Evening journal., 1918-01-17
never such need
FOR KOTCR TRUCKS
M N. ". pFKnY.
Secriary Commercial Vehicle Commit
tee. National Automobile Chamber
Of Commerce.

Tee, National Automobile Chamber
Of Commerce.
In the present period OF national
stress The importance OF the motor truck
Is forcing Itself on onlcial Washington,
on the railroad executives. the express
companies. and on merchants and manu-
facturers throughout the country as
never before
For an army Of i,OO0O00 men In Eu-
rope our War Department requires
$1,000 motor vehicles. OF which 5000
will ho transport trucks. 25OO ambu-
lances, 1900 officers cars and 6.J0O mo-
tor cycles. American factories are
working on orders for 10000 trucks. and
lt is anticipated that many moro thou
sand will Dee ordered during the coming
fiscal year. Forces ln The field are de-
pendent on Rotor trucks for an sup
plies, food clothing ammunition and
medical supplies The injured in bat
he are removed to hospitals back Of
the line in motor amhuances.
The power vehicle is as essential TO
modern military operations as artillery,
Every bclngcrenl in the WAT is using
motor trucks io the greatest possible
extent About 100000 are IN use on all
ihc battle fronts How the London mo-
tor omnlbuscs were rushCl 10 France 20
carry troops from The coast and later
90 haul dressed beef for the soldiers f,
how the battle OF she Marine That saved
Paris from invasion was Won 10y a
n.nkine movement wiim 10000 troops
rushed IA from behind the French
capital in motor buses. taXicabs, and
touring cars. and how The defense Of
Nordun was made possible only by vast
supplies " munitions brought up by
steady stream of motor trucks run
nlng day and night. are an familiar
stories But the narrative Of the less
spectacular but no less important SER
vice OF the motor truck In the present
war remains 90 be told.
Foriy-nse thousand American motor
trucks were shipped 20 the three prn-
cipal Entente allied belllgcrenis-E Eng
land. France and hussia-durilg the
FIRST three years of the war, the great
majority on order by their respective
governments IN the fiscal year immedi-
ately preceding the war our exports Of
trucks Co these three countries i0tucd
only 201.
construction of our sixteen national
army cantonmenls, housing 0O0O 90
1000 mon each. Boo lhe amazingly short
period Of three months Vas made pos
s.bie partly hy lhc Use of motor trucks
FOR hauling material, buildIng roads
etc.
Aside from tho immediate war reeds
FOR motor truck service. the country,
confronted with transportation ro-
Quircments exceeding the combined ia
cililios of the American railroads. with
their 10000 miles of trackagc and an
nual freight CARRYING capacity OF 39d,-
OO0.00000O l0n-mlos, has turned Tor re-
lief to the 10000 motor trucks owned
and operated by private business and
manufacturing concerns II the short
haul work can De taken Off The shout
dcrs OF the railw0Ns by motor trucks
70 will greatly reduce the CONGESTION
OF miscellaneous small shipments In
the yards ami frcight hod-es of ihc
terminals This win clear the way for
The more important Through shipments
OF foodstuns. materials for manufactur-
Ing, coal. munitions and army sup
plies. 70 VIII also release thousands of
freight and express cars and hundreds
OF locomotives and train crews Tor il,
/ l0ng-distance hauling that can bl
handled only by the railroads