The Bismarck Tribune Newspaper, August 29, 1919, Page 17

THE BISMARCK TRIBUNE pades 17fr0 24 THIRTY-NINTH YEAR, NO. 198. BISMARCK, NORTH DAKOTA, FRIDAY, AUGUST 29, 1919. PRICE FIVE CENTS MOTOR TRUCKS TO PLAY PROMINENT PART IN REDUCTION OF H.C. OF L. BY CUTTING TRANSPORTATION COST C. W. Reid, Secretary of High- ways Transport Committee of Council of National Defense, Sees Partial Solution of Living Problems in Quicker and Safer Methods of Handling Produce From Farm to City. “Motor trucks will help cut the cost of living.” So spoke C. W. Reid, executive sec- retary of the Highways Transport Committee of the Council of National Defense, in an interview for The Daily Tribune. “The use of motor trucks for trans- portation in districts where there are no railroads is in its infancy,” he con- tinued, “but it. is destined to become cne of the largest factors in solving the country’s transportation problems. “The motor truck, however, will never supplant the railroad or the electric railway, It is a mistake to es- tablish a motor truck line parallel to a railroad. Many private concerns that have tried it have had to go out of business, for they could not com- pete with railway rates. “On the contrary, I look to see motor trucks operated by the big railroad companies some day as feeders to their lines. There lies the future field for highways trangportation. Trucks Show Value on the Short Haul. “On a short haul a motor truck can operate for lower rates than the reilroad, but on long hauls it can- nct. It costs $30 a day to run a five- ton truck, and unless that truck hauls five tons of freight at a high rate it cannot make\ expenses, “What the Highways Transport committee is trying to do is to encour- ‘age by. every means possible the use of motor trucks as feeders to rail- roads, and in districts where there are no_railroads. SUCCESS GREETS LATEST BATTERY REPAIR, COMPANY G. & W. Battery Co. of Fourth Street Can Do Anything in Electrical Line Altho it has been in existence only a short time, the G. & W. Battery Co., 206 Fourth street, is firmly es- tablished as one of the most complete electrical repair shops in this part of ‘North Dakota. With its extensive equipment it is handling some of the most intricate electrical work from Dp all around here, as well as in owners of this new company are W. R. Graham and R. S. Wright. ‘Mr. Graham is a mechanical engi- neer and a graduate of Ohio state col- lege. He was in the air service dur- ing the war and acted as instructor of the air service mechanics school at St. Paul, specializing in motor ig- nition. He is the proud possessor of the automotive ignition engineers cer- tificate issued by the war department to those instructors who were espec- jially qualified in this work. Mr. Wright was also in the army and is a graduate of the same course of instruction as Mr. Graham taught. Both men are highly qualified to re- pair anything electrical that is con- nected with automobile, truck or trac- tor engines. Included in their repair work are generators, magnetos, bat- teries, self starters, and ignition sys- tems. “The experience we gained in the army air service in electrical, coupl- ed with our previous technial and practical training, fit us admirably for this work,” said Mr. Graham to- day. “We are pleased with the large amount of ‘business that has come our way and our territory is becom- ing larger daily. There is not an- +“We are also encouraging ‘their: use! other plant in this~part ofthe state for what we call ‘roadside marketing.’ There’s where you cut the cost of liv- ‘ing. i “We would urge people in every community to organize ‘roadside mar- keting clubs,’ going out in the country, and doing their buying direct. from the farmers at night. Motor trucks stand _ ddle at night. “ “Any business man who owns a motor truck would loan it or rent :it for a small sum to an organization of consumers. Arrangements should he made with some farmer or farmers to have their produce waiting at a cer- tain point along the road, Where it could be picked up and brought to town during the night. Army Trucks Loaned for Highway Work. “The war,department has turned 11,- 000 trucks over to the highway de- partments of the various states, thru the Department of Agriculture. These, ! too, could be employed in reducing the cost of distribution of food products, So could city-owned motor trucks, (Continued on page 23) that can do as varied repair work as our shop is equipped to handle.” MOTOR TRUCK MADE BASIS OF NEW DAIRY ENTERPRISE 3 aaa als. Charles Schebbler, at whose ‘beautiful farm home Bismarck has enjoyed a series of delightful barn dances this summer, has launched ‘a new enterprise, with a handsome, es- pecially squippel Internerinnal truck gs the basis. ‘mrs. Schebbler had for long time delivered large quantities of milk to Bismarck jobbers. ‘Now, with her big, pneumatic-tired truck, Mrs. Schebbler is retailing her milk and cream direct to Bismarck homes. The truck is later to be equipped with a special enclosed body. Owing to the cooling principles adopted in International truck engines, the ma- ching can ‘be used with equal satis- {faction in cold weather, and Mrs. Schebbler expects to continue her trips to town with her milk and cream | every day in the year. “SHIPPING (Editorial The Pittsburgh, Pa., Gazette Times As a factor in business the automobile truck is making BY TRUCK” of June 5) progress