Bridgeton pioneer., 1917-02-15
100000
AUTOS IN U. S.
Uncle Sam Is a Bear Cat
for Gasoline Wagons.
ALL ARE BUSY.
Can Dispose of as
rlany rl0re to Fellows Rid
ing in Buggies

So much has been written relative
to the development of the motor cars
industry and so many prophesies ha
Deen Ventured without proper ems d.
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.
says one authority, who continues as
follows:
The automobile market is iividel
into two broad fields First, the rur-
al Class, which includes all persons
engaged in farming and other in var
ious businesses who live in towns of
.ess than 500 population. Second, the
lrhan class, which comprises all peo-
pie in any but farming pursuits who
lie in towns of 500 or more popu a.
ton. 1
IN the rural or farming market
there are 100000 FAMILIES. ONE mil
lion of these now own motor cars,
| and one and one-half mill ons axe
poor, illlterate, or negroes, who for
tue purpose of this study may be ex-
cluded from the prospective buying
class. There remain, then, 4,00O,0 900
farm families who are possible auto
mooiie buyers.
In the urban class, covered by H.
900 towns and cities of more than
500 population, there are about 5 90 :
600 h"me owners, Of which mum Jer
only 100000 now own, cars. Accord
iLsi. t.s.cl2 remain 3.0ee,9e3 y .,,s..s-
tive buyers in this class or a total
actual unsold market in both rural
and Urban classes of 1000, 900 possj-
bic automobile buyers.
The accepted average life Of an au-
tom0bile is about five years in the
hands of the original owners, and as
ire man who once owns a car will
nor thereafter be without one W.
which in the calendar year of 19i.
will be about 100000, this being 20
per cent. of the 100000 now in use.
Fer the year 1917, therefore, the
automobile business will face a mar
ket Of about 100000 possible buyers
No, more than 100000 cars will be
Euilt in the coming year, leaving a
possible excess market of 5000 nyo
buyers at the beginning of 1918.
These figures are regarded as Con-
servative, because they take no coli
sidcration Of ID any export outlet.
(2) Tie people who have or will have
two or more machines, (3) increased
population, a. increased prosperity.
90 million or more town and city
families who do not own the homes
IN which they live, but are well abba
10 buy and maintain a motor car, (6)
the business houses, retail and whOin-
sale merchants who use thousands
IF roadsters for statesmen and many
thousands more of delivery cars, (7)
taxicabs and other cars for public
hire.
An important and noteworthy fact
is vouched for by Automobile Topic,
o trade authority, which has been
making a careful analysis of the conf.
parative nature of automobile service.
1t states that of the 100000 motor
cars of all kinds in service in the
United States today they can conser-
vatively say from their investigation
that over one-half of the mileage of
the 100000 cars is used for bus ncss
purposes, Literally, this means that
of the 100000 automobiles running
in this country today one-half, OF L.
100000, are used for business pur-
poses. This leaves only one and a
half million in use for pleasure or
social transportation purposes
In considering the 100000 auto
in use today which may le-
ultimately be classed as pleasure
cars an important fact should be
borne in mind, namely, the so-called
pleasure car of today has distinct
economic used, it being only reason
able to deduce that the time and mon
ey spent in motoring for pleasure Or