Los Angeles herald., 1910-02-06
MODERATE PRICED
MACHINE A FACTOR
A MANUFACTURER COMMENTS
ON SUBSTITUTION
Benjamin Briscoe States That en-
Thousand Two Passenger Cars
Will Be This Seasons
Product

That the moderate-priced car is be-
coming more and more a factor in
everyday life is the belief of Benjamin
Briscoe, president of the Maxwell
Briscoe Motor company. He adds that
the small runabout is now used by
physicians, business men, contractors
mail carriers and the Ike to almost the
exclusion of the horse and buggy.
IN looking over the morning paper
the other day." said Mr.. Briscoe, Il
noticed that President Taft stated that
we are living in the automobile age.
This statement is an indication or Ine
way that the automobile is yet lookeu
upon by many people throughout the
United States. If an example of high
living is wanted, the automobile IS
called upon to furnish it. And yet is
the automobile any more of a luxury
than the other staples that are now
looked upon as q necessary part OIL
almost every family?
"Why should an automobile be clted
as an example of extravaganza any
more than should the piano? 1t is
fact to be deplored that the great mass
of the people throughout the country
have not kept pace with the develop
ment of the automobile. Only a few
years ago the perfect machine of today
was in an experimental stage. At that
time the impression grew that auto
mobiles We're expensive to own. This
opinion still sticks in the minds of a.
great many people. We who are clos
est in touch with the automobile busi-
ness know that designers have been
steadily perfecting the automobile and
have succeeded in building cars that
cost surprisingly little to run.
There are thousands of people who
have never seriously considered own
ing a car, not because they could not
afford to buy one, but they thought
they could not afford to keep one. This
is the impression that exists today in
the minds of a great many people, and
it is just this impression that the au-
tomobile manufacturer has got to
combat.
Races Teach Makers
I'm going through some statistics
recently l discovered that probably
700 900 two-passenger buggies were sold
every year. Ultimately all Of these
horse drivers will come to the auto
mobile because it is a simpler, safer
and chaper method of transportation.
I'VE are building for the coming
season about 10000 two-passenger.
twelve horsepower runabouts, and this
added to what other manufac-.
turers are building, will fall short of
the demand.
"Still, if the people who ar now
using horses, not for pleasure but for
realize the economical advan-
tages of an automobile. the combined
output of all the runabouts made in
this country tripled would not begin to
supply the demand. Today is the day
of the moderate priced car. And people
are beginning to realize more and more
the necessity of an automobile. If
proof of this We're needed it is only
necessary to point to our western farms,
where often the most humble boasts
of an automobile.
Automobile manufacturers who are
making high priced cars do not con-
stitute the greater part of the automo-
bile industry. AS a matter of fact,
they constitute but comparatively
small portion of it. Cars which cost
$4,000 or $4,000 might perhaps be styled
luxury and as such there will al
ways be a market for them.
'I doubt if any one single invention
has done more good as a whole than
the automobile. 1t has opened up new
territory, has started the good roads
movement that is now almost world
wide. This has been made possible by
the car of moderate price-the car
which the mass of the people can af-
ford to own"