Milford chronicle., 1942-04-17
HORSE AND BUGGY DAYS MAY
CONE AGAIN
By Elizabeth H. Smith, News Editor
Southern States information Service


Farmers who think they can get
tires for their cars and trucks Just
because they are included in the
present rationing set-up may be
due for a let-down," DR.. T. X.
Wolfe of Southern States Coopera-
tive commented yesterday. He con-
tinued by pointing out that the rub
ber situation in the country is so
fought that mighty few tires are
going to be available even for those
right at the top of the rationing
list.
Maybe the horse and buggy
days" we hear so much about will
return sooner than we anticipated,
and maybe it will be a good thing.
When this country was developing
into the greatest nation on earth,
horses, buggies, oxen, and wagons
were the chief means of transpor-
tation-remember the covered wag-
on. The rich West was opened by
people who rode toward the set
ting sun, not by motor-driven We
hicles but by the power of horses
and oxen. These people who rode
at the leisurely pace set by their
beasts of burden had time to think
and mediate on the past and pres
ent, and time to dream of and plan
for the future of the Golden West,
a West which must surely have de-
veloped beyond their most elabor-
ate dreams. Who knows what fur
ther advancement this country
might make if it once more had
time to think?
. We presume that horses used to
do some thinking when they had
the bit in their teeth. because the
accident list was then quite short
as compared with what it has been
since transportation has become
motorized. We talk a lot about
horse sense;" and we certainly
never needed horse sense more than
we do today.
We see in the news that a ship
ment of buggy whips has Just been
delivered in New Richlands, Mimi,
the first sent there in 20 years. Evil
IDENTIFY farmers in that section are
definitely returning to the horse
and buggy days.
Many provident farmers will be
getting out their buggies and wag-
ons and painting and greasing
them for use again on the high
ways. Harnesses will be mended
and dressed, and the old gray
mare will get new set of shoes.
Fuel for the "jitney" will be grown
at home-this will help take care
of the gas shortage. With speed of
travel reduced, people should once
again be able to relax, and maybe
the family will get little better
acquainted while they are riding
around at 10 miles per hour in
stead of so.
Folks won't stay at home be-
cause of the tire shortage; they'll
go to town as usual on Saturday
but their transporta-
tion will be provided by the faith
full old gray mares and Dobbins
that have been waiting on the
farms to meet just such an emer-
gency.
When the war is over and VIC
tory is ours, we will return to the
again. And there will
be in use in the not far distant fu-
ture. privately owned airplanes
priced at figure within the reach
of the family pocketbook. Thus the
return of the horse and buggy days
will be put a period, elapsing be-
fore further advancement in the
march of progress in this great
nation. During this period, though,
all will be willing to fOrego con-
veniences and pleasures, for in so
doing we can more promptly slap
the Japs and beat Hitler by using
metal for guns and tanks rather
than for civilian luxuries and by
letting chemicals go into the max
ing of deadly explosives rather
than into certain fertilizers. The
is the thing that counts. q