The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-07-28
MOTOR TRUCKS TO
REPLACE HORSES
Important Suggestions Made
to Help Along Movement
by New Laws.

In order to materially improve traffic
conditions on the city streets and at the
big freight terminals and to speed up the
movement of goods generally. w. l.
Tickling Of the New York Fulton Truck
Company makes important suggestions
looking to the more general use Of motor
trucks not only by business houses, but
by the city horse team contractors who
are almost as much Of an institution as
the city horse himself
Briefly stated, Mr.. Tickling urges:
1. The admission OF motor trucks to
all the city piers.
9 The licensing and taxing Of horse
teams the same as automobiles.
, 3. Some action to encourage the use of
motor trucks over horse drawn vehicles
1.-THE special privileges granted to
horse trucks on the pers-motor trucks
being barrels decidedly unfair and n
great handicap to the swift and salts
factory movement Of freight" says Mr..
u Rckling,
THE horse truck will not. In fact can
not. speed up. nor will 1t permit the
motor truck to utilize its greater poten-
tialities for speed and unlimited work.
ing hours. Until the horse truck is
largely weeded out. the self-propelled
unit must wait for its chance regardless
Of its greater fiexibility. 1t must stand
Hmpotently in line on South street or
near Fulton market while perishable
goods spoil for lack of better despatch.
If freight could be adequately taken
away as it comes into the neck of the
bottle, to use a railroad term. present
platform facilities would more nearly
serve our growing needs II can only
he removed at a snail's pace with horse
upits which block and delay each other.
and the result Ia confusion and invec-
tive, plus phenomenal handling charges.
1T also seems unfair that the motor
truck on its rubber tires should be dis
eliminated against by State tax,
whereas the horse team with metal tires
on it's wheels and four to six horses to
draw II does moro damage to pavements.
Therefore. II the motor truck Is taxed
the horse truck should be taxed equally
IL not more for the damage done. In the
contemplated Store Door Delivery by
the Government. the horse truck owner
Is granted the same rates for haulage
as the motor truck, and in addition Is
granted the softest snap which could be
given out by any Government. namely
the elimination of its competitors and
early successors. the motor trucks.
"It surely is high time for the team
sters themselves to see the light. = The
majority of teamsters in New York now
concede that t1ey are not making any
money and must pay higher prices or 60
out of business. The increasing cost
of horses. of hay and grain. OF shoe
ing and wages. &c, has been a factor
in bringing them to this decision. but
the fact Is they have been losing money
for years and must sooner or later
realize that overhead and depreciation
cannot be ignored. Again many of
their customers have indicated their
preference for motor delivery. others
have declined to renew their contracts
and have bought trucks. The teamster,
generally speaking, Is In no position
financially to buy and supply motor
trucks, hence to-day he stands in the
position of the man who cannot play ball
himself and won't let others play.
How to motorize the equipment OF
the teamster without forcing him to ruin
himself by competing with the motor
truck is a difficult problem. but 1t is not
one which cannot be solved. Let the
motor truck dealer. the merchant and
the teamster get together Let the
dealer and merchant make 1t possible
for the teamster to buy such trucks as
the merchant should have for certain
phases of his business, these trucks TO
be operated by the teamster in specific
service at a slightly higher rate per
day per ton or other unit in view of
better service. Once started right little
by little the teamster should be able to
buy his own trucks by applying the re-
turns from horses sold to the purchase
OF such trucks and making the trucks
he already owns net him a profit. For