Evening star., 1921-10-23
SEES ALL AMERICA
SOON ON WHEELS
Alfred Reeves, National Auto
c. Of c. Manager Tells
of Progress.

| ATLANTIC CITY. N. j.. October %.
with motor transportation for pas
sengers and merchandise now taking
, its rightful place In the transporta-
ton Of the nation. a few years more
! will see America on wheels. with mill
lions OF motor cars and trucks CO.
| ordinating their service with the rail-
ways, waterways and trolleys." de-
clared Alfred Reeves in his address
before the annual convention Of the
National Hardware Association to-
day.
More than 100000 motor trucks
and Pass aaa
viii be in excess Of 100. 900. and with
the demand continuing there should
be. within six years, at least 15.0Q0,-
SeG m9t9F o9 On sWa and
United States.
Truly we are a nation on wheels.
and the terrors Of a railroad strike
public Of TRANSPORTATION facilities that
will not make 1t solely dependent on
The result of the conflict between the
railroads and the unions.
Ally Of Railroads.
"Our people demand the. best form
Of transport stion, and the motor We
bus lines or for Individual service.
will. on meritorious performance. Sc
cure it's share of patronage. with their
proper share going to the railroads.
place and each can be helpful by In
creasing the efficiency of the nation:
for it is admitted that nothing. except
printing. has done so much Tor civlll-
cation as transportation.
with it's $4,000 dealers and $4,000
garages: it's $4,000 100000 worth of
motor vehicles: billion-dollar tire
industry, it's consumption OF o.lifon
dollars in gasoline and oil and three
quarters of a billion dollar parts and
accessory industry, including leather, r,
steel, copper, cotton and other raw
! materials. anything that affects the
increased use of motor vehicles Will
seriously affect the entire country.
Highways Open to AL
1.-THE highways program is making
rapid progress. because every one ap-
Ipreciates the tremendous increase in
land values that comes from highway
building. Best of all, the highways.
like our waterways. improved with
public money brings increased returns
to the public. They are free for every
one to use. No motor vehicle has
exclusive rights over any highway.
"In the interests of better service
to the public, progressive railroads
and trolley systems are adopting mo-
tor trucks and motor busses to re-
place short lines or to act as feeders
to main lines.
ITO the farmer the motor car ts In
dispensable Big cities are the poor
est fields for motor vehicles. the reg
istration figures showing that b5 per
cent of all motor cars are in towns
of 5000 or less. with only 9 per cent
lin cities OF more than 100000 in
habitants.
1--WE now have 10000 motor trans
port lines: $50 organized bus lines,
including $50 in cities, exclusive of
and from 5000 rural schools.
Automobile Industry Overtnxed.
BASED on the false idea that motor
vehicles are ldxuries. our people have
been heavily overtaXed. Last year
we paid taxes individual to our own
industry of more than ssl6. 900.
including taxes on sales. registering
cars and drivers, gasoline. wheel
taxes and similar imposts. A survey
shows that so per cent of all auto
mobile mileage is for business pur-
poses and 30 per cent of all cars are
used more or less for business. Yet.
in the face of all of these handicaps
America on wheels has become an ac-
complished fact.
This industry. second only to
steel among American manufacturing
industries, has gone through the re-
adjustment in fine fashion. primarily
because the advantage Of lower prices
for cars was advertised and given
direct to the public.
Car production in September was
per cent less than August and So
per cent Of September Of last year"