Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1912-02-24
Breeze From
the BlOWOutS
by. j. Is. Gowen. Jr.

There were a few cuss words more
than those ordinarily exchanged in the
regular run of business Friday a week
ago nv the men who were moving their
sxnjbits into the armofy for the show
week. MANY local dealers sat up all OF
the previous night praying for freez-
ing weather. but the Weather man,
With his usual perVersity, absolutely
refused to be nice. When morning
broke the streets were in poor eonol-
ton from the early effects OF an IN
usually warm day for the season, ana
BY noon they were running with mud
and presented a most diseouraglns
sight To the mar who wanted TO get ms
car up TO the armory in its virginia.
purity. The accommodations provided
for cleaning cars at the armory were,
necessarily. not of the best, n II WAS
TO the advantage of every dealer TO get
his cars up. in the best possible cohdl-
ton. However, the roads were not IN
sufficiently bad condition 10 make any
Of the cars the worse for wear for their
experience.
Among the most optimistic of all the
exhibitors at the armory show MS
coming week are the men who SHOW
the commercial ears, which have come
so much into prominence of late. Jhey
realize that the promised land OF
motordom lies within easy reach OF the
vehicles which they nave to dispose OF.
No. one will dispute the dealer in a
business motor vehicle when he says
that it is with his type of ear hat
the future has to deal. Of course, peo-
pie do not go round shouting that the
sunset of the pleasure car day has ar
rived. But on the other hand 1t is an
indisputable fact hat more n more
motor vehicles of the business type Will
be sold every year from now on tina
those of the pleasure type. Many hard
headed men who feel that they cannot
allow themselves and family the obyi-
Gus luxury of an automobile to use
purely for purposes of pleasure, are
readily convinced by the cold facts
and figures as presented by auto dea-
lers that the commercial car can to
advantage %supplant the horse In his
business.
The day of the automobile as a bust
ness adjunct has arrived. By this we
do not mean the purely commercial car,
such as the truck or dray, but we are
speaking of that type of machine
known as the runabout, which, on spe-
cial occasions, is as useful a pleasure
vehicle as the touring car. There are
many cases-and this holds + espe-
cially in the rural districts-where the
value of a small car is inestimable.
The automobile companies realize that
a small car, for use in travelling short
distances, and a car which is handy,
small and easily kept in condition, is
daily becoming more in demand, and
they are accordingly paying greater at
tention to the two-seated affairs, which
are constantly improving in quality
and wearing ability. These cars are,
Of necessity, small and the price is low,
so that. they are in the reach of almost
any business mar, and their qualities
as pleasure cars are not to be despised.
The automobile Is nowadays receiy-
ing consideration as an economy and
students of economics are ceasing to
regard the possession of a car as an
extravaganza. Cars of all sizes and
at all prices may be bought, but the
prospective buyer should be warned
against purchasing a car which is so
cheap as to be no good. With modern
manufacturing facilities there is a linz
it below which no car can go at the
present time, and buyers should be-
ware of cars which will in the end
prove more expensive than a car, the
initial cost of which would be much
greater.
In this connection we mention a
specific case of a man near Newark
who bought a small CART wasn't alb
solutely new, this being one of his first
mistakes, as it later developed that it
had been misused-for a very small
sum He took the machine home,
gloated over his bargain, and then one
of his shoes burst, The buying of
another shoe was a material item
when the supposed cost of his machine
was considered n then started a
siege of engine troubles. His case was
only one of hundreds We do not
mean to even hint that cheap cars
are necessarily poor ones; practically
every one of the cheap cars. on the
market at the present time is of even
more value than its dealers represent