Ashland tidings. [volume] (Ashland, Or.) 1876-1919, 1916-08-24
One in Twenty-Five
In U. S. Own Cars


motor vehicles in this country, is to
be found in any other part of the in
habited globe, Never before in his
tory has product, the unit value
of which even remotely approached
that of the automobile, been sold
to nearly so large a proportion of
the population.
If any argument were needed to
clinch the fact of the huge prosperity
of these United States it could be
found in this one item of national
investment; the light-seeking econo-
mist would need to search no fur
ther. By the first of January, 1917,
there will be one automobile in the
country Tor every 25 inhabitants. On
January /, of this year, there was
already one automobile to each "A
of the population.
1t is staggering when one stops to
realize the cost of even the most mod
est motor car. If one put the average
cost of an automobile at $500 which
is considered lower than the true
average, the value of the 2,445,664
cars which the government census
recently announced were registered
in the United States in 1916, reaches
in the aggregate, $1,222,S3O,O 900.
This is the sort of figures that one
uses in speaking of national debts
or annual appropriations of a first
class power or the cost of many
months Of the great war. 1t is quite
outside of ordinary comprehension.
But automobile production did not
stop in this country when the weary
old year laid down his scythe and
hour glass last December. On the
contrary, 1t received a new impetus,
and more cars, by an enormous per-
centage, are being produced and sold
this year than ever before. The most
sanguine prophets predicted that
1916 would see 100000 cars pro-
duced in America. For once these
prophets are cloaked with honor in
their own country, for that produc-
tion seems certain to be reached. In
a careful compilation of the figures
for the first six months of the year,
made by The Automobile, our fac
tories were found to have produced
754,902 passenger automobiles. 1t
is not hard to see that with the speed
ing up of the production usual in
the second half of the year the l.
100000 mark is sure to be attained.
When these 100000 cars are
added to those in operation on Janu-
ary last, 1t will be seen that at least
,945,664 automobiles will be owned
in the United States, or one to every
1884 inhabitants. This total will
represent the investment of $4,000
100000 in round figures, based on
the $500 car limit, which is GER
tainly far too low.
Such an enormous distribution of
a product, which less than a decade
ago was considered luxury, de-
mands an explanation. It bristles
with Interesting economic questions
on all sides. But the first insistent
query is: What has made such a
thing possible; wherein lies this mod
ern magic?" The technical and rath-
er puzzling answer to this question is
quantity production.
What" you say, you answer the
query of what has made such quanti-
ty possible by saying, quantity pro-
duction'!"
Precisely Because quantity pro-
duction, applied to the automobile
industry with an intensity and thor
oughness never before equaled on ap-
proximately such scale, has in turn
made possible constant and import
ant reduction in the prices at which
the cars are sold. It has put the au-
tomobile into the hands of every man
and, as if with the waving of a ma
gician's wand has made of the men
of the street motorist. Let no man
say after this decade that the age of 7
witchcraft is dead.
Ten years ago you could not buy !,
a serviceable automobile for less than
$4,000; five years ago your choice
below $1,000 was limited-and strict
ly limited.
Today there are at least fourteen
standard makes of car, from one of
which you can expect more consist
ent service than from the expensive
machine of dozen years ago, which
sells at less than 500. Many of |
these are priced at much less than
that amount. Indeed, the great ma
jority come substantially below that !
mark.
The motor car has become literally |
less costly than a pair of decent
horses at first price and, of course,