Means of Transportation 
187 
Swiss Aviation Service 
Fi. 125. This photograph of Zurich illustrates three means of transportation: (1) man’s easiest 
roadway, a river: (2) running alongside the river, a railway; (3) and following the course of the 
river. an airolane. 
coast of the Atlantic from Newfoundland to Texas; (3) on the coasts 
of China and Japan; (4) in the Great Lakes; (5) in the Mediter- 
ranean; and (6) on the western coast of the United States. 
Transportation by ship is so important that it will be studied sep- 
arately, in Chapter Fifteen (page 189). 
Railroads. Railroads carry goods rapidly for long distances on land. 
Although they are not so cheap as steamships, the cost of carrying a 
ton a mile is less than two cents. Most countries have some railroads, 
but in tropical and far northern countries and in most of Asia, they are 
scarce. In the United States, Europe, Japan, Java, parts of India, 
and northern Argentina, they are numerous. 
Railroad transportation will be studied more in detail in the next 
chapter (page 175). 
Automobiles. Automobiles transport goods longer distances than 
do horses, but not so far as railroads. The cost by motor truck is 
about thirty cents a ton per mile. Most of the world’s automobiles 
are in the United States and western Europe. 
Why motor trucks are important in transportation. Long hauls 
where the loads are heavy wear out horses quickly and make their 
use expensive. This kind of service is best performed by motor trucks. 
If there is work enough to keep them busy most of the time, the