The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1915-09-14
New York World)

I1tlC tOiiCo iNihG fhutOs
I'm it!
Biggest thing on wheels. Yes, sir!
Celebrating? You've guessed. Dates?
Two. One June / I passed the 2,000,-
900 mark for these United States. On
July s | hung up another scaip-200,-
600 autos in New York State alone!
Let these figures sink in.
Suppose there are four people who
use each automobile. Then there are
5000, 900 Americans riding in these q
100000 automobiles every day.
Let's count the cost. To run 2,000,-
900 cars a year must take at least a
billion gallons of gas" worth S13000O-
O0O-John y. Rockefeller and the Stan
dard Oil crowd know that and it makes
their hearts rejoice. They still keep
on the wagon, too, with their lubricat-
ing oils, of which | need 20,O0O,O0O gal
Ions, worth $S,O00,000, every year.
Tires? wear out 100000 of them
every 12 months and they set the own
ers back something like 1892, 100000, if
you figure them at only $16 apiece.
Other little accessories? Hundreds
of goggles, gloves, caps, dust
ers, lamps, tools--let's call the cost
of them $50 a car. All right-there's
where it hit you for another S1O0,O0O,-
900 annually.
Garages get a lot one way or the
other-call it $50 year for each car.
There goes another $lO0,000,00O. Sup
pose we are economical abont repairs
and allow but $50 year for each car.
There goes still another S100,OOO,OOO.
Goes easy, doesn't it?
Add that up. Some $500, 100000, isn't
It? And that's no more than starter,
because we haven't counted the cost
of the cars at all There were 6OO,0OO
new automobiles bought last year all
the way from $375, which is about the
cheapest figure you can buy me at, up
to $1O,OOO-and some cost more than
that. Let us call it roughly $45O,OOO,'
900. Some money. Now add 1t all up.
What do you get now? Ah, just 81 $780,
900 900 for automobiling.
am indeed-King Auto!
Honk! A thousand millions spent on
me.
Let us hear Mr.. Hugo Secretary of
State for New York, who has some
| illuminating figures. Yes, Mr.. Hugai
On July 8, 1915, there were 2OO,1Ss
automobiles of all kinds in New York
State and 67,73S chauffeurs? And you
took in for the state just Sl,667669 in
lencese fees? A gain of $4,000 cars
since year ago and 10000 chauffeurs!
Our private transportation Is expensive
| in New York.
| Now we have it-New York State
owns just one tenth of all the automo
biles in the Union. Listen for a mo
ment to Colonel Robert M. Thompson
Chairman of the Executive Committee
of the Navy League of the United
States Che has an objection to my king
ship) "There are registered in thu
states of New York and Massachus
etts alone more chauffeurs than ther'
are soldiers and sailors combined II
the whole nation!"
But why not? Every man jack o
these is a potential aid to our arm
when the day comes. Germany ha
been helped in this present war by tn
l7O 900 automobiles she has on the firln
line or just behind it. How woul
France and England have transporte
their troops so ably and so suddenl
had 1t not been for the motor buse
they commandered from the streets {
Paris and London, my dear Colonel?
And. more money for automobil
tires than for navy!" Again. wh
not? 1t gives our chauffeurs practic
using up those tires and we'd nee
100, 900 auto drivers il we had ret
war. BY the way, who was 1t said tht
the taxi chauffeurs who have no nerve
make the best military aviators?
Before we get off the subject of wa
let me remind you that have save
the day for both sides, manys ti
> time. At one Of the big German +
> treats in Poland they would have lo
their entire rear guard of 10000 me
: had not they had 10000 automobiles
= whisk their men off in time to join Il
! main body, And as early as Augu
r, 1914 came the first automobi
u charge in all history-near liege l,5'
y honkng Prussians In $50 automobile
II headed the invading German colun
l. even then starting TO desolate litt
! Belgium.
y While we're on the subject, let n
give you a few more ligures-thoul
II Pm for peace, first. last and all Il
x time, If for no other reason than tn
'i there's more money in it-and mo
e fun, Here goes.
Since the war began the allies ha