El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1916-04-29


This enormous quantity viii prob
ably not be reached, but by making tho
necessary allowances, Il is quite likely
that 100000 cars will be built. unless
some serious shortage OF material
should occur. or unless there Is some
industrial upheaval whose dark sail
does not as yet show above the horizon
At the time OF the automobile show,
prophecies were made that the 1915
production would be a million, but This
figure bids fair to be far surpassed.
That the one million figure is low can
be seen by the plans Of just few OF
the larger producers:
Ford is scheduling 100000 cars and
expects to exceed that number by
considerable percentage.
Willys-Overland expects to build ZOO,-
600 passenger cars in Its lO3-acre plant
at Toledo, o.
Studebaker has planned to manufac-
ture 100000 passenger cars alone during
1916 and an indefinite number OF
trucks.
Besides these large producers, picked
from among the leaders there are Saxon
whose schedule calls for $4,000 Mitchell,
which proposes an output OF ZO,OOO, ana
a score OF other large producers whose
definite figures have been given IN con-
fidence and which, with those mem
toned would swell the total well above
the million mark without taking into
account the great number Of steady
and reliable manufacturers whose out
put. while not as high as the lower
priced cars, still numbers up to three,
four and even five figures.
What VIII become OF Thems
At first thought the casual observer
wonders what is to become Of all these
, cars. he wonders whether the manu-
bfacturers are building for all time or
just for one year. Is 1915 to be the
zenith? Can we keep on increasing
as we have I'm the past2
We can The United states will be
the automobile manufacturing center
for the world. South America with its
vast population, war-wasted Europe,
Asia and Africa are fields which have
hardly been scratched. The automobile
market places of the future can be
reckoned by continents instead of by
towns and cities. There are incalcul-
able numbers OF cars to be sold still
within this country and abroad, and the
only reason that only a Few Of the
American manufacturers are strongly
represented abroad is because the 9TH
ers have been so busy with the domes-
tic field that they have failed to turn
their endeavors elsewhere. With the
big production racing to keep up with
the demand, which in 1915 was so large
that manufacturers found themselves
sold out in April, this export business
is bound to become more and more i'm
pOrtant. Big production gives the min
imum prices, and. therefore, will put
this country in the most advantageous
position for foreign trade conquest.
In one month the factories OF this |
country are turning out more cars than /
the whole combined output Of 1908. !
Each month in 1916 there are 100000 |
cars completed. In 1908 the entire pro-
duction was less than $4,000. In 1904 /
there were about $4,000 cars made. This |
number, at the present rate OF manu- I
facture. Is being completed In one week. I
Careful estimates made at the end Of I
1915 showed 703.527 cars completed dur
ing the year Requests for data made /
TO each individual manufacturer OF pas
senger cars show that if present inten- |
tions are carried out there will be J. /
374.325 Of these built during the year. |
Add to this number $4,000 cOmWercial j
cars. which is the generally accepted /
cars added to these now on the road. /
Active Auto Factories.
When speaking OF output il is always /
interesting to know where the cars are |
made. In the country there are 327 /
factories in active operation.
OF this number there are 90 manufac-
turing passenger cars. The average I
passenger car output per factory is
1900 per annum. This will give an
idea Of the magnitude Of undertaking
10 enter the automobile building bust
ness There are concerns, however,
which build as low as $50 cars a year,
and which are still successful.
The great state for manufacturing
passenger cars is Michigan. Here there
are thirty active factories which are
turning out the bulk OF the cars made
in this country. In addition TO this
there are "a factories which manufac-
ture trucks, bringing Michigan's total
number Of active automobile factories
up TO Ga.
Indiana Follows Michigan.
Indiana is the second largest passen-
ger car producing state, the number OF
factories being %. In addition to the
passenger car factories there are twelve
motor truck builders, which bring the
total up to IS. Strange to say this is
not as many factories as New York
has. the total for the latter state be-
ing as. OF the 46 there are 81 truck /
factories and nine passenger car plants.
None Of the big production plants are
here, but there are several passenger
car plants which do almost a custom
business, the cars being high priced,
costing az much as $4,000 for the chassis
alone and generally fitted with special
bodies which cost from $1,000 to $4,000.
Tn other words, some OF the aristocrats
among automobiles are made IN and
around the metropolis.
At the request OF one publication the
automobile manufacturers were asked
30 vote for the five leading states
which would buy their cars in 1916.
Five votes were allowed for first
cnOiCe. -FOUR votes Tor second, three for
third. two for fourth and one for fifth
choice
New York Buys Most Cars.
According to this, New orlI Is the
best customer OF the majority Of build
ers with Illinois second and Ohio tied
for third with Pennsylvania. The four
leading states and the numbers OF votes
received by each are as follows: New
y ork n, Illinois 46, Ohio 40, Pennsyl-
vania 40. The big buying power Of
cities like New York, Chicago and Phil !
makes itself felt in the selec-
tion OF the best-buying states.
Some idea Of the vast industries
which are carried along in the tail Of
the automobile business comet, may be /
had from the fact that on May 1. 1916, |
there were 100000 cars in use in the
United States. The average car travels
5000 miles a year. on this basis the
number Of miles Travelled by automo-
biblists in 1916 viii be $1,000. 0OO. 900. |
This is COO, 900 times around the earth. |
The amount OF gasoline burned dur |
Ing 1916 viii be one billion, five hun
iren million G,500,00O, 00O) gallons or
over 100000 tons Of the inflamable /
liquid. This would be enough to float I
p fleet Of 225 OF the largest battleships |
each having a displacement OF 10000 [
tons.
Enormous Tire Production.
Tire experts estimate that the num- /
Der OF tires consumed during the year /