Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-07-21
TRUCK SUCCESS
ONLY BEGINNING
Garford Head Declares Gen
eral Public Awakening to
Necessity of Trucks

The future of few lines of manu-
featuring endea9or is more widely
discussed than that of motor truck
building. During the last twelve
months, the increase in the CONNER
cial vehicle business has been the
talk of the business world. Its sue
= cess has been well-nigh phenominal
and yet there are those who insist
thatthe success already attained only
marks the beginning of an era of
growth which will rival anything
which has occurred in the passenger
automobile field
Among the men directly respon-
sible for the development of the mo-
tor truck to its present high state of
efficiency is E. a. Williams, Jr., head
of the Garford Motor Truck Com
pany, of Lima, and he is among those
who refer to the success of the in
dustry as still being in it's infancy.
To-day, the commercial vehicle busi-
ness is simply a healthy, growing
child, he declares, and its tremen-
douse possibilities are yet to be real
lied.
Williams has played no small part
in the building up of Garford busi-
ness. In 1901, the Garford plant con-
sisted of shed at the rear of a city
49, AO-udS IL - lIlS largest
IN the United States exclusively de-
voted to the manufacture of a com
plete line of motor trucks.
Firm in the opinion that no COM
merlcial vehicle could be successful
ly built without the proper kind of
equipment for its building, the erec-
ton of a model motor truck factory
soon became Williams hobby. That
FACTORY has been completed for sew
eral months and II is one of the prin-
clpal points of interest for sight
seers in thethriving industrial city
of Lima.
Every department of the plant is
now complete. There is the forge
shop with its gigantic steam ham
mers used in making the drop forg-
lngs. In the heat treating depart.
ment, are the massive ovens for an
meaning, the furnaces for heating and
the tanks for all and water quench-
ing, used in the process of properly
treating the metals before they are
built into the trucks
Next, there is a model machine
shop with its vista of modern ma
chinery of every description that
seems to display almost human un-
derstanding. Then came the sheet
metal building, the tire room. the
chassis assembling department.. the
wood working department. the test
track for the finished chassis, the
paint shop and finally the huge room
for the finished products. Every de-
partment is as complete as its neigh
boring department and all, com bin
ed. tend to produce that thorough-
ness in manufacture which has
spelled success for the Garford.
Although the advantages of the
motor truck are more widely recog-
nized to-day than ever before, there
are many reasons why we, who un-
derstand their efficiency believe that
the present popularity of that type
or vehicle is but the beginning of a
splendid era of success.
several circumstances have COM
bined during the last year to awaken
the public to the necessity of COM
mercial vehicle transportation.
For example, the unprecedented
volume of freight which our COM
mon carries were suddenly called
upon to transport last year, in some
instances involving an excess of so
per cent, was an ill-wind that blew
good to the motor truck business.
The freight car shortage esulted
IN thousands of new owners of mo-
tor trucks. Horses were discarded
In favor of the power vehicle be-
cause the motor truck would help
alleviate the freight transportation
conditions. An ever increasing num-
Der of trucks, engaged in intercity
trade, resulted and trucks made
many new friends
Had the freight car shortage ex-
listed five years ago, it is probable
that business conditions would have
been paralyzed. Motor trucks. how
ever. saved the situation. Necessity
proved that they had solved the
short haul problem and every one
OF those thousands of new owners
of commercial vehicles became
staunch supporters of that method
of transportation. To-day, they are
telling their friends about it. Their
friends are buying trucks and the
original owners are buying more
trucks.
The advantages of the motor
truck, from the standpoint of bust
ness efficiency, economy and endur-
ance, have been most satisfactorily
demonstrated. The additional motor
truck service, during the last few
months, has been the biggest selling
factor in the history of the busi-
ness"