Los Angeles herald., 1910-12-11
MOTOR CARS
FOR MARKETS OF WORLD
Excellence of Product Indicates
That Country May Control
Entire Business

One of the significant features in
connection with the rapid growth OF
the American automobile industry Is
the slower advancement of the Euro
pean manufacturer who not so very
long ago was considered America
most formidable rival.
Even the most ardent desire TO pay
tribue to the ingenuity or the for-
eign manufacturer cannot remain
blind to the evidence that the Amer
ican maker has quicker recognized the
problems and possibilities presented
by the automobile and taken care OF
them with greater alacrity.
For it Is true that the foreign de-
signer is prone to follow his engineer
ing ideals often to the length Of losing
sight of the commercial rewards.
The American manufacturer, on the
other hand-and that is perhaps an at
titude characteristic of the American
spirit exemplified in other pursuits
came early to the conclusion that II
would pay him well to give strict at
tention to public demand as soon as
such demand would assume definite
shape. The result of this policy was
the moderate priced and economically
maintained American motor car.
The American automobile is as per-
feet as advanced engineering skill can
make it, It's good points, next to cor
rect design, are the use Of good ma
terials, skilled workmanship and the
provision of interchangeable parts so
that it Is possible to produce units IN
great numbers with single setting OF
machinery during the entire manufac-
turing season. In short, the difference
between European and American auto
mobile manufacturing methods is the
difference existing between making
automobiles and manufacturing
them. In the American system every
part is interchangeable; in the foreign
system is usually is not. Not long
ago this fact was established TO the
edification of a New York taxicab
company whose mechanics found that
it was seldom possible to take the mo-
tor out of one chassis and place IL
into another without boring new holes,
etc. Much of the present popularity
of the American motor car is due TO
Standardization and to a condition in
which rapid model changes are no
longer the rule but the exception. 1t
may not be too much to say that the
precedents established by foreign max
ers and the ability Of the American
engineer to avoid the mistakes of his
predecessors have had something to
do with our advantageous position and
our command of the worlds automo-
bile market There is no doubt that
ply the worlds automobile demand,
and the opportunities for such control
are only beginning to manifest them
selves.
1t is to the everlasting credit of the
American automobile designer and
manufacturer that they first realized
that the automobile, to fulfill its con-
tinent-uniting and time-saving mis-
sion, had to be lifted out of the linn
itations of the high priced, hand made
foreign Creation" and placed upon It's
proper level, that of a commodity ap-
preaching in Importance the public
utility and the common carrier. The
result of this realization came in the
shape of the typical American motor
car which has done so much in max
ing propaganda for the pleasure OF
motoring and for its utility and nee
essary aid to the manifold tasks i'm
posed by our hyper-civilized and COM
plicated existence.
The American automobile follows in
the wake of the American harvester of
shoe machinery, air brakes sewing
machines, typewriters, and other com
modities, and in doing so answers to
the laws of demand and supply which
govern business the world over.