Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-03-09
REQ MANAGER
IS OPTIMISTIC
Future of Motorcar Industry
Is Very Bright, Says
. F. II. Akers

"That the demand for automobiles
| and especially for motortrucks will
be greater in the coming months
than ever before, is beyond question"
| says F. II. Akers, sales manager of
| the REQ. Motor Car Company.
MY reasons? Why, there are so
many reasons why this must be so
'twould require volume to print
them. But here are a few-just a
! few.
"The first reason for a big demand
for all commodities is plenty of
money in circulation.
when money is in circulation,
everybody is buying. In the next
ninety days or sooner-just as soon
| as the factories get busy on the war
| orders for which they are now tool
! ing up'-therell be more money in
| circulation than ever was known be-
fore either in this or any other
| country.
IAN the billions that have just
been subscribed for Liberty Bonds
will be paid out for materials and
labor. Ultimately for labor-for all
materials are the result of labor in
the first instance.
"And practically every dollar of
that money will be paid out in the
| Good Old U. s. A.
| For that is the condition on
which. we are loaning money to our
allies-Britain, France, Italy and
the rest. The money does not leave
this country-it is paid out for food
stuffs, clothing and munitions made
right here.
Some people get the idea that be-
cause Americans have just subscrib-
ed vast sums for Liberty Bonds, that
that money is to be locked up in
banks inactive.
"On the contrary it is only col
lected at those points for immediate
distribution in the form of wages
Then again Uncle Sam will ask
his people to loan it to ,him-and
he'll pay it out again as wages.
"All the millions-yes the billions
of dollars that have hitherto been
sequestered in savings banks ac-
counts, yielding to depositors on the
average an actual interest of less
than two and one-half per cent, will
now be in circulation-paid out for
labor-while the subscribers to the
Liberty Loan will also be collecting
their four per cent. interest with the
best security in the world to guar
antee the safe return later of the
full principal.
HedSOH lillS prosperity 10
ready upon us is that hundreds of
factories are now busy 'tooling up
and changing over their equipment
preparatory to starting in on big
war orders, and while this work is
going on, of course factory hands
had to be laid off. Only the toll and
patternmakers are working now in
plants that in a few weeks will be
running full blast again and en-
/ I,NIo I, Il OF hiUla
"Why, women as we'll as men, will
be earning fabulous wages-just as
they are in England where the COR
respondents tell us they dress more
luxuriously than ever before. Women
who formerly had just enough to live
on now spend money freely-yes
riotously.
heart, we long since ceased to worry
on their account.
IF there's a privileged class in
America, surely it is the farmer. His
opulence makes the city man green
with envy.
Not only does the soil and climate
of this wonderful country ensure
him big crops as in former years.
but now he is also guaranteed a big
price for all his produce.
"I expect to see the demand for
motorcars and trucks in rural sec
tions, and especially in the Middle
West, increase by leaps and bounds.
Sorry to feel we cannot avail our
selves of that tremendous demand
because of our inability to supply
the cars.
1--WE hear of shortages of food
stuffs and all names of other ar
ticles in the warning countries-but
have you ever heard of a shortage of
money?
I'VE hear that the Italians are
paying 500 ton for coal. But the
complaint is not lack of money-but
lack of coal to buy.
"In this country therell be a
shortage of a few commodities and
one of them will be motor vehicles,
of all kinds.
"And that will be due to the fact
that this young industry has found
itself best able to produce these
things Uncle Sam needs most at this
crisis-army trucks, tractors for
motorizing the artillery, for tanks
and guns and munitions-not to
mention operating mechanism for
ships and a thousand other war ne
cessities that call for the same speed
and precision in manufacture as
automobiles and motortrucks.
II expect to see at least fifty per
| cent. further advance if the war lasts
another year, and If longer than
that-well the sky is the limit
What with the increased cost of
| labor and materials-the scarcity of
both--and the greatly increased
overhead due to reduced manufac-
ture, prices must be still further ad-
| vanced.
"At that, we are now only up to
the prices of four years ago. Ever
stop to consider that?
''The low prices of motorcars
during the past few years were due
to quantity production. y Now the
principle is reversed and we must
go back to the former prices.
There's one good thing about this
though" concluded Mr.. Akers, "the
condition that confronts us is going
to eliminate for all time the fool no
ton that a motorcar is a luxury. 1t
is going to prove that it is, in ninety
five per cent. of cases. an indispen-
sible necessity. in this age of pro-
gress.
"And the need will be so keenly
felt-and the shortage of new cars
so great-that after a few months
of shortage price won't matter. Buy
ers will no longer ask how much,
but-how soon"