Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-06-23

Development Of organized motor truck
systems for transporting perishable
farm commodities to markets from pro-
ducing regions within a radius of $50
miles, and for distributing produce from
large markets to smaller towns within
similar area, Is predicted by marketing
officials of the Bureau of Agricultural
Economics, United States Department
of Agriculture. The establishment OF
motor trucking systems as feeders to
railroad concentration points for long
haulS Is also regarded as possibility.
Although there has been a rapid in
crease in the use of motor transporta-
ton of farm products in the last few
years from established producing areas
and from new growing regions formerly
outside the range of wagon haul to
cities, the motor transport business from
farm to market is as yet practically I'M
organized and for the most part Is In
the hands of independent truckers.
More or less organization already exists,
however, in the distribution Of produce
from cities to small towns.
The Government marketing officials
believe that, as In the case of motor bus
and airplane transportation, it is only
a question Of short time when the
railroads, which have been facing in
creasing competition in motor truck
transportation both from producing
areas to consuming markets and in the
distribution of produce from cities to
small towns, will organize transport Sys-
TENS which will furnish shippers and
| dealers unified service.
Motor truck transportation Of fruits
and vegetables has become so large q
factor in the handling Of the Nations
food supply that the Bureau Of Agricul-
tural Economics Is now reporting motor
truck receipts in its daily and weekly
market news services at seven large con-
Stunning markets: New York, Boston,
Cincinnati, Denver, Salt Lake City, Los
Angeles and Portland, Greg. The re-
porting of rail and boat shipments en-
route and those expected to arrive at
markets within the ensuing "a hours
has been one Of the important features
Of the bureaus market news system
which has enabled shippers and dealers
to estimate probable market supplies,
but no method has been found as yet
for making similar reports on motor
truck shipments.
The unorganized character of the
motor truck business in fruits and vege-
tables makes it practically impossible
for the bureau to ascertain en-route
shipments, save in unusual cases such as
out-of-State shipments from Delaware,
where the movement northward passes
through q virtual bottle neck" The
situation is complicated further by the
| more or less general appearance over
the country Of itinerant peddlers,. who
buy truck loads Of farm produce in,
say, Florida or Colorado, to be retailed
in less than carload quantities to gro
| GERS in small towns In other nearby
| States.
The increasing importance Of the
motor trucking of farm products is
Oh fpr ~ lNn
ton in Delaware and the Eastern Shore
of Maryland, made comparatively by the
Bureau Of Agricultural Economics and
the Delaware State Board of Agricul-
ture. This survey showed that during
| the 1928 marketing season the ship
mentS Of fruits and vegetables by rail
and boat aggregated A, 6l6 carloads, as
compared with 1852 equivalent carloads
reported by motor truck. It is as
sumed that these motor truck records
represented only 80 per cent of the to-
tai motor truck shipments, which would
make the total movement 1927 equiva-
| lent carloads Of fruits and vegetables by
motor truck, or II per cent of the total
movement from the area.
The motor truck movement from the
eastern shore of Virginia was equiva.
lent to approximately Bill carloads, COM
pared with 2,42l for the Eastern Shore
These figures are exclusive of reported
mixed truck loads of fruits and vege-
tables equivalent to 239 cars. The sur
vey disclosed that motor truck trans
portation Is favored especially in con-
, , nection with the movement of the
highly perishable and more expensive
commodities.
Strawberry shipments from the East
ern Shore section by rail and boat last
season totaled 2,121 carloads, compared
with a reported motor truck movement
equal to 1896 carloads. Available rec
ords indicate that in 1925 the rail-
shipments Of strawberries were 1852
cars, compared with 1895 carload
equivalents" reported by motor truck,
thus showing large increase In the
use Of the motor truck during the last
two years.
For the class Of highly perishable
commodities, including strawberries and
other berries, cantaloupes, grapes,
peaches, watermelons, asparagus, beans,
cucumbers, green's, peas, peppers, spin
ords accounted for 4,703 equivalent car
loads in 1928, and assuming that these
records were 80 per cent complete, q
total motor truck movement of about
1919 carloads of these commodities Is
indicated. The movement of these COM
modities by rail- and boat last season
totaled 5,496 carloads.
The survey disclosed that Philadel-
phia and New York City are the prin-
cipal destinations of motor truck ship
ments from the Eastern Shore, these
two markets having received about 80
per cent Of the motor truck shipments
last season. Philadelphia received about
% per cent Of the quantity recorded,
and New York and Newark together 70.