Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1909-12-02
GROWTH OF AUTO INDUSTRY
Enormous Increase in Automo-
bile Manufacture in a Decade.
in the business WorId--NIorc Than
SaO.00O,O 600 SnIes in New work
City Alone Every Year.

n has been stated by n competent au-
thority that no industry has made tho
gigantic strides or has shown the won
herful development, within the same pc
Rod OF time, as has that of the automo-
Sile. says u writer in the New York rost.
An industry. to. 1t might be said, that
was unknown less than dozen years
ago, and which at the tie of Its incep- '
hon in this country was subjected to .
ridicule and the abuse of skeptics. In /
Iced, the appearance of a hopeless vo- ,
hicle on the thoroughfares Of the city /
was counted curiosity. That 1t was
destined to take the place of the horse in
q degree. or that its existence would
ultimately prove a boon to mankind, was
beyond the most vivid imagination. To-
day the industry occupies a position high
up on the list Of the worlds great in
dustries. with many millions of invested
capital and with an army of employees
said to be the largest engaged in the
manufacture Of any one product
Its growth. in fact is one Of the re-
markable cha piers in the industrial his
tory OF the country. In a decade 1t mas
become one Of the most fourishing pur-
suits in the field of business activity. 1t
has established a new method of trans
portatlon. and has so affected the car
rlage industry that mostly all the repre-
sentative carriage builders in the coun-
try are now making automobile bodies,
or are indirectly identified with tho man
ufacture of motor-cars. All through the
middle west where many Of the largest
l.,
Gated. It will be found that the manu-
manufacture OF automobiles is fast sup
planting the production of horse-drawn
vehicles. AS a matter OF fact. many OF
the most prosperous automobile con-
Germs are made up of men who have
been or who are made up at the present
time associated with the wagon and car
rage industry. They are men who have
forseen the inevitable. They have ac
copied the arrival of the r1otor-car sim
ply as a manifestation Of the forces Of
evolution.
FACTORIES WE'LL DISTRIBUTED.
In the opinion Of men who have fol-
lowed the trend OF industrial develop
ment the permanency of the automobile
is assured. That. unlike the bicycle. the
motor car mas come 10 stay. he HIEu-
ment presented Is that no exerton is re-
quired in It's operation and the ease and
rapidity with which distant points can he
reached. That this view of the indus
try is confined to any one section Of the
country. but obtains all over. is readily
verified by the substantial character of
the structures that have been reared to
dispose of the product of the factories
In the big cities. In New York city
Alone, where more than 20 per cent OF
the total output OF the factories Is sold
every year. a reality investment of more
than s, 900, 900 is represented in the build
lngs, show rooms, and garages devoted
exclusively to the sale and care OF motor
cars. In round figures. the amount of
business done In automobiles and Access
series in the city is roughly estimated at
t3000o.O00 annually. More automobiles, in
fact, are sold in New York than in any
other city in the world And vast has
become are proposition OF selling motor
cars. with its many ramifcations in the
metropolis. that an organization has
been perfected for the purpose of solid-
tying the interests OF the trade In
many respects this organization is
unique.
IT yields considerable influence in the
industry, and has effected reforms bene-
hcial to the trade as a whole. IT also has
had much to do with insttuting public
interest in automobilng, while many of
Its policies have been adopted by other
organiza lions throughout the country. A
function OF the association. and one not
lightly disregarded. is the province
which It fills in ascertaining the strength
Of the automobile market. AS Is prob
nh n1n mt
ir ordering cars months ahead, is sup
posed to be able to discount the future
This gauging the demand far in advance
on the part OF the members Of the or.
ganization is zealously followed by the
great factories In the West. For after
all, It is the market that regulates the
law Of supply and demand. and as New
York Is the most active automobile mar
ket its Impressions are immedi atel!
seized upon by the ma nufacturers OF thu
country as guide to success. The fl
nancal condition of the New York Au
tomobile Trade association. the corpor
ate name under which all the concerns
IN the city are united for the common
good, Is the most prosperous in its his
tory. In discussing the work OF the or
Eanization recently. Gen. John T. Cut
ting, the newly elected president said:
SUCCESSFUL PERIOD AT HAND.
The association Is entering the mos
active and ! hope the most successfl
period in It's existence. II is to hecoln
more aggressive along the lines here
tofore neglected. For one | am of tn
opinion that the association should de
rive whatever benefits there is in tn
holding OF events BY this ! mean roa
races and competitions of all kinds Whic