"SHIP BY TRUCK"
MOVEMENT OPENS
NEW AVENUES
A Brings Farmer, Market and
Consumer Into Closer
Relationship
By HARVEY S. FIRESTONE
Tne ship-by-truck movement is
opening many new avenues of profit
to the shipper. An entire new field
of resources is being tapped, bring
ing the farmer, market and consumer
into close relations. And in this
marvellous development which mo
tor express has seen in the last two
years, the value of the ship-by-truck
movement to the manufacturers
should not be overlooked.
To manufacturers, the motor truck
of to-day is as Important a unit of
tneir production facilities as the very
;jnachines which make their goods.
•The use of the motor truck has
"Wrought changes in every depart
ment of their business and has done
■•nuch to increase their production
capacities and to lower their over
head expenses.
Let us compare the cost of horse
•transport with that of motor ship
ments. When the manufacturer was
wholly dependent on the former
■ method, he either had to hire nis
'horses by the day, or else he had to
.maintain horses and stables of his
•own. The latter course entailed
Quite an outlay in buildings and
drivers. It Involved the use of a
large amount of valuable floor space
for horses, wagons, repair and paint
shops. Furthermore, there had to be
a blacksmith shop as well as lofts
for hay and grain.
When he had made all this invest
ment, what did the manufacturer
have? He had nothing better than
slow-moving horse-driven vehicles,
whose actual capacity for service was
limited to the physical endurance of
the animal; and the horse, being an
animal and not a machine, can be
subjected to only a few hours of
hard labor daily if he is to remain
fit for continuous work. When the
manufacturer displaced the horse
equipment, with its accompanying
paraphernalia, and turned to motor
trucks for his means of transport,
he was able for the first time to get
the transportation end of his business
down to an efficient working basis,
where haulage cost per mile could be
determined accurately.
Some startling facts were revealed.
It was apparent that, on the average,
one motor truck would do the work of
from three to four wagons, and do
it more quickly. In this way alone
there was effected a tangible saving
at the start represented by the cost
of extra drivers, horses, and wagons,
as well as of the facilities neces
sary for their maintenance. The man
ufacturer further observed that he
could house and care for a fleet of
motor trucks in less than half the
space and with far less labor than
was required for the same number
of wagons with a relative tonnage.
The capacity of the truck for work
is unlimited. There is no limit to
what it can do. and the limit of where
it can go Is determined only by the
condition of the roads. You can and
D UPLEX Tmmß
jpfor&t :i>tellsjsl ,P. er- To ii-ml lef
y / The Duplex Always Saves
We
can learn of no single instance wherein the
Duplex 4-Wheel-Drive Truck has not reduced
JmrW hauling costs.
Its savings run from 20 per cent, to 60 per cent.,
j| in comparison with horses and mules and other
Irjif • Duplex owners all report that the ton-mile cost is
l ess both on city streets and in roadless country.
jffiMj) Duplex savings are positive. They can be count-
MW/f ed with the same certainty that Duplex four-fold
pulling power can be counted on to take the load
IrJ(F through.
8 y| I We ask business men to request a comparative
demonstration. •
j J; \\ We know the Duplex will win; that the figures
MM f ar e sure to show a lower ton-mile cost.
Wljjjk Harrisburg Auto Co.
JP\ Fourth and Kelker Sts., Harrisburg, Pa.
MPANY ' LANSING ' MICHI ® AN
SATURDAY EVENING, HAJmiSBURG;£33®& TEEEGKSFH JUNE 7, 1919.
AUTOMOBILE NEWS
TIMELY LOCAL FEATURES OF INTEREST TO AUTOISTS
BY ALFRED P. DAVIES, AUTO EDITOR.
GROCERY STORE Off DODGE BROS. MOTOR TRUCK CALLS ON
HOUSEWIFE IN SCHEDULE TIME, SOMETHING NEW EVERY DAY
The Keystone Motor Car Co„ local distributors for Dodge Bros, motor cars, are in receipt from
the Dodge factory of a photograph of the first grocery store on whee els, a likeness of which accompanies
this article. This grocery store Is a n Idea of a Dallas (Texas) man. I t carriers a complete stock of fresh
and smoked meata. groceries, green goods, fruits, etc. It makes reg ular trips to all parts of the city
and saves the housewife a lot of time in eliminating the necessity of dressing and going to her regular
store.
should exact duties from your truck
that are entirely beyond the poten
tialities of horse and wagon trans
portation. You can give your trucks
new transportation duties, a wider
radius, and special responsibilities
that no other transportation method
can assume.
One year ago highway transport
had arrived nationally, the few of us
knew it. It took the war to wake
us up to its possibilities. To-day it
is known, discussed, praised, criti
cised. encouraged; and every month
sees it grow in volume. In five years
there will be a network of rural ex
press lines on all the main highways
of this country that will cut down
the cost of food, increase the quantity
of food, and still create more profit
for the farmer.
