New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-04-22
Motor Transport
Companies for
War Service
Committee Combining All
Sides of Motordom
Works on Plan
Call for Volunteers
Not Expected That Citizen
Owners Will Be Needed
for Regular Army

Offers Of cooperation made by the
automobile industry have been accepted
by the government. The War Depart
ment recommends the immediate for
nation of as many voluntary motor
truck, motor car and motorcycle COM
panies as possible in all states, and
particularly along the Atlantic, Gulf
and Pacific coasts, as a measure of pre-
psredness for any emergency that may
arise, although it is confident it will
not have to call for cars or trucks Of
citizen owners for regular army SER
vice.
The task of directing this work has
been delegated to the Volunteer Motor
Transport Committee, consisting of
Alfred Reeves, National Automobile
Chamber of Commerce, as chairman;
A. G. Batchelder, American Automobile
Association; Coker F. Clarkson, Society
of Automotive Engineers; Edward H..
Broadwell, Motor and Accessory Manu-
facturers; Roderick Stephens, Motor
Truck Club of America, and Shelby A.
Falor, Federation of American Motor
cyclists. This committee will operate
under the Advisory Commission of the
Council of National Defence.
The committee will cooperate also
in the recruiting of competent drivers
and mechanics for the Enlisted Reserve
Corps of the Quartermaster's Depart
ment of the army, under the direction
of General H. S. Sharpe and Colonel
Chauncey B. Baker, of the Quarter
masters Corps, at Washington.
It's work will be to organize volunteer
motor companies in all states, and
especially in cities near the sea coast
The committee will also obtain particu-
lars of the roads for military purposes,
especially with regard TO their ability
to carry heavy motor traffic.
Volunteer companies will include the
necessary officers, drivers and mechan-
les, and will be used, when occasion re-
quires, for quickly moving bodies OF
troops or supplies to particular points.
Such service probably will extend over
only day or two at time, but many
of the men may later wish to enlist for
military service during the war Colo
mel Baker says that cars or trucks OF
citizen owners will not be required by
the army, as the Quartermaster's ONCE
will be able to buy new equipment as
fast as the new and bigger army is
organized.
A volunteer motor transport reserve
company, of which hundreds will be or
ganized, will consist, in the case Of
trucks, of the following: A captain,
who will have general supervision over
the organization; one truck master;
three assistant truck masters, one me-
chanic, two helpers, two cooks, one
Waterman and thirty-three chauffeurs.
These men will bear titles from SER
geant first class TO corporals and prl-
Yates, and will have charge of an equip
ment of twenty-seven cargo trucks, pre-
ferably of the IL and 3 ton sizes, one
repair and kitchen truck, two oil and
gasoline supply trucks and one motor
car and one light repair truck. The
personnel may be increased by adding
assistant chauffeurs and cooks when
needed.
Motor car and motorcycle companies
will be organized along very similar
lines, this form of organization and the
regulations governing it being the
same for volunteer companies as Tor
motor companies in the regular army at
present. Three motor companies will
constitute a battalion with major in
command. For truck companies the
preference is for L n and 3 ton trucks,
although other types may be enlisted.
All types of passenger cars may be in
cluded in the car companies.
Headquarters of the Volunteer Motor
Transport Committee are at East
Forty-second Street, New York.