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'
MOTORTRUCK
SECTION
n
SECTION
4
yi
yOL. V.-T-NO. 159
Publlihcd Dally Kj-rcpt Hynd.j-. Bub.crlj.llon Price 0 a Yc.r by Mall
Copyright. lam. .by Publlq ledger Company.
PHILADELPHIA, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 19, 1919
Entered m sjeciinil-cinns Miller ht tht Poslnrflce. at Philadelphia, Pa.,
Under the Art of March 8. 187t,
PRICE TWO CENTS'
ENGINEERING GENIUS
SEEN A T TRUCK SHO W
IN MOTOR TRANSPORT
CAMERA PROVES IMPORTANT PART MOTORTRUCKS PLAYED IN WAP PENNSYL VANIA ADOPTS
y -
i3 Hi
GREAT ROADS SYSTEM
tt
fyZ
FOR NEEDS OF FUTURE
5s
POINTS SOLUTION
C- ,J, .f! -., !l V "' '"l ,Vl. r vl , , - ,k .r
I " '-'V W iS-,, r,"' --. " T - ' . -V j
.". - .&: .. ,j r ' a m JgHRMF ff.'L
ubltr
wruck ' - -ie;: tci
o ' ' ucuiuy ;p
Manufacturers Warn Pros
pective Purchasers of
1919 Car Shortage
, Labor and Material Costs
Will Keep Up Commer
cial Vehicle Prices
MOTOR EXPRESS
TO REDUCE H.C.L.
S.v Hundred Miles of High-M
.-. , -iW7fl
nays to lie limit by next J
y-o&l
Winter
v"--1
j1
r
r,?
Modern transportation vehicles In
tlia highest degree of engineering per
fection and efficiency, and farm tract
ors that have been bo doveloi.?d as to
reduce manual labor In -arrlculture to
a minimum are the headline' attrac
tions at the motortruck show In the
Commercial Museum, Thirty-fourth
.street below Spruce.
The exposition opened Monday
morning at 10 o'olock and will run
.continuously until 10:30 o'clock Sat
'urday night. It Is being held under
the auspices of the Philadelphia Au
tomobile Trade Association, which
sponsored the passenger-car show last
week, and Is Indorsed by the Motor-"
truck Association of this city.
( Among the fifty-two makes of
(trucks exhibited, every, typo of com
mercial car from the llcrit doltverv
wagon to the dreadnoughts of the '
road, such as contributed so larcelv
'to the defeat of Germany In tho war,
Js represented on the floor. Sixty
exhibitors are showing trucks, two
We demonstrating tractors of tho cat
erpillar type, three are displaying com
plete truck units, one a trailer and
ten are showing accessories.
Demand Exceeds Supply
Prospective purchasers of coin-
mercia! cars', who-' at the opening ,
of the show in some Instances
hesitated to closo deals In nntlclpn-
tlon of an early drop in prices yester
day were clamoring for assurances
from manufacturers'and dealers alike
that they would bo able to deliver
'even a part of their orders within the
next few months. Manufacturers gen-
erailly made no secret of the fact that ,
. a I
'scarcely any of their plants have yet
gotten back to full production, and a
few are still engaged on government
,war contracts.
' As a result of this situation the
siupply of motortrucks, during 1919 will '
Mot even approximately fill the de-
"mantl. Aside from underproduction, I
. .the high costs of labor In the automo- '
I bill nlnnts At the countrv. and of mate- !
'rials, the manufacturers say, will keep "The cost of shipping by rail, lnclud
the' present prices up indefinitely. They Ing tho haulage from plants to terminal '
advised business men who are content- and delivery in Philadelphia Is 30'i
plating purchases of trucks that the i cents per hundredweight. The boat Cost
entire output of many factories has Is' 32 3 cents per hundrewelght. beinc1
T... nlnn.1.. .,.1,1 mi mnnldo Iti nil. i it.. .1 .. . '.
jvc-eii uncaui owiu uui iiiumim . j.u- ; mUre man tue rail cost because of a
' vance, and thnt the product of other j longer haul to and from the docks at
plants is being absorbed as rapidly as I hotb ends. The trucl: cost is thirty-five
helr trucks are put on the market. cents per hundredweight. It Is evident
. 'ot on any previous occasion has from these figures what trucks would do
;, Ihere been assembled In tills city such to relieve the congestion In Xew York,
a variety of makes, capacities and de- ( which at this' time Is very great,
feigns 1n commerce-carrying vehicles, as ; "Shipping by motortruck means e
' were gathered together for the fifth anr press speed with very little iinore than
nual truck show, hi their attractive ordinary freight cost. Delays at ter
orray over 53.000 square feet of floor i minals cause congestion. This is the
space, these leviathans of the road are r feature In transportation that motor
no less lnterestlnc than tho rich and . truck hauling does awav with. A i,,n.
elegent vehicles that delighted thousands t
during the passenger car exposition. The
same decorations of tlio hall were re
tained from last week. An orchestra
''furnishes music dally.