beyond the dreams of the pioneers in the industry, we may believe. Notwithstanding which it is reasonable to believe that it has made no more than a beginning on the road to that complete usefulness which its demonstrated utility presages. “Ship by Truck” is a new slogan heard in the land. And it is one worth heeding. Shipping by truck has been adopted by an enormous number of industrial and commercial concerns for the simple reason that it is good business. It is a time-saver, a cost-saver and it makes for that satisfaction which is not to be secured through any other means of transit for an ever-growing list of deliveries. And perhaps the highest tribute that can be paid to the efficiency of automobile truck shipments is the encouragement which the new method is receiving from the United States Railroad Administration and from railroad managers themselves. The truck will relieve the railroads as they are now, and it wilt dispense with future construction of short spurs and branch lines. Within a quite extensive radius from any given point it will take the place of the steam road altogether. The truck will be loaded as it is now in countless places, at the. factory or warehouse, and the goods will be delivered without trans-shipment and without delay right at the door of the consignee. It is easy to visualize the developments up to a certain point; can you imagine the time when all the roads radiating from American cities will be teeming with business motor vehicles, when farmers generally will bring their products to town by auto-truck and take home their supplies in the same vehicle, without loss of time and at re- duced cost! That condition is on the way, and the highways transit committee, of the Council of National Defense is per- forming a work of prodigious national importance in further- ing the progress of the movement. All citizens should take a hand to the same end. The national and state governments are doing much in the way of road improvements, which are essential to the expansion of the use of trucks in commerce. All these efforts should be seconded by the people. The in- vestments which they make will return dividends many times in comfort and convenience and in the lessened cost of effi- cient service. “THEYRE HERE” STRAIGHT ROADS } No CURVES y The Hawkeye Pilot Car Rounding the G. P. Corner. ENGINES SHOULD BE STUDIED WITH! VIEW TO ABILITY There’s as Much Difference in Gaspower as There Is in Horsepower SIMPLEST ARE THE BEST Observance of a Few Simple Rules Will Give Buyer Value for Dollars In this, the gasoline age, when pre- ponderance of work incident to carry- ing on agriculture manufacturing and transportation is performed by inter- nal combustion engines, competition among manufacturers, jobbers and dealers of this kind of motive power is keen, with the result that the pros- pective purchased of a machine of this nature is at a loss in determin- ing the, engine to buy. There are numerous machines on the market and perhaps all of them have merit. For the purpose, therefore, of as- sisting persons in making a judicious selection of a gas engine, the follow- ing information has been compiled from Machinery’s Encyclopedia. Get Surplus Power Before buying a gas engine there are several points which ought to be given thought. One of the most im- portant of these is the amount of; power for the work to ‘be performed. || Regardless of what style of engine is to be secured it is usually a good idea to purchase a unit somewhat larger than what at first may appear necessary. It is always wise to have some power in reserve, since an en- gine laboring under an _ excessive strain is enefficient and involves a monetary loss to the owner, on ac- count of the wear and tear on the engine. The style of machine to be chosen depends upon the location and the kind of work to be done. If the en- gine is to be used in one location only, a standard type should be pur- chased. On the other hand, if the machine is to do work at various places and is to furnish motive power to transport loads, the portable type and the traction engine must be chosen. The picking out of the prop- er type is just as important as the purchasing of the right manufacture, In selecting a gas or gasoline en- gine, that type should ‘be chosen which is simple in shape. with all of its parts easy of access for cleaning, revlacing and renairing. A machine which is so constructed as to be dif- ficult to inspect should be passed up. Make sure that the water jackets have plenty of space and that the water circulates freely all about the cylinder head and chamber of the valve. Observe that all bearing pos- (Continued on page 28) * YOUR AUTO ABC) By Otto Krank When Doctors Disagree Don't let them kid you into pay- ing for something you don’t need. The dishonest repairman fs the ex- cention. But anyone may run_ across such an animal. And you're just as much at his mercy as you are in the hands of a doctor, if you don’t know your car. : Frinstance. A fellow was driving sweetly along one, day when his en- gine was seized with a fit of cough- ing and then went into a state of coma. An informal diagnosis showed the battery all right—te heart still beat.) He traced the current through the ignition switch and-down to the coil. All O. K. so far. But he couldn’t get a spark beyond the coil. And he couldn’t see anything wrong with the distributor. Consultation