The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1919-03-14
congressman Kelly Would Utilize
Motor Transports.
TO USE SCHOOL HOUSES
rams contemplate Having Automobile
trucks Not Now Used by Army
to Carry Farm Produce to
School Buildings For
Marketing Purposes.

washington, d. C.-Congress ap-
propriated 100000 a year ago for the
purchase and operation of few motor
trucks by the postoffice department to
carry market produce from the farm.
ing regions into some of the chief
cities OF this country. Those trucks
nave earned more than $4,000. 900 for
the government.
The other day a case of eggs was
delivered by one of these postal trucks
70 the branch postoff1ce located in the
Park View school building, in the ma
tlonal capital. The Park View school
building is the only public school in
the united States that is both a COM
munlty center and a postoffice. The
people of the district have EMPLOYED a
community secretary and assistant.
VINO likewise have been appointed as
postmaster and assistant postmaster.
When That crate of eggs, ordered by
the misunderstanding secretary
from a Maryland farmer, arrived by
postofhce department truck, thew
were distributed in quantities of one
dozen to patrons of the school at 20
cents per dozen less than was charged
at the nearby grocery.
IT Washington households can
De saved 20 cents a dozen on the
cost of eggs, then millions Of
households in all the towns and
cities of the United States can be
saved money by further use of
postoffice department motor truck
lines. Here is oae way of bring
ing producer and consumer to-
gether without the assistance of
the food profiteers.
That is the conclusion reached NV
Congressman Kelly of PENNSYLVANIA.
one of the small group of progressives
in the house who will stand shoulder
to shoulder with the three Nonpart4
san league members in their struggle
for an intelligent and permanent re-
construction program
we have a motor transport service
in the army, which includes 100000
motor trucks" Kelly said Some Of
these trucks are worn out, of course,
but there are 10000 new ones that
have not even been delivered from the
factories, and we will have all of
these to use after peace is finally
signed. The entire motor transport |
service should be turned over to the |
postoffice department and distributed |
throughout the country, to nationalize
this system of motor truck routes.
From the start, the trucks now oper-
ating here have made money for the
department. They would bring in
many millions of dollars in operative
profits if all of our trucks released
from military service would be put on
this work
Provides for Soldiers.
"Two-thirds, at the least, of the
men now in this army motor
service would be glad to stay in
government motor service under
the postoffice department. That
is, providing the wages and condi-
ditions OF work were made salts
factory. That will have to be
done for our returned soldiers in
any event"
|
his establishment of national farm
.o-city trucking service would be to
make every city follow the plan
adopted in Park View-the placing of
)ostoffices in the school buildings, and
he hiring of community secretaries
% take charge of the ordering Of par
cells post shipments of butter, eggs,
owls, fruit and vegetables for the peo-
de of the neighborhood.
Would Help Roads.
He points out that the use of these
rucks will cause certain degree Of
lamage to the roads, and that the
ederal government must enact law
for federal rebuilding of
Dads. For this purpose he intends to
bill requiring that the earn
ngs of the postoffice department truck
outes be used for federal road con-
truction.
Kelly finds one flaw in his own
Ian. He does not know how the
armers are to be organized so that
hey will sell their produce through
he community centers.