Transcriber’s Note
One obvious typographical error ("poulation" for "population") wascorrected, but the remainder of the text was left as originally printed.
THE RURAL MOTOR EXPRESS
TO CONSERVE FOODSTUFFS AND LABOR AND
TO SUPPLY RURAL TRANSPORTATION
HIGHWAYS TRANSPORT COMMITTEE
COUNCIL OF NATIONAL DEFENSE
WASHINGTON, D. C.
RESOLUTION PASSED BY THE COUNCIL OF NATIONAL DEFENSE.
"The Council of National Defense approves the widest possible use of themotor truck as a transportation agency, and requests the State Councils ofDefense and other State authorities to take all necessary steps to facilitatesuch means of transportation, removing any regulations that tend to restrictand discourage such use."
WASHINGTON
GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE
1918
COUNCIL OF NATIONAL DEFENSE.
HIGHWAYS TRANSPORT COMMITTEE.
WASHINGTON, D. C.
THE RURAL MOTOR EXPRESS.
The transportation burden on the railroads and highways of thecountry has been tremendously increased by the war. There is alarger load to be carried, of manufactured goods, raw materials, andfoodstuffs. Not only has production of manufactures, raw materials,and farm products increased, but it is now necessary to transport amuch larger proportion of these goods over long distances.
The burden is further increased by the fact that we have removedacross the sea, 3,000 miles away, a considerable part of our population,which must be provisioned and maintained. These men werein our Army camps last winter. This year there are other men inthese camps, and we must handle goods and foodstuffs not only tothese 30 new cities but to a great population 3,000 miles away.
It is absolutely necessary to utilize our facilities to the maximumand to extend the use of the highways by the more efficient use ofmotor vehicles which can operate independent of fixed lines or terminalswhere congestion of traffic is likely to occur. The motortruck can help the railroad by reducing the short-haul load, andalso act as a feeder line in sections far removed from market.
Added to the increased loads of goods to be transported is thefact that man power must be conserved. Heretofore the farmerhas done his own hauling to market, but adoption of the rural motorexpress will enable him to delegate his hauling and to devote his owntime to farm operations. An enormous waste of time and labor ofboth men and teams can be prevented by consolidating the smallloads from a number of farms into a single load to be carried by amotor truck.
In many localities local food supplies are in need of development.A better use must be made of agricultural lands in the immediatevicinity of population centers. It improves the business of thelocal community and adds to the total food supply of the country.The improvement of marketing facilities through the opening ofregular daily traffic to market centers and shipping points is amost effective agency in encouraging food production.
We have, therefore, three outstand