Jasper County Democrat, Volume 21, Number 58, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 19 October 1918 — RURAL MOTOR EXPRESS REACHES WIDE FIELD [ARTICLE]

RURAL MOTOR EXPRESS REACHES WIDE FIELD

Every Citizen in Indiana Effected by Efficiency of Motor Truck Work. Calling attention to the Rural Motor Express, and the Return Loads Bureaus, the members of the Highway Transport Committee of the State Council of Defense, Evans Woolen of Indianapolis, I. D. Straus of Ligonier and A. E. Reynolds of Crawfordsville, point to the economy they will mean to Indiana when developed to the utmost efficiency. The Motor Truck Express system of hauling and the Return Load Bureaus have been fathered by the National Council of Defense to help the transportation problems of the railroads and to make local transportation cheap and a perfectly flexible thing. The suggestion comes from the Highway Transport Committee of the State Council of Defense that rural motor truck express lines over the main highways surrounding the population centers should be established because of the following important war advantages: Farmers Produce More. Produatlon is stimulated. Farmers increase the variety and quantity o’ production when regular marketing facilities are available. Farmers are relieved of their task of hauling their products to market and the existing farm labor jppply is thereby conserved. Additional food supply is available by tapping the farm communities which have no other good shipping facilities. Much of this food is either wasted or greatly deteriorated because of poor shipping facilities. With, labor scarce and food de-

mands high, this motor express WE needed. Where this service is la operation, farmers say that termination of that service would result la reduced production. Big War Measure. The possibilities of this system are big as a war measure. Reinforced by the Return Load idea, one sees the perfect system of transportation growing out of hauling full loads both ways. There is no loss in man power in hauling; there is no damage to the roads by unfilled trucks and farmee and city man, retailer and consumer and producer are served In the very best way to win the war. Working out this big idea with the State Council of Defense are the business and commercial organizations of the state, such as the Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce, which has established a Return Ix>ad Bureau with an office at the Indianapolis Stock Yards, where the hundreds of trucks coming there dally can flna loads for return hauling. The truck men of the state have fallen in line with enthusiasm, for these return loads make their motor trucks 100 per cent, efficient.