takers.
 q found business in general excellent, '
 concluded MT. Rueschaw. '"rhe spirit of optimism seems to prevail everywhere
 and there Is no doubt in the world that
 the automobile industry Is just starting
 on the biggest season 1t has ever had. "