The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1912-11-06
HOW MOTOR CAR
GERM DEVELOPS
The Business Man Looks,
Hesitates, Then Becomes
an Owner.

A business man was sitting on the
porch Of his home this summer,
chatting with a neighbor. Automo-
biles glided up and down the broad
thoroughfare in never-ending pro.
cession.
Jim" said one of the men. II
think I've been looking at people rid
ing by for half an hour. and hanged
il I've seen a really wealthy mar in
one Of them. Most of them seem like
folks in ordinary circumstances. 4
short time ago my grocer went whiz-
zing up the street. inc right after
him came the cabinet maker-the fel
low who fixed up the paneling in the
Hbrary-in a runabout. If they can
afford it
Well. by Jove-there goes the
foreman of our shipping department."
rushed by. with the missus and the
kids! That settles tine for a carr"
And there you have. by the medium
OF an %anecdote. n explanation Of the
startling growth Of the automobile
industry. That the motor car has
more than made good in durability
and reliability is obvious to anyone:
that it's economy OF operation has
brought it within the reach of those
" oAstS AAouCtoSc lllSOILlc Is EQUALLY
OBVIOUS, and most obvious of all are
the manifold pleasures and conven-
fences of a motor car The most
natural thing in the world. therefore,
Is the desire to " one. and sooner or
later the desire becomes an actually.
Gradual Drop in Prices.
This desire could not be realized.
however. unless there had been a ION.
stantly downward tendency in the mat
ter of price. From statistics collected
on a Sunday to be conviced that the
the high water mark of values was
reached in 1907. when the average car
sold Of $~2.137.56: next year the aver
age price dronped to $1,9c6.94; in
1909 1t was $1.71a.92: in 1910. $1,4S2,.
90; in 1911. $~l.245.99. and this year
1t was only $1.0S3.10.
It should be understood, however,
that as the cost of an automobile has
gone steadily downward. the eficiency
and durability of the machine has
doubled and trebled and more. The
thousand dollar machine of today is
superior in every way to the car that
cost much more six or seven years
ago.
Where prices Of standard makes
have not decreased -and perhaps in
been due in every case to putting
more and more money into the manu-
%facture OF the car-better material.
more equipment. finer upholstery,
more powerful mechanical plants and
better and bigger cars generally.
The great proportion of cars sold,
naturally. are low and medium priced.
Reduction in cost has been brought
about by manufacturing in tremendous
quantities. the Standardization Of
many parts. the reduction Of overhead
expense and the cheapening in cost
Of extras-such things as magnetos-
which the average automobile builder
does not make himself.
From July I. 1911. to July 1, 1912.
American manufacturers made 262,-
500 cars. The various states last year
collected four and three-quarter mil
lion dollars in license fees. In the
year ending next July these figures
for manufacturing will be increased
IS per CEN.
Crudcncss to Perfection.
These new pleasure cars will largely
10 into the hands Of families making
their first motor purchases. They Will
be the families Of the farming areas.
Of the weil-to-do. fairly per-
communities Of cities and towns scat
tered all v the United States. One
need only look at the occupants Of cars
on the park drives and county roads
on q Sunday to be convinced that The