Perth Amboy evening news., 1920-09-04
AUTO TRUCKS AND SPEED.

AUTO TRUCKS AND SPEED.
In arguing for the preservation of
the highways It has been suggested
that the speed of auto trucks be limit
cd to fifteen miles an hour. 1t is ex-
planned that most draft trains on the
railroads do not exceed fifteen miles
an hour and there is no reason why
draft vehicles on the highways should
do 50. When the heavy truck is kept
down to fifteen miles an hour on the
highways the roads will stand the
strain much better than they do now.
But why stand in the way of prog
ress? Time vas when we moved
about in stage coaches and did our
heavy work with ox-carts. The steam
locomotive and the steamboat came
in and when they moved at the rate
of ten or fifteen miles an hour it was
considered marvellous. Now we have
the limited express, the automobile
and the airplane. The automobile at
irst made but fifteen miles an hour
and it was considered wonderful even
though there was a great deal of I'M
certainty as to one reaching ones
destination.
II is true the steam train hauling
freight wen now does not make much
better time than fifteen miles an
hour, and, in the present demoralized
condition of the railroads, freight
10 lucky to make even that much
progress, yet that is no reason for
Always limiting freight to that speed.
II is foolish to stand In the way of
progress. If a mode of transporta-
hon can be developed that will beat
the steam freight line let us have it,
by all means. 1t is just as desirable
{ AeR-to increase the speed of freight
no twenty-five or thirty miles an hour
Ms it was a half century ago to in
grease it's speed from five or six miles
IN hour to htteen miles an hour.
But care must be taken in this de-
relopment that the burden of such
progress is placed where it belongs.
Then. too. proper safeguards must
be placed about the movement of
freight under such conditions. The
public must be protected on all ac-
counts. Let US move freight at fifty
miles an hour, if it can be done salts
f~actorily. but under proper cor
ditions.
One solution to the auto truck
problem is to give the trucks a sep
arate highway paved with q mater
ial that win stand up under the
heaviest kind OF trafic-a pavement
Of granite block, perhaps. such as
Frelinghuysen avenue in Newark,
which is so smooth that very little
vibration is caused, yet it is of the
most durable kind. This separate
highway constructed in as direct a
line between important points as pos
sibls and with easy grades, should
be built and maintained chiefly by
the auto trucks. The taxpayers can
not be expected to maintain expen-
sive highways for the free move
ment Of freight by auto truck when
railroads with which the auto truck
competes are maintained at private
expense by the Companies that own
them.
The problem of moving freight by
quito truck is one that has got to be
faced. but it must be solved in a way
that will not retard its development.
There must be no attempt to prevent
progress in an important method Of
transportation. Main highways built
exclusively for trucks and paved
with granite. the expense Of which
would be met by the trucks them
selves would be n solution. This
would also go a long way toward
relieving the congestion which is al
ready causing much concern on the
highways. 1t is apparent that the
present state Of affairs cannot long
continue.
I