' While the war' may not have caused
entirely radical changes In motortruck
designs, Its earmarks, "nevertheless, are
noticed In many cases where models
have been strengthened and built more
substantially than at any time In the
past
SerTlce, Stability, Comfort
cvte. stnbllltv and comfort are the
tiling, emphasized at the Wortruck
j,i,nw
Tie comfort of the driver Is now a
, prime consideration of truck builders.
Motortrucks routes across the country
have made It necessary to cater ,to the
comfort- ot the men who operate them.
Cushions that Insure easy riutng nave
lecn Installed in virtually ail mtujes,.
while some of the real big trucKs
the kind usetl In the cross-country trips
have built a comfortable enclosure
around the driver's seat, one manufac-
turer going as far as to build In a
small stove connected with the exhaust,
so the driver can have hot food durlns
nIS "'P'
Blectrlo lights and starters are be-
coming a feature of all models. Last
.year these improvements were 'notice-
able on comparatively few or tne com
mercial models. This yetir's show sees
''them on virtually all or tie smaller
F$fr trucks, with some of the bigger ye -
r. hides falling in line wit, similar im-
T f rirnvmn.i nnn ntnr nlanntnfr in tin
so. Accessory dealers are featuring- built
on starting systems ror air models.
Competition at the show, though not
obvious to the outsider, was keen. The
best brains of the modern world had
been put into the development of the
Continued on Tate Twentj-two, Column One
Sunday Jaunts in Auto
Trucks Popular Sport
1 iklns half the, neighborhood out
'for a Sunday airing is a new use
which has been found for heavy
trucks, which Is expected to be pop
ular during the approaching sum
mer, j
A few hours' motor trip over
-some of the' fine boulevards near
the congested centers almost any
fair Sunday last year demonstrated
that this use for tjrucris had gained
a foothold. Pleasure parties by the
score found their way to beach,
lake, or picnic grounds aboard the
big- trucks. The big pneumatic
tires are revolutionizing heavy mo
tor transportation, making long'
' joirrneys at good speed possible at
less expense.
Truck ownera tfho have the
genial touch of humanity in their
veins may easily flnd'an outjet for
this feeling by Using their vehicles
to give others pleasure, and. there
Is also opportunity for truck own
era tomake money. Normally, bus
.Inesa trucks lie Idle on Sundays and
L'liolldayfl, when they might be used
'for excursion purposes.
t
T&
.'' ' ''; . t '
OF FREIGHT JAM
Relief From Congestion at
New York Is Seen in
Motor Transport
RAIL SHIPMENTS SLOW
1
Trucks Carry Big Loads in
Faster Time, Says Edwin
L. Lewis
Freight transportation by motortruck
lines la nearly eight times as fast be
tween Xew York and Philadelphia as
the ordinary movement of shipments by
rail and water, and could be utilized to
relieve the freight congestion at these
lwo voH&' "-W '" Kd"' J" T-wli.
juuuuKei ot wits ireiKiu transportation
department of the Packard Motorcar
Company. I
Congestion of freight shipments at thol
J,ort of J""ew York at tlle Present time
'" "ur6e "m" ,l "8 IJCe Ior mani'
months, resulting In long and costly de
lays. Mr. tawls said today that mort,
general use of motortruck express lines
between the metropolis and this city
would solve the problem and probably
bring & great volumo of shipping busi
ness to this po'it which now goes through
N'ew York.
"There nre at tills time eleven lines
tot mnlnWriml.'u mm...,, I., .. .. .1-11..
rehedule between l'hilndelnhi.i and X
on;, said .Mr. Lewis, "while at least
six other lines are making two or three
trips a week nn tchcdiilp. Thus more
than twenty carloads of freight move in
and out of Philadelphia" by motorttuck
dally.
Trucka Jlnko Fast Time
"There Ik nn interesting comparison
between motortruck shipments and rail
or boat freighting. The average time
tAlllltAr1 1,1, .ff t-t.-lf.-. -
equired
by mil. Including delays at
f,c v'uuuiju unu I'm uoeimua term iimih.
