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Show INVESTIGATION OF PROBLEMS RAISED BY ESTABLISHMENT OF RURAL EXPRESS LINES 1 -V-vi h :" -: r- f h j ci 1 " r4& Vieilflinll t tmTr I n in i Motor Trucks Used to Distribute Army Food in City of Washington. F. n. Akers, Chicago, manager of a large automobile concern, has presented pre-sented the results of some investigations investiga-tions relative to motor stages and freight lines. While Mr. Akers believes in common com-mon with many other automobile men that rural express lines have a future before them, he has run across several sev-eral problems which must be met and solved before they can be a complete success. He advocates the establishment establish-ment of a rural -express commission operating under the state government, and regulating mates, competition, etc., as a protection ito this very young industry. in-dustry. Here is a case which Mr. Akers investigated : "Not long ago 'one of our truck dealers deal-ers In Washington saw a very feasible untraversed motor express route between be-tween a small town and a fairly good-sized good-sized city. A. young clerk in a clothing store had .consistently saved his money mon-ey had been reading the government's govern-ment's propaganda and saw in the rural express idea an opportunity of becoming iiis own boss a proprietor, of a rural express line with every chance to .expand. The young man enlisted She help of the truck dealer. Together they canvassed the merchants mer-chants tn the town and were assured of enough business to make the line pay, providing a reasonable amount of freight (could be secured tm the city to .haul1 back. "The young man purchased (the track i.nd -soon had a thriving little business. Then another truck dealer ( got busy and persuaded another man to enter the business. A truck dealer in the city at the other end of the line induced a man there to inaugu-rate inaugu-rate a line on the same route. Shortly ; there were four competitors on the one line and when the business was split four times there was not enough money 'left to pay gasoline tiills. Commission Needed. "Had ti properly constituted com mission been established with the necessary nec-essary authority to grant franchises and limited the route to two competitors competi-tors the enterprise would have been 5 success. With the franchise there i would naturally go some undertakings , on the part of the truck owner. For , example, he would have to give a bond .to deliver on schedule the same i jis the parcel post contractor in any city, with a penalty attached for fail- j ure. Rates would be established by ! this commission. A truck owner should not be compelled to make rates ', so low that he can't give good serv- , ice or yet, because of his franchise, be allowed to charge exorbitant rates. "The return loads bureau, which is another factor in conducting the rural ; express system, is something else that I will need careful attention. The evil .,- of all loads being return loads, will be a menace to the rural express ! -system unless carefully guarded' against. It is the greatest system of; transportation ever devised and as i such should be protected from its pitfalls." |