South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1918-10-13
GAR CURTAILMENT
MAY Be BLESSING
War Serves as Check on In
duStry That Was Running
Away With Itself.

Curtailment OF production of pas
senger cars-eyen IL that curtaumeut
eventually becomes so drastic as 20
amount 20 complete suspeusiOu-is
not an entirely unmitigated evil. in
the opinion OF T.. r. Akers. sales
manager Of REQ Motor Car CO.
The necessity for curtailment. and
the benefit % be derived from such
curtailment. so far as the national
Interest is concerned, is universally
recognized. according TO Mr.. Akers;
but fl is sometimes enormously be
lieved that the industry itself is suf-
fering irreparable and permanent
damage In the way of diminished
profits disintegrating sales organ
izations and the inevitable loss OF
momentum.
las matter OF fact. I believe that
the purging which the automobile
industry is experiencing and will
continue 10 experience for the dura-
ton OF tho war. viii ultimately prove
TO have been its salvation" said Mr..
Akers in reply 10 an inquiry as 10
the after-the-w effect OF the pres
ent eclipse Of the passenger car in
dustry.
The automobile business has
cpme so fast that it has run away
from itself. Its success has been so
spontaneous. so spectacular, that like
the adolesceut boy 10 has had no
time 20 expand in proper proper
tons So VIGOROUSLY has the maxi
mum output been oversoid. despite
desperate expansion Of plant faciii-
ties. that any autOmobile-however
lacking in merit-has sold with lit
tie or no effort.
Such a market condition has real
" put premium upon shoddy man
ufacturing The manufacturer who
cared more for immediate profits
than for his permanent reputation
has been able 20 sell his product
temporarily. only. of course-7s
easily az has the truly honest MANI
facturer
The imminent scarcity Of passen-
ger cars. due to the shortage of ma
terial. is going to remedy that evil
in large measure. Many men have
been I'm the habit OF using an auto
mobile for one season. and have then
traded il in on a new car, some
time OF the same and sometimes OF
another make The result rs that
such men have never learned wheth-
or their car was honestly built or
not Most any car. these days, VIII
stand up and give good service the
first year But the real test comes
in the second and third and fourth
venrs of service-the test becom-
ring progressively more severe with
each added year.
Under present conditions it isn't
going 10 be possible for the auto
mobile owner 10 have "a new car
each year lie viii have 10 make
the old one do another season And
that very necessity is going 20 tip
him off TO whether ne has an auto
mobile that will go the route. or one
that lis built for 'one-season stand
and long profits.
THE reputation Of the standard
makes of cars-those that are built
hv honest manufacturer going
TO be tremendously enhanced by the
shortage Of automobiles for they
will now have chance such as they
have never had before, 20 demon
s-r8te that they are good cars Take.
for instance. the Rolls Royce. It les
reUb1v reported that q four-year OLD
Polls Rovce is worth twice as
much right now n England as the
list price of the same car when 1T
was new obviously that is because
in the acid test Of long-Contnued
service. IL has proved its worth.
This is an ext. eme case. Of course,
and so far as we know there rs no
other European make of car which
is selling at suoh a premium. But
+ust imagine the wonderful reputa-
lion with which the Rolls-Royce
will emerge from the war by COM
garrison with some of its less dura BILE
competitors
,The reputation Of the selling
matters on the other hand is going
TO be $50 badly furnished. as re-
sult of the severe and unaccustom-
Ell tests 10 which they win now be
subjected that never again viii they
ind the eager gulEble. buyi1g-puo b.
Inc which they duped so long and SO
successfully before the war
''rhe net result is going Co Toe a
house-cleaniug which viii eliminate
the undesira bIes. and viii make the
automobile industry respect and self
respected-a position 90 which this
most progressive and ingenious Of
BE- ...H