with nearby service station. “Your timing’s off,” said one expert—a long distance diagnosis. “Come down and look it over,” in- sisted the driver. A mechanic went with him, cranked her a time or two, fiddled the wires, monkeyed with the distributor and said, “She needs a new coil, I'd better tow her in.” But Mr. Driver had a coil rushed down from where they sold them, put it in—and then she wouldn't go. About this time a Good Samaritan came out of. nearby house, examin- ed the battery ground wire, cleaned the terminal, straightened out a twisted distributor arm, and started the engine. Credit experience. Debit pocketbook | one coil—not needed, fees to two ser- vice men who didn’t know their busi- ness and $1 to the Good Samaritan, who took it reluctantly. se 8 Towing Her to Life Sometimes a balky engine can be started by having another car pull it a ‘half block with the gears in second speed. The battery may be down, the en- gine cold and cranking too slow to get an explosion. Or there may be a faulty connection in the ignition sys- tem which prevents a strong enough spark reaching the gasoline charge to overcome the resistance of a dead engine. There may be current enough to run on once the engine is started. There's where the friendly tow does the work. But trace down the origin of your trouble at the first convenient stop. MOTOR TRUGKIS COUNTED ON 70 CUT FOOD COSTS Ship-by-Truck Advocates Show How Present System of Distribution Wastes 66 CENTS OF DOLLAR GOES Say Automotive Hauling Would Reduce Number of Hand- lers and Obviate Delays If sixty-five cents. out of each dol- lar the ultimate consumer now pays for food goes to those who have handled this foodstuff since the pro- ducer was paid his thirty-five cents for it, can this charge for handling be reduced in a great degree by requi- sitioning the motor truck on a larger scale in the present system of distri- bution? “Ship ‘by truck” advocates are em- phatic in answering in the affirma- tive. The facts they muster to their support are set forth in a letter sent! out by E. Farr, chief of the Firestone Ship-b ruck bureau of Akron, which has a branch in Bismarck. Present System Wrong “The present system used in mar- keting food is glaringly expensive and therefore wrong,” says Mr. Farr. “New and ‘better conceived methods in the distribution system are neces- sary. The problem involved without doubt surpasses every other in the economic field at this time of general business reconstruction. “The trend of the times is to give the producer a greater share of that which he produces. This applies to the farmer as well as to the mechanic. At the vame time the chief effort is put forth to reduce the cost of living to the consumer. _ Between producer and consumer lies the distributor. A study of the facts and statistics show that he and those who assist him are taking an undue share of the money threwn into the market, at the ex- pense of producer and consumer. “Mr. John Dillon, the head of the ‘bureau of foods and markets of ‘New York city, declares that the ultimate consumer gives two-thirds of his dol- lar to the system of distribution. That is it costs not less than sixty-five cents to handle thirty-five cents worth of foodstuff. “It has been mentioned in several reports that the California Fruit Growers’ association has received on an average during the past four years $1.60 a crate for oranges. During this same period the average paid by the consumer has been $4.80 a crate. “In most parts of the United States at the present time we who drink; | milk must pay about fourteen cents a quart for it. The farmer as a rule receives from five to six cents a quart. (Continued on page 23) SELLS PAIGE CAR OVER PHONE FROM TRIBUNE WRITEUP Missouri Valley Motor Co. Dis- posed of a Number of Cars Yesterday Will McGregor saw a write up in The Tribune regarding the ar- rival of a number of new Paiges for the Missouri Valley Motor company this week and imme- diately got R. B. Loubeck, man- ager of the company, on the *phone. “This is Bill McGregor of Mc- Intosh and I saw you just got a supply of Paiges,” said Mr. Mc- Gregor over the ‘phone. “That's right,” said Mr. Lou- beck. “Well, I want you to save one of those Paige sixes and I am coming over right after it.” And Mr. McGregor did. But after he saw the handsome lines of this popular car, he decided that he wanted another and made "Mr. Loubeck promise to deliver the second one from the carload that arrived here this morning. Mr. McGregor is a_ pioneer banker and rancher of McIntosh. C.. P. O'Rourke of ‘Mandan bought a Hudson speedster from the Missouri Valley Co. today. J. J. Tavis, cashier of the State Bank of Flasher, bought a Chev- rolet sedan, and Ruth Perkins of Mandan also bought a sedan. George Reuter would not wait un- til a Hudson speedster was deliv- ered here soe went to Detroit and bought his car there, through the influence of Mr. Loubeck and drove it back to Bismarck, arriv- Ing here yesterday. MOTOR TRUCK TOURISTS _ SPEND DAY IN COUNTRY Bismarck’s motor, truck tourists guests are spending the day getting close to nature’s heart. Cars this morning set out from the city in ev- ery direction to pick up odd jobs on neighboring farms through which the practicability of the motor truck could ‘be demonstrated. Some of the jobs found were very odd. The trucks are hauling hay and hogs, carting steers and handling grain, proving their