The New York herald., 1921-02-20

laid of when he shut down his plant
keep the married 10000 OF them at
work two weeks in every four. II they
want it.
Fart OF Ford's Method.
The scheme is typical of the way
what he likes. And in New York. and
in Chicago. and in one or. two other
places where large sums OF cash ca pi-
tai lie concentrated, various gentlemen
experience of the inexorablc laws of
finance are wondering In their various
ways about Henry and trying to get
his simple system through their heads.
In an interview recently he announced
that he was not pressed for money and
did not know he wanted any until few
loan sharks marched In upon him and in
formed him that they were sure he did.
in employing the sweeping term loan
shark he named no names: but his Ian
guage must seem either gratuitous or
humorous TO the heads Of at least two
big New York banking houses whose
emissaries were out here a week ago.
They made their journeys out here
upon the understanding that the Ford
organization needed s75.o0o.oo0 of nuid
money in order to keep Its head above
hard times or until about 100000 Ford
cars. marafActured but unsold. could be
converted Into currency. The proposition
had been made in all gravity In New
York and the situation and needs OF the
company set forth with considerable
urgency. After considerable negotiation
two OF the best known banking nrms IN
the world agreed to put up half the
money each II conditions in the Ford
business were as they were represented
TO be. But. since banking has never
been a trade followed by ideallsts. nat
urslly tho point was made that before
any money changed hands certain eI-
pcrts should visit Detroit and examine
the goods.
1t is insisted still by the financial men
that Ford himself visited New York and
made personal application for the money.
Which Ford as stoutly denies. Anyway
a week ago when representatives OF the
bankers went out to Highland Park and
sent in their cards this is what he said
TO them:
Good morning, gentlemen. I'm sur
prised to see you here. II you've CONS
10 talk about money I'm not In tho mar
ket for money. Your house. have tele-
grams from me TO that effect"
And the houses had. and that vas all
there was to that. Simply. by the time
he had come back from New York and
had thought things over a bit, Henry
Ford had concluded that he didn't like
bankers as a class and would not do
business with them.
Tho Loan stfpsIsticss.
Tho bankers had stipulated that n they
were going TO cntrust him with SIS ,o00, =
600 Of other peoples money there must
be a great overhauling OF cost sheets and
an inspection OF accounts receivable and
accounts due and clear understa ndin e
about merchandise produced and pro-
duceable and a definite policy about
manufacture and particularly selling
And above all, they had insisted. be-
tween the time the money was handed
over and the time the Ford company
handed II back again representatives OF
the lenders were 70 be on the job every
day with full authority TO know every
thing that was being done and authority
10 say whether II should or shouldn't
To All II which Ford's nnal answer In
expressed in the 10000 married men
who viii begin their two weeks shift OF
work on Monday morning, lie proposes
TO be his own boss and 10 run things as
he alone secs NJ. lie viii keep the 0 900
working or keep less than 10000 work.
ing or close the whole works down as he
did Just before Christmas before hs will
let any banker alive tell him how TO
run his business.
The bankers as has bsen said, wero
particularly anxious that there be a
clear understanding and considerable re-
form, to their view, In the way Ford
sells his cars after he makes them,
And since Ford's IDEAS on selling arc OK
elusiveiy his own II may he said that
even IL he and the men OF finance had
met on every other point they would
probably havs remained definitely apart
on this,
The Ford Sales Policy.
According TO some authorities---ot
whom tho best oua!Ag-s are the 5000
one-tiinc Ford agents who no longer
handle flivvers-Ford has no policy OF
selling cars. Unless the policy OF belicv-
ing that Ford car Is potent 10 sell itself
anywhere and without spokesman of
any kind Is describable rs a sales 5oicy.
That In the idea that for the present has
found hryn iodEment In his mind With
IN year 10000 agents Of his company
were selling his cars In the United
states. To-day only half OF their num-
Der will have anything TO do with them
and there Is considerable talk 70 the
effect that the small army OF dlagruntled
ones have, by a sort OF freemasonry
among them. brought about that state or
affairs by which the Ford factory II as
-rcd as closed down to-day
Time was--one of the numerous heads
- departments who within tho last
couple OF years have left the Ford en-
ploy In a hurry takes the credit Of hav-
ing brought II about--when automobile
dealers everywhere were falling one over
the other for the privilege OF selling tin
Llgzies" In the towns and localities
where they lived. You could figure on
'he Ford Label then, as the ex-head OF
Que OF Ford's departments ssys. When