Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1919-10-26
NATIONAL MOTOR TRUCK
TOUR GREAT SUCCESS
Completes 3,243-N1iIc Trip, Finishing
Two Hours Ahead OF Schedule
- Time.
WORKED AS THEY TRAVELLED
Demonstrated Superiority over
Horsc-Drawn Vehicles Under Every
Possible Service Test on Farm AMI
Highway I'm Six States.

At Milwaukee, on October 4. the Ma
tional Motor Truck DEVELOPMENT Tour.
which began on A9gnst 4; at at ChrcaE9
the States OF Illinois. Iowa. North and
South Dakota, Minnesota and Wiscon-
sin.
schedule. 1t was predicted that the
trucks. would finish on time, for
S9uipnSd win IN, big pnHnImaic tTfS tnSy
ways been schedule At every city
and town in the, six States through
That, time was when the tour pulled
into Des Moines. Iowa, about forty-hve
minutes late And that was vindi-
the eighty-siI miles covered that day
from Starshalltown to Dcs Moincs were
over almost impa ssable roadS-roads
of Iowa Eumbo. which heavy, rains had
turned into deep. sticky mud.
Trucks Lend First Aid.
At ono place. on this day, three,
frdeK or s wHs hours
The owner had tried everything 10 get
He had taken fence boards, and
boards from the nearby pens. and
barbed wire and shocks of wheat. and
had jacks under the wheels trying 20
other material under them. But he
was al out o luck.
matic-tired truck pulled him out, put
him on the crowned road in the wide
tracks lef, by the truck of the tour,
and started him back to Marshaiitown::
while the truck which pulled him out
went down in the ditch as did all the
trucks. which followed and drove
around and up on tho road again.
During this one day two trucks. and
: eleven passenger cars were pulled out
Of the,mnd by the Trucks on.s and a at 'h hs
c Gov Of iowa vas ,waiting for
shenl about forty-dvc minutes late.
Great Interest shown.
q
has been shown 10y farmers and others
in tho territory through which the
The tour has been conducted as
broad liberia! educational campaign.
(. not as piece Of advcrtisine or selling m.ns
allowed to distribute literature or at
tempt TO sell trucks.
Thccto was sanctioned by tho gov
eminent as Il means Of demonstrating
to thc,farmcrs in particular. the prac-
ticabiity of the. motor truck and to
them to produce foodstuns more econ
omically. sell them at a lower cost,
and at-the same time make more money
The'.truck will in large measure
solve the difficulty farmers arc having
in securing ,d farm help ,nd Motor r-a,snort
Corps has been accompanying tho
trucks. Observing their operation and
collecting data for the use OF the gov
eminent.
Worked ms They Travelled.
AS the trucks passed through the
county they worked
They went into the fields, where
threshinE was done and hauled the
shocked wheat or oats TO the thrcshcr.
Six motor trucks engaged at one time
in this work could handle the work
more satisfactorily than could eleven
teams operated by five more men.
They hauled the thrcshcd grain to
the elevator and dumped it.
They time and time again demon
stratcd that they could make the trin
TO town and return TO tho :hrcshcr
in onethird OF the time taken by
horses and wagons.
When the truck train arrived at
town or city show" was put on. This
usually began with music by the
Jackie" band from the Great Lakes
Training station. which accompanied
the tour. The band was enthusiastic
cally received all along the line. and
the music was greatly appreciated.
The.t Scrvicc truck that made the
tour vas Model Sc. one and one-half
tons. r II made a remarkable record. |
During the entire tour not a wrench
was touched 10 the truck. II finished
with A. perfect score. showing an ex-
ceptiohal!y low gasoline and oil con-
sumption.
The national motor truck develop |
ment tour has been conducted in a .
big, broad way. and II the data gath /
cred apd placed at the disposal OF the I
government and the various truck .
is used TO the fullest .
extent: II is certain that much good TO .
the Industry and the country al large
will! result :.