Omaha daily bee., 1921-10-23
Strike Will Give
First Real Test
OfMotor Trucks
Contemplated Nation Wide
Walkout May Impressively
Demonstrate Relation Of
Autos TO Transportation.
BY HOLLAND.

We may see motor trucks by ths
thousands in operation upon the
highways 10 case the now threatened
strike OF railway employees becomes
n fact. Tho strike may impfessiyely
demonstrate the important relation
which the motor trucks now bear
10 transportation. Many thousands
o. these trucks trucks will be avail.
able without any communicating oi
them. The government is now IN 4
rosition to command and put into
.csgice many meteor trucks. Oi
course. this would be no more than
a temporary cxpedient. and yet !,
might be sufficient to weaken aud
then to break a strike.
&. n Melien. formerly president OF tho
New York. New Haven a Hartford Rail.
road company. Il quoted as having sald
recently that there are about 400 miles
of railways w New England which are
not needed for the traffic. or at least do
not pay. These presumably are branch
lines. some Of which are only few miles
in length Following Mr.. Melisn's state
mont came a report that this company
proposes installing gasoline cars upon
these branch lines. This probably is ex'
perlmentai but II may solve a. problem
which has given much concern To railroad
managers. especially In view OF the COM
petition which motor trucks are now sue
cessfuliy maintaining IN many places for
freight and even passenger traffic.
Trucking BIg Business.
Within year tho increase In the use
Of motor trucks for the transportation of
freight has been so great that any oh.
server standing beside the main highways
which connect the largest cities Of tue
enst. one with another. can within a half
an hour take count Of many motor trucks
heavily laden, some OF them transporting |
their freight for many miles
ON the post road between New York |
and Boston and especially between Hart
ford and New York. there In daily real |
procession OF heavily laden motor trucks. |
Some Of the textile manufacturers at
Providence. H. l.. and FAB River. are
sending by sneans Of motors, material |
which 10 used In manufacturing automo-
bile tires IN the chief centers In the west,
where these tires are made. This ihvolves
trip between 800 and 600 mills. or n
round trip OF not far frsm 1000 miles.
LOADED Each Way.
These trucks return from central Ohio
10 the east. many Of them continuing
their route until Boston 10 reached. They
bring back tires and other commodities.
one of the largest OF the chemical fnahu-
featuring plants In Connecticut now
,aess 10 New N %ols c TSss
pass along upon the post road at an
early hour In the morning. Many Of them
are loaded to capacity. They return well
laden with material which is used in lts
The highway between New York. Phila-
delphia. Baltimore and Washington IS
every day furnishing a spectacle OF many
motor trucks, some going south and some
ber OF them Is increasing. 1t is the
here that like Londi-
tion prevails In many parts Of the west.
Now II It should hapen that the em-
ployes Of the American railroads fssl
to paraiyss the transportation system or
the United States, the probability 10 strong
that motor trucks almost ihnunierabls
Will be utilized for the transportation at
first OF perishable freight and afterwards
commodities Of all kinds.
Must Reduce Wages. a.
More and more the opinion is spreading
that II there be q reasonable readjust-
mont Of wages In three Of our greater In.
dustries, namely, transportation. coal and
building. then one Of the chief obstacles
prosperity will have been removed. Whetn-
er this view be justified or not, It ID wide
ly rod end may be influential Ia creating
such overwhelming public opinion a. Will
of ase!t gradually h,t surely remove this
friction .eswesn the railroad employees and
the railway labor board.
Railway employees. at least those wac
are associated with the unions, now are
resolving double the pay which came to
them up TO 1914. But the many thou
sands, even millions. who hold ~ an In
yestment railway securities have suffered
heavy losses Of income. They are not
getting now tho income which they re-
ceived up to the time the European war
began. There has been more real suffer-
ing, or at least anxiety. something like
distress, among the owners Of railway se-
curittes than the public realizes.
The facilities for transporting oommod-
tiles in other ways than by the railroads
are now by reason Of the motor trucks
and the recently perfected waterways far
greater than at any other time. when
railroad employees actually tied up the
railroads for : teason, or as was the case
in the war period they threatened to
do no.