The Ely miner., 1915-10-15
MINNESOTA RICH
IN AUTOMOBILES
PROSPERITY OF PEOPLE is Evi-
pENCED BY LARGE NUM-
Der OF MACHINES.
NEARLY 100000 REGISTERED
Secretary of State Schmahl Predicts
Citizens Will Own 100000 Cars
Before 1917 Closes, or Ono
Auto to Every II.
BY Julius A. SchmahI, Secretary OF
State.

State.
know of no better criterion Of the
wealth and prosperity Of all classes
of the people of Minnesota than that
Of the automobile. In 1907, when the
Legislature first provided for a state
registration of automobiles, 1000 were
registered. The following year It
Jumped to 10000. In 1909 the registra-
tion was 19,50O; in 1910 the registra-
tion was z8,500; and the year 1911
closed with a registration OF about
$4,000. The 1911 Session of the Leg
islature provided for three year
period with January 1, 1912, and when
the department closed business on De-
cember 81. 1914, the records showed
there were 6s 500 licensed automobiles
in Minnesota and in addition there
were a large number in the hands Of
dealers licensed under what is known
as the Dealers Registration Act. The
new triennial period commenced on
January /, 1915, and at this writing,
September 20, 1915, the registration,
exclusive Of dealers, has reached 49,,
600, and there are undoubtedly a
thousand or two more in the hands Of
the 450 dealers throughout the state
that have either not been sold or ap-
plications have not been received at
this department.
People Invest $S4,9so,0oo.
The Wall Street Journal, the ortho-
dox financial paper of the United States,
published in New York City, in an is
sue circulated during the month of Au-
gust, made the statement that the av-
erage price of an automobile owned
throughout the United States is about
$3.50, over one-half of the cars produc-
ed selling for less than $500. Using
this responsible statement as basis,
the people of Minnesota now have $84,-
$4,000 invested in automobiles. 1t
can be positively stated that there is
practically little or no charge as a
credit against these machines and that
the entire item is one that is exclusive
property of the owners.
This stupendous amount and growth
shows better the prosperity of Mime
sofa than any other one item that /
can think of and inasmuch it has come
from the soil of the state within the
last eight years, people from other
states desiring to invest in Minnesota
real estate and make homes in this
state, will not ponder long in their re-
fection as to the actual wealth Of the
soil of the state. From the applica-
tions on file in this Office / can make
q safe estimate that about thirty per
cent. of the total registration has been
made by the farmers of Minnesota.
This latter registration as whole
does not cover many of the high priced
machines but it does show a safe, con-
servative policy on part Of the farmers
In purchasing good and durable mach
ines and machines that will answer all
purposes.
One Auto to Every II Citizens.
At the present time the registration
comes largely from that section of
Minnesota south from a direct line
across the state from Brainerd but the
applications from the Northern Sec
ton are coming in quite rapidly and
indicate that rapid strides are being
made In both the agricultural wealth
of that section as well as in the i'm.
provement Of roads.
Minnesota is now about the ninth
state in the Union in the number of
licensed automobiles. The people of
the state are calling for them faster
than they can be delivered from the
factories. Before 1915 closes Mime
sofa will have very near 100000 ma.
chimes registered and before the tri.
ennial period closes on December 81,
l917, the people will own in the neigh.
borhood Of 10000 machines, equiv.
alent to about one machine to every
seventeen citizens of the state.