Ii
Is
i,i nours. strange to say. the boa
boat
route is raster, taking forty-four hours.
However, boats .sail only twice a week,
and, due to the congestion, the material
often lies on docks- two or three davs.
A six-ton truck makes the trip from
Brooklyn to, Philadelphia in eleven and
a half hour...
tortruck could make nearly night trips
from Xew York to Philadelphia whllo
a freight shipment is making one trip
by rail."
DEMAND HIGH-GRADE CARS
. .-"
OUSIIICSS ileil Want Hest ill Mo-!
tortrucks Obtainable
Business men nowadays no longer
purchase a eheniite
constructed motor-
i ii-uuk ratner man
' """""?. V,al costs tlicm a few dollars
. ,., .,.. : ' .. "." - "hti-Bimio
iniy a lilEh-itrai e
h. PhllSeuSru Oncir"""' '
I ,. ,7" - "-".
they want the best money can buy and
, Jltey have the money to buy with. 'l)ur-
sU Past year demands for OMC
racks have, been Increasing-dealers
iJf1"1:e?rIt-r1VcKf1 in, ,lle worst way an1 wc
The tiMP faeinVieB-.U ,.,-i.,i
(iny HTld nBht fo ,h ""'"'.
,l i.i, !.- ... -vyr,v'nfi
i we could do was to ask our dealers to
be patient and wait.
"Trucks are now beginning to'come to
j us. and soon we hope to be able to
I get caught up on our back orders and
our current demands,
USrotV
the advantage of the motortruck. All
Indications are that hundreds of horses'
I Jvl" ,'ose meir jods or unci other work,
I ft ' ." "j r""."" Y.V'2
... .. , . ' L 7. ; :. . , '.' ulu
have gone to war If it 1iad continued
are now going stravgnt into business."
.
; TfrhTTTTATl ATAWTIXT'G OrrCrA717CVO
JU,S fj JL JU.XJJT i.YXJUEiyiV O X U &A1V JZfkDtJ
'
A RECONSTRUCTION PROBLEM
Interests Controlliiif Motor Traffic, iVoiu Iiefiardedis Fundamental
to Civilization, Urged to Back Plan for Network
of Federal Highways
It Is reconstruction with a vengeance
this business of scheming a layout of
national highways that will serve the
nation's business to the best advantage,
says Automobile Topics. The cow paths
ot tradition were amazingly Intricate;
the succeeding highways , often little i million dollars' avallablo under the fed
more effective. .Improved roads, built ' eral aid plan, the existing system has
according to definite plan, have suffered sjven birth to 760 projects, concsived by
from the impulses of local Interests. , the various states and approved by the
However honestly and forcefully the , government. These 760 projects would
plans ot the states have been conceived. Produce 7800 miles of Improved road at
they serve the traffic needs ot local cen-i "d estimated cost of fUry-slx million
ters, Thus there' have been evolved a dollnrs or more, their approval by the
series of good road plots that, however
useful Integrally, could not be success
fully hooked up, says Automobile Topics.
. .Conceiving me mgnvvny n uivcij
' of traffic, traffic as the flux of business,
land business as the basis of national
I life, it follpvvs that, a series or aiscon
nected highway systems cannot promote
the general welfare, but only that of
the most advanced localities.
Through the vision of the automobile
men who projected the Lincoln high
way and through the enterprise that
has developed the othe. successful
through highway associations, there has
been given to the country a demonstra
tion of the advantage that follows the
trunk line highroad. It Is virtually
tlie ka'me sort of advantage that follows
I the trunk line railroad. It is so for
It draws into broad and favorable chan
nels the' maximum flow of tr.fflo bf
wen ImDortant centers, quite regard
less .ofwurely tommuntty Interests, but
rather. In .deference to Inter-community
needs." . t '
95m
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i Qai8sSRwtMssM;JWisaiK SiwalKIWIIsliSil. ..;
Hundreds of the great leviathans
overseas. Victorious movements
WANT NO CHANGE
IN JERSEY LAWS
Motortruck Owners Satis
fied With Legislation on
Commercial Cars
ALL NEEDS ARE MET
Motortruck owners of Xew Jersey aie
ery well satisfied with the laws govem-
lne commercial vehicles In their state,
ami aH .. conseauence they will not ask
' Ihelr Legislature for any changesvat the
, pT,T-?'8,rf ,, ( , .
