Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1918-10-25
TRUCKS HANDLE MAIL.
Post Office Department Experiments
Prove system Practicable.

| Washington. Oct. 25.-Cross-c oun-
try operation OF mail carrying motor
trucks, tried out by the post office
| department on an experimental but
! nevertheless big scale. during the last
year, has been a great success. James
Blakeslec. fourth assistant postmaster
general has found that one truck
route between Philadelphia and Wash
ington. cutting chiefly thru territory
without direct rail connection and
costing $500 month to operate, has in
eight months developed a revenue of
$4,000 monthly. Another route, into
Washington. where 2s parcels day
were moved the first month, now
! shows one ton OF traffic each way
each "a hours.
Seventy lines now operate o"cr The
country. all but one east of the Mis-
sissppi. and there are visions of :.
system which will furnish S360,O0o,0o
annually in revenue for road construc-
ton 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. Il don't
care what condition they are in. We
want them all. and can TX up and pu,
every one of them to work. What's
even more important. he's got some
boys over there shy n hand. or>~an
arm, or leg. and we can use them
too. in good work at good pay, that
they can do. Congress gave US $500.
900 to work with, and il We had the
earnings of the lines themselves. We
could almost expand indefinitely. As
it is. $4,000, 900 will be requested by the
division for next year. ard | think it
will be appropriated. People realize
, what VIC are doing.
Operating at night is the most pro-
ftable, and we have but two machines
doing that. out of New York. Tie
typical routes are about lS' miles
lo,ig, 90 miles out. and 80 miles in.
Almost always the constant oper-
alton of the lines produces return
lead. the universal character of the
mail service allowing almost anything
| TO be taken The mail trucks go, come
rain. storm. or anything, and so the
| traffic develops. Rates arc also pretty
high. the lowest being about $40 a
Lon. That Is what makes the surplus
revenues.
"Of course well have to have con-
crete roads, but the business can pro-
duce the money 10 build them. There
are some economics in distribution of
produce that are simply amazing. 1t
has added an entirely new factor to
| transcontinental transportation, and
we shall just begn to find it out when
more extensive operation goes into
| effect during the next two years
Just why Mr.. Blakes!ee sees it that
way we can understand from the one
commodity price list. Milk retails in
Washington now at II cents quart
Milk is coming in on mail trucks di-
rect to consumers for 10 cents quart
Naturally the trucks are being weighed
down with ve-gallon cans as con-
sumers learn of the possibility. The
trucks tap milk producing territory
that outside the usual hauling lines
and off the rail arteries.
| "Where'll the loads come from to rur
5000 trucks" he asks. well, there are
$4,000 rural mail and star routes be-
ing operated in the United States now
Sometimes I think every one OF then
would make truck line. Food Is
being handled ten times on it's wa,
to a consumer We can cut that tt
five.
watching these figures. since De
| cember, when we started has giver
me new sort of inspiration. We shall
| be moving the mails and malls include
| n whole unexpected variety OF thing:
in new modes before the generation
Finishes. Airpanes for the Thousand
mile distances and trucks for the 80
| That's about the schedule"