The Monmouth inquirer., 1925-08-06

"GbOfS ASN OUIfV0 W q 7 ~
prepared by the United States Department
of Agriculture.)
Transportation Of farm products by
motortruck has increased tremendously
in the last few years, particularly in
dairying and live stock regions. This
development, moreover. has not, with a
few local exceptions. invaded the
proper and profitable field of railroads,
says the Department of Agriculture.
Usually, it declares, motortrucks and
railway service are complementary and
not competitive.
In a detailed study of the motor
truck situation tine department says
the motortruck has increased farm eff
cheney, developed old markets and
established new ones. speeded the con-
version of raw material into finished
products, facilitated marketing and
distribution and made it possible for
farmers TO take advantage of varia-
tions in demand at various markets.
1t has provided a service giving a com
plete movement from shipper to con-
signee without transfers or r~eloadings.
Good Example Cited.
A good example is the transportation
of hogs into the Indianapolis live stock
market. In 1923 nearly one-third of
the receipts of hogs at Indianapolis
were delivered by highway, compared
with less tIan 8 per cent in 1913. No
fewer than 934,960 hogs were delivered
by truck in indianapolis in 1923. With
in a 50-mile radius of Indianapolis, %
per cent of the hogs marketed are de-
livered by motortruck. There are
scattering shipments from territory 70
to 100 miles away.
For carload shipments of hogs, rail
transportation rates are generally
cheaper than truck rates. Not many
farmers, however, are in position to
make carlot shipments, For the ship
ment of smaller lots, the cost per head
is often higher by rail than by truck,
especially when the barnyard-to-
stockyard service given by the truck is
taken into consideration.
Shipment of hogs by truck has given
producers direct access to central mar
kets, where their stock is sold at the
market price. This is an immense adj
vantage over the situation formerly
prevailing. 1t was common. before the
day of good roads and the motortruck,
for many hog raisers who marketed
20 or so head to sell their stock to a
local buyer. This buyer assembled
hogs in carload lots and traded on a
wide margin. AS he could not know
when he would move his newly ac-
quired stock, he generally paid 70 cents
to $1.25 below the market price. He
also required the farmer to deliver
his hogs at a point chosen for as
%seInbling a carload.
This method, with its obvious disad-
vantages to the farmer, has been en-
tirely changed by the motortruck. The
local hog buyer has been eliminated
within the trucking radius of Indianap-
oils. Farmers are now able, by watch
ing market prices, to take advantage
of favorable price changes. Radio re-
ports enable them to catch market
openings, and ship their stock by truck
TO the yards before closing time.
Studies of Transportation.
Studies of highway transportation
made by the department at Baltimore,
Cincinnati, Detroit. Indianapolis, Mil
waukee. Philadelphia, st. Paul and
Minneapolis. showed that in all of
these markets, with the exception of
Philadelphia and Baltimore, approx
mately 90 per cent or more of the
milk received is transported by motor
truck. Baltimore gets 40 per cent of
its milk by truck and the proportion
there is steadily increasing. Philadele
phia's percentage, 20 per cent, is low,
because the city's large demands neces-
state drawing milk from an area out
side the economical motoptruck RAJ
dius. Nevertheless, Philadelphia has
been getting more and more milk by
truck in recent years.
Rates for transporting milk by mo
tortruck usually conform closely to the
rates charged by railroads. No case
was found where the truck rate was
less than the railroad rate. In some
cases it exceeded the rail rates. In
comparing motortruck rates with rail-
road rates, however the department
points out that the motortruck rates
include pickup service in many cases,
and in all cases includes delivery serv-
ice al the city milk plant. Rail ship
ments of milk have to be hauled by
farmers to country railway stations,
and by dairy or city milk dealers from
railroad terminals to milk distributing
plants.
Terminal Handling Costs.
1t is estimated By the dealers in
Baltimore that terminal handling costs