This stand of tlie truck owners sup-
nolts the position taken by. .state .Motor
i Vehicle fommlssioner William I,. Dill,
of Xew Jersey, with whom they are co
operating In all matters pertaining to
the regulation of the commercial vehicle.
When Commissioner Dill took up the
tnsu ot enacting a law to regulate mo-
' 'ortrucks he was obliged to blaze a new
trail, as the country was without any
, ns Eull, alul ho unolnled
i 8UL" Ia",s "8 ,l K,' ","" " ""P01"1
! A clmlysl" ot co.unty engineers to
'confer with truck owners and tire peo
nle ns well as mail constructor!;. In order
to meet all phases of the situation.
Thus tho question was handled In a
' broad-guaged manner "and from a tech
I nlcal standpoint. The original act has
I been amended in some particulars' so
i that It stands at present almost an
Ideal.
There are several features of the New
Jersey law which stand out pre-emi
nently. The methods of examination
I '"
u umrin iiiciibu lump, j&c: UUU1
i .
Continued on Pare Twentr-one, Column Two
-- --
State (and federal aid under) exist
ing law have favored local highway
development, placed a prtmium on local
Initiative, and at tlie same time penal
ized the backward community by per
mitting It to remain In its. own self-lm-
I nnnoH lontaHnn VlMtl, ,,ni.r,p.l . t .Int....
autuoriiics carrying tue potential re
lease of about $48,600,000 of government
money. Vet, during the last year, only
ten of. these projects we're completed, In
volving somewhere around forty miles
of new road, and only a mjlllon and. a
half of dollars was actually turned oyer
to the states. This, briefly, Is, what has
excellent though that' plan may be be
yond a doubt.
Now comes theinovement for a net
work of highways created under a fed
eral commission,, possessing' sufficient
authority to plan and execute tho ays
ton In the Interests of 'Interstate com
merce, whfch Is to say, the common In-J
leresi or an ousipess activity. This
project, as supported by the Townseml
bill, now In the hands of the Sena,te
Committee on postofflces and Post
Ko'ads, demands the most careful study
and Insistent support of every automo
bile' man.
Already tho bill has a most Impressive
cntinur en rsi'iBettto,Coi(iwn Tw
of llic road, Iiullt at a Pennsylvania plant
of the American and Allied forces at the
Weiaht nf Mntmrhnwh
With Loads
by Law to
Philadelphia Automobile Men and Backers of
Dithrich Bill in Legislature Reach Com
promise on Disputed Provisions
Hy J Staff C'omwpoiirciit
llnrrlabtirg, March lb. -Representatives
of tlie motor truck Industry and
members of tlie subcommittee of the
House Committee on 1 toads, have reach
ed a compromise on the Dithrich bill,
regulating motor trafllc, and the measure
s llp
today.
for first reading in tlie House
The bill-was reported out of commit
tee following a conference between Uov
trnor Kproul, Senator Buckmau and
Representative Dithrich. Both legisla
tors had Introduced motor traffic bills.
The Dithrich bill, which was framed by
the Pennsylvania Jlotor Federation, was
decided upon as the administration
measure.
As amended, tills bill limits the .weight
ot trucks, combined weight of vehicle
and load, to 20,000 pounds. They must
not bo more than ninety inches wide
nor more thaji twenty-six feet long.
Manufacturers must place In' a consplcu-
ous place on each truck Hie weight of
the truck and Its load capacity. It will
bo a misdemeanor to overload trucks.
The bill, as amended, provides that the
highway commissioner, at his discretion,
may revoke both the registration of
tlle truck and tho driver's license for
violations ot the law. The maximum
speed permitted by the bill is thirty
ml'es an hour. The bill likewise regu
lates registration fees as follows:
Hrglktrutlon Keen Fixed
Less than D000 pounds, by horsepower
rating, $10; 3000 to 4000 pounds, $15;
1000 to 0000 pounds, $23; 6000 to 80UO
pounds, $40; 8000 to 10,000 pounds, $60,
and 10,000 lo 13,000 pounds, $100.
Pleasure cars will-have (o pay heav.
ier license fees also. The fee will be at
the rate of fifty cents pet hjrsepower.
with a minimum fee of $10.
The bill as ready for submission to
the House was framed after conferences
between the committee ami representa
tives of the following organization: The
Motortruck Association of Ph ladolphln,
the Philadelphia Automobile Trade As
sociation, the Automobile Accessories
Buslrfess Association, the Pennsylvania
Warehouse and Van Owners' Association
and the Motortruck Owners' Association
of Philadelphia. E. J. Berlet, president
of the Stability Motors Company, east
ern distributors of Atterbury trucks, waB
spokesman for the motortruck men.