versatility by do- ing every bit of transportation work on the farm which can be done by a team and wagon, with much that can- not. With their broad tires, the big cars encountered no difficulty in run- ning through plowed fields, over stub- ‘ble and unbroken prairie. Burleigh county farmers for whom these dem- onstrations have been made have pro- fessed surprise and have expressed the intention of coming in tomorrow for the big show at the capitol grounds. WAR PROVED GREAT DEVELOPER OF MOTOR TRUCK; RAILWAYS SWAMPED, GAS-DRIVEN TRANSPORT SAVED DAY ! Traffic Conditions Growing Out of Congestion Due to Move- ment of Military Supplies and Men Created Demand Which Forced Heavy Duty Cars to Front—Allied Machines Tri- umphed Over German Rails at Chateau Thierry. By C. D. Studebaker, District 'Manag- er Firestone Tire and Rubber Co., in the indiana Booster The policy of shipping by truck has much to recommend it. For in- stance, when a shipment is intrusted to one of the several thousand track transportation companies in country there is ample assurance of punctual delivery. These companies dispatch their tr}cks on regular “schedules! over carefully planned routes. In ad- dition to prompt delivery they offer extra precaution and special care in the handling of goods. On these trips are handled only two or at the most, three times. The truck backs up to the shipping platform, the consign- ment is loaded, the truck starts off and on schedule time arrives at its destination. Upon arrival the truck goes directly to the receiving plat- form of the consignee and is there unloaded. ‘Breakage, as a rule, is in direct ratio to the number of times one’s goods are handled, and thus breakage is reduced to a minimum, The ordinary freight shipment .un- dergoes from six to eight handlings. The consequence is seen in delay, damage and labor expense. When the motor truck came into being a few years ago few people realized that truck traffic was going to a very considerably factor in the transport of the future. No one thought that the railroads could be superseded for freight hauling. least of all did the railroad and express compantés. ‘Some time-later-the idea entered the minds of both of them; it also entered the minds of numerous truck owners. Still none of them realized the possibilities. The truck owner did not think for a moment that he with his trucks could com: pete with the express and railroad companies. It was generally consid- ered that they had the monopoly on freight and express handling. War Changed Things The war changed all that. When Verdun was saved, when the defense of the great Somme valley was ac- complished, when the Chateau Thier- ry victory was achieved, each one made possible by a victory of allied motors over German railroads, the motor truck was put on the map to stay. In this country the railroads were simply flooded with traffic; they couldn't begin to handle the volume; then they submerged. Moveover, they discovered that their short hauls were unprofitable and that only traf- fic they could handle at a profit was the long distance haul. On the other hand, the truck owners, driven to it (Continued on page 22) “SHIP BY TRUCK” The Buffalo Evening News (Edtiorial of May 24) As.a means of reducing the cost of living and of gener- ally stimulating trade the motor truck has large possibilities. There are now in successful operation in this country several thousand truck lines, many of them organized under public service laws. There are several running out of Buffalo, but this city has not begun to realize on the possibilities of service. The motor truck is the most effective agency in bringing the country producer and the city consumer together. The use of it in regular service would mean the saving of vast quantities of so-called perishable farm products, products which would spoil, waiting for a farmer’s accustomed market day ; the use of it would mean better food and cheaper food. For it would make every day a market day. The city tradesman has large profit in the development of truck lines. It would serve for the handling of all short- haul freight. It would mean that customers in the towns and on the farms would have ready service. Short-haul freight is the bane of the railroads. It is unprofitable for them; it would be highly profitable for truck lines. A railroad ship- ment is handled from six to eight times. A truck shipment is handled only twice; it is direct-connection shipment. A truck can go when and where business calls it. The possibilties of the truck were developed by the armies in France. Without it they would have been lost. If there were men to be moved quickly, they were moved in truck trains. If there was ammunition to bring up, trucks brought it up. And they brought up all other supplies. It was the efficiency of the truck service that saved Paris in the first rush of the Germans on the capital. Buffalo is most advantageously situated for the success- ful operation of truck lines. Good roads radiate from it in all directions, roads which give quick access to the most productive farming country in the land. Niagara, Orleans, Genesee, Livingston, Chautauqua, and Chattaraugus coun- ties, with all their wealth of food stuffs, are within easy trucking distance of Buffalo. The Chamber of Commerce should give all possible encouragement to private enterprise directed toward the development of truck lines. pt