Evening star., 1921-05-13
us. S.ROAD MACHINES
WANTED BY STATES
Appeals Made to Congress in
Behs.If of Measure in
Both Houses.


state in the Union are about to make
an appeal to members of the Senate
and of the House of Representatives
to pass without delay legislation in
! troduced in both houses providing for
the turning over by the federal gov
ernment to the state governments Of
| vast quantities Of road-building ma
chinery now lying idle.
The value of the machinery, which
| includes tractors, trucks, trallers,
| automobiles, motor cycles, shop ma
chinery and machine tools for rebuild
ing and repairing, amounts to mil
lions of dollars.
! Left Over From War.
This ad-building machinery, much
of which has been declared as sur
plus property by the War Depart
ment. is equipment left over from
the war. In some cases 1t is or has
/ been deteriorating while kept in open
storage, according to supporters OF
the legislation. In other cases. much
| bringing low prices in such open
| market, they say. According to their
reports, in a sale of motor vehicles
held at Jeffersonville, Ind. by the
War Department, trucks which cost
$4,000 each brought as low as sss
III,
Roa dsters which cost $1,000 each
brought an average of only SIS eacn:
At the same sale one-and "a half
ton trucks. which cost $500 each,
brought at the lowest $26 each and at
the highest $3.50 each. Five-and-a-
half-ton trucks, which cost $4,000
each. brought at the lowest $3.50 each
and at the highest but $1,000.
Similar sales at Camp Jesup, Ga,
and at Camp Normoyle. Tex. realized
low prices, with motor cycles selling
for an average Of s12 each at Camp
at Camp Normoyle. although they cost
$500 each. Light delivery trucks
brought as low as $24 each, although
they had cost $1,000 each.
Measures i'm Congress.
Representative Reece has intro
duced a bill in the House and Senator
Phipps has introduced a bill in the
Senate providing that various guam
titles of caterpillar tractors. three
and five ton trucks, one-and-a-half-
ton dump trucks, trailers. shop ma
chinery for repairing and rebuilding,
etc, shall be turned over by the war
Department to the Agriculture De
partment, for distribution for road
building use, through the bureau OF
good roads and rural engineering, to
the state highway departments of the
various states.
The National AssoNi alton of State
Highway Officials supported similar
legislation in the last session OF Con-
gress, and many of these state high
way officials are expected in Washing
ton in the near future, with the sup
port of their governors and other
state officials. to urge the passage OF
the pending legislation. according to
those back of the measure.
War Department reports show the
following number OF motor vehicles
to be in possession Of the Army just
before the bills above referred to were
introduced: Touring cars. 6,577; three
quarter-ton trucks and ambulances,
1856; omnibus vehicles, including cars
for members of STATS. for observa-
tion and reconnaissance, 1858; small
open cars of a well known make. in
cluding light delivery and open tour
ing cars. 6,277; one-and-a-half-ton
trucks of three particularly we'll
1929; three and five ton trucks of
four well known and standard makes,
1867; motor cycles, 1896. and trucks
1857; motorcycles, 10.S05, and trucks
of a special design, I23S.
This list, they say. does not include
well known makes, Of which there is
a large supply in the Army.
Trucks in Storage.
Large numbers of trucks are in
storage and have been for more than
two years at Buffalo, Fort Benjamin
Harrison. Ind; Camp Jessup and
Camp Gordon, Ga; Camp Holabird,
Md; Columbus. Ohio: South Amboy.
N. j.; New Cumberland. Pa; Jeffer-
sonville, Ind; Camp Devens, Mass. !:
Camp Lewis. Wash: Presidio. San
Francisco, Calf, and Camp Jackson,
S. c.
Every state in the Union is asking
for some Of this equipment, in order
to assist in carrying out road build
! commissioners and other road build
| ing officials are calling attention to
| the fact that at recent auction sale
by the War Department for the pur-
pose of disposing Of surplus motor
vehicles. one manufacturer naturally
purchased, as a great bargain, all OF
the trucks of his manufacture at that
sale, and that he was obliged to pay
but about $40 truck, the intention
being to rehabilitate them and sch
them over again.
Thase particular trucks cost the
United States government approx
mately $4,000 each. They would, Of
course. cost the state governments
that price in the open market, new;
and the state highway and other road
building commissioners and engineers
are hoping to obtain the early pas
sage Of necessary legislation which
will turn some Of this equipment over
to the states for road building pur-
poses. thus saving tho taxpayerS'
money.