El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1918-11-16

WASHINGTON. D. C., Nov. 1s.-I de-
w spair Of giving you the latest
news Of the motor truck industry. It
is moving so fast that the doings Of
today are ancient history tomorrow.
It's tracks already gridiron the world.
and its mighty loads have a part in
every war industry. This Is so not
only in the making OF munitions and
army supplies here at home. but also
on the battlefield where the motor
car forms a part OF every engage
ment. and trucks are the chief means
OF transportation for soldiers and
men and supplies.
Shortly after the war broke out
the Germans had $4,000 trucks in the
field. and the armies of the allies had
10000 motor vehicles OF various
kinds. As soon as war was declared
every wheeled car moved by a gaso-
line engine that could be found in
France, Belgium and England was
modified for military operations, and
II was that quick mobilization that
held back the onslausht OF the Ger
mans.
It was the motor truck that saved
Verdun and Paris. AT Verdun 1000
trucks moved back and forth bring
ing supplies, making an endless pro-
cession 80 miles long coming and go
ing. The trucks now in France il
Joined together allowing IS feet to
the truck. would make a train as long
as from New York to Cleveland. and
that train would include portable
searchlights, travelling telephone and
telegraph offices, automobile repair
shops: eleetrotyping. plants for max
Ing field maps, field kitchens. field
hospitals, officers passenger cars
and trucking vehicles OF every descrip-
ton.
10000 in War Zone.
At the beginning OF last year there
was something like 10000 motor
trucks IN the war zone. The first in
tention was to use 10000 trucks Of
various types for LOO, 900 men. We
have already more than 1000, geo, and
our army viii have several times the.
number Of trucks per division Of that
Of any other in the field At the be-
ginning Of the year France had some
thing like one truck for every 50 men.
We shall have one or more Tor every
The British say at least 10000
trucks are needed for an army OF
100000. According to our present
plans II We have 100000 in the field
we shall probably require something
ike 100000 trucks. Even at 100. 900
the cost Is enormous. A single truck
with its repair parts costs in the
neighborhood OF $4,000 and a hundred
thousand order will have a value close
to 100000, 000- The aggregate output
of our motor truck Industry in 1917
was worth less than $270. 00o. 900.
Mixing Brains and Machinery.
In accomplishing this result Uncle
Sam has mixed his business with
brains. He has oiled the wheels OF
every machine engaged in the making
OF motor cars for the war with the
gray matter Of our ablest inventors
and most experienced manufacturers.
and the result is we are turning out
trucks faster and better than any
other country on earth.
Our first work along this line was
the army gasoline We
htcles. Before the war we had IS dif-
terent types OF trucks used BY the
army, and we carried six types across
the Atlantic. Each OF these types had
its own repair parts and those used
for one could not be used for the 9TH
ers- The same condition prevailed in
the other countries at war
The Germans had sfrnplified their
vehicles 10 certain extent. but those
OF the allies were composed Of ma
chimes OF many different kinds One
army. for instance. had four stand
ards OF pneumatic tires and no end OF
oA-le- --1 ~ g oAA4hlAol was 50 n
volved that II took seven times as
many tires as II the trucks had been
made with the tires interchangeabIe
The British army still required $4,000
repair parts for certain OF its trucks
and those Of other armies need more
We Use Liberty Trucks.
Very different are the war trucks We
are now shiIping 10 France They have
been made after the standardized model
which we call the Liberty truck. This
truck has only one-fourth a. many repair
parts as the British. and everything con-
nected with Il Is Interchangeable, 30 that
the parts OF any truck one type viii 1T
Into those OF another. This was accom-
plisheo BY bringing together 50 OF our
ablest transport engineers and truck ex-
perts % design a new truck for the army
They had everything to choose from. The
OF the motortruck industry gave
up their trade secrets waived their pat
ent rights and supplied new ideas. The
crankshaft OF one company was used. the
piston OF another and the oiIing system
OF third The work was largely one
OF elimination. and at the end Of a Y
months study the mans we're brought .