The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-11-10
By Jack Densham.

June of this year when the Cadillac
j people came out with their big talk
about putting out four-eyiinder FIVE
] scatter car worth $4,000 at present rates
for $140O, factory price. AT that time /
was writing autos exclusively in Los
| Angeles, and | got a long letter from
the chief of the Cadillac press bureau
asking me to go ahead and boost their
innovation.
| /, nor any other writer that / know
of, did any boosting. We looked on the
movement as bad mistake To this
day / believe that the Cadillac people
made many bitter enemies by telling
about their berries before they were
ripe.
But now the berries are ripe, and it
is up to us to sit up and take notice.
The efficient four-cyinder ear at low
price has been made possible by the
work of one factory. This was done
in only one way. By the proper stand
ardization of templates and the correct
Capitalization of power in the factory.
The automobile business grew so
rapidly and people were willing to pay
such extraordinary prices for cars, for
several years, that all the manufacture
ers had to think about was the enlarge
ment of their factories and the getting
out of machines to fill the orders that
| came in by every mail and constantly
over the telegraph wire.
| The consequence was that too much
| discretion was left to the foremen of
| the different departments. They made
| changes to suit themselves without con-
sulting higher authorities, and templates
| that were supposed to show the shape
| of parts were changed to suit the mo-
mentary advantage of the mechanic.
This kind of business went on until
| many of the factories represented a
reeking pandemonium, and the mana
gers knew not where they were. Agents
from all over the country sent in kicks
They stated that they had sent in re-
quests for parts K22O, $3.50, hubs X713,
and carbureter needles No175 and had re-
ceived parts that in no way correspond
ed with their orders. "What are YOU
going to do about it9' they queried by
letter and telegram, and the only answer
the nearly crazy head of department
could make was, "Send in your parts
and we will duplicate them. -
The general state of affairs was made
worse by the intense competition in the
racing line. Experts were hired to get
out machines to win hill climbs and road
races. They were given carte blanche
in the factories, and they soon sue
ceeded in raising particular Hades.
European manufacturers laughed in
their sleeves and sent agents over to
this country. They had to pay fear
full duty, but they had the goods, and
they established agencies with a full
stock of absolutely standardized parts.
With not single exception there was
no American manufacturer that could
assure his agents reduplication. On the
Strand, on the boulevards, everywhere
in Europe it was a joke. The first
American factory to wake up was the
Cadillac firm.
This firm had some far-sighted mana,
ger who saw what the remedy was and
he went after it. He said to himself
and later to his employers, cit is abso- |
lutely no use to give the people any
hand work. All we have to do is to
standardize perfectly so that all parts |
are alike. Those parts will not be per. |
feet Bearings will not be rubbed and |
by hand, they will come direct |
ly out of the lathe. But each lathe will |
have its tool set to the same notch on |
the saddle and all the bearings win |
ft-after fashion. We must quit this |
charging of the factory business and |
turn all our attention to the construc-
ton of parts. Let us fire any foreman
who hampers with a template and turn
out our machines in such a way that |
each and every part is interchangeable
with any of the same from the fac
tory
His idea stuck and he was put in
charge The advertising department
got hold of the idea and they came out
with it too son. For week every daily
If any size in the country was f1aring
with full page advertisements stating
hat the Cadillac people had discovered
he secret of turning out a twenty-five
hundred dollar ear for fourteen hundred
Way down at the bottom of the ads
t stated that the ears would be ready
next November. -
Those ads did the work. Biff went
he automobile business all over the
ountry. People were just getting over
he panic and deciding that they would
Duy cars when they saw the Cadillac
ID. OF course they decided to wait a
|
zen and the automobile business took
mother horrible slump.
Now the Cadillac people have made
God. That is they really are producing
ars at that price. which are as well
1ade as any unhandled ears can be.
n their advertisement they tell all ]
bout the car and make great feature ]
f interchangeability, which. of course,
) the only thing that makes the ear
ossible. They say nothing about de, {
very. This is a small matter. however. '
hey viii be swamped with orders from '
ow on. until the other factories are
I the same position as they are c
With full page advertisements in all {
re papers it is impossible to overlook '
his new move of the Cadillac people.
ne thing must be said in their favor.
hey have made the only possible sin. t
e cylinder car that ever was. rcars d
ON the Reos and Odds peopls notwith, e
anding. Always that little old one n
niger has ehugged over the country il