Evening star., 1919-03-09
Huge Shortage Shown.

1--WE had some time to prepart our
selves for war production, but for this
second task we had none. What the
| job amounted to can best be grasped
! by citing the fact that right now this
| country is short from 100000 to 750,-
1 900 automobiles-cars which would
have been made and readily taken by
| American buyers had war not inter-
| rupted everything. In England to-
day thousands of car buyers are so
| anxious to get new automobiles that
| they are making deposits with deal
| ers with the understanding that they
| are to get their cars il, as and when
| the factories produce them. The price
| is not stated. and the best the dealers
can do Ia to euesssat some approx.
mate price, That state Of affairs
could easily have obtained here were
| 1t not for the resourcefulness OF the
autonaobile industry as a whole.
with peace arriving just az the be-
ginning of winter it was possible for
the factories to keep UP with dealer
demands during the succeeding two
| months after the armistice. although
| we knew that o volcanic demand for
more cars was just under the surface
of general conditions-ready to burst
into action when the public had had a
few weeks In which to recover ita
poise.
'Ihe great demand now is en-. From
an almost certain knowledge OF what
| lies ahead of us in the next few
months and during the next few years
| week will see the greatest degree OF
| interest that these events have ever
known.
"There are various logical reasons
for this belief which any well In
formed observer of conditions can
discern. 1t Is natural that the public
should want automobiles, and nat
urat that the buying demand should
begin to make Itself felt at about
this time of the year. and that ap-
plies particularly to this spring be-
cause of the world happenings of tho
! last few months.
| Creates Demand for Automobiles.
| tNew add to that the certainty of
| the greatest era of road building the
world has ever known and you will
! be able to see at a not too distant
date a state of affairs in the United
States--a national demand for au-
tomobilss, in fact-that will bring
about return Of the condition Of q
few years ago, when not a few makes
| of cars brought premium prices in
dreds OF buyers paying premium
prices for practically all good makes
Of cars before many more months
roll by.
I'VE were able successfully to cope
with the job We found ourselves
| facing when the armistice came, and
we jumped into the task of recon-
verting our plans to our regular out
put, but / make no prediction that
we will be able to keep our plants
| organized from month to month on
a basis permitting an expansion of
output sufficient to keep pace with
| the spring and summer demand for
cars. It is a good-sized job for the
AZ o. pd T1aJ vi fs- fr, fy1r-t
| out 10000 complete automobiles and
! trucks the first year after war, and
| that is the task ahead of u.s. right
now. The demand for our product
| from all present indications. which
| are not guessed at, but definitely
| that production.
There has been another great i'm
| provement in marketing conditions
| which will have a noticeable effect
| heneeforth:. That is in the changed
attitude Of bankers throughout the
| country toward better financial deal
| ings with motor car distributors.
| I'VE have gone into this quite ex-
| haustively and we have found that
| bankers everywhere have learned
| the war-that the motor car IL the
| country's next important instrument
| of utility after tbs railroads. Where
we formerly found difficulties some.
times In persuading local bankers 20
| carry the automobile dealer as he
| carried the farm implement dealer
we now hrd-and not at all TO our
| surprise--that banks wish to do busi-
| ness with automobile men, their view
| now being that the automobile dealer
| in the community Is substantial
citizen who sells miles of quick and
| inexpensive transportation -- trans
| portation needed alike by the farmer
| and the city merchant. These bank
ers now realize what we have realized
| TOR years--that the automobile dealer
! Is not selling a luxury. War proved
how necessary the motor car and the
ttruck really are in American Iife.
| IN tho last two months have had
across from my, desk in our Detroit
formed automobile man in the United
States. I am glad to say that ma
| 3erity Of thase merchants came to
my once Of their own accord. Thus
when / stats that the motor. car de-
mand already has set in and that q
few months may see Thousands OF
buyers paying premtum prices for
thsir cars, I reflect not alone my own
| Judgment but ~ well the tudgment