The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1920-01-22
hIN0T MOTOR SALES
HOST TO 60 DEALERS
Big Convention Being Held in This
City This Week-COmpany Look.
ing for 1920 to be Banner Year.


City This Week-Company Look.
ing for 1920 to be Banner Year.
The Minot Motor Sales Company
are holding a convention Of the sales
agents and associate dealers in the
city this week, convening this morning
for two day session. Upwards of
sixty are the geusts of the company.
A number of factory representatives
have arrived also and the balance of
the week will be given over to demon
strations of the various lines handled
and to technical talks by the factory
experts who are here to see that all
become thoroly familiar with their
particular exhibits. Two carloads OF
machinery especially for this purpose
have been received. lnasmuch as the
executives Of the company are them
selves thoroly conversant with every
phase affecting the work and opera
ton of their lines, not alone from the
standpoint of the salesman but as
field men and operatives, the conven-
ton this year gives promise Of being
one Of the most successful of it's kind
ever held in the CITY,. Being the first
convention the Minot Motor Sales
company have ever held the gather
ings in former years being more in
the nature of tractor schools-much
interest has been aroused among COM
petitors and considerable speculation
as to the practicability or profit in
going to such great expense to estab.
lish the good will of the dealers, I'd
say nothing of the unquestioned value
in the way Of instruction the guests
will derive as consequence. of the
convention being conducted. But moth
ing daunted by the expense feature
the Minot Motor Sales Company has
never failed to meet the expectations
of it's friends and besides have always
managed to excel all competitors
whenever possible.
The Minot Motor Sales Co. was or
ganized but four years ago and dur
ing those few short years has pro-
gressed so rapidly in a business way
that their business bids fair to within
the next decade rival that of several
great corporations that make Minot
their distributing point.
F. C. Upton, formerly credit man.
ager of the J. I. Case Threshing Ma
chine Co.; F. j. Wells, now of Los An
geles, Cal, and A. Upton, at the time
with the Case Co. as credit manager
at Bismarck were the original incor-
porators of the company. f. E. Mar
tin of New Sharon, Iowa, boyhood
friend of the Upton brothers, latei
purchased Mr. Wells interests and
>two years ago L. C. Bangham, cou-
sin, took position with the company
as manager Of the repair and assembl-
ing department. Mr.. Bangham is rec
ognized as one of the most expert re-
pair men Of the city, having had the
training for this special work. In rec
ognition Of his ability along this line
he was chosen to conduct the gas en-
gine department of the city night
school which was launched in the city
this week. These men are all active
ly identified with the company and
devote their entire time to furthering
its interests.
Notwithstanding the poor crops Of
the past three years the company has
forged steadily ahead, increasing its
capital stock several times to care
for their business as it developed. The
usual substantial dividends have been
paid each year, however. They own
their warehouse and office building
on Third Street N. E. and here much
of the demonstration work of the
present convention will take place.
From the first they have handled
the Oldsmobile line of automobiles
and the .Allwork and Lacrosse tract
or.s Last year they took on the Oil
yer line of farm machinery and re-
pairs as well as the Aspinwall line Of
potato machinery. This year they
added the Traffic truck. Ever on the
alert to better their line or add there
to anything that showed superior
merit the officers of the company de-
cided that the motor truck was destin-
ed to assume an important place in
the economy of farm management,
consequently when a fleet of motor
trucks visited the city last season they
selected the Traffic truck as showing
the most points, comparing efficiency
and price and therefore made ar
rangements shortly afterwards to Sc
cure a jobbers' contract for this par
ticular truck. As their lines now
stand they have as complete an equip
ment of motor vehicles and farming
Implements as can anywhere be as
sembled.
f. G. Upton, the president and gen
eral manager, is recognized as one
of the keenest businessmen Of the
northwest. In spite Of the fact that
his business interests absorb practi-
cally every working hour, he has al
ways found time to take an active in
terest in the civic welfare Of the com
munity and during and following the
war Mr. Upton was identified with
every movement that would promote
the interests of the Red Cross espec-
tally. For months he gave Of his
time without stint making speaking
tours even out into Wyoming in be-
half Of the Red Cross activities. For
this work he was especially well fitted
as his experiences in Europe where
he had gone prior to the outbreak Of
the outbreak of the war with Ger
many, were the first direct informa-
tion our people had been privileged
to receive as to the actual conditions
in England and France. Having spent
nearly five months in those countries
as the representative Of the Lacrosse
Tractor Co., in the capacity Of super
intendent Of assembling, he was at