ANCESTOR OF AUTOTRUCKS
"Road Locomotive" Built in 1877
Made Ten Mile9 nn Hour 1
-.-, .,.! .. . ,ko . ,.ii..1.- al.ntv nf tl. '
Selden trucks by the Sclden Philadelphia colleges will offer courses In motortruck . wl,,i?,1' '"Jl mII .Tthat'TlrUcutar
Sales Company. 34JB North Broad street, .mechanics apd pperatlop." says W. -ft Wth7A.on"VwJl, m.",
recalled to the minds of pioneer aujo- Clark Orleb, local Kissel ulstrlbutor. 1)nvo causcd such reduction, ns well as
mobile men here tho once famous "road ' "In fact, there have alreadv been sav-lt)ic reason which may have caused the
ocomotlve, Dtnii in jii oy ueorse jj. " ''"-," i- - w.t uro
?iiT of noehester V V and which t-tlen "hool np In how to care for-and op
Selden, of Rochester, -. v., .ana wnicn ferat(w motor trucks to the drivers of
1. ...1,.,!a,M r.f tt,A nntverfllt mn- VtrncnaAl Ivn rf nfkll mirnnri " tin nJil.J
was Brttlluto-tiic, ,..w ,..., ...u-
tnr'rueksrof the present day. Jr qu vvoum ne Burpr seu now sclen-
tonruckst tue preseui tiaj. j m truc onerutlon hag becomei
Forty years ago the Inventor of theu htnr1e(1 wnen 0Wners. In checking up
first motortruck never dreamed of 0191 their drivers.- foupd that while- some
at.tomoblle of the present of a touring-'handled their trucks at an unusually low
... .W n,ild run flftv miles nn ho.tr operating expense, other drivers more
pr a racing mode) that, would go two.and trebled their upkeep over the. same
mll ;amlnuU.. .
nilles ja minute.. .
for the army, photographed while llie were parked
front frequently depended on ihc performances of A
to Be Limited
26,000 Pounds
ln the conferences partluularoibjectioii
was raised 'to (King truck lengths nt
twenty feet. It was suggested that
twenty-eight feet would be more eco
nomical not only for operators but for
customers. This was part cularly true,
It was said b Ilerlet, In the case of
moving vans, where the entire contents
of an eight or ten room house could ba
moved in a tvvi nty-elght-foot truck,
but two twentv -foolers would be u
ttulred. .
Minimum VVelRbt Mlgffrnted
It was also suggested that there be no
operation of truck weights, by chassis,
body and b load, but that a maximum
weight be fixed of 28,000 pounds for
chassis, body and load. Berlet suggested
that a great many trucks are now haul
ing londs of a gross weight of 30,000
pounds. Tills incudes car and load.
with the present law prohibiting a gross
of moreMhan 21,000. He suggested that ',
k" ' '
advlsabll ty of enforcing a 28,000ound I
law ,.ather thlm a i.ooo-nojind not en.
I rr,.,i ,j ,j-,.i,i ,.. ,,
! "-"-" "iiij .nuito niir
adopting a 28,000-pound ruling.
The automobile people objected to a
proposed width limitation or ninety
Inches. They admitted that two nlnety
slx.lnch trucks wtie crowded when
passing on a sixteen-foot road, but
suggested that future construction w II
remedy that situation. -A better defi
nition of the term "nailer" was sug.
gested.
I'frnotiiifl tif Jielexittlon
The delegation in addition to the
spokesman was composed of Thomas
Quirk, president Motortruck Association;
lJoh" u- "owley. chairman of the legg
latlon
vuiuiiituvc. .ituivi ii utit 4bSOCia- I
A. Ii Maltby, piesident of Hie
......!, .. Atn,.. I. t ,
tlon ;
Philadelphia Automobile Trade Assocla
tlon ; ft. Ij. Lewis, manager of the trans
portnt'on department. Packard Motorcar
Company of Philadelphia ; W. H. Met
calf, president of the Automoblfe Acces.
sorles Business Association ; H. B. Har
per, of the Overland-Harper Company;
B. I.ubsc, president of the Gnrago-'OwVi-crs'
Association; It. W. Ilayden, vice
president of the Motortruck Owners' As
sociation; II. fc". Sherlz, executive secre- i
tnry of the Motortruck Owners' Assnebi.
tlon.'und Buell O. M Her, vice president
of the Pennsylvania Warehouse and Van
Owners' Association. ,
TO TRAIN TRUCK DRIVERS
University Course in Mcchnnica
. an Early Probability
"T nrsrllnt Hint annn unlv.r.lll.. ,
rcutes." w
routes.'
il to await shipment
merican motortrucks
TRUCK OPERATIONS
i nm . .w. -r .-.
