Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1917-01-23
100000 AUTOS
IN USE TODAY
Overproduction is not Probable for
Several Years to Come
The Future of the
Industry.
THE INCREASE IN COST
One-Half of the Cars in Existence
are Used for Business
Purposes.

tive to the development Ol LAe Alo"
tor car industry and so many prop
hesies have been ventured without
proper consideration Of vital and
controlling factors, that a clear and
simple analysis Of the subject may
serve to dissipate much Of the I'M
founded conjecture.
The automobile market is divided
into two broad fields. First the rur-
al class, which includes all persons
engaged in farming and others in
various businesses who live in towns
of less than five hundred population.
Second, the urban class, which COM
prises all people in any but farming
pursuits, who live in towns of five
hundred or more population.
In the rural or farming market,
There are 6,5OO,0O0 families. One
million of these now own motor cars
and one and one-half millions are
poor, illiterate, or negroes, who TO"
the purpose of this study may be eX-
cluded from the prospective buying
class. There remain, then, 4,0OO,-
1000 farm families who are possible
automobile buyers.
In the urban class, covered by H.
900 towns and cities of more than
five hundred population, there are
about 100000 home owners of
which number only 100000 now
own cars. Accordingly, there re-
main 100000 prospective buyers
in this class, or a total actual un-
sold market. in both rural and ur-
ban classes. of 100000 possible. all.
tomobile buyers.
The accepted average life of an
automobile is about five years in the
hands of the original owners; and as
the man who once owns a car will
not thereafter be without one, we
must include the recorder market
which in the calendar year of 1917
will be about 100000, this being
twenty per cent of the 5000, 600
now in use.
For the year 1917, therefore, the
Automobile business will face a mar
ket of about 100000 possible buy
ers. Not more than 100000 cars
will be built in the coming year,
l1oox;~r n ,occih1n ovnocc roopl.ot IF
100000 buyers at the beginning
of 1918.
These figures are decidedly con-
%servative because they take NO on
sideration of Cd any export outlet,
CO the people who have or will
have two or more machines, (3) in
creased population, ca increased
prosperity, CD a million or more
town and city families who do not
own the homes in which they live,
but are we'll able to buy and main
tain a motor car, Co the business
houses, retail and wholesale merch-
ants who use thousands of roadsters
for statesmen, and many thousands
more of delivery cars Irregular auto
mobile chassis with commercial
BODY, ca taXicabs and other cars
for public hire.
An important and noteworthy
fact is vouched for by the Editorial
Department of Automobile Topics"
a weIl-known trade authority, which
has been making a careful analysis
of the comparative nature of auto
mobile service. They state that of
the 5000, 900 motor cars of all kinds
in service in the United States to-
day, they can conservatively say
from their investigation that over
one-half of the mileage Of the s.
900 900 cars is used for business
purposes. Literally. this means
that of the 3,0O0,0 600 automobiles
running in this country today one
half, or 1,50a,0 900, are used for bust
ness purposes. This leaves only one
alu q llGli IA - " piNaS
ure or social transportation pur-
poses.
In considering the 10000 au-
tomobiles in use today, which may
legitimately be classed as pleasure
cars" an important fact should be
borne in mind, namely; the social
ed pleasure car of today has a dis
tinct economic use, it being only
reasonable to deduce that the time
and money spent in motoring for
pleasure or social intercourse almost
invariably takes the place of some
other form of expenditure of less
actual economic value. Motoring
is a pleasure that makes for broader
vision, and more helpful d.