Arizona republican., 1922-04-14
Frederic ]. Haskin

NE WYORK, April 13--The truck
horse may be slow. but at least his
exit from New York will be speedy
If the traffic Improvement recently
proposed by DIR. John A. Harriss,
special deputy police. commissioner
of traffic here, are put into effect
Il believe" says DR.. Harriss. that
a law should be passed at once put
ting an end to the use of horses In
Manhattan by 1925. That would give
the owners of horses warning and
allow plenty of time in which to dis
pose Of their animals. The horse is
too slow. 1t slows down traffic
everywhere. The automobile Is now
cheaper than the horse for every kind
of vehicular use.,
Since DIR. Harriss Is the man who
introduced as an experiment at his
own expense. the traffic towers
which have brought order out of
chaos on Fifth avenue, his judgment
is much respected. If he asserts that
the horse drawn vehicle is clogging
the citys traffic arteries, the public
Is willing to concede that he knows
what he is talking about. But the
horse association of America Is not
1t has come forward with a load pro-
test backed by private testimonials
and statistics.
business men in New York know
that it is ridiculous to talk OF speed
ing up traffic by the elimination of
the horse" declares Wayne D!ns-
more, secretary Of the association.
only the other day. the transporta-
tion manager of one of New York's
largest ice companies declared that
better time could be made in the
downtown district with a team than
with a motor truck, and in actual
delivery work there is no comparison
between the two.
Statistics show that without ex-
ception horses are the cheapest to
operate. the longest TO live and the
easiest to handle on all short hauls
in cities where frequent stop work
and deliveries within a radius of 10
miles from the heart of the city are
essential.
Big Loads, Short Hauls
Consider the situation of the
trucking companies, for example. The
island of Manhattan is narrow, and
the docking facilities are located
along both sides of the island, while
warehouses and railroad depots are
centrally located. This means that
trucking companies in New York
have a maximum amount to handle
with a minimum length of haul.
THE congestion in the business
sections of the city. where most of
the trucking is done, makes travel
necessarily slow. The exclusive use
of automobiles in place of horses in
these areas would increase the con-
gestion, without noticeable speeding
up of traffic. Horses are more easily
stopped and started than motor
trucks. Think of how difficult it
would be to deliver milk by motori
Furthermore" continues Mr.. Dins-
more. statistics do not bear out DIR.
Harriss' statement that the autonao-
bile is no cheaper than the horse for
every kind of vehicular use. Figures
are available which show that the
actual cost of operating five-ton
gas truck for nine hour day equals
$26.25 as against $13.O5 for the cost of
operating one five-ton two-horse
wagon truck for the same period.
only last year" he points out. "the
committee, on local delivery of the
American Institute of Meat Packers
made an exhaustive investigation of
the comparative cost of operating
gas and electric autos as compared
to horses. The results convinced
them that for anything under 20
miles a day, the horse is more econo-
mical"
While it is doubtless true that, here
and there, individual firms have
found it more convenient and eco
flomical to use the horse instead of
the motor for delivery purposes the
fact remains that the truck horse is
fast passing out of existence. In a
few more years, whether legislation
forces the issue or not. probably he
will be as obsolete as the horse car.
Gradually the largest business houses
of the country have sold their horses
and introduced motor trucks into