Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1920-10-06

Among the makers who were quick
to follow after Ford and others, who
We're the first to reduce prices, were
a few at least of the manufacturers
of the most expensive cars. Notable
among these was the Hart Company.
makers OF the Locomobile and
Mercer cars. The Locomobile is
probably the highest priced American
made car. Most of the jobs are made
to special. order, the bodies particu-
larly often being Of individual de-
sign. Some Of these jobs have sold
as high as $4,000. A cut of $3.50 in
the price has been announced. and
reduction of 81 ,000 in the Mercer was
made at the same time.
Reductions Have Been Rapid.
In fact, the announcements of re-
auctions have come SO rapidly that
il has been difficult to keep track
of all of them.
Early this week the list of those
cars for which prices had been re-
zduced, in addition to the Ford and
Franklin. were the Locomobile and
Mercer. overland. WHY'S Knight,
Hudson. Essex, Maxwell, Chalmers.
Chandler, Paige, Cleveland. Velie and
Studebaker
The reductions in the Studebaker
line range from 500 TO $500, and in
the Chalmers from $50 to $3.50. The
Hudson and Essex were cut $500 to
s400 and the Maxwell line from $3.50
ito 5000 The Paige is down from slT5
to $3.50 and the Velie from $3.50 TO
$500. The Overland touring model is
down sl65 and the sedan. S205, with
prices guaranteed to July /. 1921.
Chief among the makes whose
prices are to remain at the present
price level are the entire General
Motors group, including Cadillac,
/ Buick, Chevrolet, Oakland. Odds
mobile and Scripps- Booth. Others
include Dodge. bort. REQ. Saxon, APP
person r. and V. knight, Packard
and National.
Since this announcement of, no
price reduction was made, the Oak
LAND Motor Car Company. a subsid
tiary of the General Motors Company
has guaranteed buyers against any
decline in prices made by the manu-
| facturers until May !. 1921. II re-
| duction is made the company will re-
fund the difference.
Protest Against Profiteering.
Manufacturers back up their pro-
| test against the profiteering charge
by pointing to the stiff competitions
between automobile makers and by
the declaration that so per cent OF
! their finished product represents
labor, paid at the climbing war time
| wage scales. They clinch their argu-
| ment by statements that from one Il
three and six months supplies of ma
| terials are now on hand in the var
4 ious factories, contracted for at peak
/ prices, and that to cut the price oi
their finished product to pre-wal
i3levels at once would entail sacrifice
and money loss that few Of them car
| offord. ,&
This reluctance to take the immt
date loss for future gain has beer
/ overcome in some cases by the. con,
4 tinued drop in commodity costs ant
the belief of some material men tina
j they will be able within short tim,
j to cut down the prices of their prod
Eucts to the manufactured. 1t wal
this assurance that prompted thu
4 WHY'S Overland slash. The SAM
banking on futures, according t
economists, is the prime factor il
i price cuts announced by some of thu
other manufacturers in the reduction
list. 1t is the basis for the genera
!, promise that prices will be reduced
I gradually to their prewar footins
/ thruout the automobile industry.