The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, April 12, 1920, Page 12

Rescuin theWaste ~ organization which led to the THE Standard Oil Company (Indiana) renders a°vital service by giving multiplications of value to that portion of the crude oil left, after gasoline, kerosene, and lubricating oils have been extracted, through the production of innumerable by-products, each supply- ing a definite need. Thus have been developed products such as Parowax, which serve such use-- ful purposes as a dprotectlve coating for cheese, meats, and sausages; for match ends; for water-proofing milk bottle caps, ice cream pails,and paper drinking cups; and for sealing preserved vegeta- bles, fruits and jellies against bacteria, ferments and mold. , These are but a few of the uses of one of the more than 2000 products manu- factured by the Standard Oil Company §Mdiana), covering needful commodities rom asphalt to candles. So vast a program could not be carried out except by a highly specialized organ- ization, developed to maintain numerous contacts with the world of production on one hand, and with the consuming public on the other. It was the need for such a specialized e great de- velopment of the Standard Oil Company (Indiana). No single function of this great organization has come into being without a definite call to service. . Today the Standard Oil Company (Indi- ana) is big only because the need of its service is great; because the ways in which it is able to serve are continually multiplying as the complexities of modern industrial life increase. Standard Oil Company (Indiana) 910 S. Michigan Avenue, _Chicago, Ill. Mention the Leader When Writing Advertisers ‘association to earn dividends. A Truck Line From Farm to Market How Southern Farmers Co-Operated to Reduce Their Transportation Costs BY F. H. SWEET 2| OULD we do else? Rail- 4| road service was un- satisfactory, distance to market was too great for horse travel, and local charges for hauling by. motor truck were unreasonably high. In self-defense we organized a co-operative association to do our own hauling.” Thus the secretary of the rural motor route of Lynchburg to Norfolk and “way stations” answered my query of why the association was formed. : “We incorporated our asseciation and capitalized it for $5,000, selling 200 shares of stock which had a par value of $25 a share,” he continued. “Each member is obliged to own at least one share of steck, but is limited in his stock purchase to 20 shares. We bought a four-ton truck, which oper- ated over our entire line for hauling milk, cream and other farm produce to the cities, and feedstuffs, seeds, salt, fertilizer, machinery and supplies for the farmers along the route. In this way we were rarely without a load in either direction. We got office room and clerical help, where supplies were received to be hauled to the country. “No attempt has been made by the Rates are made with a view to meeting the expenses, providing for depreciation and accumulating a surplus to be used as working capital. “The rate on first class goods is 15 cents per 100 pounds. The first class includes apples, axle grease, baskets, butter, beans, buckets, cantaloupes, fish, groceries, harness, hay, machin- ery under 400 pounds, stoves, ete. Sec- ond class articles, such as axes, are hauled for 12 cents per 100 pounds. Calves are hauled to market for 50 cents apiece, while live cattle and hogs are handled at 50 cents per 100 pounds. INSURANCE FURNISHED IF PATRON DESIRES “It costs 25 cents a coop to ship chickens, while milk and cream are hauled at 2% cents a gallon, the emp- ty cans being returned.” The association pays its members for all goods lost or destroyed. Where the shipper desires insurance against loss, the charge for hauling cream is 4 cents a gallon; if the shipper is will- ing to assume the risk the same charge is made for hauling cream as for milk. In case of loss all cream shipments made at the milk rate are paid for on milk basis. If the shipper pays the 4-cent rate, all losses are settled at the market price of cream. Thus far dam- ages have been paid out of operating revenues, although it is believed a safer policy would be to create a spe- cial fund to provide for such expenses. Another good plan is to take out suffi- cient insurance to cover both trucks and goods in transit in case of loss. The members of the association who live along the route have constructed: loading platforms at their front gates. The association operates one four-ton and one five-ton truck. These make daily trips. This truck line is of valuable assist- ance to its members in the purchase and sale of produce and supplies. Members notify the secretary of their needs and as soon as enough orders are on hand he buys at wholesale in large amounts in Norfolk or Rich- mond, thereby reducing the cost ma- terially. If an individual wishes to make his own purchase he can have PAGE TWELVE . the supplies delivered at the receiving station, so that they may be hauled by truck to his farm. The motor service is of incalculable value to the mem- bers during periods of rush work. When machines break they are able to telephone to the city for repairs and have them delivered by the truck, per- haps the same afternoon that the aceci- dent occurs. The association also aids in selling produce. One member had 1,500 bushels of wheat which he wanted to sell. The local miller did not want to buy. The owner was too busy with other work to haul the wheat to the railroad, so he turned the marketing over to the secretary of the associa- tion, who sold the wheat in Norfolk and delivered it by the club trucks. GOOD OPERATORS ARE ESSENTIAL Competent, reliable and honest oper- ators, who will make trips in the least possible time, are essential where the rural truck route is to be successful. The plan of the association in question is to have both the driver and his helper qualified to operate the ma- chine, so that the helper can replace the driver when necessary. The experience of this association suggests a solution of hauling and marketing that is adapted to many farming sections which are located within truck reach of a desirable city market and which are favored with permanent hard roads. Those who organize such associa- tions are advised to study carefully their local conditions, so as to be sure that there is enough year-round haul- ing to justify the establishment of a truck route. They should raise suffi- cient funds at the outset to pay cash for a truck. It is cheaper to operate a four or five-ton truck than it is to run one of two-ton capacity, provided there is sufficient tonnage available. As a rule the new association will not go wrong if it begins business with a larger truck than it really needs. This will allow for expansion and development of the business, which is sure to follow in a well-se- lected territory. Trucks of only stand- ard make should be used, as under such conditions repairs will be easy to get and the overhauling of the truck will not be beyond the ability of the average mechanie. FARM MOTOR TRUCKS At least 50,000 farmers in the Unit- ed States now possess motor trucks, according to a special report sent in by the 85,000 selected government crop reporters. The actual number is probably several thousand in excess of this figure. Of the number reported Minnesota has 1,225, Wisconsin 1,465, North Da- kota 501, South Dakota 1,708, Ne- braska 2,789, Kansas 1,732, TIowa ‘25,87273, Montana 359, and Washington Trucks used for general custom hauling were not included in the sur- vey. PAID TO EAT In certain parts of Arkansas owners of goat herds, instead of having to pay for pasture receive 50 to 75 cents per animal a season. The explanation is that the goats-are valuable in clear- ing land and thus preparing the way for grass, cattle and sheep. The angora goat averages about three and one-half pounds of mohair and this brings from 50 to 75 cents 8 pound on the’ general market. X