Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1920-04-04
Richmond Automobile News
CO. OPERATIVE OWNERSHIP
OF TRUCKS HELPS FARMER
Rural Express on Group Plan Is
Growing in Popularity Among
Growers In Rural Districts.

Approximately 10000 farmers CO.
operative societies in the United
States arc potential rural motor cx-
pretss operators, according 10 sur
rey recently made by the F!restonc
Ship hy-Truck Bureau.
MANY farmers hesitate to buy a
motor truck because of the cost"
says T. Farr, of Akron. Ohio direc-
tor OF the bureau. -'Ye, MS labor
gets scarcer and wages higher. the
farmer must use more machines OF
all kinds on his farm and save the
time and the wages OF IA hand wher-
IF after carefully considering
possible savings as compared with
costs, he feels that he cannot own
a truck individually, he can we'll
afford. We believe. TO consider sub
stitute for individual ownership.
which farmers in some sections are
finding highly successful. This sub
stitute is cooperative ownership.
Idea Spreading.
I'VE find the cooperative idea
spreading into the rural motor exc
press field. particularly in the prin-
ciples o. co operation through such
associations directing creameries
gain elevators and marketing
agencies
Incorporation in those instances
came as means of reducing costs.
There has been such wonderful
awakening in the last five years re-
Earding It's possibilities In this re-
spect that there are today, accord
ing 20 estimates bnsed on good au-
thority. about 10000 farmers CO.
or another The majority are To-
Gated in New York, Wisconsin, Mich
igan, Minnesota, the corn-belt States.
the DakotaS. Nebraska. Kansas and
the Pacific coast States.
''Whle most of these associations
are not now using the motor truck
we believe majority Will in time
activities. We are strongly OF this
opinion for the reason that it can In
so many instances reduce costs OF
transportation, even as co-opera
tive effort has reduced costs in other
ways In the fields already entered BY
the associations.
Farmers willing to Join.
Tho average farmer, Ii he feels
he has need of a motor truck only
for! going TO market. might hesitate
to buy, because he thinks the truck
often would be iiio. He will more
readily lend support to the cooper
ativc moior-truck association. made
up OF himself and ten or fifteen o.
his neighbors. Tho truck. or trucks
1t " az IaNt ASN u uHl
idle days. 1t will be busy doing hi:
work and the work of his little com
Inunity. -
1T will carry not only his grain
and live stock economically, but j
also Will open up to him new or ne
elected avenues OF profit. AS an in
stance, more than one general faru,
or has told our Investigators that h,
is earning $50 or more monthly from
milk the cooperative association
truck carries to market. II tn,
trucks services were not available
this milk would be used on the farm
in some time consuming or less
profitable manner. Whatever los.
resulted would. OF course. be felt b!
the city consumer as we'll as The
farmer.
1T is not possible to determine IL
many instances the motor-trucl
needs OF the Individual farmer b,
the size of his farm or the kind o
farming he is engaged In. The kline
of farming pract!ccd determines tn
needs Of the farmer, however. NOR
often thar docs the size OF the farm,
Generally speaking. tho averag
farmer engaged exclusively In dair,
work or in the work OF the trucl
gardener will want small truck o
his own, while the average grain
or live stock farmer may feel tina
the cooperative motor truck lin
can serve his marketing needs NOR
communicative