Arizona republican., 1919-11-02

Another old story repeating itself.
This is the way ship by truck advo-
Gates characterize the opposition in
some quarters to the use of the high
ways by the motor truck.
This opposition cloaks itself most
often. they say, in an assertion that
heavy traffic of trucks will break up
roads which have been laid at great |
expense. Replying to this contention |
the ship by-truck advocates point out |
that the manufacturing engineers have
seen to it, for the sake of road pro- |
lection, that the size of a truck tire !
and its road surface contact shall in |
crease with the capacity of the truck.
No injury is done the road, they as
sert, so long as the truck is not over
loaded.
They point out that every advance
ment or improvement which history
discloses has had to buck up against
vigorous opposition, but that inevitably
progress wins.
They bring forward the fact that
when the first important English rail-
road was being considered by the par
lament of that country, strenuous OBJ
jections were made against the grant
ing of the charter. 1t was alleged that
the introduction of the railroad would
destroy the value of landed estates.
that it would disturb game, that the
smoke of the locomotive would blight
vegetation, that hens would cease TO
/ lay, that the value of real estate in the
vicinity Of railway stations would be
depressed, that it would be extremely
dangerous to ride at the terrific rate
Of thirty miles ia hour, and that in
| general it would be much better for the
people If they would be content to ride
in stage coaches and canal boats.
When the first German railroad
was being considered, so much oppo-
sition developed that the question Of
the influence of travel on it was sub
mitted to a distinguished medical au-
thority," writes f. A. Cannon, execu-
tive secretary of the Good Roads AS
ISOLATION of Wisconsin This gentle
man. after due consideration, sub
mitted a report in which he expressed
IL as his opinion that the probable eff
feet Of railway travel would be ex-
tremely deleterious to the health OF
those who would look as well as ride or
moving trains
1 ne ulStdsSb WHICH ne DeiltAeu tIlt
Introduction of the railroad would
spread he designated by the term de-
| lirium furiosum. He thought that Il
the people would be fooIhardy enough
to ride in cars they might be deserv.
ing Of little pity if they should con.
| tract this terrible disease but in hi:
| judgement it was the duty of the STATE
to protect he onlookers, and viii a view
to affording this protection he recon
! mended the construction of a high ant
closely fitting fence on both sides o
the track.
1.-The illustration is particularly per
tinent as showing how this means o
transportation, the railroad, which i
today absolutely necessary TO humal
life, one might say, was in the begin
ming opposed. But how the march o
progress has changed events.
Applied to the opposition to the mo
tor truck, this illustration of tn
changing attitude of mind invites tn
proh-,y that throughout the eountr.
this vehicle, at an early date, will b
the common means Of transportation
for the short haul.
| Necessity is the mother of inven
ton, and the inability of the railroad
1 10 care IOT trdlllC. anu their u1lNletu
mess and the fixity of their range, hav
made inevitable the development O
this new means of transportation.
1.-THE range of transportation of tn
railroad is fixed by steel rails. TIL
range of transportation of the moto
truck follows the highways, and tn
highways intelace the whole country.
II THE case of Wisconsin is an illus
tration. The railroad mileage in thi
state is 10000 miles. The public high
way mileage is 1900 miles. The gap
between the producers on these 100
miles and the stations on the 1900
miles must be filled up, and the motto
truck is the means of filling these gap!
II Z. Farr. chief OF the Firestone Ship
byTruck bureau, at Akron, o.. de
clares that already the motor truck
beginning to revolutionize transporta
ton methods.
II Objection to it on the assumptio
that it breaks up the improved road j
hardly be taken seriously" he writes
"since its wheels have aircushion q
solid rubber road protectors that max
IL no more liable to damage the high
ways than is the heavy passenger ca
II Even if utilization of the highway
by the motor truck should result i
! increased road maintenance charge.
the community served by the motto
truck could afford to pay extra 70
keeping up its roads Those who pa
find truck doing intereitv haulins
scores are now operating.
these charges will benefit p hundred