The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1921-01-24
WIRELESS ON
AUTO TRUCKS
TideWater Lines to Put Radio
Phones on Buses Running
To Southern Maryland.

An innovation in motor truck
transportation will be installed very
shortly by the Tidewater Lines, In
corporated, running out of this city
to Southern Maryland towns, when
they equip all their motor trucks and
buses with radio telephones. The
company is now working ON plans
in conjunction with commercial
radio companies and the Navy De-
partment, which Is interested in the
experiment, is lending assistance.
SHOULD RUN FROM HUB.
The officials of the Tidewater "om-
pany say that many motor transpo--
tation companies have failed because
they attempted to run their cars
from END to end.' from the hub
of the business.
In order to properly care 3or the
perishable foodstuffs from the south
ern counties of Maryland, esp ecialiy
fish and oysters. the company has
arranged to install refrigeratins no
tor cars, to be used almost exclu-
sively in conveying soft shell "rabs.
bard shell crabs, oysters and fish to
Washington.
One of the greatest drawbacks IN
shipping soft-shell crabs officials I
the company say, is the fac. That
about so per cent of the crabs die
before they reach the market, and In
such a condition are rank poison.
BY the use of refrigerating motor
cars, it Is claimed, the crabs VIII
reach Washington in good condition.
hor Drnaf1v decreasing their
cost to the Washington public. Tho
same will apply to oysters. At thc
present time the oysters are shipped
here iced. The ice many cases has
TO be sent from Washington. and a
ton melts so freely that when "
reaches it's destination in southern
Maryland, it only weighs about 1.4Oo
pounds.
TO DIVERT TRADE.
Much of the oyster and crab supply
from that section of Maryland is now
sent to Crfsfield, Md, by boat and
from there to Baltimore by freight.
The Tidewater Company, on account
of the short haul expects 20 divert
much of this trade to Washington. AS
beginning it is buying. about 500
gallons Of shucked oysters daily.
bringing them to Washington and
Selling lneT1 TO the oyster
Governor Richie, of Maryland, who
last week in company with a party
of Baltimore and Washington business
men made a trip over the lines If the
Tidewater company through Prince
George, Charles, st. Mary's, Calvert
and Anne Arundel counties. today is
sued a statement in which he said
that the southern counties of Mary
land offer a wide opportunity for de-
velopment.
1.-THE population of Southern Mary
land is apparently not sufficiently
dense to make rail transportation.
either electric or steam, attractive to
capital" says Governor Richie. THE
hauls also would be comparatively
short, which would tend to make rail
transportation uneconomical Never
theless, the need for fast transporta-
ton of some sort has become impera-
tive. y.
FAST TRAFFIC NEEDED.
Southern Maryland has been known
for nearly. three centuries as a to-
bacco-producing section primarily, but
there are large acres of land suited
especially TO truck gardening and the
production of berries and small fruits.
Such industries cannot develop on an
extensive scale without fast and re-
liable transportation. Nearly all of
the soils In Southern Maryland have
been found suitable for alfalfa raising
and wherever alfalfa can be grown
successfully, stock and dairy indus
tries also can be profitably developed.
l. The Governor also called attention
to the lack of refrigerating cars, and
said that once they were put on the
line. business would greatly increase.
In closing, the Governor said:
1T is. therefore, the opinion of the
State officials that motor enterprises,
organized and financed properly.
should receive the most careful con-
slderation on the part of those who
are Interested in the vital Transport
tation needs OF Southern Maryland
and other sections of our STATE sim