Williston graphic., 1918-03-21
Committee Plans A
Rural Express
HIGHWAYS TRANSPORT COM.
MITTEE PLANS TO BRING
FARMS AND CITIES CLOSER

Washington, March 15.-Consider-
ing the shortage of foodstuffs the
greatest problem of the near future,
the Highways Transport Committee,
headed by Roy Chaplin, has worked
out plan for rural express service
from farms to cities wherever prac-
tical. The committee has made spe-
cial study of the conditions in Mary
land and surrounding Washington and
is arranging for rural express to pro-
vide transportation of food for the
new 100000 inhabitants of the Capt.
tai. A national survey has been car
ried on in cooperation with the De-
partment of Agriculture and the Food
Administration. Questionnaires have
been sent to farmers and to operators
of rural express systems in Mary
land and nearby, resulting in impor-
tant replies. A blue print hanging
in the office of Mr.. Chaplin shows the
complete chart of the service in
Maryland, displaying the truck routes
from Washington to Germantown,
Latonville, Redland and Ashton, op-
Grating an aggregate of SO miles,
using seven trucks, making total
daily mileage of 2S6 miles. Out Of
Baltimore there are fourteen sucf,
routes, aggregating 1892 miles daily.
The good roads of Maryland are one
of the factors that stimulated the SER
vice there. Maryland has 1900 miles
of good roads, of which 300 miles are
used for rural express.
Better Roads Wanted
The questionnaires sent out result
ed in urgent requests by the farmers
for better roads. Many stated they
would 90 out of business if the? do
not have better roads to help tfem
get their produce to market. The re-
plies also showed that the trucks not
only haul the goods to market but aid
to bring other merchandise back to
the farmers from the city merchants.
AS an example of the work done, one
man operating rural service brings
400 gal. of milk and cream daily to
Washington. Recently he also haul
ed 327 bu. Of wheat to Rockville, Mr..
He hauled 200 bbl. of corn from the
field to Washington in seven days.
His hauls include eggs, poultry, fruit,
potatoes and calves, and on his return
trip he takes coal and other mer-
chandise back from the city to the
farmer. One farmer near Baltimore
reported that in addition to his reg
ular route service the>operator in his
district also handled for him 100 live
hogs, 200 live sheep and 800 bu. wheat
and brought back to the farm 100
tons of fertilizer, 80 tons of lime, 65
tons of building sand and 20 tons of
coal.
One reply showing the Importance
of the rural express system from
farmer who stated that without the
trucks it would take man and pair
of horses two days to make the trip
to Washington and back that is now
done in 8 hr. with the truck"
Another reply was to the effect
that, "I favor the rural express sys-
tenn because labor is scarce and the
people in this neighborhood would
have to go out of the dairy business
without the rural express service, as
the railroad station is 5 miles away
over dirt road and the train is due
there at a. m.'
Mr.. Chaplin, discussing the situa-
ton, reported: "Mr. Hoover refers to
corn and potatoes rotting because
they cannot be moved. Tours thru
Maryland show exactly that condi-
tion because farmers cannot get their
produce to railroad stations for ship !
ment."
The Maryland rural express sys-
TENS are regulated by the public SER
vice commission. The state highway
commissioner of Maryland and the
/C,,4;p,oI IN Nam ICY