The Detroit times., 1909-01-02
AUTO INDUSTRY OF
CITY TO TREBLE
NEXT YEAR

Detroit's importance as an automo-
notwithstanding center Is likely to
be greatly increased during the com
ing year. This industry. which has
done so much toward the rapid up
building of the city through the EN-
ployment of thousands of skilled Ia
borers and mechanics, gives every
promise OF taking a greater stride for
ward than ever before. and the out
look al present is for the making OF
more than twice as many MACHINES IN
the coming year as were ever made In
any other season
The year 1908 Witnessed a slump
I'm automobile production over 1907,
but The Detroit concerns. manufactur-
ing principally light. medium-priced
cars. did not suffer as did the trade
generally. The output here slumped
from $4,000 cars in 1907 TO I'LL in
1908.
II is more than likely that the 1905
product will total $4,000 motor cars.
Present plans OF all the nine large
factories. rs we'll as the smaller fac
tories, are for a great increase in pro
duction. contracts being made already
for materials and sales contracts con-
Guided for the finished cars. In addi-
ton to the direct benefit from the au-
tomobile factory labor being better
employed, Detroit will prosper also In
the increased work of the 40 or more
firms manufacturing automobile ac-
cessories. In the aggregate, these
employ more men than the auto fac
tories themselves.
AS a purchaser of automobiles. De-
troit is also a leading city. There
were 1.200 cars purchased here from
the rs retail automobile houses which
do business bare.
The following is brief summary. OF
the projected plans for enlargement Of
the principal factories: The Ford Mo-
tor Car Co has contracted for mater
als for 1880 cars and may make 25.-
900. The Packard works will increase
from 300 cars 10 1900 cars; the Cad
lilac will turn out 10000 OF its new
models during the season, as against
$500 last year; an increase from SOC
to 3,100 cars is the outlook for the
IChalmers-De Detroit: the Everett MetZger-
Flanders Co, succeeding the Wayne
10000 cars the Brush runabouts to
be made will number 5000 this year
instead OF 700 as in 1908; there will
be 1000 Regal-Detroits and 1900
Blomstrom cars while the Anderson
Carriage Co has decided TO make 500
Detroit electrics instead of 200 as last
year.
Plans OF the Pungs-Finch, De Luxe,
nj hnv vat
been announced. The Herreshoff CO.,
new concern. is still installing ma
chinery but predicts a busy season.
While the number OF cars made In
Detroit in 1909 will be about treble
that of 1908, the value will be about
double the new cars running to stand
ard largely. 4 demand has been
shown for four-cylinder, light cars
that range from $3.50 TO $1,000, and
the Detroit factories are getting that
business.
Detroit's retail automobile trade ha s
shown tendency to shift during the
year. the new garages being almost
all oW Woodward-ave., with pros
pect That soon almost all the retail
stores will have left the former auto
mobile row. on Jefferson-ave. Access
SORES stores are filling in the gaps
in the old row left by the departure of
the retailers.
The number OF automobile licenses
in effect in Michigan increased to 7,4O5
at the close of 1908 from $3.50 a year
previously.