Norwich bulletin., 1915-03-25

called upon to stand the strain of all the traffic over it. This really should not be. Of course, it is the natural tendency to drive on the crown of the road, but in principle it is wrong, if the road is to be used to the best ad- vantage.
 After these ruts are started and the surface has been broken through, come the chuck holes and dust holes, and in rainy seasons you have the water to contend with, which softens the surface and decreases the effi- ciency of material used in making the | road.
 Don't drive in the rut if lived up to, would save thousands of dollars
 annually in the building of roads, in- crease the pleasure of the tourists
 many times, and in the end save the automobile.
 The time is coming when dealers in cars of established merit will be compelled to organize for protection against the operations of dealers who handle overpriced cars of inferior worth and standing; either that or the public must be educated up to the
 understanding that the amount al- lowed for the old car is not of first importance.
 Ten years ago not per cent. of the purchasers of new automobiles had old cars to exchange. Five years ago it had come to pass fully 50 per cent. of all deals in new cars were on an ex- change basis. Today 90 per cent. of all deals call for an allowance on some sort of used car. These percentages are very conservative, although they do not apply to purchase of small cars in the $500 class, but they do apply to all cars selling for $1,000 and over. If, therefore, trade-ins have come to be so nearly universal, surely this is about the most important problem dealers in new cars have to wrestle with.
 It is a we'll known fact that many automobile manufacturers are putting out cars to appeal to those who have used cars for exchange. These manu- facturers have their cars priced all out of reason, and are, therefore, in a position to offer ridiculously large al- lowances for old cars in exchange and purchasers are being fooled every day in the week by these methods. It is very common nowadays to hear a man say, So and So will allow me a hundred dollars more for my car than you offer me- yet at the time the man is making the statement he knows that his car is not worth what he is offered, and that So and So is willing to pocket a hundred dollars loss in order to swing the deal.
 It behooves the purchasing public to look at something more than the mere allowance figure. They should look at the new car against which the allowance is being made. They should see that it is priced right in the be- ginning, that it has a strong factory behind 1t, and years of faithful per- formances to it's credit. The public should be sure that the new car being considered is not manufactured for trade-in purposes.
 The time will soon come when there will be clearing house for used cars which will be maintained and partici- pated in by all dealers in the better known cars of proven worth, and this clearing house will ike the allowance price to apply against any and all new cars sold by the dealers participating in the clearing house arrangement, and the allowance will be on the basis of what the used car is worth
 The dealer in new cars does not care to make a profit on old cars taken in; but he is entitled to the full list price of his product, and it is not fair for him to be forced into com-
 petition with piratical dealers in in- ferior stuff. Under. this plan fy-by- night manufacturers and dealers will
 be forced to fix their list price on the basis of actual worth, and they will all be knocking at the doors of the clearing house because of the standing membership therein will give them. When this time comes purchasers of new cars will know that they are get ting full value for their used car, as well as ne wear value, instead of ov- ervalue for their old car and unde9-
 value in the new.