The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1919-04-29
Friends and
Their Motors

The automobile is a modern con-
venience largely monopolized by the
American people, and every day it
is getting into more and more
families, where it will forever be a
necessity to them.
The amazing growth in the use of
motor cars and motor trucks is more
than amply edivenced by the tele-
graphic canvass covering every state
in the country recently completed by
the Boston News Bureau, according
to an official of the Randall-Dodd
Auto company, distributors for GMC
trucks and Buick and National pas.
senger cars. This canvass ascer-
tanned that on January l a t3tal of
6,225, 1872 automobiles and motto,
trucks were registered, an expansion
of 70 per cent in two years.
When one stocs to calculate the
investment represented by six mil
lion motor vehicles he is amazed at
its immensely. The average cost t
the purchaser of the cars and trucks
now on the road was easily $1,000,
so that we find here a total invest
ment of $6,225, 1000 and only a
few years ago the horseless carriage
was a curiosity!
1t is fair presumption that the
mileagle of these cars will average
5000 per annum or over 80, O,00O,-
600 miles every twelve months. 1t
is also safe to say that the expendi-
lures for tires, gasoline and repairs
will average cents per mile or
$2,1O0,0O0,000 yearly for mainten-
ance and cost of operation. This
valves all consideration Of the very
vital element Of depreciation.
These figures give a measure of
the almost unbelievable proportions
to which our motor industry has
grown and the "saturation point" is
still long way off.
THE giant strides which the auto
truck especially Is making in the
field of shorthaul transportation can
not but have highly important
bearing on steam railroad earnings.
incidentally just what would have
happened had the nations transpor-
tation necessities in the late war
been deprived of the gasoline engine
it is not pleasant to conjecture.
The field of the motor vehicle is
constantly broadening. An output of
100000 cars, perhaps 100000 a
year for several years to come is not
an extravagant prediction. If the
whole country had an automobile
density equal to that of the state
Of Iowa there would be 100000
cars on the road today.
The automobile is here to stay.
The luxury of yesterday becomes the
necessity of today. 1t is permanently
woven into our social and economic
fabric. AS the old boat" lags be-
hind in condition, style and popu-
larity, a new and better one must
take its place-expense purely in
cidental.
Build 1000 Buick Cars Every Day
One thousand Bucks a day! This
total will soon be
reality If plans for increased pro-
duction at the Buick factory are
carried to completion, according to
received from the Buick
factory by Tom Davis, sales manager
of the Randall-Dodd Automobile
Buick production is fast approach
ing normal, and with the material
market loosening, should exceed pre-
war production within six months.
The advice just received from the
factory by the Randall-Dodd COM
pany shows that production will
reach 400 cars day by April and
500 day by May. Before the war,
plans were laid for daily produc-
ton, with the factory running a
maximum speed, Of $50 cars a day,
but the demand for cars has grown
10 such an extent that this number
would be- far from adanuata.