The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-08-23
WAR WILL BOOST AMERICAN TRADE.
 SAYS ]. N. W|LLYS
President of Overland Com pany Tells What He Thinks Situation Will
 Produce

" HE European war will act as a posi- tive boost to American business in \ general and the automobile indus
 try in particular in the opinion of John N. Willys. president of the Willys-Over- land company and second largest manu- facturer of automobiles in the world, who expresses his views in cablegram from London, England. For two months Mir. Wilys has been making . study of con- ditions in Europe at close range and is thoroughly in touch with the situation both at home and abroad
 'The English are not slow to see the great opportunities for trade extension | given to the United States by recent
 events" writes MT. Willys sir George Parish, Englands foremost financial
 writer declares that the war will bring great wealth to American industries and
 an economic benefit to the people of the l United States. He prophecies that Amer | jeans will be able to sell their crops at prices which will give them a much I larger income than could possibly be realized had there been no war or dan ger.
 'I do not believe in capitalizing the msfortunes of others. War is the great est calamity which can oefall a civilized community from purely commercial point of view. The precipitation of hos tilities has brought ruin to many Euro peans and I know that the sympathy of every true American goes out to them | in this crisis. But putting aside all sentiment, I am simply stating facts that are patent to one who IS in the field, and which I think should be brought to the attention of every American business | man.
 Industries DemOraliZed '"The call for army reserves throughout | Europe has completely iemoralized the | industries on this side of the Atlantic. Many of the largest automobile factories | have practically been unnamed. Only a very small number of automobiles will be built in Europe until there is cessa- | ton of hostilities and the warlike at mosphere has cleared.
 Tn the meanwhile the entire field will be open to the American motor car man ufacturers There may be some diff | culty in shipping cars to European ports as they may be declared contraband l goods, but the rest of the civilized world | will be free from European competition | end is Americas for the taking. And | once the people who have heretofore bought automobiles of foreign manufac- ture discover the superiority of Ameri- | can cars, Europe will never regain the ! field she has lost.
 1 within the past few weeks Overland dealers have shown their faith in the future of the industry by materially in creas sing their contracts for cars for the coming season. They are close students of the market and are not misled by false optimism. We fully expect to sell 75,000 Overland cars during the next year.
 "The country has the greatest wheat crop in it's history. Coinciding as it does with the European war, 1t means millions | to the growers. Dispatches published in London state that the first mobilization
 of troops hastened the export movement | of grain and that the price of wheat has advanced greatly.
 | Although it is stated in official cir cles that at present England has four months supply of grain in storage, il is commonly known that with this gone the inhabitants of the British Isles could not subsist three weeks without importa.
 tons. When England declared war the excitement was intense and retail prices
 of food made jump of 50 per cent.
 number of the cooperative stores, which
 are very strong in this country, were
 forced to close because of the abnorma
 demand for supplies. Word came from