FARM CART AND MOTO A COMPARISON.
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Which is the Cheaper Mode of Transport for the Farmer—the Horse or Mechanical Power ?
THE income tax is not always regarded in a friendly fashion ; cases have, indeed, been known in which its evasion has been attempted! It can, however, be shown that in an indirect way, it may operate as a .real helper to certain classes of the community.
It is only ' of late, for example that the farmer has been at pains to prepare much of a return for the assessor. In former years he was frequently assessed in accordance with the simple rent of his holding ; lately, however, double that rent has been taken as a basis, with tlie alternative of assessment " on the actual profits of the farm. It has frequently been more satisfactory for the farmer to accept the alternative, a proceeding which has had the effect, amongst other things, ot making him discover what his horses are costing him in feed and keep. The result has been, in many eases, a real surprise for the farmer.
To tackle an agriculturist on the question of transport costs is always a risky proceeding. To start with if the alternative which is being suggested to him is the motor, he is likely to be up in arms at once, for the motor vehicle in the towns is destroying his market for horses—a once important branch of British farming. In any case, it is quite likely that he will state that his horses cost him nothing, as he breeds from them, so that they appreciate instead of depreciate. Strictly speaking, however, there is very little real foundation in fact for this statement. Horses are no good for heavy transport until they reach the age of three or four years, by which time, if they are to realize a good price, they should be placed upon the market. Moreover, this question of the value of horses from a breeding standpoint cuts both ways. Just now, for example, a farmer will say that he might as well in any case have horses, because they are so cheap. Yet, if they are cheap, surely that is a good enough reason for refraining from breeding them, since the prices they fetch will hardly pay for their keep during the time they are growing to a, useful and saleable age. The effect of this factor is already making itself felt, for the decline in horse-breeding appears to have set in very thoroughly, the number of foals produced last year being the lowest on record, and actually 25 per cent. less than 15 years ago.
Moreover, a greater decline than ever is anticipated for the current year. So much for one aspect of the horse as a means of transport.
His cost has, in company with that of everything else, fluctuated pretty considerably during the past Lour years, and perhaps more than that of most other things. Even now, although the expenses have nearly gravitated to a semi-permanent level, it is hardly safe to be very dogmatic, or even emphatic, about the matter. There should he few, however, even amongst the horse's strongest and most biassed advocates, to criticise me if I state that 15s. a week will barely cover the cost of a horse's food, even actually on the farm, where food and horse too are produced. Fifteen shillings a week is 240 a year in round figures. His shoeing will cost about 25 a year, and veterinary attention another 25. The allowance for stabling need be but small, say the same amount, 25. Harness and all leather goods are still very high in price ; for depreciation and repairs an allowance of 23 10s. per annum must be made.
There is still the depreciation of the horse to be reckoned ; it. does not depend on. the first cost of the horse so much as on the horse itself. Indeed, horses have been known to go off very quickly indeed, to the immediate benefit of the local eat's-meat man. However, if we take an initial cost of 275, which is not too high for a good horse, _ even in these days, and reckon on a 1211 per cent. depreciation, which is equivalent to assuming that the horse is going to give eight years of useful work from the age of four until he is 12, the depreciation will amount to 29 78. 6d. per annum. Now we can see what a single horse is going to cost us in food and keep for a year. Food, 240; shoeing and vet., £10; stabling and harness, 28 10s. and depreciation of the animal itself, 29 78. 6d. Total, 267 17s. 6d. per annum. A. horse, however, does not actually work 52 weeks a year ; 40 is his average, so that the cost of a week's horse keep is 21 14s.
Most of the farmer's road cartage is from farm to station and vice versa. If we assume a two-ton load, then three horses will be required, costing 25 2s. a week for keep. The wagon used will be worth about 265, and its depreciation about 4s. a week. The driver's wages are 22 10s. a week, and, for three horses, a boy also is usually needed, say another 21. Grand total, for a two-ton horsed wagon, 28 168. a week. Now, what would a two ton petrol lorry cost on the same basis? There would be a licence to get, amounting to 10s. a week ; .the driver's wages would be 23; stabling, same as the horse, 2s. a week; insurance, 65. 3d. ; and interest on first cost, 14s. 35 a week. Depreciation we may, in this instance, assume to be 127per cent., the same as the horse, which means that we must allow 11 15s. a week. Total, 16 7s. 65.
" But," I hear a chorus of agitated and excited voices, " no allowance is made for petrol, oil and tyres, nor for repairs and maintenance."
Precisely; it is on the question of the cost of these supplies that we really come to grips with the problem. The horse-drawn wagon costs us 16s. a week, .whether it stays in. the stable or not ;, the petrol wagen runs us into an expenditure ot 26 Is. 6d. while it is stabled, 'but costs us more as we run it. Indeed, it will involve us in about 5d. for every mile run, in addition to the expenditure set out above. That 5a. is made up of 2.4-d, for petrol, 0.20d. for oil, 1.055. for tyres and 1.35d. for repairs and maintenance.
Suppose the station is three miles from the farm. A three-horsed wagon will take half a day to convey a load there and return-three-quarters of a day I am assured by one very practical and open-minded farmer-but we will assume half a day. He may, therefore, make two journeys a day-at no extra cost.
A motor lorry will do each double journey in half an hoar. The two journeys, which constitute a horse-drawn wagon's day, can be aecomplishe-d, allowing ample time for loading or unloading,or both, in two hours, at an extra cost of (bd. a mile) 3s. 45. a day, or (for five and a half days) 18s. 4d. per week, bringing the total cost of the lorry up to
27 Ss. 101, still 21 10s. al. less than the horsed wagon.
But that is not all. The motor lorry is still available for other work for three-quarters of every day, and can do practically any of the cartage j work which is ordinarily carried out by a horsed wl:agon. Suppose, for example., as might very well happen, there was enough of this cartage work to occupy two horsed wagons. The lorry could still do the work of the second wagon, and have time to spare, for a further cost of but 18s. 4d. as against 28 16s. for a second horsed wagon. The total cost of a twoton motor lorry, doing four double journeys a day, would be 28 4s. 25. The corresponding cost for two three-horsed wagons, which would be necessary for the work, would be 117 12s., and the motor would still be greedy for more!! The motor could still do this work in the morning and be available for hay or corn harvesting, distribution of roots or manure, or for any other of the dozen and a half transport jobs which have always to be done on a farm.
The considerations of cost are equally applicable up and down the scale for all sizes of motor. A three-tontier, for example, would cost, reckoned the same way : licence, us. ; wages, 23; rent (stabling), 2s. ; insurance, 7s. ; and interest, 18s. ; depreciation, 22. Total, 26 18s. per week, and the extra cost per mile, 6.25.
A three-ton steam wagon would similarly cost: licence, 12s.-; wages, of driver and mate, 25.; rent, 2s. ; insurance, 7s. ; interest, £1; and depreciation, 12 6s. Bd. Total, 29 7s. ad. The particular advantage of a steamer is, of course, its capacity to draw a trailer, thus increasing very considerably the load which may be moved on one occasion. The extra cost per mile for a three-ton-steamer, over and above the weekly cost, is 6.45. per mile. THE SrurreEt.