Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-10-05
Big TRACTOR co.
CHANGES HANDS
The Wi1lys-Overland Co. Buys
Controlling Interest in
Moline Plow Co.

Toledo-President John N. WHY'S
announces the acquisition of control
by the WHY'S Overland Company pf
the Moline Plow Company. manufac-
turers of the Moline Universal Trac-
| Tor with plants at Moline, Chicago,
ROCK Island and Freeport, Illinois;
Stoughton, Wisconsin, Minneapolis,
Minnesota and Poughkeepsie, New
! York.
The transaction is the most i'm
portant in years in the agricultural
machinery industry. the Moline Com
pahy' rounded in 1865, being ore of
the Oldest farm implement concerns
in the United States. Through the
purchase in 1916 and subsequent de-
VeIopment of the Universal Tractcr
! company, 1t Is to-day one of the
largest tractor producers in the
world.
me imperative wartime need of
tractors for farm development, the
| Willingness of the government to as
slst production through the grant of
prlorlties Tor the shipment of steel,
anu the desire of John N WHY'S to
| Lurther coordinate the immense
factory and distributing facilities of
the Wlllys- Overland organization in
tne winning of the war have brought
ABOUT the new union of automobile
and tractor interests.
Inc Mollne product itself is unique
IN that the tractor and the farm i'm
plement are so connected as to form
complete unit, which one man can
~ ~ "te' II is the only tractor which
"iil 40 all farm work without horses.
AT no time in it's history has the
Moline Company been able TO sunnlv
the demand for its tractor, although
shipments are now running fifty trac-
tors per day.
Inc Moline Plow Company has %
pranch houses and 10000 dealers
Willys-overland Company has over
1oo distributors and 5000 dealers. AS
result of the probable cessation of
passenger car production by Willys-
| overland early next year the entire
seIi,hs Iorces of both companies, as
"eii as thelr combined manufacturing
facilities. will be available for con-
centration on the development of the
tractor as far as may be compatible
with the desire of the Food Admins
| tration to stimulate food production
In announcing the closing of ne
gotiations for the purchase of the Mo-
line Company, President John N.
WHY'S said:
With the present shortage of
| hanpoWer ana horses on the farm
and the acute war necessity. abroad
and at home. of increased food pro-
duction, the farmer is confronted
with the problem of increasing his
crops with less help. The tractor
with power drawn , farming imple-
ments solves the need by enabling one
man, woman, boy or cripple to do
the work formerly required of two
or more men and six to eight horses.
with it one man cam plow an
acre an hour at a fuel cost of only
TWO gallons of gasoline"
In the purchase of the Moline
Plow Company 1 find not only an op-
portunity for the Willys-Overland
Company to lend its maximum man
ufacturing strength to Legitimate
war work, but the best and quickest
way for 1T to attain a lead in a field
winch offers the greatest possibili
ties with the return of peace and into
which motor companies in this age
OF power farming, 1t seems to me.
must sooner or later enter.
The Moline organization will re-
main intact and the company will be
operated under the same management
as heretofore. f. G. Allen, vice-pres-
ldeht and general manager, will be-
come president and general manager.
The Willys-Overland Company has
simply bought control of the Moline
PloW common stock-there is no
thought Of merger and no change
In the latter's financial status is cor
templated."