The Washington times., 1920-07-17
BY L. J. FAULKNER.


Automobiles credited with putting Detroit in the
position of fourth city in the United States in point OF
population according to the 1920 census which gives the
Auto City 996,796
In 1910 the Wolverine City ranked NINTH thus
showing gain In ten years of 13l per cent. In
those days her greatest boast being the largest center
OF the stove industry Today there twentyour pas
senger factories in Detroit and nearby towns that
in active production There two others almost ready
to start Ip addition, there eighteen truck manufac
turers turning out trucks OF various sizes Added to
these nnumerabe manufacturers of accessories and
parts which enter into the construction of automobile
and is estimated that there employed in these latter
plants nearly many employed in the main indus
try itself. >~~@rA
The entire city of Detroit practically exists
the automobile industry This evidenced by the fact
that there at least 100000 of the total population
ployed in some branch of the trade
The latest manufacturing made by the Govern
men credits the industry with products valued at $l64
O75944 and created value of $62,693,725. (By "cre-
ated value' is meant the excess value COST
These figures give convincing proof of the great value
to the economic progress of this country created by the
automobile and yet there people who still insist that
motor car is luxury and designate the output as
pleasure cars"
1t has assumed in the United States rank next to
that of the steel industry and it should be borne in mind
that it has been considerable factor in increasing this
business ITSELF therefore proving valuable conrbutory
medium to the increase in the production of its nearest
competitor.
In 1914 there invested in the business in Detroit
$82 83O559 1t is safe to in the absence of any
definite figures that this has been increased in the past six
years by 30 per cent.
All hats off to Detroit and her industry!
If these figures not enough to- convince the
who still claims that the automobile is pleasure veh-
cle the following Statistics just published by Andrew p
Anderson, highway engineer, Bureau of Public Roads,
should put quietus any further talk about automo
biles being so called.
total of 1868 446 motor cars, including commercial
vehicles and 24 03S motorcycles registered in 1919
in the fortyeght States and the District of Columbia
The in license fees including those of chaufeurs
operators and dealers, amounts to total of $64697,
2555s AS compared with 198 the data for 1919 repre-
sets increase of % per cent 41S,S29 motor
This increase alone represents about 10 cent
than the total number registered in the United States dur
ing the calendar year of 1913
In this connection it is interesting to note that the
number of registered during 919 in the two States of
New York and Pennsylvania exceeded the total number of
registered in the United States in 1912, while the
derived from the New York and Pennsylvania
registrations during 1919 about double those derived
from all motor fees and licenses in the entire United
States during 1912. The derived from all regis
tratons and licenses during 1919 exceeded those of 1918
by 20 per cent total of 219S3S97 In 1914 the
total gross collected amounted to only $2 951