Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1917-09-30

ulIIlcult, Will be missionaries with
their more conservative friends. Many
%of these men will have served as
motor truck drivers.
American Has Advantages.
America has peculiar advantages In
Russian motor TRUCK campaign and
should get the lead od'competitors and
Keep II. The American made truck
hass distanced all foreign makes In
war service. Almost all our better
models are popular over there.
The duma Is made up in part of
men who have been in the United
| States. The cabinet has several in
fluential members who have lectured
here and have publicly and repeatedly,
since the car was deposed, expressed
their friendship for this country. This
helps greatly. Insofar as business re-
lations in general are concerned, our
position IL better than England's. as
good as Frances, and of course inn
measurably better than GermanyAs.
We have the same rights to Russian
trade as her other allies.
England is unpopular with influ-
ential Russian army officers. who
are likely to have a good deal to say
In the government after the war, be-
cause she financed Russia and forced
her to use British made mator trucks
dS Olt lllt CONCESSIONS III
And this machcine did not stand up.
France has few good motor trucks as
she devotes her attention mostly to
high grade pleasure cars. German
&c DDS will be taboo naturally for
trade alliances Will follow the battle
lines after the war.
That leaves it to the United States
and TO motor trucks of Russian manu-
facture. At the present time, there
are no homemade Russian motor
trucks, Prior to the war there was
but one motor vehicle factory in the
land of the czar. and that made pleas
ure cars only. The government Is
now> financing three groups OF fac
tories which will make motor cars and
also motor trucks at Warsaw. But II
will be a long time before they will
have the organization or the output
OF any one of half u dozen American
plants.
Those who aspire to Russian trade
must play the game as the Russian
plays 1t or they will fail. They must
use abundant tact and good nature in
their dealings. They must be scrupu
olusly honest. keeping the letter and
spirit of all agreements. They must
be willing to give long credits since
the Russian is accustomed TO plenty
of time in paying his bills. They must
keep lavish supply of spare parts on
Russian soil.
Vehicles Must be Good.
Their vehicles must be very good
at least so per cent over size in work
ing parts because the tendency Nill be
to overload. There must be extra
large gasoline tanks because of the
infrequency of supply stations on the
long journeys to be made. There must
l.. lt.e VI, ~ N.y
must be as nearly fool-proof as pos
sible, which means that mechanical
complications that are practical here
must be cut to the bone. There must
be considerable increase in tractive
power over the present types of ma
chimes.
Undoubtedly the u and 3-ton mo-
tor trucks, which have proved the
best for military service, VIII be the
most popular for commercial use. 1t
would be wisdom on the part of manu-
facturers to approximate as nearly as
possible the wishes of the military au-
thorities in commercial motor trucks,
because the Russian army of the fu-
ture will be n generous and valuable
customer.
But the big thing for the American
motor truck engineer to do in order
to clinch our industrial supremacy in
this line, Is to evolve motor sleigh.
Russia is the land of winter. Heavy
snow blankets it for many months of
the year, and winter-ands summer
vehicle is twice as valuable as one
that functions well only part OF the
year.
A motor sleigh is not an impossi-
bility, in fact, it is just beyond the
horizon of motor engineers The
British tank" which does everything |
but Aimb the side of house, brought
1t immeasurably nearer. Most engi-
neers, If asked year ago which prob
lem was more difficult-to evolve
motor sleigh, or a motor vehicle that
will amble in and out of trenches and
shell-holes with perpendicular sides,
which can break down trees without
injury to itself, and which is immune
from damage by ordinary rifle fire
would unhesitatingly have declared
against the tank"
Motor trucks, before the first shot
was fired in August, 1914, were as
unknown to the bulk of the Russian
population as the differential calculus.
Now, the 10, 600 Of them in active SER
vice on the various fronts are their /
own publicity agents. And the army
Of 100000 men from every cross
roads In Russia, are also advertising
them and will advertise them when
the war Is over and the soldiers are
free to return home.
A missionary motor truck train to
penetrate the interior counties or the
vast empire would do world OF good
and lead to the selling of a lot of
Accompanied by couple
Of alert Russian farmers, who conduct
mpromptu institutes on improved
farming methods en- route, 1t could
how necessary motor
.ruck is to each rural community.
The organization and handling or
such a train is n detail of the selling
of the factory and could
pc worked out easily. The dominant
fact Is that the oportunity to sell Is
here and is Americas for the asking.