The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1916-01-20
GIANT STRIDES AUTO INDUSTRY.
Probably 100000 Cars Will BE
Running in L. S. by 1917.

terferes, the giant strides of the au-
tomobile industry should carry it
we'll beyond a mil]ion-car production
in 1915, says an exchange, with the
figures more likely to be 100000.
which, combined with cars now in
use and allowing for those worn out,
should give more than 5000, O,O0G
cars on American roads at the end of
the present year, or one for every 34
persons, with records in States like
Iowa of one for every Is persons.
"Where do all the cars go and how
can people afford to maintain them?'
is the general query whenever the
increased sale of motor cars is men
toned
Were the motor cars a mere luXu-
ry, as it was 10 or II years ago, SELL
ing at $4,000 or $4,000 and costing
a substantial sum to maintain, the
query might be very proper one,
but with the present low price of cars
that are maintained at low cost, and
which have such varied uses in busi-
ness as we'll as in pleasure, the ques-
ton is no more proper than it would
be to ask how people can spend as
much money as they do for car fares
and telephones.
Every day presents new services
that the automobile can render, not
alone in health-giving properties to
the man and his family, but to the
salesmen, to the contractor and to
every other line of business where
rapid and economical transportation
of the individual is necessity.
The low-priced cars, the lowest
cost of maintenance and the ease of
operation which permits them to be
handled as readily by women as by
men, are all contributing to the in
creased and, may we say, almost uni
versal use of the automobile.
1t is peculiarly fitting that the goth
anniversary of the automobile indus
try. as celebrated by the present New
York automobile show, should see
the goal of 100000 cars within
sight and when one figures that there
were 100000 horse-drawn We
hicles in use in the United States in
1910, there still seems a wide mar
ket for power-driven vehicles.
The automobile maker knows that
there are over 100000 farms in
this country, one-half of them with
out mortgages, and that the automo-
bile must replace 100000 or 12,-
100000 horse-drawn vehicles that
were in use in the country in 1910.
Moreover, this country must supply
cars to all countries for some time
to come.
Probably the greatest danger that
faces the automobile is the general
belief that makers, dealers and own
ers are prosperous enough to stand
heavy taxes. Cars are taxed to the
extent of $14,000,000 year in the
form of registrations in the various
States; drivers are taxed in order to
get drivers licenses to operate cars,
while others have a wheel tax; au-
tomobiles are taxed as personal prop
erty; certain States require costly Ii
censes to sell motor cars, and now
even President Wilson suggests that
automobiles should be taxed on their
horse power and that gasoline used
in automobiles should be taxed cent
a gallon, all with a view of raising
money for government use.
While every owner is ready to reg
lister his car to be commandeered in
case of war, and, while every automo-
bile manufacturer is anxious to share
his burden of any public taxes, there
is naturally strong opposition to be-
ing singled out as the one manufac-
turing industry to bear more than it's
share of taxation burdens.-Ex-
change.