The New York herald., 1922-02-11
HARVESTER STARTS
ITS WAR ON FORD
Harold f. Mccormick Says In
ternational Must 0utsell
Detroit Man.

Special Dispatch to TIE VIEW roaK HRALp.
CHICAGO. Fec. i0.--The, threatened
battle between the International Haryes-
ter Company and Henry Ford for the
control ef the trac.or Industry OF the
country Aas been launched.
Harold F. Mccormick. president ot
the .Harvestev company. sounded the
battle cry 10 his s; bordnates to-day,
''We must outscll the Ford company
in the tractor field. We were the
pioneers in the farm implement trade
and we r.ust at al costs keep our po-
sition as standard bearers of the tractor
industry was his order.
Ten days ago MI Ford announced a
reduction of s2a0 in the price Of Fordson
tractors, cutting the price from s625 to
1895. Last Monday the International
Harvester Comrany followed with price
reductions OF $3.50 on two plow tractors
and 5000 on three p,ow tractors These
tractors sold a. about $500 a piece be-
fore the reduction.
In addition TO the price reduction,
which becomes effective Immediately. the
Harvester. company announced a gift
scheme. Il will give to each farmer
three furrow plow or a tractor disk
harrow. This offe. is good until May
| next.
Loss on Each Tractor.
A few weeks ago Edsel Ford, head OF
the Ford Company. stated that his COM
pany had lost 500 apiece on every trac-
tor manufactured in 1921. Officials of
the International Harvester Company
knew enough about manufacturing costs
to be certain he was quoted correctly.
When the tractor. which cost 500 more
than the sale price TO produce in 1921
was cut from S625 to $395, executives
of the harvester company knew Mr..
Ford intended to throw his personal
fortune into the game of selling tractors
at a huge loss to corral business and
dominate the field when the farmer be-
gins TO buy again.
The Ford enterprises are valued in
excess of $40o,000,00O The Ford Com
pany has five manufacturing plants in
the United States and one each In
Canada. England and ireland. Henry
Ford also has S121, 900, 900 in ready cash
in bank, it is declared.
The issued capital stock of the Inter
national Harvester Company is $780,
900. 900 preferred and $94.000.00o com
mon. The authorized capitalization OF
the company is $230.000.000.
Mr.. Ford said yesterday he would not
be satisfied until he was building and
selling a million tractors a year. Last
year he built $4,000 tractors and lost
Sc. 600, 900 thereby The Harvester Com
pany sales are put at fewer than 5000
tractors. 1t was the worst year in its
history.
Mr.. Ford's personal representative In
Chicago was asked just when Mr.. Ford
would begin his preliminary work II
the West incidental to launching his
campaign for the Presidency.
Defers Presidential Campaign.
ut will be some time yet--maybe a
year" was his reply. You see we want
to make our farmer organization 100 pei
cent. Mr.. Ford has no expectations oil
making any money off the farmers
Theirs is hard row. He wants to hell
them. and he will when he gets the
Muscle Shoals. He will sell them fertil
izer so cheap that farming in this coun
try will be reyolutionized Mr.. Ford j.
the farmers friend.
Right now he is spending six hour:
day trying to bring about q sane so
luton of modern agricultural problems
He will sell a million tractors a year
before another five years His farm
power production goal is the creates
idea in the country to-day. Sixty pei
cent of the farms in America to-day
are operated by tenants. Why? Mr.
Ford will soon tell the country why.
Less than two weeks ago Mr.. Ford
purchased the Lincoln Car Company
He sliced over 81 COO off the retail price
of the car. What was the result. Th'
factory output of this high priced car
has been sold completely out for this
year. This output was sold within q
week after Mr. Ford took possession
What other company in America man
ufacturing automobiles can say that
they are sold out for the year?
''Mr Ford has passed the stage Of an
nouncing his political plans. He viii
from now on, to use a slang expression
'gumshoe' his political movements But
don't lose sight OF the fact that hc
means to have vi the farmers with him
and ten thousand Ford dealers In every
city. town. village and hamlet through
out the land"
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