Evening star., 1927-04-03
MOTOR VEHICLE HELD GREAT
AID IN WORLD DEVELOPMENT
Destined to Play Important Role In New
Communities Where Lack of Trans
portation Impedes Civilization.

statement bv President Ralph Budd
of the Great Northern was cited, who
said;
The railways gain much more
from the freight traffic the motor in
dustry gives them than they lose
from the freight and passenger busi
ness it takes away"
Samuel L. Vauclaim Of the Bald
win Locomotive Works holds the
same opinion in stating that in 10
years the railways will hardly know
what to do with the increasing bust
ness brought to them by the cross
roads of motor lines.
Freight Returns Increased.
II may also be interesting 70 note
that in the latest annual report ~
the Chicago. Rock Island & Pacific
Railroad. while slight loss In pas
senGer revenue was shown for the
past year. there was a very substan-
tial increase in freight returns.
IF the railways will come to see
that the motor vehicle Is A vital force
that cannot be denied" says Mr..
Mccormick; III they will appreciate
that it is much pleasanter and more
constructive to fight for something
than against It. they will understand
that there is no real conflict between
themselves and the motor vehicle.
The proponents of the motor We
hicle must so conduct their sc that
they will make IL easy for the rail-
ways to accept them into constructive
partnership. They must not expect
continued public favor If they win at
the cost of running or crippling our
existing means of transportation. One
cannot forget that the railways are
regulat ted, so II is only fair to expect
some form of motor vehicle regulation,
particularly of interstate traffic, which
must work for the benefit of the pub
lif If it is to be successful.
Now for Inland Waterways.
at must also be remembered that
our transportation system ts not nee
essarily complete when the motor ve-
hicle is added TO the locomotive. Even
now the need for inland waterways
clamors for recognition. so canals
and rivers must be admitted to mem
bership In a triumvirate of transport
that will include railways, highways
and waterways.
Such an eventuality may not be az
distant as il now seems. and when 10
comes the motor vehicle must accord
to barge and towhoat the same recoR-
milton it now claims for itself The
sphere of waterways will ultimately
he the carrying Of slow freight in bulk
just a the motor vehicle has today
its useful field in the great art OF
transportation.
Again. with the extension Of I'm
proved highways. few railways are
using busses to reach communities
they never served before. The answer
to the problem of passenger traffic on
lightly Travelled branch railroads lies
either with the motor bus or its first
cousin. the gasoline rail car.
Short Hauls for Motor Truck.
There is no question in the mind
OF the motor transport industry that
the short haul is the distinctive field
of the motor truck and motor bus.
The motor truck can, in the future,
do much to relieve the terminal con-
gestion which is a ma ior problem Of
railroad opera ton. The most telling
consideration. however. is that the
public thinks it can he better or more
conveniently served by combination
Of railway and motor transport than
by the former alone.
Another factor Of great importa nee
is the growing substitution of the
truck for local trains carrying pack
age freight. At least ten railroads are
shipping goods in unbroken cars to a
zone station. Motor trucks are then
used to carry the freight tn interven.
ing stations at which the heavy
freight train used to stop to discharge
a single package. When the railways
go a step further and find that the
same motor truck ca pick up freight
la the city, transport il and deliver 1t
to the village, they will be approx
mating the service that is now being
given by independent trucking COM
paniee."