Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-03-31
AUTOMOBILE ESSENTIAL
TO NATIONS WELL-BE|NG
Passenger Hauls Last Year Euuiva-
lent to J'wcnty-Four Bill
lion Miles.
NO SUBSTITUTE NOW EXISTS
Would Take Ten Million Horses, Eat.
IN. Products of Fifty Million
Heres OF Land, to Furnish Trans
portation Equal to Motor Cars.

~ "oN"rWininS Whctncr the AutOInO-
bile Is an essential or motif there
"'is' remains amy question regarding
IN" status Of the motor ear I'm Amcri-
can life aud industry--the burden OF
proof rests entirely with the infnitcsl-
MAJ ;cw who may hold TO the negative
S"n, OF indianapolis.
Before the automobile can be
c.assed AS nonesscntial, satisfac
tory substitute must be offered" he
aa'd. In support OF such contention.
and those who seek such Il substitute
VIII hind their quest as futile as If
hey looked for an atom Of mercy in
me heart OF the German Kaiser.
According to the latest automobile
census, there are tSt:.i3o motor cars
IN the United States. or one for every
t~cnty-four inhabitants Of this Coun-
Try. that would have 10 be replaced by
some other means OF transportation
II self-propelicd vehicles were TO be
RELOCATED TO the Junk heap
ELIMINATE RAILROADS. AS
THEY ARE OVERWHELMED
al the very outset. the railroads ca n
ne eliminated from all cons!dera ton.
They have more than they can do TO
handle tho present unprecedented traf-
TIC. This Is being demonstrated daily.
incidentally. instead OF the railroad
bsing substitute for the automobile.
me motor car IL an ally OF the steam
lines. tho passenger vehicles alone re-
iieving tho railroads OF the task Of
making passenger hauls Of $4,000. 600
600 miles last year. tguring the annual
odomcter reading OF the average car
II 5000 miles. This estimate b., most
conservative when compared with the
statistics OF the National Automobile
Chamber OF Commerce. which give
more than double this 1911 motor
mileage. and ru' the value OF such
passenger carrying service al Sl,i5:,-
100000. using the railroad rate Of :"
cents a mile as basis OF computation.
While not commonly used ;s freight
carriers. the electric railways. which
might he offered az a substitute FOR the
automobile, arc not in Il position to as
sumo such tremendous burden. There
IL hardly town ar city in the country
that does not need more street cars
al the present time Millions OF cx.
asp"ratcd strap-hanSers vii! testify
10 Tho truth Of such Z, statement. The
fac; that street cars cannot be bong n I
Ia large quantity, due 10 tho shortage
~ materials. only complexities the
problem. Traction companies now tnd
u impossible TO keep their present
cluinmcut in repair, because OF tho
inability 10 obtain steel wheels and re-
placements for other worn parts Their
task would be worse than Ierculeau
aHouid they BE- asked 20 supply su.ii-
vionc street ears to carry almost s.
oo9o"o motorists deprived OF tho use
ot their automobiles ~ q restraining
Ode AGAINST the operation of Gaso-
'.u' driven vehicles.
M0IID HAVE no RAISE
TEN MILLION HORSES
'i $50 could afford TO sacrifice time.
hpr.c-ar.,w vehicles nigh, bc substi-
Hi'i for automobiles. but before such
q substitution Was made. a. least TO-
urn.uup animals would have 10 hc bred
a..d raised :or !, would require at least
tao horses TO do work, less efficiently
gUd cccuomica'l~. OF each motor ca
Sow iu use This Is another most
conservative estimate. \ more rca-
sonahlc ratio would be four horses 70
ono car. since statistics show that the
49,, 900 motor trucks that were operat-
cd last year replaced 1000. 600 horses
and hauled l,2Oo,0rOooo tons Of goods
at = saving ot cents "a ton mile
AT .hc present time. with only o.
100000 horses liz tho United States,
there is a horse famine in this country.
For more than three years 80 have
been supplying tn" allies with horses
and mules for military work exporting
i..3..95o animals during this period
Now, with AN American army in
France ". cannot furnish Genera!
rcrshin- with the horses that he
needs and in such an embarrassing
prcdictamcnt nc must purchase from
Great Britain and France tho worm
out naSs that they have discarded az
useless.
III food will win tic wa.' the sun
stitutior Of horses for automobiles
would postpone The hour Of ultimate
victory one horse in year eats the
WELD Of five Acres Of land. IL requires
|i.o. GOO. 900 acres 80 feed tho 100000
horses in tho United states at the
prcser, time. Replace the motor cars
with io.lo0.oco more horses and you
must raise hay and oats on 50.oo0,o0o
acres that now arc producing wheat
and other f"odstuffs for the consump-
ton of men. women and children.
by already releasing l0,000.0o0
acres OF land for growing crops that
sustain the human body, America s
i.5. eco motor trucks can claim some
the credit for the relief OF starving
Belgium and the feeding OF hungry