The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1911-10-02

BILLION DOLLARS IN AUTOS.
Over Four Hundred thousand
Cars Owned by rPe0ple Of
The United States.
Chicago Tribune.)

Chicago Tribune.)
TO the man who has Just paid for
new tires. a Carbureter, a couple of
springs and n new pair of lamps the
s OF automobiling as a pastime Is
apparent. But 1t is doubtful If. even
at the moment he unfolds the bill and
hrst views 1t In all Its magnitude. he
realizes that automobiling has already
cost h United States more than ST.
9oo.O 600. 900. enough to wipe out the
national debt or to pay twice over all
the dreadnoughts ever built or build
ing for the navies of the world.
Even this figure hardly expresses
the cost which the world is paying
for its JOY ride. The number of ma
tonishing rate. Ten years ago there
We're only $500 cars owned in the
United States. At the end of 1908
there were 100000: now there are
100000. In 1905 only $4,000 cars
We're manufactured in this country.
The following year the number in
creased to 8 10000. In the ten months
of 1910 to November i. $4,000 ma
chimes We're produced. Automobiles
were exported to the value Of SILL
l90.22o: Two companies were incor-
porated. n with q capital Of $780,
100000 taking over twenty subsi-
diaries. and the other with SIG. 0O0.-
600. bringing together eight or ten
smaller producers.
the rank of sixth in commercial i'm
portance. Yet the cars so far bought
nave been almost altogether for
pleasure riding. h auto truck having
gained favor only recently. The fu-
ture both for pleasure and work ma
chine gives promise of enormous ex.
penditures. The country is automo-
So great has been the craze that
money lenders have been becoming
alarmed. Farmers are reported as
investing. in expensive cars by the
thousands. n are mortgaging their
farms to pay for the machines. City
men VINO have no homes. no business,
no decent clothes even, in some way
manage to get hold Of an automobile |
months. as their own. Sarah Bern
nardt. on her most recen farewell
irom.the country. left as a benediction
the remark that to possess a car in !
america appeared to be the one abb |
solute essential of Glass"
Inc public has been staggered from
lime to time by the naval construc.
LIONS plans of the great powers. AS
steadily from 100000 to $40, O0O,-
900. the people have continued to
snake their heads at the dreadful out.
lay. The British "Dreadnought" was
thought to have been the last word
IN lev1athan construction with its H.
600 tons displacement and its stagger.
ing cost. But now Great Britain has
ships of equal or greater ton
age n armament in commission or
laid down. Germany las twelve, the
United States eight. Russia four, Bra
I'll. three. Spain 3, Argentina two, italy
two, France two, and Japan two. Fig
uring these fifty-two dreadnoughts al
a cost of $40, 200, 900 each, gives a to-
tai of $500, 900. 900.
But this grand total does not look
large when placed beside the total
American expenditure for automobiles
and their maintenance during the last
ten years. approximately $1,O55, OOO,-
OOO. The American joy rider, had he |
chosen. could have built the entire
naVies of the world, from battle ships
to dinges.
To get another angle. it may be in
bill of s1.055.0O0 900 with the Ameri.
can national debt. This debt, after
s~ubtracting the money held in the
treasury. amounts to $1,O46,44s,185. !
The Joy rider has paid for his fun a
that would more than have %liquidated
the public debt.
According 10 the best figures OBJ
tainable. there are now owned in the
United States a total Of 400, 900 cars.
The average price of these may be |
placed at $1,000. because of the large
number of low-priced cars that are
being sold. These figures would give |
on initial cost for the cars now in
public possession of $3.50. 600, 900.
In Europe 1t has been estimated |
that the value Of cars there in use
reach for Great Britain, Ger
many and France a total of $500, 0OO.-
900. The British empire is credited
with 100000 machines and France
and Germany each with $1,000. The
average value of cars abroad is much |
lighter than in the United States. for
there is not the great middle class"
demand and it is only within a short
time that cheap ears have been Offer
ed for sale.
In considering the cost of upkeep
it is difficult to arrive at a unit Of
expense. If a man keeps his car in
a garage. his charges will amount to
$l5 a month. and it should cost him |
another SIS for supplies and small
repairs. This cost should give him.
perhaps, a service of 1000 miles a
month. The annual outlay of 1850 for
maintenance would be less in case no
garage fees were paid and more in
case of careless use and unusual acci-
dent. Older cars would also entail a
heavier monthly expense.