Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-10-26
MAIL BY MOTOR
PROVES SUCCESS
One Route Between Philadel-
phia and Washington Earns
Neat Sum Each Month

Washington, ID. c. - Cross
country operation of mail carry
ing motor trucks, tried out by the
post Office department on an eX-
perimental but nevertheless, big
scale, during the last year, has
been a great success. James /.
Blakslee, fourth assistant pastmas-
ter general, has found that one
truck route between Philadelphia
and Washington, cutting chiefly
through territory without direct
rail connection and costing $500 a
month to operate, has in eight
months developed revenue of
$4,000 monthly. Another route, into
Washington, where 2S parcels a day
were moved during the first month,
now shows one ton of traffic each
way each "a hours.
Seventy lines now operate over the
country all but one east of the Mis-
hissippi, and there are visions OF a
system which will furnish S360,OOO-
600 annually in revenue for road
construction or other purposes.
"Why, General Pershing has 5000
trucks damaged or ruined over on
the other side" said Mr. .Blakeslee,
telling of the growth of the system
II don't care what condition they are
in. We want them all and can fix
up and put every one of them TO
york. What's even more important
he's got some boys over there shy
a hand, or an arm, or leg, and we
can use them all too, in good work
at good pay, that they can do. Con-
gress gave us 100000 to work with
and if we had the earnings of the
lines themselves, we could expand
almost indefinitely. AS it is, $1,000
coo will be requested by the division
for next year, and l think 1t will be
appropriated. People realize what
we are doing.
Operating at night is the most
profitable, and we have but two ma
chimes doing that, out of New YORK
The typical route is about $50 miles
long, 80 miles out, and 80 miles
back.
almost always the constant oper-
alton of the lines produces re-
turn load, the universal character OF
the mail service allowing almost
ANYTHING to be taken. The mail
trucks go, come rain, storm, or any
thing, and so the traffic develops.
Rates are pretty high, the lowest be-
ing about $40 a ton. That is what
makes the surplus revenues.
Concrete Roads Needed
"Of course, We'll have to have con-
crete roads, but the business can
produce the money TO build them
There are some economies in dlstrl-
button of produce that. are SIMPLY
amazing. 1t has added an entlrely
new factor to transcontinental trans
portation, and we shall just begin
finding il out when more extensive
oneration goes into effect during the
next two years.
lust why Mr.. Blakslee sees it that
wav can be understood from Just
one commodity price list. Milk re-
tails now in Washington at IL cents
a quart. Milk is coming in on mail
trucks direct to consumers Tor ~
cents a quart. Naturally the trucks
are being weighed down with nVe-
gallon cans as consumers learn OF
the possibility. The trucks tap mix
producing territory that are OUTSIDE
the usual hauling lines, and OIL the
rail arteries.
run 5000 trucks?" He asks, We'll,
there arc 5000 rural mail and star
routes being operated in the United
States now Sometimes ] think every
one of them would make a truck
line. Food is being handled ten times
on its way to consumer. We can cut
that to five.
watching these figures since Dc
ccmber, when we started, has given
me a new sort of inspiration. We
shall he moving the malls and mails
will include whole unexpected va
lscty of things in new modes before
the generation finishes. Airplanes for
the thousand distances. trains
ior the 500-mile, and trucks for the
ESQ. That's about the schedule.