The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1916-09-09
BUSINESS EXPANDED
BY USE OF MOTORS
Autocar Company Sales Head
Sets Forth Interesting Facts
on Operation.

In speech before the National Team
and Motor Truck Owners Association
at 1t. Louis last month. IA. l.. white
more. sales head Of the Autocar Com
p0ny set forth some highly interesting
iacts anecting motor car cost and ope-
While essentially treatise of Autocar
EFFICIENCY II serves to dispel much OF
the Misrepresentation In the mind of tho
merchant and manufacturer whp still
cnngs. fearfully and ultra conservative
~: to the Archaic horse delivery scheme.
said Whittemore:
The manager of one Of the natjons Nv
known express companies has pointed
out that most OF the epoch making in
possible were, when first inyented re-
garded as luxuries-the sewing machine
gas and electric light, the teiephone
and telegraph-these all for very short
YIN, tme were used by the rich to displace
10 cling to; but each Of these in short
time was used to serve business and 10
put pushes on the plane of efficiency IL
nov nov, stands: SO It was with the automo-
ohe-at nrst the rich mans luxury. IL
soon became the public's servant
Are Prime Factors.
This same manager said that the
prime factors In the express business
are expedition and efficiency: that is,
to expedite the carriage OF Packages
from shipper to consignee In the most
efficient manner. 1t was natural then
mat the express men should have been
among the first to adapt the swift and
untiring automobile to their business,
and II Is not to be wondered at that
the express interests are the largest
users OF, motor trucks in the country
n n fFNf In. ~.
the cost OF motor truck operation-that
varies SO radically. dependent on so
many conditions, that actual figures are
bound to be misleading. The si5e Of the
care that It receives. the load II carries.
all enter into the cost OF operation. The
fact Is that We have found II poor sales
policy to try to say what II Will cost
know with some degree of certainty
what all the conditions are under which
1t will run
Cost $7.62 Daily.
We have found that the cost of
operating an autocar under average
conditions Ia approximately 1852 per
hfty-mile day. In arriving at this
figure we put the first cost of the car
at $3.50 El,650 chassis and 5000
body and allow for fixed charges of
depreciation. interest and insurance,
a ana operating i; expenses Of tires. gas
clude a driver at $3.50 per day.
''This figure. while II does not COM
pare unfavorably with the cost Of a
two-horse team. should not be COM
pared with that cost, but rather with
the cost of horse equipment that
would be necessary to do the same
amount of work. We have a general
saying that an autocar at very much
less cost than two teams will do the
work of three.
1T must be borne in mind that this
figure 10 an average taken from the
performance OF many TRUCKS under
many different conditions Hand that
the performance of any one truck
may be either lower or higher. 1t
must also be remembered that this
figure Is, worked out on the records
of one make of truck only.
The one statement that practically
every motor truck user among ex-
press and hauling concerns makes Is
that motor trucks make II possible
for them to do work and take hauling
possibility with horses. Your business
differs from so many others in that
instead of taking a definite thing to
definite place. you take anything
anywhere; and your business grows
to your advantage In so far as you
can take more different things to
more different places with profit. An
other big distinction between the
hauling problem In your business ana
in many others Is that with you the
hauling Is the whole business. with
others II Is a side line that must be
figured as such.
PrOblematical Question.
VERY often we are asked. What is
the life of a motor truck This Of
course depends on so many things that
one answer cannot suffice. For book
keeping purposes We advise writing off
&c per cent Of the cost of the car each
year as depreciation. Hundred OF -iu-
;ocars have been in service well over
five years. but by writing off one-fifth
Of the cost each year the value either In
cash or in service after that time Is
at pays to have a motor truck thor.
oughly overhaulcd after few years
service and to have it examined much
oftener. We do not advise frequent
trading In of cars for we believe that
a complete overhauling. or II necessary.
rebuilding will give you more value
at less money. A motor truck Is not
like a pleasure car. If your old motor
truck will haul efficiently II Is a mat
ter Of small moment to you what re-
finements have been put on more re-
cent models. When you trade In you
take the depreciation that may arise
from new models and you stand
chance also of depreciation due TO
reduction in price since your original
purchase.