U.S.A. Needs All Forms of Transport
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" I AM convinced that we are wit nessing the start of an ' era of good feeling ' in transport in America. I believe that there is a growing recognition of the good features of each competing form and a lessening of recrimination," said Mr. J. N. Bauman, in an address to the Rotary Club of Toledo. He was introducing "Singing Wheels," a film produced by the American Automobile Manufacturers' Association to tell the story of the motor truck's effect in many sections of business.
They recognized no legitimate quarrel with any existing forms of transportation, said Mr. Bauman. America was fortunate enough to have them all, especially now. Each one—road, rail, water, and air—could do a certain job better than the others. One could cut a fraction of a cent off' the cost of a quart of milk . . another, perhaps, a fraction of an hour off the production time for a bomber.
"In recent weeks," he added, "they had heard a good deal about the threat of a petroleum shortage in the eastern part of the country as a result of transport difficultles. A relatively
small number of tankers transferred from coastwise service had thrown a load on other means for petroleum transport that might prove too much for them. to handle. This was the first dramatic example they had had in the present emergency of the vital need for all transport facilities." Mr. Bauman pointed out that, unfortunately, American road transport was heir to an incrustation on State statute books of discriminatory laws -passed during the past 20 years. Many_ of them were, frankly, penalizing in their intent, but, because the coat of transport was ultimately borne by the consumer, the public has had to suffer. Laws were chaotic. It sounded absurd, but is, nevertheless, true, that it is actually impossible to build a transport vehicle that can be legally operated in every State of the Union. There had been glaring examples of defence material being turned back for reshipment in order to conform with some State's most trivial technicality.
Referring to the manner in which American industry was interdependent, Mr. Bauman, mentioned that two truck manufacturers—A-utocar, of Ardmore, Penn., and Diamond-T, of Chicago— shared with the White concern an order for many thousands ,of armoured hall
track Army vehicles. Directly and indirectly no fewer than 7,000,000 men and women were concerned in work on this order.