I I K Alllf VJ I U tj W I
tx 1 UrULrlJ (Oljlljll V'Li
Commercial Car Owners'
Association Absorbed
in Its Problems
OPPOSE PENDING BILLS
y WILLIAM H. UIKU'IT
President of the Motortruck owners' As
sociation anil president of the
Federal Transit Company
The Motortruck Owners' Association
if Philadelphia lias before it a very busy
und active program.
This association, composed of opera
tors and owners of motortrucks, while
voung, has made a great stride In the
i activities It has performed.
It Is now engaged In giving close at
tention lo many uucMions of legislation
pending. Through the, legislative com
mittee It has studied the various b.!l
that have been presented and has tought
to find to what evtent the provisions
would interfere with the development of
motortruck transportation in this stale,
The association is collecting data re
pectlng tlie sizes and weights of trucks
In operation and with the view to the
future use and development of trucks.
,nat tlle development or tlie highways
may 'if Kept m,c,e ,vlth '" l"1p l,el'""r.
over them or the proper character of
vehicles'.
Whllo the question or legislation Is '
one of the preliminary objects of the as-
...,.,,. ..,, , ... i..i.i ,,
I time In Its' consideration, It has not lost
llnlA l.i Itu i.r.nal.laiit l.tt I, li-ia ,..., l..bt i '
Conthiueil tin Pace Ttventj-iine, Ctihiran 3
GENERAL PRICE REDUCTIONS
ON CARS DISTANT PROSPECT
,
Determine It' nether
till Vers Mas
I Itey Urder at t'rtces consistent H un nxisiing uikii
Labor and
llv G. A. KISSEL !
T., . ,. !
Piefc'dent Wssel Motorcar ornpany
Will automobile motortruck prices see i
a blir reduction within the next two
or three months'.'
Win- Is It that some manufacturers .
linie aheadv announced price ledue-
,i, ii ,. ,.i" '
nuns wtiitt: oiuiria ... .." for producing.
Is It a question of sacrificing quality j .-0urth Sales and general expenses,
to meet a demand for low prices, or These Items make up the cost, re
were the prices raised out of propor- , gardless of the kind of product pro-
t'011 during the war
These are some of Hie questions that
are now being asked both manufacturers
mid dealers. Vnlets tlte- are answered
satisfactorily to the consumer there Is
apt to be a misunderstanding that will
prove detrimental to tho automotive In.
dustry as u whole.
The public In general Is very upt lo
look nt the question of pi Ice. I. e., as to
wr.etber or not retraction iuib oeen inuue
ntltl If SO llOW lllUCll that reduction IS
high prices before the reduction.
Wliere 1110 ractory was Kent luniiins
to 100 per cent capacity, either on reg-
ular 'truck' or passenger vvork and the
balance on war work,; this offset the big
loss due to exorbitant overneau ex-,
rwnsee, due to little, If any, production,
It can readily ba seen that such com-,
nanles will not be able to make sny
Price changes so far as reductions are
concerned, as there will b very , little
A. C. Burch Suggests Use of
J ruck Lines to bet Pro- '
(luce to Market
D E V E N D S MIDDLEMAN
Half of Farm's
t rOdllClS
Wasted Because of Slow
Movement
Bural motor express llne as a in aim
of reducing the cost of living are ad
vocated by . ('. Murch, vice president
of tin (Mde iars Company, who sa
tliat nil per cent of the produce raised
In this country Is wasted because the
growers cannot get It to a market
Mr. Hindi is attending the truck
show hem this week.
Ill dcfonsi of tho middleman. Mr.
Burch declared that Mho v.ist differ
ence between the consumer's price and
the farmer's price of produce In our
markets Is due largely to wasteful
transportation methods, causing spoilage
on the way to market. Iliirai express
lines, he ,"aid, would eliminate this
waste, five the farmer more fur his
ptniliife. and hi lag It within reach of ,
the ultimate consumer at leas cost.
"llural epress companies offer an out
let for an enormous pioduction of mo
tortrucks In this country," said Mr.
Dtncli. 'It is a good thing lo get be-
low the surface and study any prospec
tive uiaiket finin the inside. I believe
in the motor express business because it
.seems to me to be fundamentally right.
