Arizona republican., 1921-05-15
W|L[YS DAY |S MARKED BY 524
 LAR DR|VEAWAY

TOLEDO, May 14.- (SpeciaD = Time was when experts bent their | gaze upon the steel business, giving | heed to its every pulse and throb be- cause it was the index of what all | business would be. If steel produc- tion was high, business would be good, if production was curtailed. all business would suffer correspond ing reduction in volume.
 Today the automobile business is the index of business throughout the world As with the steel industry In the old days, the first signs of de- pression are reflected by the auto mobile trade, and the first indication of a return to normalcy is found in the reports of automobile sales de- partments.
 In the pre-war days 1t was the GUS tom of WiIlys Overland to hold sales meetings of dealers who came from all parts of the country. At these meetings John N. Willys, president of the company, explained the compa- ny's policies as effected by current business conditions. With these facts before them the dealers mapped their sales campaign.
 The 1921 celebration of Willys day brought to the Overland factory more. than 600 dealers and salesmen who
 
 Indiana and West Virginia.
 At the conclusion of the days pro- gram these dealers drove from the factory's gates 524 automobiles. cost ing more than a half million of dol lars. Had production been at normal and the Overland company's stocks of closed models normal, many more cars would have been taken direct to market, by the overland route- ha nf rpnTe<anf- ing only one state and the fringes of three other states should drive away from an automobile factory more cars 1 than are produced in a single day in any autpmobile factory in the coun- l try at the present time with one or two exceptions, gives impressive evil dence that the automobile industry is fast approaching normal and that normalcy in the automobile business | is bound to be reflected by better conditions in all lines of business. As evidencing the outlook of the l industry, figures presented by Presi- dent WiIys to the dealers show that the recent curtailment of business l has given the automobile industry the long sought opportunity for re- 1 adjusting business to align with the new conditions.
 l The inventory of tue Willys- Overland Company has been reduced l 1000. 0oo in the past six months, the 1 floating loans and accounts payable | during 1920 have been cut $13,000, 900. l The overhead expense has been cut permanently s4.000.0o0 per year. None of this expense will go back, no mat | ter how great the production | The part that the automobile in
 dustry plays in the prosperity of the company is best shown by the
 amount of money turned into the channels of trade by employees Of the Willys- Overland company alone.
 The merchants of Toledo receive
 from 10 900 Overland employees each month s250.000 for food, and s12o,000 for clothing. These employees expend ! S250,O00 for rent. S20,000 for educa ton, 50,000 for transportation, s40.- 900 for amusement. S30. .000 for life insurance and put $1000o0 away as savings.
 The new slogan for the Overland
 car The Overland is a good invest ment" That the Overland workmen
 are heart and soul behind their prod
 uct was shown at the big celebra-
 tion when a flood of memorials bear ing the names of practically 100 per
 cent of the workmen were displayed. These memorials set forth that the signers had pledged themselves to do
 their utmost every hour and every } day to make overland cars good investment