The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1917-01-30
THE FUTURE OF THE
AUTOMOBILE INDUSTRY
HALF OF THE 100000 AUTOMO-
BILES IN UNITED STATES
ARE USED FOR BUSINESS.

So much has been written relative
to the development of the motor car
industry and so many prophesies have
been ventured without proper consid-
Grafton of vital and controlling fac
tors, that a clear and simple analysis
of the subject may serve to dissipate
much of the unfounded conjecture.
The automobile market is divided
into two broad fields. First the rural
class, which includes all persons en-
gagged in farming and others in va
rious businesses who live in towns
of less than 500 population. Second,
the urban class. which comprises all
people in any but farming pursuits,
who live in towns of 500 or more
population.
In the rural or farming market,
there are 100000 families. One
million of these now own motor cars
and one and one-half millions are
poor, illiterate, or negroes, who for
the purpose of this study may be ex-
cluded from the prospective buying
class. There remain, then, 4,000,-
900 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 remain
100000 prospective buyers in this
class, or a total actual unsold mar
ket, in both rural and urban classes,
of 100000 possible automobile
buyers.
The accepted average life of an au-
tomobile is about five years in the
hands of the original owners; and as
the man Wso once owns 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 100000 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, leav-
ing a possible excess market of g.
100000 buyers at the beginning
1918.
These figures are decidedly con-
sentative because they take no con-
sideratiOn of (1) any export outlet,
(2) the people who have or will have
two or more machines, 90 increased
population, (4) increased prosperity,
(5) 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 maintain a motor car,
CO.. the business houses, retail and
wholesale merchants who use thou
sands of roadsters for salesmen, and
many thousands more of delivery
cars Irregular automobile chassis with
commercial body, GU taxicabs and
other cars for public hire.
An Important Fact.
An important and noteworthy fact
is vouched for by the editorial de-
partment of Automobile Topics, a
well known trade authority, which
has been making a careful analysis of
the comparative nature of automo-
bile service. They state that of the
100000 motor cars of all kinds in
service in the United States today,
they can conservatively say from
their investigation that over one-half
of the mileage of the 100000 cars
is used for business purposes. Lit
orally, this means that of the 3,0O0,-
600 automobiles running in this coun-
try today one-half, or 100000, are
used for business purposes. This
leaves only one and half million
IN use for pleasure or social transpor-
tation purposes.
In considering the 100000 auto
mobiles in use today, which may
legitimately be classed as pleasure