The Washington times., 1920-08-07
MOTOR CAR IS NO
LONGER A LUXURY
Dealer Quotes Figures Showing
Great Percentage Of Autos
Bought for Business.

II have always been curious TO
know just how many persons In
Washington use their automobiles
solely for pleasure or even primarily
for pleasure" G, w. semmes. remsrk-
ed the other day when he heard
someone comment ON the growing
number Of pleasure cars" on the
streets.
Mr.. Semmes. who Is the Dodge
Brothers dealer in this city. said II
seemed preposterous to him that peo-
pie should continue referring to pas
senger cars as pleasure cars" when
the main streets are so choked with
automobile traffic during business
hours.
Certainly they do not imagine that
all these people driving cars through
the noon and evening rush hours In
the downtown section are out for JOY
rides, he said. Nor can they fnd one
out OF hundred ears anywhere, any
time pf the day that are travelling
about aimlessly, with no object or
destination. In the evening, IL 10 true
hundreds OF persons taks their cars
out for recreation drives. but this is
incidental to the cars chief purpose
in life. During the day II Is In busi-
ness. Even the fine llmodsines occu-
pied by ladies and driven by liveried
chauffeurs have their business mis-
sions. In fact, these people depend
on the motor car exclusively as q
means OF transportation.
Even newspaper editors sometimes
thoughtlessly write articles about the
great sums of money being invested
in motor cars, to satisfy the Ameri-
can craving for pleasure Such edi-
tors usually admit on analysing the
conditions that have created the tre-
mendous market for automobiles, that
they had the wrong viewpoint. and
are glad to state the other side Of
the question. 1t Is the realization
that II Is the best possible means OF
local transportation; the best time
saver: the best conserver OF health.
Why should people who have the
means to buy an automobile continue
to subject themselves to the incon-
veniences OF the street car. or wagon?
To cling to the slow, old-fashioned
methods would not be Characteristic
OF the Americans determination to
progress.
"A newspaper in prominent
Western city not long ago published
an editorial speaking rather dispar-
agingly OF this modern tendency TO
rush to the motor car market, money
or no money, and somehow, get pos
session of a pleasure car The Dodge
Brothers dealer in that city promptly
too exception to the article. He
looked up his records, just to verify
his own opinion and found that out
OF thirteen cars he had delivered dur
ing the preceding month, eleven were
bought for business purposes and two
for business and recreation. All but
two were passenger cars. Eighty per
cent were paid for In cash. He wrote
a letter to the editor giving him the
figures and adding some comments
OF his own. The editor promptly re-
sponded with another editorial pre-
senting the subject in new phase.
He made all the points the dealer had
made and added some of his own.
showing that the motor car is bought
and used primarily for business pur-
poses and that the recreational
thought is almost invariably second
airy in the mind of the purchaser.
$50 1t Is that the misnomer pleas
ure car continues to exist People do
not stop to think and analyze. But
when they do, they quickly realize
where they were wrong, just as this
editor told the dealer in a letter.
1.-The motor car Is a public necessity
and will continue to be necessity
Just as long as stores and offices are
open. and new buildings are erected
and men go to work"