The evening times., 1899-12-26
AUTOMOBILES IN SWEDEN.
Chance for American Manufactu
rers in That Country.

rer. in That Country.
The automobile has grown into such ia
vor in Sweden that experts have been sent
TO other countries to study the new styles
being made.
United States Consul Robert s. S. Bergh
Wr,ies the State Department from Gothen-
berg as follows:
Many business men here think that the
kort Of motor carriages into Sweden, if
elce properly started, will be considerable,
provided they can be made durable, neat In
appearance. safe and easy to handle, and
not too expensive. Cab owners. especially
in SiC6 khclm. are considering the advisa-
bility Of purchasing motor carriages, and
short time ago they sent experts to Berlin
TO study and examine motor cabs manu-
factured in Germany. The report they
made on their return was not altogether
favorable. They said that automobiles
which in catalogues seemed TO be Ideals
of perfection in reality did not come up to
expectations
THE chief objection 10 the motor cabs
with accumu!ators or storage batteries was
that they could not make sharp enough
turns. The cabs were built with the bat
The steering powe.' Of the front wheels was
so small that the carriages could turn only
in Tery large curves, making them unfit for
use in narrow streets. Another inconveni-
ence was that as soon as the cabs got on
road covered with layer Of sand an inch
thick they stopped helpiessly.
Besides these inconveniences, common
TO French and German cabs alike, il was
said that few of the carriages exhibited
Of he. tuna laSi ra1- hat with nm
for from two to four passengers. Hunting
wagons, motor cycles, delivery wagons,
etc. for sportsmen and business houses
were plentiful but cabs were fewer, and as
rule clumsy in appearance.
German manufacturer promised. how
ever, to remedy the faults mentioned, but
1t is not yet generally known whether the
prospective purchasers and the manufactu-
rer can agree on terms. Manufacturers of
motor carriages usually demand one-fourth
Of the price for thirty days trial, while the
cab owners in question desire free trial be-
fore PURCHASE. because they are unwilling
to buy such expensive machines without
being sure that they are practically useful.
AT present there is only petroleum
motor carriage and light motor cycle in
Gcthenburg. both Of French manufacture.
/ believe there is an American motor car
rage in Stockholm, but American manu-
markets in the other cities of the king
dom. especially Gothenberg and Malmo. 1t
would be of great advantage for American
firms to be represented here at once.
Another thing Of importance is elec-
trical machinery in general. which will be
in great demand as soon as the people have
fully learned the value of their numerous
waterfalls. large electric power plant
will soon be built at Trollhattan. Electric
nd froy haiuO nj
for Gothenberg. Lund. Bjerrod and JON
koping. In this line, as in everything else.
the Germans are always watchfuI. They
pay close attention to details. and. if neces-
sary, send experts here to study plans, ETC.,
whereby they greatly increase their chances
to introduce machinery. II II is not practi-
cal for Americans to do likewise. they
could possibly employ active agents to rep
resent them here. Electric motor carriages
are preferred for city traffic. Those with
benzine motors are said to be noisy and to
emit offensive gases"