The sun., 1918-09-29

press lines And II Ia safe to say that
there will be a great deal moro Of II in
the very near future.
Herbert johnson, an artist for Co~n-
Try Gentleman, gave q wonderful pre-
sentation Of the rural freight services
idea and the present state of freight
congestion IN two cartoons. In one
he shows the freight agent standing
amid freight piled high above tho roof
Of the terminal. Farmers are driving
up to the terminal with loaded vehicles.
The agent shouts to them, mo oars
No carsil Take your stun back homer
In tho other cartoon he shows a rural
motor express service truck driving
up to the farmer who is perched on a
pile Of foodstuns which he 10 unable
to ship to the city by rail. The truck
driver calls to the farmer: Here. boss,
can handle 1t for your The farmer
is both amazed and overJoyed by this
very hne idea and suggestion. Even
the pigs, ducks and chickens grin. It
Is relief even for them to know that
they are sure Of reaching the market
before they starve TO death. .,r
The first picture shows an extreme
state OF freight congestion in this coun-
try. Manufacturers and city shippers
are meeting this dificuity with motor
truck overland intercity hauling; but
the farmer. who Ia TO feed the world"
is considerably behind in this matter,
The rural motor express line idea,
which has been Endorsed by tho Council
Of National Defence, II being pushed to
the fore with much vigor by the Ma
tional Automobile Chamber of Com
merce because Of the aid 1t will Be to
the farmer in his present hour of need.
Already a number Of motor rural
express lines have demonstrated to the
man back OF this movement that 1t 10
both practical and profitable.
Here Is a splendid field for men Of a
high order. men of vision--men who
possess good common sense, to invest
some money and start a line In their
Immediate vicinity. And there Is no
doubt in the writer's mind that they will
find that their Investment is both a
proftablel and permanent one IL they
start right Motor rural express lines
are able to handle the delivery of all
city shore goods to the farm trade. On
the trucks inbound trip II should pick
up products at the farmers doors for
delivery in the city.
But there are some other advantage
eous features about this system of deliv-
cry. In the first place. instead of asking
the farmer to feed his milk. cream and
other products to his pigs because Of the
lack of transportation facilities he is
able TO furnish the public with an in
creased supply of good stuffs which we
are badly in need of these war time
days.
This kind OF service will act like an
injection of pep to the farmer as he
will then practice intensive farming
more extensively for the reason that
he has discovered an outlet for his in
creased production. And because of this
service he win not need to drive to the
city to deliver his goods. The rural
motor express service saves him that
lime. This saved time he IL then able
to put to q more profitable use. In fact
this kind Of service Is most essential these
days when the farmer IL laboring under
the difficulty Of shortage OF labor. Such
4 system OF delivery would spare him
the necessity Of having to leave his
farm when the call for duty on the farm
Is more urgent.
because of the shortage OF labor the
average American farmer hasn't time to
20 TO the city to buy supplies and neces-
stiles But with rural express SER
vice In operation all he has to do is
10 give his 'order to tine driver In the
morning and by evening the desired
FOODS are delivered.
The motor rural express service Is q
minute man to the railroads because 1t
will relieve them Of the necessity OF
carrying short haul shipments. Then.
Inn q e. =
never been reached by railroads and
which may never be. This Ia advan-
taseous to the farmer because 1t enables
him to bring real fresh products to the
markets considerably cheaper AS a
result his ability TO demand better
prices for his really fresh vegetables,
milk or eggs from either the market
merchant or consumer is strengthened
very much. We
Reduction in cost of delivery by motor
rural express over other means OF trans
portation Is possible because of the
fewer number Of landings, fewer
breakages of crates and fewer losses
due to theft or spoiiation. To this
one might add that 1t would DO i'm
possible for the farmer to believer, with
a team OF horses. to a market a small
load of products as cheaply az a motor
rural express service could.
n very fine thing about this idea is
that II saves the farmer the necessity
OF even having to drive to the local
freight terminal to pick up freight such
as farm implements. seeds. &C. In
stead the express service will deliver
the goods to his very door steps This
enables the farmer to put his horses to
more useful occupation than that OF
hauling freight from the local freight
terminal or hauling products to the local
terminal or distant city market.
The Government food officials tell us
that we may face a food shortage be-
cause of the large drain which the mill
tary draft has made on farm labor
There being no other way around 1t the
public must practice conservation In food
stuffs, farmers must practice intensified
farming on n larger scale. and lastly
The farmers will be obliged to stay al
home more than they did in former days
SO that they may devote more time to
real farm work. But II We are to asst
the farmer to stay at home and work his
farm how do we expect him to get his
ne. essary ssDplies and how do We ex'
pect him 10 market his products? Thii
= where the motor rural express service
comes in. This will aid the farmer Il
get his crops to the markets and brint
10 him supplies which he needs.
The National Automobile Chamber o.
commerce suggests that those who con
terAGlate the organizing Of such lin'
shohld first obtain the following In
formation:
Obtain lists Of probably profitabl
routes. Postmasters and County agent
can render important service.