"While not much given lo clouting sta
tistics, there aie h couple of flgui es
which seem so vlial to the motor truck
Industry that I cannot forget them.
Never llParlies Market
Tlie Acricultuial Deiiaitmeiil I eporls
j that only about Sti per cent of the pro
i duce raised in tills country ever sees
the market. The balance Is wasted !e-
ause of inability lo get it to maiket
and because transportation delays al
low It to spoil on the way.
"The rural motor evpress line will
absolutely correct this trouble, shorten-
ing the distance between purchaser ami
'consumer, and allow lug him to ship
to the best market at the time when ids
produce ought lo be shipped.
"milher tremendously important set
r.r oiviicnu i ii,,i'euses me. Kor everv do-
wi ii,.....-. i
lar which the consumer pays for food
1 this country, the fanner gets from
There has been a great cry raised (
.Inst the middleman and tlie enor
mous profit he makes. I don't believe
iie Is responsible either for the high
p-ire of fooil products or for the low
price paid to the farmer.
"We alwros will need tlie middle
men, for food products must be dis
tributed and stored until such time as
the market calls fo" them.
The vast dlffercme between the con
sinner's price and the farmer's pr'.c is
largely made up by the wasteful tran
lurtatliiu method", by siiollng" on the
..-..,. I., iiinl.pt. I lie!
tnnv be too many
.'-.i,ii,.. tint tbls is only one more
count against our present inadequate
Iransno-tation methods.
Ii bus been necessary to pass iooii
produce through a great ininy hand"
from farm to table, simply because of
lnadeiUt'te transportation methods
Will t'.llinlniile Waste
"Tlie motortruck will eliminate this
waste, giving the farmer more for bis
nrn.iiice which be Is rightfully entitled
to, and cutting tlie cost to the ultimate
consumer
t l.elleve that every man In tlie truck
business should get behind the rural
motor express proposition.
"It Is lb" greatest outlet for
t ibis country today. But It
truck!
won't
grow to lite propo.-uuiis II milium ",,,rnn
the truck industry Rets iirninii .-,-
thusliistlcallv unless mamitai-iurers,
.,.il .'a,n,o,ii si. I., mid county
nuthorl't leu Hne up with the good road
...,.'
niu.. .. .
so tnat tlie country may nc
flfa network of roads ovvr
which id operate the rural express
lines
... . .,. . ,, ,
Dealers Ire divine I Item Ii nut
Material Costs
change In raw material prices anil In
labor conditions for some time to came.
'''t,,,;,. ,nalallce. ,be elenients enter-
,.. ,.. ti.p c03. 0f any conimoillty
I tint- i.o,t I... (MinimuM In, Hu follow S :
I ".' - -
I First Cost of material
Second The direct labor for fabrl-
eating such material.
Third Factory expenses
overhead
tluced. In dissecting tlie nbove It will
be easily understood that the basio '
material In the automobile is that of
steel.
It Is my opinion that tlie Item of
ill put labor Is one that will ste mighty
little change, if any. for a long tlmo lo
come and possibly uevir. This is bo
cause the standard living conditions and
the way of living have been raised to a
higher level, and It Is not the American
snlrlt to have that reduced or curbed.
This does not mean that In extreme
cases where Inexperienced help on war
work were earning exorbitant wages,
any such wage standard will be main
tained. The above outlines conditions as they t
really exist, and from the consumer's i
Ktnndnnlnt It reallv is a mntttti- for'
nlm t0 figure out and nave confidence '
( tne company with whom he Is doing ,
.business. By that I mean confidence In
whether that factory Is giving him the
product that be orders at a pn Ico con-
gistent with labor and material, contli-
tlons as they exist, and as (hey wjll
exist for some time to come, and
whether or not that product, so fr as
Value. Is qpneerped, measures up to
Govcmor
Sproul Plahs
(. n it t i ii it n ii e Hntitivt ?1i
Throughout State
-
LKWIS S. SADLER
Stale Highway (.'orr.mlsstoner ' M$
Durlmr the last three weeks huri.
deeds of ner&ooa fmm nil eoeftnna f .-
I'enneylvanla have visited the State
Highway Department relative to ro-; '
posed to.id improvements. In one day
there ere delegations and Individuals
from twenty-one counties.
it Is my belief that the great Inter
est being taken In better highway
by I'ennsylvanlans Is due simply to
the fact that Governor .Sproul has an
nounced (hat a definite program of'
construction is to be laid out, and
that this program will be followed un
swervingly. The plans of Governor Sproul and
the .State Highway Department In
clude the following:
Construction by the commonwealth
of an arterial system of highways' to "
form a network beneficial to the en-.
tire state. The cost of building such
a s.wstem will be met entirely by the
state.
