The Cordele dispatch. (Cordele, Ga.) 19??-1971, 1918-10-27
RoosrlNe TRUCK ROUTE

| the postoffice department on an expe-
rimental but nevertheless big scale
during the last year, has been a great
success. James |. Blakslee, fourth as
sistant postmaster general has found
| that one truck route between Phila-
delphia and Washington, cutting
chiefly through territory without d.
rect rail connection and costing
$500 month to operate has in eight
months developed a revenue of $16,.
900 monthly. Another route, in Wash
inton, where % parcels 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 Miss.
issippi. and there are visions of
system which will furnish 100000,
900 annually in revenue for road con-
fstructon 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.
81 don't care what condition they are
in We want them all, and can fix UP
and put every one of them to work
What's even more important, he's
got some boys over there shy hand,
or an arm, or leg, and we can use
them all too in good work at good
pay, that they can do Congress gave
us 100000 to work with, and if we
had the earnings of the lines themsel-
/ yes, we could expand almost indefi-
nitely AS it is, 100000 will be re-
quested by the division for next year,
and 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 1870 miles
long, 80 miles out, and 80 miles back.
almost always the constant opera
ton Of the lines produces a return
load, 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 are also
pretty high, the lowest being about
$40 ton, That is what makes the
surplus revenues.
! "Of course Well have Itolhaye-con.
crete roads. but the business can pro-
duce the money to build them There
are some economies in distribution of
produce that are simply amazing. It
has added an entirely new factor to
trancontinental transportation, and
we shall just begin finding it out
when more extensive operation goes
into effect during the next two years
Just why Mr. Blakeslee sees it
that way can be understood from lust
one commodity price list. Milk retails
now in Washington at II cent a ouart
Milk is coming in on mail trucks d;.
rect to consumers for 10 cent a quart
Naturally the trucks are being weigh
ed down with five gallon cans as con.
'umers learn of the possibilities. The
trucks tap milk-producing territory
that outside the usual hauling lines
and off the rail arteries.
"Where'll the roads come from to
run 5000 trucks?" He asks. "Well
there are $4,000 rural mail star routes
being operated in the United States
now, Sometimes | think everyone of
them would make "a truck line. Food
is being handled 10 times on its wav
to consumer. We can cut that five
watching these figures, since De-
cember, when we started. has given
me a new sort of inspiration. We
snail be moving the mails and mails
VIII include 3 whole unexpected varie
W OF things-in new modes before the
generation finishes. Airplanes for tbe
thousand mile distances. trains for
the 500 mile, and trucks for the 25O
That's about the schedule"