Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-09-12
ATTACKS BANKERS
FOR VIEWS ON AUTO
F. B. Ansted Declares They
Are Not Luxury, But Most
Vital to Business.

In connection with the attitude Of
certain banks in regaSA to the sta
|bility of the automobile industry,
Frank b Ansted, president Of the
Lexington Motor Company, has issued
the following statement:
Picture, il you can, the United
Estates today without the automobile!
picture the United States during
the war without q single automobile.
Picture the United States without
automobiles during the coal strike OF
last winter!
i "Picture a motot-car-less United
States during the railroad tie-up due
tswitchmen!
And. lastly. .pjcture. the United
States in these days Of tranic con-
gestion and hopelessly inadequate
service. without the automobiles!
Aatenohile Has vital Place.
'The picture one must inevitably
draw ought to be, 1t seems to me, the
hn2l answer to any question concern
| ing the vital place the automobile has
earned in plain, everyday human ex-
!istence.
The automobile essential?
The gasoiineless Sundays of 1913
showed something more than a ire
mendous saving in gasoline. This war
conservation test showed that the
100000 cars then serving 10000, 900
or 100000 persons in this country
were making possible q saving Of
loo. 100000 tons Of coal year which
would otherwise have been burned in
steam and electric plants Of the
country. on steam railroads and cleo
l trio lines. to transport the thousands
who usually travel by automobile.
| "This test showed that. the railroad
Ia all NJ 0y~ Avy
the limit to take care of the business
offered. would be swamped without
the automobile. The coal strike, the
strike Of the railroad men. and the
Ipresent demands upon the already
Ioverburdened railroads only served
Ito emphasize the absolute need OF the
automobile.
these situations which have con-
lfronted us served more than anything
else that has occurred to prove beyond
question. to those who think. that the
automobile is no longer pleasure
vehicle. These tests proved In gen
|eral way what carefully prepared
surveys now show to be tact that
the automobile during the greater
lpart Of its time is an instrument OF
business with the great majority OF
car buyers. -
zone New York banking hrm re-
Gently analysed sales Of motor cars
Ito illustrate the exact conditions
among the 7.75o.ooo owners Of auto
mobiles In 1920.
I'm the s.s6S sales analysed 1t was
clearly shown that to 10 per cent OF
1.-The buyers the automobile is . BUSH
mess necessity. And all Of these s.S6S
buyers were purchasing their auto
mobiles on time payments. OF the re-
naming 80 per- cent only. q few cars
lare used exclusively for pleasure, the
remainder being used at least part
of the time for business. MY study OF
tconditi ons convinces me that at least
80 per cent Of all automobiles are In
use at least q part Of the time for
istrictly business purposes. -
Transportation IL one OF the funda-
}mentals of civilization and. progress.
lit has been tfttly said Of the present
age that the world moves forward on
wheels. The automobile industry has
gained its present position OF second
largest industry in the world only
because 1t answered vital need OF
the world: -
so cali the automobile q luxury or
a non-essential is to distort the true
facts. The plain. .-utilitarian mission
| of the automobile has put 1t where
lit is today. No artificial demand
could have dope that. The people
want the autonobale because in busi-
mess IL Is = time-saver. mHe-cu4ter.
| an economic necessity.