MOTOR CONVOYS

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIII, Issue 176, 28 July 1942, Page 6

MOTOR CONVOYS

WORLD'S GREATEST NORTH AUSTRALIAN BASES (Special Australian Correspondent). ' SYDNEY, July 23. The vitla needs of the Allied forces at Australia's northern operational bases are served by the world's greatest motor transport system. i a less than two years its trucks have covered almost 16.000.uu0 miles. War supplies and troop reinforcements are carried. Main section of the service is over the 620 miles gap in the railway from Alice Springs, right in the heeat of the continent, to Darwin. Workers toiled day and night throughout the winter of 1940 to make the roads. They were given 90 days to do the £500,000 job. it was finished in 88 days. Over this road army trucks now cover 3.000.000 miles a month. An army transport company of thousands of men. with headquarters at Mice Springs, runs the convoys. Nearlv half the men are truck drivers- the remainder man the dapots at which the trucks are serviced and repaired. This strategic road through the centre of the country did not assume full importance until the entry of Japan into the war. During the first month of convoy operations (September 1940) the convoys covered 250 000' miles at a cost of almost sevenpence per ton mile. Last month's 3,000,000 miles were covered at a cost of less than 3id per. ton mile. ; Some of the trucks which made ; the first trip are still grinding over; the road Thev are running without mudguards or engine-hoods, but theirmotors are still up to the job. r . Modern cars can travel over the e reat hish"way at speeds up to 60 miles an hour. The lorries keep up a maximum of 30. At one stage tyres were being worn out at the rate of 1000 a month. In four months, £88 000 was spent, on tyres. But this rate of replacement has been reduced considerably. All damaged tyres and scrap rubber are now brought south for reclamation. Parts from wrecked trucks are used to keep other vehicles on the road. , . Some time ago dismantled locomotives and rolling stock were trucked over the route to the northern railhead. They have been assembled and now carry to Australia's northern defence bastions the materials of war brought to tnemt by the army's motor convoys.