Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1943-08-11
Wheels Of Victory

w heels or ICCOrv
ONE of the major achievements Of the American sys
" tenn of free enterprise the home front in this
world war has the unparalleled performance of the
transportation lines and the unprecedented part which
the ntercity bus industry has had in this achievement
deserves much greater official and public attention than
it has received
The Hearst papers have already reported that the
railroads with equipment unobtainable to meet tre
nendous traffic demands carrying "a per cent
passengers and SIS per cent freight than
ported by them in the previous world war.
CTUAILY however the total volume of intercity and
y interstate war traffic vast that it could not be
handled by the railroads alone.
We would have had transportation breakdown be-
fore now
The situation has been saved for us by our newer
modes Of transporaton-the arplane and the motor bus
AS in the case of aviation there intercty bus
industry in this country the time of the first world
In this war this industry is carrying
passengers than the railroads, day in and day out.
IN 1912 first year ntercity buses carried 692
100000 passengers representing 220000OO passenger
miles of bus service
These figures were an increase of rs per above
those for 9 last prewar year and the increase
progressive with December, 1912 showing gain of SO
per cent over December 1941
Railroad coach passengers in 1912 totaled 1000,
OOO including communication fares and it must be noted
that railroad passengers increased SO per
all of 1912 and 70 per cent for December, 1912
s IN the case of the railroads. the bus lines have
"A accomplished this brilliant record of service under
extreme difficulties caused by conditions.
Troop movements of much larger size and frequency
than in the first war correspondngy larger volume of
travel of servieeen ureHghs and of visitors their
camps rapidly rising tide of necessary traye-these
have constituted tremendous aggregate emergency load
addition the rubber and gasoline shortages have
not only severely restricted the of private
mobiles which formerly conveyed SIS per cent of all inter
city travellers but have also made the operation of the
bus lines themselves extremely critical
THE government has imposed speed limitation orders
/ as conservation measure resulting in longer
ming schedules necesstatng the employment of additional
drivers and maintenance men at time when military
requirements making nroads upon trained personnel
Furthermore, any motorist would know, it has
been a problem to procure new tires and replacement
parts, with buses entirely unavailable.
By natural law the bus lines and the railroads have
supplemented each other.
THE bus lines have become irrepaceabe for short
haul ntercity travel.
Consequently, railroads have been able to abandon
branch lines and local trains, and to reduce the
number of express stops through trains
Hence, the railroads have been helped to meet the
enormously increased demands made upon them for
ong-hau passenger transportation which they share
with the airines.
An analysis of ticket sales for December 1912
vealed the relationship between the two modes of public
conveyance.
In that month, the average distance travelled by
bus passenger 522 miles; by railroad coach pas
senger, 1887 miles by parlor sleeping coach
passenger 4156 miles.
THE story of what the railroads have done for America
both in and in peace is a familiar chapter
industrial epic.
The ntercity bus industry has proved that it belongs
permanently in national transportation system
Like the railroads. the bus lines are helping to win
the war.
Like the railroads. they must be kept moving-with
out interruption.
Tomorrow Statesmanship