The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1940-10-04
GENERAL
HUGH S.
JOH N SON
..y.!!...!!!'!d!!:H.''''::,.'.'
wNussvn
washington, d. C.
ARMY AND BUS LINES

ARMY AND BUS LINES
In speaking to and with the Ma
tional Association of Motor Bus OPP
orators, learned something to add
to the many things / do not know.
This country is now gridiron Of
motor roads. A considerable part
Of its passengers and freight trans
portation moves over these roads In
automotive vehicles.
Whatever may be the fairness to
the railroad networks of the low tax
and roadbed costs to these competi-
tors of theirs, this system is very
necessary part of our national ma
chinery for transportation in both
peace and war.
Hitler has shown the necessity for
the highest perfection in swift, mo-
torized movements of army units.
Our government has belatedly rec
ognized it. We are getting ready to
spend vast sums to motorize our
army. Doubtless we soon will be
adding to our public highway sys-
tenn new network of strategic
roads feeder highways into areas
that may be threatened and are not
now well equipped for quick trans
portation of masses of men and sup
plies.
Our new and only partly motorized
army is writing terrible record Of
delays and breakdowns due to half
trained drivers and repair and serv-
ice departments. This is to be ex-
pected in any beginning, but it
should be cured.
The record of experienced civil
ian bus and truck systems in econo-
my, efficiency and maintenance
shows remarkable performance-av-
erages of $4,000 to 100000 miles of
highways operation without mechan-
ical delay. Recently, motorized
artillery battalion on a super-high-
way averaged 16 miles per hour on
march of 1876 miles-due to me-
chanical troubles. This is just one
of dozens of recent examples. You
can't make an efficient motor fleet
overnight.
Our plans for new swift-moving
motorized army, capable of striking
like lightning anywhere on either
coast of our country, should be inte-
grated closely with our splendid ex-
listing civilian system of motor trans
port. It would be foolish to attempt
to parallel it completely for the
army with another complete system
of government-owned and operated
motor vehicles. ~
General Marshall made clear re-
Gently that his plans do not contem-
plate a military motor fleet capable
of carrying all his troops at one
time. He suggested shuttle sys-
tenn" whereby the army motor
transport is to take part of an army
forward and then 60 back for the
rest.
If it only took half on a trip that
would cut army speed by two-thirds.
Why should there not be added to
the plan, wherever possible, COM
plete utilization in both peace and
war of our splendid existing civil
ian motor transport system-not
merely for carriage, but for mainte-
nance Of service? To do that re-
quires experimental experience,
while in an. emergency all such
transport would surely be suddenly
Communicated and used in helter-
SHELTER fashion, it is as important to
get smoothly working operation by
peacetime practice as it is to have
experimental maneuvers with the
National Guard.
Is anything like that being done?
On the contrary, because the quar-
termaster general of the army has
Joint military passenger agree
ment', with the railroads which is
practically exclusive Of the use of
automotive transport, it is only in
very rare cases that the civilian au-
tomotive systems can be used for
the transportation of troops.
One reason advanced by the quar-
termaster general for refusal to
change that bone-headed senility is
that the Joint military passenger
agreements have been in effect be-
tween the railroads and the war
and navy departments for over a
quarter Of century"
So had the French military meth
DDS, which the German swift moving
motorized attack smashed in few
weeks, been used for over a quar-
ter of a century" This reason re-
veals the typical dry rot of the Crus-
tacean bureaucracy which is so dam
gerous in this swiftly moving war
like world.
We must have our railroad net
work for military efficiency and you
can't keep it up without giving it
business. But we also need our au-
tomotive network and we can't rec
oncile that with railroad monopoly.
Something ought to be done about