Beverly banner., 1925-08-14
prepared by the United States Department
of Agriculture.)

| 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
few local exceptions, invaded the
proper and profitable field of railroads,
says the Department of Agriculture.
Usually, 1t declares motortruc&s and
railway service are complementary and
not competitive.
In detailed study of the motor
truck situation the 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 1t possible for
| farmers to take advantage of varia-
| tions In demand at various markets.
1t has provided service giving com
plete movement from shipper to con-
signee without transfers or reloadings.
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 than 8 per cent in 1918. No
fewer than 934,960 hogs were delivered
by truck in Indianapolis in 1928 With
in a 50-nile radius of Indianapolis, 95
per cent of the hogs marketed are de-
livered by motortruek. There are
scattering shipments from territory 75
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 ad-
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 80 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 rs cents
to $1.25 below the market price. He
also required the farmer to deliver
his hogs at a point chosen for as
sembling carload.
This method, with it's 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 30 per cent or more Of the
milk received is transported by motor
truck. Baltimore gets As per cent of
Its milk by truck and the proportion
there Is steadily increasing. Philadel-
phla's percentage, 20 per cent. is low,
because the cIty's large demands neces-
sitate drawing milk from an area out
side the economical motortruck ra-
dlus. 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 trnck rate was
less than the railroad rate. In some
cases II exceeded the rail rates. In
comparing motortruck rates with rail-
road rates. however the department
points out that the m"tortruck 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 a. be hauled By
farmers 70 country railway stations,
and by dairy or city milk deaiers from
railroad terminals 10 milk distributing
| plants.
Terminal Handling Costa
/ Il is estimated By the dealers In