The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1918-10-25
MAIL CARRYING MOTOR
TRUCKS SUCCESSFUL
One Route Costing $500 Month Devel-
oped Revenue of $4,000 Monthly
in Eight Months Trial.

Washington, d. G., Oct. 25.-Cross-
country operation of mail carrying motor
trucks, tried out by the postoifice de-
partment on an experimental but never
theless big scale, during the last year,
has been great success. James |. Blaks-
lee, fourth assistant postmaster general,
has found that one truck route between
Philadelphia and Washington, cutting
chiefly through territory without direct
rail connections and costing $500 a month
to operate has in eight months developed
revenue of $4,000 monthly. Another
route, into Washington where % parcels
a 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 Missis-
sippi, and there are visions of system
which will furnish $360,000,000 annually
in revenue for road construction or other
purposes
"Why, General Pershing has 1900
trucks damaged or ruined over on the
other side" said Mr.. Blakslee, telling of
the growth of the system. Il 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 arleg, 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 themselves
we could expand almost indefinitely. As
it is, 100000 will be requested by
the division for next year, and | think it
win be appropriated People realize what
we are doing.
Operating at night is the most profit
able, and we have but two machines do
ing that, out of New York. The typical
route is about 1870 miles long, 90 miles
out and 80 miles back.
almost always the constant operation
of the lines produces a return load, the
universal character of the mail service
allowing almost anything to be taken.
The mail trucks 90, come rain, storm or
anything, and so the traffic develops.
Rates are also pretty high, the lowest be-
ing about 500 ton. That is what makes
the surplus revenues.
"0f course, Wen have to have concrete
roads, but the business can produce the
money to build them, There are some
economies in distribution of produce that
are simply amazing 1t has added an
entirely new factor TO transcontinental
transportation, and we shall just begin
finding it out when more extensive opera
ton goes into effect during the next two
years"
Just why Mr. Blakslee sees it that way
may be understood from lust one com
modify price list Milk retails now in
Washington at II cents quart. Milk is
coming in on mail trucks direct to con-
sumers for 10 cents quart, Naturally
the trucks are being weighed down with
five gallon cans as consumers learn Of
the possibility The trucks tap milk
producing territory that lies outside the
usual hauling lines and Off the rail ar
teries
"Where'll the roads come from to run
5000 trucks - he asks well, there are
$4,000 rural mail and star routes being
operated in the United States now
Sometimes / think every one of them
would make a truck line. Food is being
handled 10 times on its way TO CON
sumner. We can cut that to five.
watching these figures, since Deem
Der, when we started. has given me
new sort of inspiration. We shall be
moving the mails and mails win include
a whole unexpected variety of things--in
new modes before the generation finishes
Airplanes for the thousand mile dis
tances, trains for the 500-mile, and trucks
for the $50, That's about the schedule"