El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1920-11-13
AUTO TRUCKS
PROVE WORTH
ONLONG HAUL

Industry in the United states mas
outgrown the whole system OF ran
transportation, experts assert II
viii be a year, they say. before even
the existing equipment can be re-
stored to efficiency and years longer
before the expansion Of facilities nee
essary for the rails to catch up TO
the demands OF business can be &C
complished. Meanwhile, business ev-
eryWhers with its customary re-
sourcefuIness has sought RELIEF else
where. Cut of at the at the round
house. It has turned 10 a garage
Therein the motor truck-it- has
found succor.
Intercity shipping by truck. which
under ordinary circumstances IS IN
cluded in the short haul category, was
commonplace even before the rail-
roads began to falter under their
burdens ordinary, almost, as the
m0torization Of hauling and delivery
within the city. When the already
over worked railroads were hit by
the sWitchmen's strike. shipping for
a time received what amounted 10
a near knock out blow.
1t was here that the motor truck
stepped in, not only in a legitimate
way on short hauls. but, as the de-
mand grew, on hauls that grew longer
until the 1C50-mile mark had been
passed in numerous instances Now,
the experienced truck maker knows
that under ordinary conditions there
is no economy in truck hauls Of such
distances Hence he would not rec
ommend them except in cases Of great
urgency
Emergency Truck Usage.
However, many an emergency did
arise which sent motor trucks over
the roads on long trips. The cost Of
these ventures was high. but shipper
and cOnsiguee alike considered the
expenditure an ultimate economy az
ter estimating the financial loss
through delayed shipments and loss
OF business that would have been en-
tailed by waiting for shipments by
rail Weighing conditions and conse-
Quences, they consider emergency
long hauls by motor caravans iusti-
fled, but only emergency long hauls.
IN order 10 keep its factory running
the Bradley Knitting Mil, Delaven.
Wis., had TO have yarn, freight en-
bargOes nOtWiths landing. from the
Attleboro, Mass, plant OF r. Wolen-
den g. sons, commission dyers and
bleachers. A White 5-ton truck was
called into service. With a cargo OF
worsted yarns valued at. nearly S55,-
900 the truck, operated by the Globe
Coal company, Woons0cket. p J., set
out on scheduled round trip OF $500
miles The contract price for the trip
was S2,S88-S5 or approximately $40 a
mile one way, $40 a mile for the en-
tire route.
Expense Justified.
Normally, the yarn would have been
shipped by freight But there was
an emergency 20 be met promptly.
Had the truck not been thrown into
the breach curtailmeut Of production
at the Bradley Knitting NIill would
have been necessitated- The extra
expense Of shipping the cargo by
truck was more than justified. Off
Gals delt, BY the urgency OF their
need
Similar situations, similarly met IN
other parts Of the country, raise the
question whether use OF trucks,
though involving Increased expense,
was not an ultimate economy. sup
pose delayed shipments OF raw ma
terial had been allowed 20 force sus-
pension OF production, with a couse-
qusnt loss OF time for employees Very
shortly, lost time and decreased pro-
qucLlon would have proved more cost
" than emergency use OF trucks for
lcng hauling Of needed raw materials.
Less tangible, but none the less
real. was the danger OF weakened
prestige by failure 70 promptly fill
certain orders, a danger that proved
70 be the closing factor IN the deci-
sion Of certain firms TO use trucks on
emergency long hauls. Although inn
possible 20 compute Ia dollars and
cents, presuge-it was reallzed-nas
worth protecting even az some ex-