The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-01-19

car-unless he needed the car in his
| business-has had his influence in
! the development of 1912 prosperity.
He had to have the money. and he
went after business just that much
| harder. And Almost Instances lie got
it.
Another thing which has been far
reaching In its effect Is automobile
advertising. In the early days the
motor concerns made money easily
and spent it easily. They began by
| paying high salaries Advertising
| men, the best in the country. were at
! tracted TO the field. They asked big
money and got It. It was then, or
| about then, that a. real advertising
| era began. Managers of other lines
| of business took notice Of advertising
of class they had never seen before.
and they began to notice, too, what
enormous sales were being made in
| the trade They began looking around
| for real advertising men for them
| selves, Men increased their adver-
| Using appropriations by the Judcious
| handling OF which they created new.
| and in some instances almost unbe-
! lievable. demands for their goods.
General business conditions began an
| Improvement which pessimists said
was too much a boom to last. II
| boom IT was, then boom 1t is, for II
| still with us, and the motor car is at
! the bottom Of It.
There are more automobiles made
| in our own state of Michigan. I guess.
| than in all the rest OF the country
| taken together. I heard e. man re-
! mark just the other day that he
guessed the reason Michigan made a
| better motor car. than other States
wns because the roads were so bad
| they have to. And here IS another
| thing on which the automobile has
| had a country benefting influence,
The time was when the farmer hated
| red devil like a small boy does Il
| bath Today he Is a buyer himself
| Roads are pretty bad yet In, some
! parts, but the automobile has created
| q demand for better ones. and were
| gradually beginning 10 get them. Up
! In our country the best example Of it
/ is in that new road Witch is really
1 and truly going 10 ne put down be-
! tween Detroit and Toledo, For years
! this has been the worst thing in
| the shape OF a road between New
| York and the buffalo wallows Of Wyo-
| ming.
The truck game generally has
never CpSBSd up DIS 81 VIII AIl AiiS llSAt
few years. Truck use means economy,
and economy, moreoy ar. which is
bound to become popular. It is going
to be the survival of the ffttest among
motor car manufacturers in just d
few years now, and we for one aren't
feeling bit faint yeti
Good Roads at Home.
There are just ms good roads in the
United States today rs in France. says
Francis Miltoun In an article in the
Scientific American. in which he en-
beavers TO show Americans how
Europe Is solving the good roads
Question, IN top dressing, III COM
| port With the needs of the new loco
motion. according to any one OF the
| four or five methods commonly made
use Of In america results are superior
even 10 anything yet achieved in
Europe That these surface roads
are as durable is a question not for
discussion here. The rock metalled,
| water bound macadam OF Britain, pre-
cursor of the Frenchman Tresaguet,
| the phaster of Germany or the pave
| OF Belgium at their best are GER
tainly no better 10 the eye nor i'll
| actual practice when seated on iuxur-
! ious upholstery and rolling on rubber
| tires than much that may be seen
| in short lengths in some States of
| the Union.
| Little has been achieved in Europe
| in the redressing of existing roadways
with tar, asphalt, cement or any form
of bitulithics carpeting which is known
I SO favorabiy, in one form or another,
| In America, and which In most cases
| has been found superior to purely
water bound road surfacing. In
France particularly, where the thing
| has been tried. pitiful results have
accrued, notably OH certain stretches
along @the Riviera, that battery OF
| Mediterranean coast towns which has
become the playground OF princes,
American millionaires. and some
! others
! Brick is found on some roads Of
I Holland but 1t dates from before the
automobile era, before even that ia
NOUS pavement of Terre Haute. Ind.
| owning already to some twenty years
and still good. Great claims of dura-
biiity are made for brick, and If these
! two examples have any weight the
thing would seem To ee worth some,
thing.
In France there is a famous forty
kilometer stretch Of Route Rationale
In the south. near Marseiiles, just after
leaving yigncn and Aryn4 -, fhA Rad