The San Francisco call., 1910-04-14
OVERLAND FACTORY
TO BE BUILT HERE
j. M. WHY'S Announces That
Demands of Coast Make
Plant Necessary
By R. r. L'HOMMEDIEU

j. NJ. Willys, the head of the factory
that builds the Overland and Marion
motor cars, leaves this morning for the
day before he left automobile row.
he announced he practically had de-
cided to establish factory in the
immediate vicinity of San Francisco.
In speaking of the project WHY'S
said:
1T is foolish to say that the Pacific
coast is not big factor in the auto
mobile trade. Our sales and deliveries
so far show that the coast must be con-
sidered seriously. If l gave out the
figures that | have received from the
factory 1T would be seen that the diff
ference in freight would easily pay for
the erection of a plant. This however,
is not the object of what l am consid
ing. The sales demand that we give
the coast the best of our endeavors,
and this means to give to the dealers
all the cars they can sell at the time
that the public demands them.
Under present circumstances we
may have the cars to fill the demands,
but under the present conditions the
railroads are swamped for demands for
cars that will carry automobiles. We
d
cars SO that We can place out output
in the hands of the selling force. We
manage to accomplish this in the east,
where the hauls are short, but ii is
different out to the coast. The rail-
roads do not like to let their cars go
on such a long journey. Any kind of
freight car VIII carry our cars when
they are not assembled, and in this one
fact l think is the solution. We can
not get motor cars out to the coast
fast enough to supply the demand, but
we can get the cars here in bulk as
il were.
Now, what is the difference whether
we assemble them in the east or out
here? 1t only lies in the cost of a
plant and the few men to oversee it.
Does the demand warrant this expen-
diture? 1 think it does. Some may
think that there will be a time when
the coast trade will be supplied, but
we are reaching farther than even
the Pacific coast. Ed G. Eager, AN
old bicycle man, has gone to Australia
apd New Zealand for us and will be
in charge of that territory. Then there
is Hawaii, the countries of Central
America and South America on the Pa
cific side, not to mention the Philip
pines and the far east.
Already we have received orders
from these sections. All three coun-
as they have bought carriages and
wagons in the past. There is no get
ting away from this fact. So if we
should suddenly be able 10 supply all
the demands on the Pacific coast we
would still have a broad field that will
take years to supply.
Now Just think of shipping cars to
these distant points in shipments of
six autos to a carload, freighting them
1000 miles before they are put on the
steamers. With a factory here all We
have to do is run them to the steam
ship and they are on their way This
is why l am saying that l am thinking
very seriously of building an assem-
bling plant here. and this almost means
that / can say that Il Will be built
"A conference at the factory when
get home will be the first thing I will
| call for, and If it is possible to start
| the project at once we will have fac
tory in the immediate neighborhood of
San Francisco