New-York tribune., 1918-11-10
Design Sure To Be In
huenced by Air
planes

opinion tina. without doubt the valu-
able aeronautical experience which
manufacturers have had as a result
Of the war will have a profound effect
on automobile design after the war.
There will be great changes in our
automobile factories; and whereas the
technical man in the engineering in
dustry heretofore has been subordinate
to the equivalent commercial man. it
seems likely that these positions will
be almost completely reversed
ut can now be seen that the war
will vitality affect the conditions of in
dustry in almost every direction" said
Mr.. Remington, "and it is impossible
to think that at the end Of the war,
when our normal industry is reorgan-
ICED, I might almost say restarted,
We shall revert to pre-war ideals and
methods, either in connection with
commerce, manufacture or design.
"Much has happened during the course
of the war to change our ideas on
those in common with other subjects,
and without doubt the automobile in
dustry will, with most industries, and.
IN fact, it is to be hoped, with the
country and the world in general, ulti-
mately reap much benefit from these
changes in idea and method.
About Motor Car Buying
AT times we hear the suggestion
that no one will be able to afford
motor cars after the war, and this
argument is SO persistently advanced
that one is sometimes tempted to Won
der what degree of truth there can be
IN such statement. The motor car
mas long since developed from being
soi9iy st;,, yehicle OF sport, and while it
stlil suffers under the undesirable
name OF pleasure car it is now recog-
nlzed on all sides IS an essential means
OF transport for passengers, as the
lorry or motor van is for goods.
! AFTER the war we shall doubtless
suffer from severe taxation and hiph
cost OF living. but as the automobile is
tlme-saver it seems that the adverse
conditions OF life will accentuate rather
IMAM dinnnlsh the necessity for it, and
II VIII be more than ever necessitv
and money maker. Therefore, although
hlgh cost CT living will mean high costs
hoth for material and labor, the motor
car business must and will flourish
! notwithstanding.
II ne question of the types of vehicle
Tor which there will be a market will
nave to be carefully considered: un-
doubtedly there will be in the future a
market, and large one. for the cheap
car, but In the automobile industry. as
IN every. other branch of life under
normal circumstances. a man gets what
he pays for; therefore, as long as
proper value is given for money. as
we have seen that there will be a big
demand for cars for all purposes, it
follows that there must be a market
Tor every class Of vehicle for which
there was a market before the war.
Naturally there may not be a mar
ket Tor the same proportion of vehicles
in every category as there was before
the war. but it will be necessary for
the industry in organizing itself to
proportion its output as 8 whole in
such manner that it will meet the
needs of the buyers; statement that
is easily made, but it will probably
involve lot Of hard thinking and
possibly some bitter experiences be-
Justed itself to meet the needs of the
public.
Influence of Air Engines
"lt yet remains to be seen to what
extent it will be policy for the auto
mobile engineer to take advantage OF
his aeronautical engine experience
We are all aware that the aeronau-
tlcal engine has a much higher mean
effective pressure. higher mechanical
efficiency and lower specific fuel con-
pre-war automobile engine, but the
requisite characteristics for the two
classes of work are so different that
while aeronautical engine experience
can with advantage be used to some
considerable degree in the automobile
engine, it is difficult to say just how
far results will warrant this utiliza-
ton.
"But, i'll my opinion, much of the
aeronauticai engine experience that has
been gained by our automobile engi-
neers during the war will be found to
have q profound effect on their post
war automobi productions. and an
examination Of the extent of this eff
fect when such course becomes pos
slblc, will be extremely interesting. I
am looking forward to great strides in
the development of automobile eff
cheney (using the term efficiency in it's
proadest sense of meaning more use
full for its ultimate purpose) as a re-
suit of the war experience Of British
automobile engineers.
Technical Man to the Fore
In the past the technical man in
the engineering industry has always
been subordinate to the equivalent
commercial man. perhaps because it
was supposed that the technical knowl-
edge could be obtained from books,
whereas so-called commercial knowl-
edge was composed of some indehnable
sort Of rare instinct coupled with ex-
perience; but it is not difficult to dis
Germ that the change is taking place,
and it is certain that in years to come
the technical positions will cease to
be subordinate in the same way as for
merly.
"The application of more and more
science to all branches of business, BY
increasing the necessity for scientific
knowledge. will render such knowledge
more general; also in future the work
shop trained man who has had no real
scientific training will, because Of the
more general existence of scientific
knowledge, no longer be able to pose as
scientific. The requirements of the
higher positions on the scientific side
of industry will necessitate the en-