Volume of business in dollars and
cents is usually the criterion of profit
on an enterprise. If we furnish bet
ter and quicker transportation to our
rural districts it will add greatly to
the wealth of the country as a whole,
while we stimplate an increased pro
duction and bring the market closer
to the purchaser. When we realize
that the farmer is the only big busi
ness /nan who is forced to supply his
own transportation, and this rarely
on an economical basis, we can see
the great fields that are open to rural
development. The motor express lines
of the future will make a shipping
platform of every farmer's gate.
Other industries are being benefit
ed, and benefited greatly. Even now
in the far west nucha are boring
their way into the forest, and. with
the aid of trailers, bearing oft the
logs to the mills, the lumbermen have
reported as high as fifty per cent
saving over any other method. Pack
ing companies have begun to trans
port fresh meat in huge refrigera
tor trqeks. Live stock is being
brought to market in Omaha, St.
Louis, and Cincinnati. Instances of
the utility of motor trucking could
be multiplied indefinitely.
In particular, the Government has
resolved to take a hand. Already mail
routes run from Portland, Me. to
Hartford, New York, Philadelphia,
Baltimore and Washington to the
Plains, Virginia. Between January
first and June thirtieth, 1918, the
national mail routes averaged more
than twenty-six hundred miles daily,
cleared over 1125,000.00 and Justified
their being extended to the Pacific
coast.
C. H. SCANDAMAS NOW
WITH AMERICAN AUTO CO.
C. H. S'candallis, manager of the
Penn Harris Taxi Company has be
come associated with C. A. Slough in
the American Auto Company, the
local distributors for the American
Six. Mr. Scandallis is well known
In Harrisburg duo to his connection
with the Penn Harris Taxi Service.
He is spending part of his time in
the sales of the American car and
has opened an office in the Penn
Harris in connection with the Taxi
•Company.
The American An to Company has
recently received shipments of cars
and are in a position to make im
mediate deliveries.
T>ONT WAIT FOR PRESENT
PRICES TO DROP
Haas, proprietor of the Square
Deal Auto Supply Company, one of
the leading uptown accessory stores,
located at 1412 North Third street.
In talking about the present condi
tions and whether there was any
hopes of a drop in the near future,
showed the writer the following
article on present prices. This arti
cle comes as near touching the true
condition as possible:
When will prices go down?
This is a question Which Is, to-day.
In the minds of most business men.
Probably wo are all agreed that
prices will not remain always at the
present high level of war-time con
ditions. Probably we are also agreed
that prices will not return, at least
ror a long time, to the level of pre
war conditions. Somewhere In be
tween is the point to which we may
expect a gradual reaction within a
reasonable period of time
The one big difficulty in the way
of price adjustment is that every
°"e.®fpc<;ts th e price of other com
modities to go down before he de
creases his prices.
Mpll, manufacturer cannot reduce
his prices until the price of labor
that 6 *™ ' The laborer maintains
that his wage must not be cut un
til the price of commodities is cut
to , nOW ; at 010 pric * yo have
* OT labor has not decreased
and that your cost of raw materials
is practically where it has been for
some time, or even higher. You are
not able to reduce your charge for
service to your customers because
of these factors. Your situation is
probably exactly like that of every
States busineß3 man ln the United j
Every business man is confronted
labor costs - bißh taxes,
high transportation rates. Transpor
tation rates not only increase the
cost of manufactured goods, but
have a material efTect on the price
Of raw materials. The only result
can be a of manufacture
j"df?h price to the consumer.
Wheat is always a barometer of
business conditions. To-day the
price of wheat, higher than at any
time since Civil War days, is guar
anteed by the United States Govern
ment. As a result of this guaran
tee, it is certain that we shall be
paying present prices for wheat for
a long time.
The business man who goes ahead
on the assumption that present
prices will remain for at least eight
or ten months, is playing the game
with a reasonable margin of safety.
W. T. WADE SELLING
STANDARD EIGHT MACHINES
W. T. Wade, a well known local
automobile salesman has secured
the position as assistant salesman
ager of Chester Taylor & Company,
local distributors for the Standard
Eight. This agency was just opened
a couple of weeks ago in this terri
tory. The Standard Eight is mado
by the Standard Steel Company, of
Pittsburgh, and is fast gaining an
enviable reputation.
In an interview with Mr. Wade
yesterday he said, "The Standard is
a car that measures up to the aver
age person's expectations of a mo
tor car. It develops 80 horsepower
and is as pretty a car as you want
to look at. We expect big things in
Harrisburg for this car and will go
right after sales. About the middle
of Jnly or the first of August the
Standard Steel Company expects to
place a four-cylinder car on the
market that will sell for a medium
price. When this car comes out,
competition will surely be keen in
and around Harrisburg."
