The Washington times., 1920-07-03
AUTO HAS BECOME
DAILY NECESSITY
FaIIaoy OF 'Non-Essentlal' Talk
Proved BY Number OF Cars
in Practical Use.

Is the motor car a mon -essentisl-
We are hearing a lot OF talk alons
this line just now. but let's stop and
consider a few pertinent facts.
There are 25O, 900 motor cars own
ed by farmers in the United states
Supposing that each car saved it's
owner but one hours time week,
compared with the old horse and
buggy.
That would mean ao5O.OOO hours
per week, or a grand total OF 93.T60
full days OF twenty-four hours saved
to the farmers OF the United states In
these days OF scarce and high priced
farm labor.
Railway passenger cars for subur-
ban service out of large cities, and
street car equipment in these cities
Is so inadequate as TO make travel
highly uncomfortable due TO over
crowding. Think what IL would mean
II motor cars were suddenly with
drawn from service and the greatly
added burden were PLACED on these
public carriers.
And the restricted activity OF hun
dreds OF thousands OF doctors who
are able to care for many times the
number OF patients by reason OF the
quick means OF getting about afford
ed by automobiles.
Applying the test right in your
own territory. Just consider how
many business and professional men
and farmers use their motor cars
largely for business. suppose that
every car were Withdrawn from ser
vice for q week or a month-Just how
would il affect the local situation?
We have no quarrel with the finan-
II ,.,a 81 ha nfrNg x.Fkn
, trying to bring about a return to nor
NAL, but we do consider that only will
full blindness can deny the sutomo-
bile an important place in our bust
ness and economic life. Likewise IL
seems to us that any man who lists a
motor car as a non-essentiaP is for
getting or overlooking positive
achievements OF immense value to
this country
over and over again ii has been
pointed out, and freely acknowledged,
that the motor car has been in i'm
mense factor in increasing real es-
tate values because, as unit OF trans
portation, il has made possible the
opening OF new subdivisions which
otherwise would have been too in
accessible to be profitable to the OPP
orator or successful from the stand
point of the busy, hard-working home
owner. To large degree 1t has been
responsible for developing the subur-
ban idea which enables people of
modest means to avoid the city's dis
comforts and enjoy the wholesome
pleasure OF semi-country life.
But most of all II has demonstra-
ted its practical utility and it's inval-
liable daily service in saving time and
labor for both the farmer and the city
business or professional man. Stats
ticians have shown that the increased
value OF farm land brought about d.
Lrectly and Indirectly by the advent of
motor cars and motor trucks is many
times the total amount invested in
motor vehicles during the past ten
years.
To picture what would happen II
all automobiles suddenly ceased to be
is a subject that would challenge the
imagination of our best writers. Ger
tainly at least, there would be an ap-
palling slow-up of business life and
a marked decrease in productivity at
the very time in our history when
our greatest problem is lack OF pro-
dnctiOn in all lines