The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1919-08-08
WILSON DISCUSSES HIGH COST OF Living
USE OF ARMY TRUCKS SUGGESTED AS ONE WAY
TO REDUCE THE EXCESSIVE COST OF LIVzNGI
Produce By Express Much
More Costly Than
By Truck.
BY FREDERICK M. KERRY
N. e. A. Staff CORRESPONDENT.

N. e. A. Staff Correspondent.
NEW YORK, Aug. S.-Thousands OF
motor trucks, no longer needed by tho
War department, but turned over to
the Postoffice department and put to
work in extending network of per-
manent rural express motor truck
routes all over the United States to
bring perishable foods direct from the
farmer 10 the city consumer, will help
BREAK THE HIGH COST OF LIV-
ING.
This suggestion is contained in a
report of the New York State Recon
struction Commission, headed by
Abram !. Elkus, former U. S. Ambas
sador to Turkey, just made to Gov
ernor Smith.
Motor Truck Express Route In oper-
alton.
1.-The postoffice department has aid
ed the movement for rural motor ex
press not only by conducting expert
ments, but by placing motor truck ex-
press routes in permanent operation in
various parts OF the country, their fl
ancial success being guaranteed by
the fact that they carry mail between
the termini. The department has
certain plans for using for this pur-
pose the trucks no longer needed by
the army" says this report.
In March, 1918, the Postoffice de-
partment made its first experiment
with motor express. At six o'clock one
morning they loaded motor truck at
Lancaster, Pa, with $4,000 eggs in
crates and 1000 day-old chicks, and
started 1t off for New York City, 1870
miles away. AT the same time, they
sent the same kind OF shipment to the
same consignee by train. The truck
arrived in New York only IL hours aft
er it left Lancaster. Four of the chicks
were dead and nine eggs were broken,
when the goods were delivered at the
consignee's door. The train shipmenl
was four days in reaching Jersey City
Another day was lost sending a notice
to the consignee that 1t had arrived
truck over for the shipment. And
when it finally reached his door, thou
sands of eggs had been smashed.
HALF THE CHICKS WERE DEAD.
Iowa Speed Price Cut From s1.75
to SIPS.
The Reconstruction Commission
cites as typical the shipping of pota-
toes between two towns in Iowa
THE farmers around st. Ansgar,
Iowa." says the report, raised pota-
toes which they sold for 80 cents u
bushel to buyers who shipped them
out by mail to the large cities where
many of them were reshipped to other
points. At Mason City, only % miles
from st. Ansgar but not on the same
railroad, people were paying $1.75 4
bushel for potatoes, which were ship
ped there from 300 miles away. A
rural motor express line was started
in Mason City. Among other things,
1t brought in potatoes from the St.
| Ansgar farms. paying the farmers $1.0e
bushel for them, instead OF 95 cents,
and selling them to the Mason City
consumers for about SIPS instead of
$1.75 a bushel." =.
More than GOO motor express lines
are already in successful operation.
There are $50 in California alone. The
entire state OF Iowa has been divided
into districts. each district has been
mapped out in motor truck routes,
and dozens OF lines are running and
making money for themselves besides
serving the farmers, the little villages
and the central cities.
In recommending immediate action
by the state of New York to encourage
the establishing of rural motor truck
lines, the commission says:
"The loCal motor truck lines will
take one milk can or a dozen; one
bushel of apples, one crate of berries,
or Of eggs, or OF chickens, pound of
nails or piano. And they will deliver
these goods promptly. For example
Maryland farmer had been feeding
his cream to the pigs because he did
not have enough to ship by the rail-
road and couldn't afford to haul it to
town himself. A truck line was start
ed that passed near his farm, and he
Immediately sent his cream to mar
ket at good price. He was the gain
er, and so were the people in town,
who wanted that cream. The pigs
were fattened on less expensive diet.
Twenty-Five OF these lines are now
operating in Maryland; Is out of Bal
timore alone. Thirty trucks cover a
total of 1874 miles a day on these
routes. Some of them run in and out
| of Washington; and 1t Is said that, but
for these trucks. there would have been
an absolute milk famine in that city.
The Baltimore trucks carry hundred
tons of food into town every day, and
hundreds of patrons along the routes
were served regularly all last winter
regardless of weather conditions.
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