The Colorado statesman., 1920-01-10
HELPS TO LOWER
COST OF FOODS
OPERATION OF TRIAL MOTOR
TRUCK ROUTES BY GOVERN.
MERT is SUCCESSFUL.
REPORT ON THE EXPERIMENT
Post Office Authorities in Charge Be-
lieve the Service of Especial Bene-
fit in Bringing About the Reduction
OF Prices.
BY JAMES p. HoRNADAY.

WuShingtOn.-Ihr governments eX-
perments In the operation of motor
vehicle truck routes. which have been
carried on for the last eighteen
months. have convinced the postotlice
authorities in charge of the expert
ments that this new branch of the
postal service is here to stay. 1t will
/ be for congress to say whether the
I service shall be extended during the
next fiscal year. The postmaster gen.
eral has recommended that congress
| make provision for the establishment
of large number of new routes. In
authorizing experimental routes con-
gress directed the post office depart
ment to take careful note of the oper-
ations of all routes established so that
ii might be prepared to advise the leg
isIative body as to whether the sery-
ice was worth while. 1t gave the post
master general authority to spend
$500 900 within the year.
The departments report dealing
with the experiments covers the three
months from July l to September 80
this year. During those three months
the department operated motor-vehicle
| trucks that covered n total of 63,740
/ miles and carried total of 1OI, 1856
pounds equivalent to 1853 tons of mail
matter or Approximately III tons per
month. more than one and ii half tons
per day per route; and the trucks
designated for country motor express
routes covered Il total distance of
24S.SS3 miles and carried total of
1S0.219 pounds. equivalent to 90 tons
Of mail matter, or one and one-fourth
tons per day per route.
Summary of the Findings.
The department in its report adj
vises congress that under the opera
tion of the two classes of routes the adj
vantage of the service is not confined
altogether to the postal revenues, but
is of especial benefit to the postal pa
irons, in that foodstuffs transported
over the routes are delivered to the
postal patrons at II cost considerably
below the prevailing minimum market
prices. Summarized, the verdict of
the post office department with re-
spect to the new service is as follows: :
First-That the increased use of the
postal facilities, already provided, as
well as the further extension of this
character of service is desirable, par
ticularly in reaching territory within
200 miles of large markets, where in
adequate or no facilities of convey
ance by rail or water exist. if there
Is to be an actual relief afforded the
public from the prevailing high cost of
living, or still higher prices even
than those which now are considered
exorbitant prevented.
Second-That 1t is fundamental that
without food we cannot live, and that
high-priced food results in high prices
for labor engaged in the production of
food itself and commodities and mer-
chandise essential to the production
of food.
Thrd--That the cycle of high prices
is complete and follows natural eco
nomic law.
Fourth-That when the farmer-pro-
ducer pays high prices for labor, for
fertilizer, and for farm machinery, the
cost of foodstuffs increases in proper
tion and the workman "in the factory,
the steel mill, and the railroad, or in
n mercantile establishment, when COM
PEELED to pay higher prices for food,
naturally is entitled to increased COM
pensation to meet the same. This, in
turn, increases the cost of the arti-
cles necessary to production on the
farm and thus the cost of living
mounts higher and higher.
4
klfth-That through the maximum
use of the facilities of conveyance
provided by the postal service, the
food producer would not have to sus-
pend production to engage in convey
ance. and thus labor or man power
would be conserved for food produc-
tion. Where numerous employees of
food producers are now engaged in
the transportation and distribution of
foodstuffs in small quantities, one EN-
ployee of the postal service with ade-
ouate equipment could provide the
conveyance now supplied by them.
and thus labor or man power could be
conserved for food production.
Sixth-That inasmuch as the pres
ent organization of the postal service
has been extended to the door of prac-
tically all food producers, and is avail
able as an instrumentality of distribu-
tion to the door of all consumers, 1t
is evident that the conveyance of food
in the postal service could be made
vital factor in the Introduction of
efficiency in the movement of food
from producer to consumer, and, to
that end, the department recommends
/ that this service be given every pos
sible moral and financial encourage
ment and that every endeavor be
made to in ,rease the use of and en-
large the equipment now available in