Lewiston evening teller. [volume] (Lewiston, Idaho) 1903-1911, 1906-06-15
pAY OF COMMERCIAL
AUTOMOBILE 70
At HAND.
BY Leon T. Shelter

r. BY Leon T. Shelter.
II you will look back four or five
years and remember the time when
you could sleepily SLOUGH across the
into the middle OF next week by one Of
those "pesky automobiles" and then
20 out on the street corner any day
from 1 to S o'clock and count the nuns
Der OF automobiles that pass the cor
ner in an hour, the thought will scarce
lily enter your head as to Just where this
automobile business will end.
To some Of the old timers who never
take kindly to any rev idea. 1t no
doubt looks as II the American public
| Is going crazy. To others, who class
the automobile owners as millionaires,
| 1t might appear that the worlds goods
are uneveniy distributed. but to one
who is really on the inside Of the au-
tomobile game and understands It
thoroughly, the position is very sim
| pie.
Fully 40 per cent of the automobile
users in the United States at the pres
ent writing have gotten all over the
strictly for business purposes. There
are hundreds of automobiles in the city
of Los Angeles which are running day
after day and week after week, for less
evpense than the same work could be
done with horses and buggies. There
is not day passes but some solicitor
for a wholesale house buys an auto
mobile in Los Angeles he receiving
from his house certain allowance
this allowance being based on what It
costs his firm for street car fares, rail-
road fares, livery service. etc, and in
every case where have been in POSI-
tion to know the exact circumstances,
these solicitors are actually making
money on the proposition.
Take. for instance. Swift & Co.'S
local branch in Los Angeles. Their
manager came to me six months ago
and told me that he would buy a ma
chine from me II l could satisfy him
d IL.
offered on the spot to make a contract
to take care Of his car for that amount,
taking all the expense of the car of
his hands. He accepted. We are
both making money on our contract,
and the machine is doing even more
than he expected.
Now II his salesman had to go back
to a horse and buggy for use on his
inland trips, It would mean that he
would have to cut out great many
dealers that he Is now visiting. owing
to lack OF time. This case Is only one
OF hundreds. but 1t explains why the
automobile business Is growing so rap
idly.
Then. too, one must consider that the
most important part of the automobile
business has not yet started and that is
the delivery wagon business or the
commercial end OF the business. Dur
ing my connection with the Old Motor
works on several occasions the United
states government mail service expert
vented with our lieht delivery wagons
during the holiday rush and finally
decided and reperted that one delivery
wagon selling for $500 or 5000 actu-
ally delivered the work that It took
three horses and wagons and three
e-ivars 10 handle. The only thing that
has Kent the commercial end OF the
eame in the hackerovnd Is the fact that
the automobile itself has proven 30
popular that none Of the important fac
tories Of the country have been able to
devote their time to the commercial
end Of the business. with the exception
Of one or two companies.
rredict that in 20 years from today
horse-drawn vehicle. with the possi-
BILE exception Of a few high-ton Rigs,
will be curiosity on the business
streets OF the citv. It makes no Differ
ence whether the merchants are favor
able to automobiles or not-they viii
be forced to use them by keen compe-
tition. We can all remember the DAYS
when messenger boys used to travel on
foot, and It IL only fair question to
ask whether anyone would be willing
to go back to this old. slow means OF
communication. This Is about an good
an illustration ms I can think OF to
carry my point.
Sse San Francisco.
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