Will Announce Koutes Soon
Construction by the commonwealth
and the counties and townships of the,
state - the commonwealth to share to
the limit of tho appropriations avail'
Hb,e for this purpose of a secondary
system of highways of great local Idit
portative, these highways in combina
tion with tlie primary system to form
a network beneficial to the state Ht
huge and to Individual localities. In
this work the department relies upon
the rciuntles and townships to put Into
construction the money they would
I have spent on the primary system had
thev open called upon to do so.
Within a few days definite anounce
nient will 'be made of ttie highway
routes -and portions of loutes which are
,to be Included in tho pr'mary system.
The woik of construction will begin
I promptly. Hlds have already been asked
for the building of approximately, 105
miles.. The department hopes to be able
to construct CuO or (JOU miles of per
manent thoioughfare before next winter,
Theie was a time when folks laughed
at the suggestion that it permanent hlgli
wn.v could be built. But It is no longer
a laughing matter. Pennsylvania is go
ing lo have loads of that class. We havV
leti mimed to slop building roads that
blow avvaj. We have stopped putting
down a good-road Island hi a ribbon 'of
mud. W are going to have contlnuou
and pennanitiit highways
Itnads That Will I.Hut
Tlie money with which we will build
nlir hr inui-r nvolAin ........ac. .. tl
' "1 "?', i'.'3. ?'!! 12?
""t0"',00" bml 1f"u? ""ed by jhe
rutro,'1,htl,ty0v:a,rbsCr- l"e "0nd3 fU
,t would be criminal waMe were wtflo
primary system comes from the
build toads which would disappear be
fore the maturity of the obligation 'we'
have undertaken.
it would be waste were these roads
to be of a type 'demanding' costly and
continuous maintenance We will build
the maintenance Into litem at the start.
The foundations w II be o, aucn a type
that with a little care they will last
for all time.
Before we begin our construction we,
will know what loads our roadi are to
carrj and we w411 build our roads with '
an Idea of future recruit etnents. as well.
We must lo a great extent anticipate the
future.
What Governor .Sproul and the State
Highway Department plan for the state's' -primary
system of roads many counties
plan for the secondary i ,iads the great,
er poitlou of the cost of wh'cli will be
born by the co'intles and townships.
They. too. will build roads which will
stand up roads tlie life of which is,
greater than the' life of the obligation
undertaken to build them
Mint Avoid Wii.tc
Four j ears hence It will be possible
to reach anj section of the stale over
a haid-surfaced, durable thoroughfare.
Out to do th s we must build nerman-
"fUtlj
' as' "lat all road enthusiasts
whether they be motor car owners, air.
r'eiilturists or what not Impress upon
the minds of the road builders tbelnecs-
sity for permanence. r 'onstructln of
any roads not permanent Is an economto
waste.
Heavier Automobile Penalties
llitrrikliure, March 18. An Incease of
penalties for any person operating an
automobile or truck under a false num
ber or without consent of the owner or
running a car w'lose license has been re-
voiiett is piovidetl in a bill Introduced
by Mr Cox. I'iriadelphla. The tnaxl-
mum pe-iaities aie made $iuoo fine or
llitivu i'i iu 111 1 ill nt l.r,t It
Truck Stiles Managers
Meet Here April 11-12
Members of the .National Associa
tion of Motortruck Sules Managers
will meet at the Uellevue-Sivatford
Hotel In annual convention Friday
morning. April II. ami continue in
session through the following nay.
At a banquet to be given at 7:30
o'clock un tho evening of April 11
for accredited delegates and others
associated with the automobile bus
iness, speakers of national prom
inence will address the gathering on
subjects pertaining: to the post
war program and of vital Impor
tance to the automotive Industry.
Following Is the program as an
nounced today by the convention
Sommittee:
Friday morning, April 11 Busi
ness session, for delegates only,
Friday afternoon Uusiness ses.
sion and general discussions, for
delegates only,
Saturday morning, April 12-r-Bus-
lness session, open to those associ
ated with the automobile lnaust,ry
In the lied Itoom at tho Uellevue, ,
Many widely known automoilh(fo
manufacturers and, dealers will at
tend the convention. Covers will b I
laia at tne oanquet rot $uo atMuk I
. evrn'" J
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