LOOKS FOR LARGER
TRUCK SALES AT ONCE
"Now that the Government has
announced a definite policy for the
disposal of its surplus trucks, I look
for a distinct increase in truck
sales," says Harry M. Lee, President
of the Duplex Truck Company of
Lansing, Michigan.
"The various stories ns to what
the Government was going to do
hurt the truck business. Many
business men who were ready to buy
trucks held off in the hope of get
ting an army truck cheap.
"Now that, it has been decided
that the surplus army trucks are to
be used In road building and Post
Office work and will not be offered
to the public. I believe that the
truck prospects who have been hold
ing oft will now purchase,
"The bad weather of the spring
has also hurt all business but this Is
passing.
"Despite the Government trucks
that are going into road work, the
highway builders who have had ex
perience are buying Duplex 4-Wheef
Drive trucks because they know that
where the going is bad the Duplex
will go through with a load where
the ordinary truck would be stalled
light."
{Continued on Pace 14,]
LICENSES SHOULD
BE ANNULLED FOR
RECKLESSNESS
Drivers Who Are Careless and
Indifferent Should Be
Punished
It is becoming more apparent
every day that the one sure way to
curb the reckless driving that has
been on the increase in this city
and vicinity for some time is to take
the license away from every man
who operates a car with all disre
gard for the property and lives of
others. There are any number of
drivers who try to operate their car
in a legitimate manner and who be
come the victim in a smashup be
cause some other fellow is trying to
beat a world's record or else is not
looking where he is driving.
There are certain arteries in the
city where crossing intersections re
quires an undue amount of caution
because of heavy traffic. Certain
other streets on a straightaway in
vite speeders to tryout the speed of
their car with the result of a
smashup to some fellow who tries
to cross, and does not reckon on the
speed of the other car. Another bad
feature of motoring is the fellow
who tries to run around everything
on the road when out ip the coun
try. This fellow not only endangers
himself but often times forces the
other fellow down into the ditch. It
is all right to pass another car on the
road if all conditions are favorable
but not when it requires an exces
sive speed on a narrow road. Another
cause of accidents on highways are
the glaring headlights that blind the
| I
II Ail Owner Test it
|| The Kind That Counts J
j|§2 It T* Ac Ayiii iMif<ljy mil irxx)idxifi6txx:kx3rrm j|||
rgcr! tbe-handv*f owners tfaatAwbuflt up tfaeytiioaf| aSwl
*??: cfaAw^OwAad.
Aseocat demonstration of Model 90 Spl
jg|fc anrrrMWl driteudabflity was an impromptu round trip
~|j!: UjUm.y<>iAktiid and Los Angeks.
It was a most severe test, ewer mountain w<mads, rjjj*
dwnagli wsdhmod hub deep i replaces.
ggg TteModef 90 never fafeeicd, never fafledf
IpA moR remarkafcfe betaiae it is what more:than 150,000 praf
|||p Model 90 owners Laow their care are capable of.
7*g This ran, on the heels of the Oklahoma victory— I3S
®:j where Model 90 stock car set the world's Noo-Stop
ggjd High Gear record, 4370 miles in 7 days, readily shows
why owueis are prowd of their cars —and why you wffl a®
§; be prossd of a Model 90.
S|c* Let ns show yon a duplicate of the cars that mode jjpjjr
ppi; these records. jjjpf.
The Overland Harrisburg Co. 11
ipb 212-214 NORTH SECOND STREET
jcr* TORK BRANCH: Open Evenings NEWPORT BRANCH; 1/Xl
VtTTj*. 128-130 West Market St. Bell 4370 Opposite P. R. R. Station
Omit jdMoAnSteetrTi" Pmraaj Toariag Cw. Ptl.
■ . ' ' T - I i. at I • • It* *
fellow coming towards you and
cause him to lose the road. There
is a gentlemen's agreement between
regular drivers on the road to turn
off the bright lights when another
car is approaching and the fellow
who wants to be smart is the fellow
who won't turn them off, thereby
STANDARD EIGHT
A Powerful Car
AIHILL becomes -only a bit of scenery to the driver r>f a
Standard Bight— the powerful car.
The Standard Eight "picks up" on hills that other cars
barely "make." Its-eight cylinders with eighty-three horse
power-and its lightweight combine tremendous power with
grcattflexibaity.
A demonstration —with yourself at therwheel—proves thi^
mSwi CHESTER TAYLOR & CO.
DISTRIBUTORS
Seventeenth and Derry Streets
DKIiI> PHONE 2781
tlade-by the' Standard Steel Car Pa.
largmtt industrial imwtitmtione
causing accidents. ]
It is high time that every driver I
of a motor car use a little caution (
when out on the road. If he has
a desire for speed and recklessness
it would be well for him to hunt out 1
some lonly road forty miles from no- <
where and then let her go. If he kills 1
himself or smashes up his car It wfl.
be his own fault and he won't en
danger anyone else.
In many states an examination is
required before anyone is allowed to
operate a car and such a law should
be passed in Pennsylvania
13