Los Angeles herald., 1910-12-11
ACCESSORIES ALLURE
AUTOMOBILE OWNER
To Buy All That Are Offered
Would Probably Mean Ex-
pense Greater Than Car

one of the most important depart
saents of the automobile business Is
that of accessories. From the hood
to the rear axle no part of an automo-
bile escapes a swarm of accessories,
all of more or less value and many Of
a character that may well be called
necessary.
Accessories are most alluring to the
man who has just become the owner
and operator of a machine. He feels
that he should have all the tools and
conveniences that the market affords,
but it does not take him long to learn
that the market affords many more
such conviences and tools than ne
can afford.
Like the beginner in golf who loads
himself down with all the clubs that
manufacturers catalogues enumerate,
the automobile beginner is apt to load
down his machine and crowd his gar
age with accessories until they obscure
the automobile itself. Later on he be-
comes discriminating and begins to
discard the things he finds unnecessary
and settles down to dozen or more
devices that do very we'll all the work
he has to do and that satisfy his per-
sonal Whlms or peculiarities.
At the start, however, the new owner
is almost sure to go right down the
list from air compressors to whistles,
buying on every hand until he discov-
ers that his accessories are costing
him more than the car they ara sup
posed to supplement.
There seems to be not limit TO ac-
cessories. One catalogue just at hand
lists more than 100 different classes.
DEVICES ARE ENDLESS
There are shock absorbers and air
compressors, batteries and body polish,
burners, bumpers and brakes, carbon
clocks, chains and coils, drip pans and
dynamos, lamps and horns, fire ex
tinguishers and fabric supplies, gauges,
gears, generators, hose clamps and
inner shoes, jacks, locks and Iubri-
Gators, magnetos, monograms, odome-
ters and oils, pans, cranes and pumps,
soap, springs, speedometers, straps
and switches, tanks, timers and tires,
trucks, valves and vuleanizers, wash
ers, watch holders and wheel pullers,
There is no automobile dealer SO
generous that he Is willing to supply
more than a few of these articles free
OF charge, consequently unrestrained
indulgence in them causes q swollen
expense account. Brass lamps, II
those on the car fail to suit, cost from
SIC to $40 a pair. Headlights run from
81 to $17. You can pay anywhere from
$40 to S18.35 for brake Storage bat
teries are listed at from $12 TO SIS.
You can pay $3.75 for tool and bat
terry box or you can pay $3.50. Horns
and siren whistles start low and don't
stop till they reach $36. Even a watch
bolder costs 81 and there are bronze
bumpers for $40 and nickel ones for
$3.50.
When 1t comes to air compressors
they take the limit off. The owner
can go as far as he likes. Just a plain,
ordinary compressor without any frills
costs 500. From that he can go on up
to the pure and ethereal regions and
pay $1,000. Then there are timers at
81 and S5, rope, block and tackle at
So, magnetos at $25, tire chains at $4
to SIG and tire treads at $3.50 to $4110.
A combined speedometer, odometer and
clock can put the owner ''back' to the
extent of $145.
OF little accessories, costing all the
way from Is cents to So or 81, there
is practically no end. Fortunate 1t
is that no one machine needs them
all, although it must be true that for
each accessory there must be some
machines. At any rate, the business is
a remarkable one, and easily furnishes
proof that the first cost Of a car is not
the only outlay.