New-York tribune., 1919-06-08
Big New Fields
Are Opened by the
ship-by-Truck Plan
Markets of All Sorts Are Be-
ing Brought Closer To-
gether With Reduction Of
Costs ON All Production
By Harvey S. Firestone

The ship -by-truck movement is open
lrs many new avenues O. profit to the
simmer An entire new feld Of re-
sources is being tapped, bringing the
ta~mer, market and consumer into close
rn,ations And in this marvellous de-
,elopment which motor express has
seen in the last two years the value OF
the ship-by-truck movement to the
manufacturers should not be over
looked.
To manufacturers the motor truck of
today is as important unit of their
production facilities as the very ma
chimes which make their goods The
changes in every department Of their
business and has done much to increase
their production capacities and to lower
their overhead expenses.
Let Us compare the cost OF horse
transport with that Of motor Shipments
When the manufacturer was wholly de-
pendent on the former method he
either had to hire his horses by the
day, or else he had to maintain horses
and stables Of his own. The latter
course entailed quito an outlay in
buildings and drivers 1t involved tho
use Of large amount of valuable floor
snacs for horses, wagons, repair and
paint shops. Furthermore, there had
to be blacksmith shop, as we'll as lofts
for hay and grain
When re had made all this invest
ment what did the manufacturer have ::
He had nothing better than slow-mov-
Ing. horse-driven vehicles whose actual
capacity for service was limited to the
physical endurance of the animal, and
the horse, being an animal, and no. q
machine, can be subjected to only fsw
hours Of hard labor daily if he Is 70 re
main fs for continuous wor&- When
the Manufacturer displaced the horse
equipment, with its accompanying pc re-
phernalia, and turned TO motor trucks
for his means of transport, he was able
for the first time to get the trcnspo2Ta-
ton end of his business down to an
efficient working basis, where hAulage
cos; per mile could be determined &C
curately-
Sons startling facts were revealed.
It was apparent that, on the average
ore motor truck would do the work Of
from three TO four wagons, and DO it
moro quickly. In this way alone there
wss effected a tangible saving at the
start, represented by the cost of extra
drivers, horses and wagons, rs we'll as
OF the facilities necessary for their
maintenance. The manufacturer further
observed that he could house and care
for feet of motor trucks in less than
half the space and with far less labor
than Was required for the same number
Of wagons with relative tonnage.
The capacity of the truck for work
Is unlimited There is no limit TO what
It can do, and the limit Of where 1t can
60 is determined only by the condition
OF the roads. You can and should
exact duties from your truck tina. are
entirely beyond the potentiaities Of
horse and wagon transportation. YOU
can give your trucks new tvansnorta-
tion duties. wider radius and spec "a.
responsibilities that TO other trans
rortation method can assume
One year ago highway transport had
arrived nationally, though few of us
knew II. 1t took the war to wake US
up to its possibilities. To-day it Is
known, discussed, praised, criticised
encouraged; and every month sees il
grow in volume. In five years there
will be q network of rural express lines
or all the main highways Of this coun-
try that will cut down the cost Of food
Increase the quantity Of food and still
create more profit for the farmer
Volume of business in dollars anc
cents is usually the criterion Of prof
or an enterprise. If we furnish bette,
and quicker transportation to our rura
districts it will add greatly to thr
wealth Of the country as whole. while
We stimulate an increased production
and bring the market closer to thf
purchaser When we realize that ths
farmer is the only big business maj
VINO is forced 70 supply his own trans
portation. and this rarely on an eco
nomical basis, we can see the grcs
fields that are open to rural develop
nent. The motor express lines o. tn
iuture WI! make Shipping platform
OF every farmers gate.
Other Industries are being benefited
and benefited greatly. Even nov
In the Far West trucks are boring thei
way into the forest, and, with the aiC
Of trailers, bearing off the logs to tn
mills. The lumbermen have reporte
as high as so per cent saving over an
other method. Packing companies hav
begun 70 transport fresh meat in hug
refrigerator trucks. Livestock is bein
nrougEt TO market in Omaha, st. Loui
and Cincinnati. Instances Of the util
hy OF motor trucking could be multi
Piled indefinitely.
In particular, the government has re
solved 20 take a hand. Already ma
routes run from Portland, Me. to Hart
| lord, Aew York, Philadelphia, Bait
| more and Washington to the Plain,
:, va. Between January l and June 81
ial8, the national mail routes average
more than $500 miles daily, cleare
more than si25,000 and justified thci
oelng extended to the Pacific Coast.
I