Motor Road Transport For Commercial Purposes
(Liquid Fuel, Steam, Electricity)

8 MOTOR ROAD TRANSPORT A Tremendous Achievement. The organization included 88,000 men, operating 60,0Q0 vehicles of all types, consuming in the year 1918, 80,000,000 gallons of petrol, over 400,000 tyres, and about 10,450 tons of spare parts. The territory covered was as large as half of England, and the food, munitions, guns, etc., supplied were for over 2,000,000 men. It was beyond question the greatest organization and employment of mechanical transport ever carried out under British control, yet people in Great Britain did not realize it. This was not un- natural, because those at home had no chance of seeing any but home transport, and also because many War Office details and figures could not be made public during the war. The Lesson of the Railway Strike. Business people in this country were, however, given plenty of opportunity of realizing the utility and scope of the motor vehicle during the tube strike of 1919, and later on, to a much greater extent, in the railway strike of the same year. There is little doubt but that during the latter mechanical traction received enormous impetus. The advantages were brought home to the trader who had not hitherto troubled to consider them, and having once weighed the matter thoroughly—taking into account the disadvantages which at that time were greatly emphasized—he determined to adopt motor haulage either for the first time, or to a greater extent than previously. The growth of mechanical transport has been remarkable, and, as an example of this, the figures given on the opposite page are interesting. Growth of Motor Traffic : Remarkable Figur es. The statistics of traffic were taken on the seven days ending 13th December, 1919, between the hours of