SHORT LINE ROAD THING OF PAST PASTIN IN AMERICA I Ii I I I I j I I i Motor Truck Puts Little Rail Lines Out of Business Business Busi Busi- ness Forever Tho The introduction of the motor truck Into our commercial life sounds the death knell of ot tho the short-line short railroad was the declaration of or F. F A. A president of or the Goodyear Goodear Tire Tiro R Ru z- z vcr ber company comp an and at also o of the Lincoln Highway association at the recent Annual annual An an- nual meeting of the tho Chamber of Commerce Commerce Com Corn merce merco of or the tho United States at Chicago Perhaps never ne again continued Mr Jr except where heavy tonI tonnage tonnage ton ton- nage Is to be bo handled Ill will short-line short railroads be built In this country Duo Duoto lo to Us its proven economic value the tho motor motor mo nio- tor truck truel is moving irresistibly forward and now will be bo forced b by tho ho of war necessity to do In a year ear or two two- what economic efficiency would have havo led It to do sooner woner or later later dominate dominate completely the short-haul short field Wo 0 must mURt substitute In our short- short haul traffic the motor truck for or the lie frel freight ht car the permanent continuous paved hl highway hwn lor tor the steel railed and rock ballasted roadbed and the loading and receiving platform of oC the iia ual shipper for the railroad yards ards and arid freight terminals needlessly con congested ested with freight which could be hauled on motor trucks The motor truck carries its own terminal facilities being able to carry a product from its point of I of utilization origin to its point Disregarding entirely the saving In cost of or short-haul short transportation It must be done dono to relieve the railroads railroad I It would have havo to be done even If It the tho cost were the lie same or greater than rail mil deliver But Dut the tho fact that lint It is cheaper quicker and ani more efficient than the short haul railroad assures the permanent and antI continuous development of oC motor truck transportation even af afUr after af- af I at-I ter Ur the war emergency which gave s it It birth has passe passed Within a ran range e of fifty to one hundred hun hun- dr dred i miles the tho motor truck i is It easily toda today on better hetter than even terms with the railroads All that hint Is needed Is the i building of oC surfaced hard hi highways h as oCI of oC adequate strength capable of carrying I the tho new burden that this great reat 3 advance In transportation will require Such highwaYs s 's we must have It is no longer longera a question of whether we should or should not build them with mone money la labor la- la bor hor and equipment which it was at atI first thought could be better devoted luring during the tho war to other purposes Itis It Itis Itis is now only a question as to where I and how these new arteries of or traffic should be constructed We Ve have today motor trucks in service in this country countr Those competent competent com coni- to jud Judge e estimate that within shall end this five lI years cars after the war number will exceed and that nothing can stop this great groat roat economic movement ement except the tho failure which would be bc a national calamity to build I surfaced hard-surfaced roads of ot adequate strength to carry the greater tonnage at tho the higher speed that will bo ho re- re Wo Vo need and should have o at once created and empowered ered b by proper te legislation legis legis- ls- ls lation a strong independent federal hl highway haY department adequately I sUPplied supplied sup sUP- UP- UP plied with money mone and broad discretionary discretion discretion- ar arv ary powers over its expenditure so organized organized or or- I that it could m make inke ke a thorough survey sune of or motor truck transportation requirements and dictate to state county count and township units upon what roads their mone money should be bo expended Small however can be laid on these road constructing units for tor our lack hack of ot connecting highways as for tor no machinery has been provided to enable them to cooperate with each oth other r effi effi- effi There Thero are arc thousands or ot Interned enemy aliens allens and federal prisoners now idl idly wasting their time as wards t of tho the government o or devoting do it to pastimes or Ineffective labor tabor selected by hy their Individual preferment who ho might inthis Inthis in inthis this crisis bo be assisting In iii speeding up upI Americas America's transportation and wartime I efficiency