Omaha daily bee., 1914-10-31
OYER MILLION CARS IN use
Number Of Automobiles in United
States Surpasses 1,45O,o00
1FHT0nyr1, -
MAJORITY PLEASURE CARS
Eishty-eiEht Per Cent Touring We
hicles and the Like, while
Twelve Per Cent Are Used
in Commercial Work.

More than $4,000 motor cars Of all
descriptions in use in the United states
were registered In the several states last
year" says Mitchell May. secretary of
state OF New York, "and of this number
" per cent were pleasure cars and the
remaining Il per cent commercial, this
proportion being based upon the registra-
ton returns in New York state. where Of
the total registration Of $4,000 motor
vehicles upward Of 1900 were CONNER
ciais."
AS may be inferred from these figures.
motoring has been the means OF building
up a vast industry. The United States
commerce and industry report, recently
made public, shows that the number of
fore!sn cars imported into this country
during the last three years has been neg
lisible, less than 5000, while the num-
Der exported has been enormous
figures which speak veil fer the sound
LESS of the American product, especially
when it is to be remembered that it is
but three or four years since our export
trade was insignificant, while large
number Of the motor cars in use at home
we're Of foreign make
rs q matter OF statistics "a per cent of
American mako, and X a comparison were
to be made upon values this percentage
would bn FIJI higher, Gor it can be safely
computed that the motor cars owned in
the United States aggregates a present
value o. acGry i2O0oo0.OO, an estimate
placed on basis Of rating one-half OF
the total number OF cars registered last
year at $1,000 each and the remaining
falf \ M
ceedingly conservative, as the price OF
motor cars varies from AS low as $500 TO
as high as 5000 for the six-cylinder
limousine
S8O,Ooo,OOO for New Cars.
The statistics further show that close
TO s600oo,0OO was spent in the purchase os
new motor cars by American motorists
last year and to this sum are yet to be
added the values of the accessories, the
supply of which forms a very substantial
branch OF the motor car trade.
But the annual expenditure for new
machines, large as 1t is, is not all the
expense. as the cost of running is heavy,
witnessed by an industry which motoring
has built up, namely tire manufacturing,
which is becoming almost as large as the
motor car building trade itself Next to
ing oil. which is among the heaviest in
the motorists expenditures. Besides the
cost in repairs, renovation and periodical
overhauls amounts to many millions
while added to this is the sum of the an
nual registration and license fees. which
since 1911, when a careful collection of
statistics was made by the secretary of
states office, amounted TO exactly $3746,-
1856. Since that time, especially during
last year, over twice this license record
was shown, totaling approximately, $780,
900 in license fees
while many owners keep their cars
in stables converted to a new use, a large
number of motor vehicles are stored in
public garages or in buildings especially
rented for that purpose and the cost of
this service must aggregate a large sum-
although perhaps the heaviest expense
OF all is in looking after the driving and
care of the cars, the need for which has
opened a new calling of vast extent. The
actual number of professional drivers
licensed III this country mas increased
fourfold. II the wages of this number
were fixed at the rate of SIS per week and
the compensation OF others employed
about the car were added the total would
reach upward of $11,OOO,OOO annually and
thus the running expenses of the motor
lists added to the purchase cost and in
cidentals would reach the enormous ag-
gregate of some billions Of dollars.