The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1931-10-09
STATE TRUCKS
DEAL HALTED
BY GOVERNOR
Highway Board AccedeS to
Leslie Demand; Money
to Provide Jobs.
DODGE FIRM is LOSER
Contract for Purchase of so
Light Cars to Be
Held UP.

AS smoke Of the long drawn-out
highway trucks battle" cleared to-
day, it was disclosed that the In
diana Truck Company remains trf-
umphantly on the field while the
Dodge firm was defeated.
Defeat of Dodge is attributed
largely to the verbal Shrapnel fired
by Governor Harry G.. Leslie and
said to be supplied by representa-
tiyes of the Studebaker Corporation,
heavy Indiana taxpayer"
At any rate, the delayed truck
deliveries were debated by state
highway commissioners throughout
Thursday, and at the close of the
session, Director John j. Brown
emerged with this prepared state
ment:
Deferred Until Spring
"At a meeting of the highway
commission today at which the
Governor was in attendance, the
highway commission agreed that
on account of unemployment condi-
tons throughout the state and the
general economic conditions, that
We could best serve the interests of
the state of Indiana by applying
the funds with which we proposed
to buy light trucks, to construction
work and the relief of unemploy-
ment. The purchase of light trucks,
therefore, will be postponed until
spring work opens up"
This means that more than $780,
900 worth of trucks contracted for
will not be bought at this time, I'M
less court action is brought on the
contracts.
Dodge Big Loser
Largest sufferer is the Victor E.
Watkins Company of Muncie, which
has contract to deliver fifty Dodge
trucks for $45,6OO. Other trucks
upon which delivery is suspended,
include six StudebakerS from the
South Bend plant for $4,019.50;
eight Chavrolets from A. w. Bowen
Company, indianapolis, $3.50; eight
Federals from the Federal Truck
Company, Detroit, $3.50; eight
Fords from the Thirtieth and Cen
trail Sales Company, Indianapolis,
SIS, 463.36, and twelve light Indianas
from the Indiana Truck Corpora
ton, Marion, $11,784,96, All are
half ton trucks.
The Indiana firm will make de-
livery on it's contract for twenty
eight heavy trucks costing $79, 092.O9.
Brown explained that heavy trucks
are needed to push snow plows this
winter,
Handled by York
Sale of Indianas was handled by
Homer K. York, vice-preSident OF
the company and Indiana state re-
formatory trustee. Another sales
man for the company is Representa-
tive Sam j. Farrell, member of the
state budget committee.
History of the tempestuous truck
deal includes the attempt by the
Governor to halt purchase before
contracts were signed. The COM
mission at that time sought to pro-
tect itself by an opinion from the
encouragement. However, Attor-
ney-General James M. Ogden gave
them the wrong answer, and they
went through with the purchase.
The Governor then ordered two
week halt on deliveries and sue
ceeded Thursday in stopping them.
His shafts were directed at the
Dodge deal, which got away to bad
start by being put across by an
agent instead of manufacturers
representative.
deserve Consideration
Before the meeting Thursday, the
Governor declared that the Stude-
baker and Dodge trucks had been
designed by the same engineers.
Previously, he had pointed out
that the Studebaker firm is a large
Indiana taxpayer and heavy en-
ployer of labor, thus deserving con-
sideration. One of the Studebaker
contentious was that its unit was
500 less than Dodge in price.
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