The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-03-01


 capable of long distance touring and even today you can make shift by getting charges and it is only question of or ganizing a system of charging stations all over the country to make the electric touring car equally capable of going over long distances and. therefore. more suit able for this purpose
 However. il is not this in which believe the main use of the automobile lies, because. as I said before. it is still a sporting proposition. Eighteen years ago we all thought the bicycle had come to stay an everyday utility, as a busi- ness conveyance: still, 1t Is banished for this purpose: we don't go to work on bicycle any more, but use another con veyance.
 Is Used for Business Now
 "But nevertheless. the bicycle is today used just much as it was ever used, but now it has become business convey ance. You use it where you want to cover some distance more conveniently Now, 1t is my opinion, that very much of the present use of the automobile by the lawyer to go to his office. or by the engineer to go to his factory and back. is of the same class as the use of the bicycle IS years ago. It is the thing to do--everybody who can afford it gets
 
 Driving an engine through the streets of the city is all right for sport, but it is not feasible when the sporting idea is mixed with everyday occupation, any more than you drive your own horse ex- cept for sport; though today when you attend any meeting of people who own automobiles and begin to speak on au- tomobile matters, they all can intelli- gently discuss them, and they get very much interested talking about carburet- ors and spark plugs and ignition devices and on, just as is years ago the same class of people were capable and inter ested and could as intelligently. when you mentioned the subject. talk of chain drive and gear and bicycle tires single tires and double tires; but that is really outside of the natural inclination---is a temporary condition of sport.
 Now we see already today the auto mobile beginning to recede from the sporting attitude. We see already many people that can afford it not taking pleas ure in driving their own car but having a chauffeur drive it. But the majority of people cannot afford a chauffeur and they must either abandon the use of the automobile altogether or drive their own car.
 The only car that will remain in gen era1 use is the car which everybody can take care of because 1t does not require any care: that means electric and the future of the automobile as a business vehicle, as a carriage, is the electric, be- cause it does not require any special knowledge. any care, anybody. any lady can run it. The electric automobile may be and is capable of doing all that the gasoline car can do, but I believe that, just as Is years ago we have seen on a pleasant Sunday or holiday thousands and thousands of bicycles going all over the country from New York to Boston to AL bany. touring-all have vanished likewise we will see automobiles very largely van ish from touring. The automobile is all very well, but when you wish to go hun dreds of miles, the Pullman car is really more eomfortable -sA
 Care of the Electric
 Now if you have an electric carriage in everyday use it would be quite fea- sible to arrange for charging it at a moderate monthly cost, say s10 or s5 a month. The Illuminating company or the local company in city or country town anywhere takes care of ,he electric car You run it there in the evening and in the morning you go there and take it out. it having been charged during the night. A light charge Is ample for all the use you will have for it during the day.
 Now. you will save the owner of the automobile a lot of trouble: it would mean it is the ideal carriage the minue you get it from storage from the illumi- hating company and the minute you take it back and that is all We need to do and no care taken.
 Indeed. you may, in many cases go further You may arrange that nomi- nal charge in addition be made by the illuminating company and it sends the automobile to your house and leaves it