The Washington herald., 1913-07-20
"ASSEMBLED' CAR IS
THE WORK Of EXPERTS
PRICES ALSO BROUGHT DOWN

A couple Of generations back It was .
common sight where new house was
being erected to see the carpenters at
work fashioning the doors and windows
from the rough lumber.
Where stone was being used in larger
construction, 1t was cut on the ground.
In the first steel building the structural
iron had to be drilled and fitted a. the
building went up.
Today we would laugh at such meth
ods. Doors are made Of standard
size and shape. as are windows, by ex-
perts who are thus able to manufacture
both better and more cheaply than the
individual carpenter working on the build
ing.
Stone is cut at the quarry to At accu-
rately. and when 1t arrives at thu build
ing site is ready for immediate placing.
In planning a steel structure the architect
specifies the location Of every bolt and
rivet in the building. and the steel IL
machined at the plant 80 that 1t IL ready
for instant assembling when It Is de-
livered.
And yet there exists in the minds Of
some people prejudice against the as
sembled" motor car. This in the face OF
the fact that Of the $50 pleasure car an!
truck makers In the United States aad
Canada less than one-half If per cent
are strictly manufacturers. As a matte-
Of fact, no manufacturer makes his car
entirely. because all buy tires and various
minor fittings. although there are a few
who make virtually all Of the impoi tsnt
parts of their motor cars.
To make q comparison again with
building (for the reason that every one
is more or less familiar with construction
methods), the different branches Of the
work are left to the experts In their pa
ticular line. The excavation contract IL
given to a man who makes a specially
of removing earth and who il properly
equipped with tools and meh trained in
this work The foundation goes to a foun-
dation expert. the carpenter work to car
penters, and the mason work to masons.
1t is the same all through.
frst-class assembled car il the work
of experts in various lines OF manufac-
ture. A big concern. equipped with the
best of machinery with a plant manned
by expert labor, producing nothing but
motors. logically is able to make a better
motor than a concern to which motor
making is but one Of many functions.
This is true of axles, bearings. bodies.
springs, wheels, &C.
That this is beginning to seep into the
public mind is evidenced by the fact that
the prejudice against assembled cars is
rapidly disappearing. In fact. one large
truck manufacturer is advertising heavily
that his truck is made up of the best
parts obtainable. selected after exhaustive
tests.
OF course. the parts manufacturer had
his troubles in the early days. al did the
car builder. Then he was equally new in
solving problems: his reputation was NIL
The autopnobfle concerO had M precadept
in choosing a parts maker who should
device from a fatal mistake. He had to
take his chances and parts maker and
motor car producer grew up together.
! But the industry has made such enor-
nous strides in the last ten years that
conditions have changed entirely. There
IS no longer any question Of uncertainty
In the assembled car, the day of expert
for the parts maker has gone
by, and he has succeeded in standardizing
mis- products. Standardization and per-
lection due to specializat ton have revolu-
tionized the industry. The automobile Is
what it is today because of the position ,
achieved by the parts maker. The latter
IS largely responsible for the mechanical
excellence Of the machine, and this me-
perfection could not exist to the
iesree that II does IL there were no spe-
.ialists to provide the essentials for the
assembled product.
In addition to mechanical excellence due
10 Standardization and specialization. the
parts maker has been the prime factor
n bringing the price Of the motor car
iown to the level Of the average mans
ncome. so that the assembled car now
las the virtues of accuracy. dependability.
and economy.