The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-05-16
CEUG-CHUGS HAVE
CCNE TO SIAI|
There viii Be No Decline of In
terest in the Automobile
Business.
BICYCLE WAS POPULAR
ONLY A FEW YEAR,
There Can Be No ComparisOl
Between Auto and Cycle as
Progressive Industry.

CHICAGO, MAJ 1j.-Charlcs Cliff
ton. president Of the Association of u
ccnsrd Automobile Manufacturers. corr
tributed ihc following. II
Il is frequently remarked by thos6
associated with the automobile busll
ness. as we'll as by comparatively ui,.
/ thinking laymen, that the automo5iI
business will follow in the footstcEf
of the bicyclc business. This staff.
ment is generally accepted as a sag,
prophecy. the unthinliing prophet az
sumiug To himself the virtue OF wisdon,-
But the history Of the rise and fall ~
/ fhc bicvclc business will not be RI
pcated in the automobile industry.
As ono Of those associated III tn
/ bicyclc business and convcrsant VIII
/ the history of the transition from tl
! bicycle 20 the automobile as meat8
| OF transportation, ] have made ear
/ ful study Of the problem and arrive
/ III certain conclusions. The only con
} mon element Of the two lndustrie
aside from each representing methe
! OF locomotiop. arises from the fact thu
/ tbc early development Of the sutom-
! bile in q commercial way occurred .;
+ d time when the bicycle business, 4 +,
Il large industry turning out n popuH 4
/ product had commenced TO wane. III
doom being plainly written.
The situation was such that larl<
amount of capital energy. produciIl
! and selling brains was rendered coli
parativcly idle. and consequently tho1-
4 forces were logically attracted to ~
/ automobile business which had aillr.
/ ing prospects, and called apparently T.,
| the same essential elements. II
Nrrerp Evnnr;nuce Cnunted ~
Thus. several Of the earlier bicye5
makers were pioneers in automobt-'
, development. and mauv mechanic
heretofore engaged in the bicycle j. {
! dvstry. being skilled in detail, ha@s
in minor capacities aided automobt
/ development in either invention y
shop practice Naturally. the autonl
f.. bile attracted TO il selling force, j.
cluding bicycle dealers. The latfl
brought into the new industry ri 2
/ experience. which. fortunately. too &C
. of them realized to the fullest exfefi
, particularly as TO the proper functir'
of adyersity. Many Of them trarl
planted lax business methods. extravA
gances and other undesirable phas,-r
They were fond of referring TO the nd
. dustry these clements were natur;
event. or hand at poker Early III
old selling methods began TO csht
themselves in instaimcnt sales an
questionable methods of attracting az
holding business, But in the new y. =.
dustTqv these clements were natur
ly. short lived, Their rctribuiiou hi
been swift, As i sec tbc automob1l
industry today. il has in no sense "a
remaining similarity TO the old bicys.
business. excepting in the enormous -
vor which the buying public have "
slowed upon IT.
Had Own Limitations. n,
Many people are prone to say th>:
oVerproduction killed the old bicYt,
business. But if they would reflect =
the decreased number of wheels in uit
think the answer is obvious The ~
cycle was comparatively short.livcd y.
account. in my Judgment. Of its or
limitations. In its day it was
gardcd As a wonder of convenience =
the solving Of the essential transpkr \
tation problem of how best to aceo,
plish a given distance on comm
roads. II also had the fascination Of =
healthy outdoor exercise. But it ~
ways involved more or less hard UotE
more or less of the discomforts of ~
road. and always the limitation of 4
rider. 1t, moreover. did not admit -
discrimination whereby thc love Of ~
play, The superiority purchasable
money. or the essential comfort of
individual, could be expressed
AS the result of the expenditure
an enormous amount of money q
! work by the American pioneer make
nearly all of whom are members of
Association of Licensed Automob
7 Manufacturers, the automobile as
means OF transportation, has become
part of our national life. 1t is rapid
supplanilng. the older forms of indiv
nal mechanical locomotion; and will
dure because it not only supplants,
far surpasses, anything of its kind
have ever known.
Not Decline, but Grow.
II VIII not decline, but grow. a
cause ever since civilized man has bcTI
Obliged TO move from place 10 pls' |
| for pleasure, convenience or profit. 4
has to use the horse. the mule or 4 /
camel, with much limitation in poi Il
OF distance and speed and at all tin
! with uncertainty The new means /
| common road TRANSFORMATION is unit
ing and limitless. 1t has proven it's
! 10 be what the people want, It has
! diylduaEty 10 form, and variety, aud :
built to suit any purse. v
When 1t is realized that. even
! view of the automobile indusi|
horsc-drawn vehicles for pleasure p|l.
poses only are still produced in qut
tity closely approximating a milli'M
! per year, is it not Il. fair assumpti l|
/ that very considerable supplanfiI||
| will be done year by year. until cv{'I|
| tually the urban and interurbap mi
dividual traffic will all be accomplish
cd by mechanical tractionl |u
Facing these facts. it cannot in d N|
! sense bc said that the history of n Nm
bicycle will he repeated in the case. III
the automobile In the minds F. |V
thoughtful people, of those who thI
conservativcly, the automobile a
means OF conveyance has but one nI/ N
ace to its supremacy. and that is uU "
CATION of the air, which. If success NJ
" ACCOMPLISHED ns 10 safety and ec| X
omv. will undoubtedly make the a. N
mobile in way old fashioned 4
even when that dav arrives. there r IN
still bc numberlcss people who pr<