New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-01-08
BIG CROWDS SEE
MOTOR EXHIBITS
Interest in National Show
and Salon Greater
than Ever
DEALERS OF MANY
STATES ARE PRESENT
Orders Taken Justify High
Costs-ReSults Prove
Lasting

New York is now fairly embarked on
its regular automobile show week, with
the national show open in Grand Cen
trail Palace, the Automobile Salon in It's
closing days at the Hotel Aston and
various individual exhibits in hotel
Hobbies through the central part OF the
city. The national show got away on
Saturday TO an attendance estimated at
about $4,000.
Interest In the automobile, far from
tagging. is constantly growing in this
community. Those who own cars mum
Der by increasing thousands, and there
Is also an even larger body OF those
who hope to own a car some day. ana
for that reason like TO 90 and look
them over. The owners and the pros
meets are the folks who make up that
group which contributed about 100000
Maid admissions to last years show
Every indication points to greater
total for the 1917 exhibition.
lisa curious phenomenon presented
hv IN. automobile show. To think OF
as many as 100000 persons paying TO
look at something that is for sale Is
the odd thing. And it is true OF no
otb.r exhibition in any other line Of
goods.
Advertising Record Broken
TIL. manufacturers are seeing to 1t
that the interest In motors, kindled
wears ago. is not permitted to languish.
As proof Of this the Sunday newspapers
in this city carried a record-breaking
total Of automobile advertising.
II is not alone the car-buying public
that helps the attendance totals at the
shows. This year. more than ever be-
fore, dealers from all over the country
are visitors. There are some from
Texas, and others from California, who
have made the trip specially to see
what is new.
And, OF course, dealers from New
England and the nearer South are com
ing 10 the show. As nearly every lac
tory organization makes it point TO
have get-together meetings for the
pe+ropolitan district sub-dealcrs at TINS
time there are literally thousands Of
fbese who come to town. Then, TOO
there are the sub-dealers who are look
ING for line 10 take on, either IN ad-
oition TO that already carried or per
hans 10 replace one that Is TO De
dropped. -,
The cost 10 the manufacturers OF
automobiles Is high. Not only is tne
advertising expenditure considersbie'
but the sending of exhibits 70 the
show amounts TO something. Ihen'
too. the executive and Manufacturing
departments all send representative
here in order 10 look after the needs
of the customers and dealers. A.
though the factories complain OF the
cost 10 them, and also because the
factorv routine is broken, they real
ize well by this time that the enthu-
siasm engendered by the show IS a
very good thing for car selling, not
onlv right now, but later on.
Many Orders Taken
great many actual orders FOR cars
arc taken at the show. Some OF THESE
are from prospects who have been
hanging off 20 look over some other
line and sometimes they are taken
from people ready TO buy before but
asked TO hold off so as to make It pos
s;bIe 10 report sales at the show. The
pioreer work done at show time also
carries over 10 spring selling. taken
all in all the automobile industry
would not be In the position II occu-
pies to-day were il not for the New
York show.
New York's Is the first OF the big
shows. There is regular circuit
that covers about fourteen weeks, in
which all the big towns are played.
New York and Chicago are the only
national" shows, in which the fac
tories take the leading part. The
other cities have dealers shows, but
the factories lend their support and
send men there TO look after the fac
tory interests Along about the mid
die of March the factory men who
play the chow circuit are pretty well
ready 10 call II a seasons work and
take a rest.
The Studebaker gold car on the
main floor got its full share Of stten-
ton. Almost every one wanted TO
know IL il really cost $4,000 TO make.
Production of gold cars looks like a
solution Of the problem recently pre-
sented 10 this country to dispose OF
the excessive amount OF gold now In
our keeping.
This is Military Dav at the show.
Not 20 keep il a secret. the military
girls" from a leading theatrical pro-
duction will attend. II is announced
they will do this. first, because it IA
Military Day, and second, because
many Of them own cars.
A novelty in display features Is the
blue Al" in glass on the radiator OF the
Hupmobile stripped chassis. This was
countersunk part way into the radiator
tubes and illuminated from in back.
The King radiator, which now IL
made IN shield shape, of the cars
trade mark, gives a highly attractive
finish 10 the front OF the car. The body
lines Of the King have been consider
ably improved.
Great interest was shown Saturday
night in the new Doble steam car. on
the fourth floor The crowd about it
was so great that it could not be pene-
trated.
The Hal Motor Car Company has
booklet, which was written By Roy Van
Patton. II il divided into three parts.
Tho first part is expressly for women
folks. 10 tell them what they should eT-
rect I'm car. The second part is for
tho man Of the family. and gives main
teuancc and cost details. The third
mart ie for the chauffeur and goes
infinitely into technical details. which