Norwich bulletin., 1916-03-10

the submarine the big guns Of Ger
many or all the other weapons of war
go to the Majestic, meet the demon
strators. inspect the exhibits and get
acquainted with the strides that are
steadily being made in the manufac-
ture of automobiles.
For For All Business.
It was only a little while ago that
there were people who had the future
of the motor car industry all nicely
plotted out; as standards Of cOnstruC-
ton and types became esta blished one
after another cars were to become
more and more alike, until eventually
there would be q completely standard
lied car for each of several particular
needs, and the industry would under
go consolidation and elimination and
settle down into a rUt Of turning out
machines as alike as nails, except that
there would be two or three sizes to
suit varying requirements as to carry
ing capacity. And it looked for a.
time as though there was something
in the idea.
But those who worked out this plan
did not reckon upon two important
factors = the force Of phrestrained
competition and the wonderful demand
of the public for cars. If the motor
car industry were dominated and con-
trolled so that the adoption Of i'm
prOVements could be regulated in Or
derby fashion 10 suit the convenience
and the interest of the dominant pow
err the standardized car might have
a chance. But the manufacture of
motor cars has no such control il is
Il free-fOr-al business into which any
| body with sufficient courage and Capi-
tai may enter: even patents are for
the most part not of a vital character.
Therefore it's only master is the mo-
toring public, and the main idea Of
! the engineer and the designer IS to
build a car that the public viii buy
and keep on buying.
A Year of Changes.
This is the condition which always
has existed since motto" cars began to
! be built in marketable quantities. and
| there are no signs Of a change.
Throughout its history the industries
wonderful progress has been charac-
terized by q series of UpheaVaIs. In
VentlOn or discovery OF an improve
ment has been followed by a rush to
incorporate it in the designs of GAYS;
there has followed a period Of compar-
ative eVenness when the n1anufa ctur-
ers seemed 10 be approaching agree
ment and then another bound forward
in a different direction. The year 1916
happens to be one of those in which the
process of change is in full flight, and
therefore the industry. comes to the
Norwich show with a variety of nr0-
with any idea of a standardized mo-
tor car.
Built After Accepted Principles.
And yet it must not be thought for
an instant that the value of standard
ization is not recognized, and that it
has been cast aside for in reality ey-
cry car in the show is built with defin-
tie regard to universally accepted prin-
cipieS. The metals. for instance-the
steel, aluminium, iron, copper and plat
| inTm-are selected by carefully con-
Quoted tests and must meet establish
| ed standards Of siren 9Th, tOughness
and other qualities, depending upon
| the particular work they have to do.
| The tires are chosen in exact relation
to the weight they have to carry The
| engine itself is built with more min
ute5 reference to the weight it must
carry than is a bridge; the springs, the
| brakes, even the nuts and bolts are
| fixed as to their size and strength by
rules which have been drafted from
| the results Of nUmberless experiments
| and years of experience that have de-
! termined the standards in these things.
Upon this foundation of fundamen-
| tails, however, the engineers have built
! superstructures that are as different
| as they well can be- Price is not a
determinatiVe of structural features
| for in the same price class are found
radically different conceptions OF best
practise, nor is the size of the car, or
! power, or speed. The only unanimity
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