The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1921-02-04
Durant Auto
Wizard" Starts to
Come Back

In the automotive industry there are
two towering figures, Henry Ford and
William c. Durant. To Ford Wall
Street has been anathema. He has
rallied at the Money Gods, scoffed at
them, defed them, played lone hand
all through the years and, marvel of
marvels, prospered amazingly.
Durant has played the game accord
ing to the rules of the monarchs of
money, and although he has built up
one of the giant business concerns,
he has come financial cropper twice.
Automobile people call Ford gen.
iu and Durant wizard. Ford has
been picturesque and spectacular.
Durant has lodged notoriety. These
two men are great public assets. Ford's
genius has been in mass production
and, to some extent, in turning his
idiosyncracies to business account. Du-
rant is a wizard in organization and in
visualizing the future of the industry.
A few weeks ago the country was
startled by the news that Durant's
interest in General Motors had been
taken over by financial group. In
capitalization the General Motors is a
MONSTER billion dollar affair. Ordi-
narily that would mean the end of the
chapter for man. But not Durant.
He's Coming back" The other day
Durant Motors, Inc, took out a charter
in Albany. It's authorized capital is
of 100000 shares of no par value.
It is said Mr.. Durant was flooded
with subscriptions, in fact that the is
sue was oversubscribed before the sub
scription blanks were printed.
Who is this man Durant? For per-
son so big in industrial achievement
comparatively little has been written
| about him. He's blue-blooded Yank
of Pilgrim stock The &c" in his name
stands for Grape. AS with Ford, he
looks more like a student than a
great industrialist. He isn't tall and
he is slender. Yet he's glutton for
work. He used to be at his desk by
a. M and clean up most of his days
| work before his regular Office force
came on duty. He has been that way
for thirty years or more.
1t wasn't money or chance that made
, opportunity for him. He always was
wonder When he was little more
than twenty-one he was put in charge
of Michigan city that was bankrupt
In few years he had it as sound fin
ancially as it could be. Before he was
thirty he was the head of the Durant-
bort Co., the largest maker of Buggies
and users of lumber in the world.
He was one of the first men in the
buggy or carriage line to appreciate
the possibilities of the automobile. He
started on his automobile career with
Buick. Through expansion or pur-
chase he became the builder of the
Cadillac, Chevrolet, Oldsmobile, Oak
land, Scripps-Booth G.. M. G. trucks,
Samson tractors, Delco light and no
end of automobile and tractor Access
cries.
| When he had began business he had
: $4,000. That was less than thirty-ive
years ago. Six months ago he had
81, 900 persons on his payroll and was
conducting manufacturing operations
in forty-eight cities. He is said to
have made more millionaires than
| Carnegie.
It's odd but true that the two great
reverses Mr.. Durant sustained came
out of wholly contrary causes. His
first developed from too much proper
ity; his second came in a period of de-
preston. The first affair was less
than ten years ago. He had not the
plant capacity to care for the ever
increasing growth of his business. He
had to get million dollars with which
to build more structures purchase
more machinery, more material, etc.
The automobile business is not a
uuick-asset proposition. You must
have plant, machiery, labor, material,
etc., to get out your product. You
must advertise. You must have agen-
cies. You must, at times, sell on in
stallments. Not infrequently the
money is a long time coming in. A