The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-06-08
The AUTOMOBILTTS.
EXPENSE QUITE A FEATURE ~
DISPOsIN0 or CARS.
DemonstratiOns. Freight Charges and
Other Incidentais Cut into the Dealers
Big Commission National Associa.
tiOO Testing the New Jersey Law.

Mig Commission 80 National Associa.
tiOn Testing the New Jersey Law.
Most people have an imp ession that the
profits In the retail automobile business are
enormous. and appear to think that we should
be rolling in wealth. II would surprise some
Of them TO know just how little there really lie
In u. when a balance comes to be struck.
remark cd a metr opolitan dealer the other day.
Such people merely view the commission
received by dealers. They calculate that 20
per cent. on a car listing at 1000 Is $500;
while on one costing $4,000 II is $500. N.Y.
What a lot Of money! they will exclaim,
never stopping TO think that there are ex-
penses Of all kinds to be set against this lump
su~m-e1penses entirely separate from the
ordinary fixed char ges. such as rent, wages.
interest, DC, which any merchant has to
calculate upon. The automobile business Is
q new one. and the automobile dealer has to
put up with a lot of expense that viii not
be incurred a few years hence.
"A calculation will show that a char 90
Of 5000 will frequently be run up against a car
by the time a sale ID effected and delivery
made. To begin with. there is the item OF
freight. On a big car. II the factory il in the
West. that will easily run between $50 and
SIS. Then comes uncrat' ng and setting up
the car and testing il, to see that everything
is working properly. Next come the demon
strations. There's your supply bill, the time
Of your salesman or chauneur-or both
and the thousand and one things that are
likely to crop up and entail expense: and, as
you are sc ling an article that runs into
thousands Of dollars, you naturally have to
do things in a lordly way. that recks little OF
expense. You have got TO do business on a
big scale, or you can't do 1t at all. 1t takes
half a dozen men to sell a car. and you don't
sell many In a week. yet your expenses run on
just the same"
There Is a hiatus to one young dream OF
love at Syracuse and II was born Of the over
confidence OF a senior at the Syracuse Uni
vereity in his ability to handle an automobile.
He hired q runabout and took the beloved
one for a ride to Cicero, where they had a
delicious dinner. When they were ready to
depart the young automobiles left the fair
one on the porch and went to the shed for the
go-wagon. He got II started all right and
sailed forth intent upon rounding up at the
porch with a flourish. The flourish appeared,
but the car did not pause. Tender thoughts.
or eating, or something. had caused the driver
to get mike in his knowledge of the levers
and he could not discover the proper COM
bination Of moves to effect a halt. As he
shot past the porch he cried ont: Il cant
stop itl" and on down the road he few. leaving
the girl anziously wringing her hands, while
a heartless hanger-on whistled The Girl l
h hsPel ssaind fu ID that hat Re SSI rode " On and and 90 On
that the car would run out d, sssolene, but i
didn't; he hoped that something would break,
but IL didn't, Keeping the car steady. he rode
he had hired the car, He ran L in through
the front door and across the h1Sr against
said he would gladly pay for the damages
and another automobile was sent out to
The hots 6. for aes the SIT r but but her I, swei9 I'd did not 60
report his bi%eefly calls at The house Of
the dear one are on for the present.
Jumping at conclusions and then sticking
to them through thick and thin is sometimes
The real cause Of the troubles SOMETIMES
becomes eeeccoo se,. dI Il frm{ to q IN fnd ,. when r.. q mot9riss
part OF the mechanism Ia causing. II, One
motorist had an interesting example OF this
somewhat woTn. he fitted a new pair Imme.
running all right. but when the plugs were
fitted one CYLINDER proved inoperatiye. he
fsiiare Occurred SMlTe inn INN &c edi luaT: after sSe1"F The en al e lar
ton in question, and he spent cohsidersble
trouble. Ne then replaced the old plugs, but
the c!lIndeI stu remained InoperatiNe. Which
csnsed 10 the fhoT gro ,h5f 1t Tas wa as' o ahs p 4Ses t ths5
an examination was made, OF the engine
ceperally. when il was found thai one Of he
prevented that particular cylinder from
working.
The legislation committee Of the National
Association Of Automobile Manufacturers
reports that the license test case instituted
II New Uyo Jersey t by The n ! d 4. 4, us n E making s
TO require iiGe'sa' New Jersey license i]tsaS u fr eae s sasse
they Rey'' were fesister sd' in any any ot S er State or T Pos
case is now before the Supreme Court Of New
Jersey. an appeal has been perfected, and
near future The case will then be taken .
before the Court Of Errors and Appeals, the
t highest to tt ,Rs ln,t of S 81 ,os sesEsey: and from
y, 4. A. NJ executive committee held in this
Gsg =" were present Winds s9F !T1'' %Siie, S g. B.
Walden; Charles Clifton, wllllam Z. Merger.
W. Bennett, $; Davis, Jr., Albert L, Pope
and NJ , sndlo9S The contest committee
tucker superintehdentt Of the eli Glid dem tour H II.
cIded that certain minor changes we're de-
s shIrs0' esec % = ' oomnitte sefe f fReTo ohsns by
recommended were submitted Yesterday
NJ @obie Ascot alton Tor II bis Hfe eensidera Aioo.
nlstse % rules: Psssy ow ven ' !ssisaed
q the cadIias Motor. ,6taT conapa Ms'1 8ss
bis connection with the winton Motor Car
aud membership. committees was flied by
Winton concern. H. A. Lokier, Jr., OF the
LozieI Motor Company. New York. and A. J..
Ohio. were admitted to membership in the
association.
Robert P. Hooper, chairman n the A, A. A. |
highways committee. is In ChIcaR 20 conferrinr
With President John Farson regarding the
tary of the Automobile Club Of GermentoWn
and 10 very much intereste ed In the proposed
highway between Philadelphia and Pitts
burg, He is expected 70 give out the es
OF his committeeman within the next two
weeks,