Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1911-05-04
The HONE Of THE AUTO.
Michigan the Greatest Automobile
State In the Union
OVER 50 PER CENT OF OUTPUT
OF United States Manufactured in Wolverine
State-DetFOit Heads the List

The automobile business in Michi-
gan has come 10 be a close rival OF
the great business of farming to
which most of the area of the state
is devoted The value Of Michigan's S
automobile products in 1909 was SS0,-
$4,000; the net value of farm pro-
ducts in 1899 was $110,000,000, To
develop the farming industry of Mich
igan required almost a century up 10
1899 The automobile industry has
come up almost like a mushroom.
Ten years ago the automobile output
of Michigan was so small that the
census did not give it the honor Of
a separate statement in its records.
This startling story is told in the
dry figures which the census bureau
has Just put forth. Behind the busi-
ness details lies transformation the
like of which cannot be found out
side the Aragian Nights. Farm boys
have flocked to Detroit, Flint, Jack
son, Lansing and Pontiac-wherever
the automobile is made. The farm
sections have fallen off or stood sta
tionary in population, as earlier cen
sus figures have shown. The brains
and muscles of the farm have been
turned into the upbuilding OF new
industry, which, barring untoward
fortune, will soon have an output
greater in value than that OF all the
farms in Michigan.
No other state can tell such story.
Ohio comes nearest, but the value OF
her output is only $29,659, ,sOO-only
three-eights that of Michigan. Indi-
ana has made tremendous strides in
the last three or four years, but the
best she can show Is an output valued
at S2L,s17, ,6OO-just a little more than
one-fourth the Michigan output
Indeed, if the pile of money which
Michigan realizes year by year from
the automobile industry was compared
with the pile garnered by all the rest
OF the country. it would be found that
Michigan's pile would be almost as
large as the other The single state
of Michigan made automobile pro-
ducts having a value of more than
two-hfths of the entire automobile
output of the country.
The enthusiasts in Michigan have
declared that this state was making
half the automobiles OF the entire
country. 1t sounded too good to be
true. But Uncle Sans cold figures
give ample assurance that Michigan
was the state which saw the auto
mobile industry coming before it ar
rived, and met it with open arms.
The fact is that Michigan made a
little more than half the automobiles
of the country in 1909 The entire
number produced the country over
was 127,2s9. OF these Michigan made
64,921. The evidence is that the Mich
igan factories have realized the de-
mand for smaller cars of moderate
price, and this accounts for the fact
that Michigan's relative standing is
higher in the number of machines
made than in the value of output.
The total value of automobiles made
the country over in 1909 was $685.
115,1OO. The value of Michigan's out
put was $70,519,6O0. The average
value of each machine turned out the
country over is indicated by the GEN.
sus figures to have been $1,297. The
average value of the cars turned out
in Michigan was $1,0s6. These values
are presumably factory prices, in ac-
cordance with the usual practice ot
the census bureau
Alongside the automobile manufac-
turing has grown up the business oi
making automobile parts and repairs
For the entire country these amount.
ed to $29,6O7 500 in 1909, and Michi
gan's share was s10,300-not quite
twice as large as any other single
state This value of parts and repair:
added to the value of completed ma
chimes, $7O,519,6OO, gives the total o.
$50 100000, the value OF Michigan:
entire automobile output. The censu:
figures on other manufacturing in
dustries in the state has not beer
completed, but it is safe to venture
that none of them will compare il
value of output with the automobile
business
The census figures indicate plainly
that the manufacturing of automo
biles in Michigan is being done il
larger plants than elsewhere, Michi
gan has only 43 plants of the 316 fac
tories in the country in 1909 Indiana
with just little more than one
fourth the output of Michigan, haC
three more factories.
The indication is. too, that Michigan
gan is sure to forge further ahead
The demand for automobiles has in
creased tremendously. The demane
was sufficient to cause the produc