Evening journal., 1921-07-30
|FORD PROMISES
CHEAPER CAR
Youthful President Says
He'll Reduce Auto Costs
Still Further
TELLS OF HIS
BUSINESS PLAN
BY EDWARD THIERRY


DETROIT.-Do it yourself-don't
depend on others"
That is the business creed Of Err
sci Ford son of Henry Ford and the
worlds youngest man-with- the big !
gest job.
This is the first intimate inter |
view Edse Ford ever has given. Ed
sci, not Henry, is president OF the
Ford Motor Company. You have
read much about Henry, the builder,
but little about Edsel-the man at
the wheel.
"Edsel is the boss Henry Ford
had told me while he was camping
with President Harding. Thomas
| Edison and II. S. Firestone. mo,
I'm not even chairman OF the COM
pany 1 haven't got a job at all"
Edsel is a quiet, serious-faced, Sc
rious-voiced young man. He is only
2S. He looks like his father, vath
the same sharply chiseled face, quite
thin, with dark complexion, smooth
face, brown eyes and hair brushed
straight back. He walks with slight
stoop and long strides like his
father.
Father put me through the mill. "
Edsel told me. Now I'm at the
wheel l have been president two
and a half years 1t isn't an easy
, job.
Il realize my responsibilities -
now. and in the future. The hard
, est part is finished. II is easier to
run something than has b e n
) cranked and started an, is run iin ?
b in high gear.
THE Ford interests hs~e always
been n one-man proposition. And al
l ways will be.
That's why father stepped out
' and let me steer. I'm playing his
t game-doing things myself when
want them done right.
- Il will not be satisfied until our
= plant is self-suhicient. We make
nearly everything that goes into our
cars and tractors We will produce
l everything ourselves - except tires
We have good friends who make
: tiresl
Buying the Detroit. Toledo and
!. Ironton Railroad was a step in thai
direction The railroad was an ad
1 venture-and it's beginning to be &
profitable adventure.
'ro get maximum efficiency w
will make our own steel. We hav'
our ore mines and blast furnaces
d and coal mines. And we are goinl
into cotton"
Edsel sees an even iower-price
! car in the future. I asked him whe
le reductions might come.
n mot now" he said. But jus
wait a few years. We haven't 60
a automobile-bul down to tn
science we hope to have IL. The bot
le tom has not been hit yet.
o. Economy in production is IN
big thing. That means do every
an thing yourself That's what we're dc
z ing.
'e 80 far we have made $4,000
10 carsl And right now production !
ahead of all records I'm proud o
IN that - as president Of the com
a. pany
RS "This month we are making 435
m cars a day And we are doing
with $1,000 fewer men than il re
'r quired to turn out $500 cars a da
~ last year. Then We had $4,000 mer
or when we made out our sohedul
pc Of what we wanted to produce W
had that many men to draw on. An
OF we found - by close application {
economy and system-that we coul
Mt do the work with 40. 900 men.
Is mo, we are not speeding up III
/ fr.ls
everybody is over the hysteria of al
d normal prosperity. We all have OF
TO hearts in our work
lg' I'VE are on a sounder basis no,
Everybody is That's why v
wo weathered what many peopl
nd thought was a storm. We got alor
ed without Wall Streets money-ar
ng II Wall Street thinks we put OF
over on them I'm glad Of IT,
an The motor car isn't the on
I'd. thing that keeps me busy. There
ad the tractor. And the gasoline trc
is ley.
nd And a new speed boat we a
"a building. We are using derolun
mum. the German metal. in the spe
boat which win have 1000 hors
AN power. II will be 80 feet long al
20 bV miles an nour.
l'e I'VE are experimenting a lot wi
ZEN deraluminum now that we can ma
il in this country under an arrane
lite ment with the alien property Gust
md dian. II is lighter, and il has {
sed good qualities of steel and ire
on though aluminium is the basis. Eve
lad tualiy IL may solve motor car pre-
lens.
i'd Father hasn't give up the ga.
"a line trolley car. II has been d,
40, mant some time, but recently
,,or ran one down the ID. T. & I.
"a Springfield. We believe il will so
many traction problems"
-, Copyright 1921 by NewspaI
'' Enterprise).
ap-
.s1- ~9- RAN INTO SEMAPHORI