Show GENERAL GENERALa a HUGH S. S JOHNSON JOHNSONa a Jour Las f sa Washington D D. D C C. AR ARMY IY AND BUS DUS LINES In speaking to and with the National National Na tlona Association of Motor Bus Dus Operators Operators Op I 1 learned something to add to the many things I do not know This country Is now a gridiron of motor roads A considerable part of its passengers and freight transportation trans trans- moves over these roads in automotive vehicles Whatever may be the fairness to the railroad networks of the low tax and roadbed costs to these competitors tors of theirs this system Is a very necessary part of our national machinery machinery ma ma- chinery for transportation in both peace and war Hitler has shown the necessity for forthe forthe the highest perfection in swift motorized motorized motorized mo mo- movements of army units Our government has belatedly recognized recognized rec rec- it We are getting ready to spend vast sums to motorize our army Doubtless we soon will be adding to our public highway system tem tern a new network of strategic roads roads feeder feeder highways Into areas that may be threatened and are not now well equipped for quick transportation trans of masses of men and sup sup- plies Our new and only partly motorized army is writing a terrible record of delays and breakdowns bre due to half half- trained drivers and repair and s service service rv ice departments This is to be expected ex petted In any beginning but it 11 should be cured The record of experienced civilIan civilian civilian civil civil- ian bus and truck systems in economy economy economy my efficiency and maintenance shows remarkable performance performance-nv av averages of to miles of highways operation without mechanIcal mechanical ical delay Recently a motorized artillery battalion on a superhighway super high way averaged 16 10 miles per hour on ona ona ona a march of miles due mlles duo to mechanIcal mechanical mechanical me me- troubles This is just one of dozens of recent examples You cant can't make an efficient motor fleet overnight Our plans for a new swift moving motorized army capable of striking like lightning anywhere on either coast of our country should be integrated integrated inte inte- grated closely closey with our splendid existing existing ex ex- fisting civilian system of motor transport trans port It would be foolish to attempt to parallel paralle it completely for the army with another complete system of owned government-owned and operated motor vehicles General Marshall made clear recently recently re reo re- re that his plans do not contemplate contemplate plate a military motor fleet capable of carrying all his troops at one time He suggested a shuttle system system tem tern whereby the army motor transport is to take part of an army forward and then go back for the rest If it only took half halt on a trip that would cut army speed by two Why should there not be added to the plan wherever possible complete compete complete com com- pete utilization in both peace and war of our splendid existing civilian civil ian motor transport system system not not merely for carriage but for maintenance maintenance nance of service To do that requires requires re reo re- re quires experimental experience while in n an emergency all such transport would surely be suddenly commandeered and used in helter helter- fashion it is as important to get a smoothly working opera operation by peacetime practice as it is to have experimental maneuvers with the National Guard Is anything like that being done On the contrary because the quartermaster quartermaster quart general of the army has n joint military passenger agreement agreement agreement agree ment with the railroads which is practically exclusive of the use of automotive transport it is only in very rare cases that the civilian automotive automotive au au- systems can be used for forthe forthe forthe the transportation of troops One reason advanced by the quartermaster quart general genera for refusal to change that headed bone-headed senility is that the joint military passenger agreements have been in effect between be tween the railroads rl and the war war and navy departments for over a quarter of a century So had the French military methods meth which the German swift moving motorized attack smashed in a few weeks been used for over a quarter ter of ot a century This reason reveals reveals re- re the typical dry rot of the Crustacean Crus bureaucracy which is so dangerous dangerous dan in this swiftly moving warlike war like world We must have our railroad network net work for military efficiency and you cant can't keep it up without giving it business But we also need our automotive au network and we c cant can't nt reconcile rec that with a railroad monopoly Something ought to be done about this tomorrow Gunton Gullion Hershey Ideal deal for Draft General Gullion is to direct the selective se se- service draft and Col Cot Lewis Hershey is to b be his deputy These are splendid choices General Gullion head of the le legal le Ie gal department of the army Is a veteran of the World war draft He lie knows every angle of its There he worked first as a. head o of Its information and press relations sec sec- In that job he had to be expert ex pert both in all the machinery of ot the draft and also in Its bearing on the public |