The Washington times., 1913-05-31
MOTOR BUSINESS N
|. PROSPEROUS STATE
Condition Rivals That of Any
Other Legitimate Form Of
Modern Industry.

How Is the automobile business?'' 1.
a question asked frequently these days
The inquiry comes from outside the
inner circle of the motor world, within
which are men who know what the
actual conditions really are and who
would not be likely to be otherwise
than optimistic In their replies.
A Western capitalist who went to
New York some weeks ago with the
firm conviction that he could buy a new
model Of his favorite make at q price
very much below the regular seiiins
price. simply by taking one Of the 20.
OU' which had been ordered and could
not be paid for. admitted that he had
not yet found the opportunity for which
he was looking. 1t was not hard To
convince him that the story Of the
1000 automobiles had just been q ''yel-
low streak" across the journalistic sky
and was scarcely true.
More Like Necessities.
Just the same" he said. you can
not convince me that the automobile
trade is nourishing at the present
time. All business IL more or less re-
tarded. and It Is hardly logical to sup.
pose that the automobile trade should
be booming.
"A comic paper published a joke re-
gently In which the point was that an
automobile was not q luxury, but q
necessity. From the trouble ! am hav-
ing to find a car on which some one
can't pay the balance Of large deposit
l am beginning to think that wasn't
such very good joke in the comic
paper after all, And when / sit in the
hotel and watch the long lines Of cars
going up and down Fifth avenue I feel
pretty sure that they are more like
necessities than luxuries.''
who regard the automobile business
cynically at the present time might as
well know, that the industry-whoiesale
and retail-is in a condition to rival
that of any other legitimate business Of
making MAXI :, and Isd.s selling The varying de-
different makers cramps. and likewise
the healthy signs in the retailers tents,
are not far removed from what may be
found In other lines Of trade, in which
advertising and personal effort play q
part.
There have been failures of automo-
bile-making companies within the past
Few months there have also been fall
ures OF those models Of stability-banks
Perhaps the extenuating circumstances
the automobile industry the failures may
be charged to the insufhciGncy Of the
product or the mismanagement OF the
producing concern II Ia a notable fact
that none Of the automobile companies
which have failed. has been considered
within the inner circle-even fairly pros
porous within the past year. or, in some
cases, the past several years.
The buyers are. for the most part,
people who already own automobiles,
and know their utility and-what In to
them, at any rate-necessity. The
limousine Is. Of course. the car in de-
mand. 1t has proven Its superiority
over the less able horse-drawn carriage.
The comparatively inexpensive-bothi in
original cost and in upkeep-town car
Of small horsepower. with a body to
accommodate foun inside: the heavy
limousine to satisfy luxuryseekers. and
10 accommodate as many as seven in |
side the coupe landaulette for two peo- |
ple-all are the ready solutions Of so
many problems that financial fiurries, |
and sensational accounts Of the failure |
Of automobile concerns, and the dilapi- |
1ation Of the industry. can not detract |
very materially from the business Of the |
that make and sell them.