The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1920-10-09
Motor Car Neu,s

either announced a decrease in price
or have declared their intention to
stand pat on the present market valua-
ton.
Many dealers are guaranteeing
prices. Others have been authorized
by their companies to guarantee re-
funds to present purchasers in case
there should be drop in price within
a specific period of time.
The fact that action on the part OF
practically all manufacturers came at
once and crystallized into downward
movement or maintenance OF present
prices, dealers say. points to the gem
eral sterilization of the industry. They
are as much interested in the market
remaining stable as any purchaser can
possibly. be. Judging from all in
formation dealers have been able to
gather, there is no further reason for
delaying on the purchase of car be-
cause of doubt as to the maintenance
of prices.
Eastern factories that have changed
to new operating schedules feel that
the present labor situation will remain
permanent for some time. This will
have it's effect in a tendency to- keep
prices stable, it is felt.
Among the dealers who feel that the
present market condition will continue
for some time are: Noel v. WOODS;
Buick and Cadillac: w. H. Trefry and
George Badders, Ford; Mort Hauser-
man, Chandler and Cleveland; o. n.
Himme1berger. Apperson and Gard
ner; Charles Jaeschke, Scripps-Booth:
Larry Huey. Hudson Essex ana
George Evans. Wescott.
A revival of the old fashioned mo-
torcycle run was staged last Sunday.
Nine Harley Davidson motorcycles
with sidecars attached made the trip
to Manhattan and return. The side
cars enabled the ladies to enjoy the
run. The return trip was made thru
Mcfarland and the party took dinner
at the Modoc house. Several other
runs of like nature are planned for the
fall. weather permitting.
People are beginning to realize
more and more the enormity of Henry
Ford's business. according to W. II.
Trefry, of the Trefry Motor company,
since they have come to know that the
Ford car comes straight thru Henry's
4 own system from the raw material to
, the finished product.
1t is now generally known that the
father of the flivver owns his own coal
mines from which he ships his own
coal over his own railroad into his own
factory. Daddy Hank also owns his
own timber lands from which he gets
his lumber for the framework OF the
bodies and the rating and dunnage In
shipping. He also owns his own ore
fields from which he mines his own
ore with his own crew, loads 1t on 10
his own boats and ships it into his own
blast furnaces, where he runs the ore
thru with one heating right into the
finished shapes, such as frames. axles
and the like.
It is well worth any ones time to
spend at least a day going thru the
Ford Motor company plant at Detroit
and see the methods used in turning
out the enormous volume of Ford
automobiles per day. There they may
see long lines of men working and-i III
front of them they will see passing on
an endless conveyor upon which is q
continuous stream of Ford parts or as
semblies upon which the men are
working and it will be noticed partic-
uIarly that the work is brought to the
man, whether it is overhead where he
reaches up and picks part from the
conyeyor and adds to the assembled
unit on the conveyor in front OF him.
or whether 1t is adding one assembly
to another assembly of parts to com
plete some particular unit of the Ford
car.
These different moving conyeyors
are all lined out SO that the different
parts and the assembled units VIII
eventually be drawn together and at
the other end of the line will be seen
coming out of the cong1omerated jum-
BILE of parts one complete Ford auto
mobile every twelve seconds.
One of the hardest things for
1notorist to understand is that tire
frequently suffers serious injury when
bumped against curbstone. Because
the tire shows no external damage,
the owner is likely to feel that the
tire lis defective if some time later it
blows out as a result OF the bump
All the ingenuity of the skilled tire
engineer will never be able to make a
tire that is comfortable to ride on
and at the same time able to stand up
under mistreatment of this sort, says
the United States Tire company. II
a driver wants to bang his tires
around, he will find 1t more economi-
cal to equip with old-fashioned non
tires than with rubber A rubber tire
4 4, . Halt .re~
thousands of miles of service over
rough roads. But it frequently under
goes internal rupture when given I'M
duly harsh treatment, such as being
bumped against curb. The break
down is not due to faulty construction
but to shabby treatment.
Trucks equipped with pneumatics
should be especially careful to avoid
this sort Of damage to their tires. A
truck in backing up to curb to dis
charge a load will often crash into
curbstone. The weight of the truck
combined with the tonnage of its
cargo, causes an especially danag-
ing blow to the tire. Curbstone rup-
lures of this sort in big pneumatics
usually cause the tire to blow just
above the bead.
A T. Ekblad, manager of the TO-
peka Auto Tire Co., Tenth and Kansas
is optimistic regarding the future OF
the farm truck. They are SO sure that
the DlackSm1Jn Is q has DeSn anu tAid l
horses will soon become curiosities.
even on o farm. that they have
equipped their shop to furnish any
sort OF tire for most any make of mo-
tor truck.
There is something about the
westcott that inspires confidence at
sight" says George Evans, of the Mo-
tor Service company. 1T would be
entirely possible to build car to the
! same general specifications as the
Westcott and sell il at less than the