The pioneer-review. [volume] (Philip, Haakon County, S.D.) 1920-current, 1922-03-02
INTERNATIONAL. MEETS FORD
ON TRACTOR PRICES
Harvester Company Cut Follows
Reductions Made by The
Detroit Man
(By Glenn Griswold)

lin the next few months that he
will have little time to recognize
the currency system Of the coun-
Itry. dcmonetizc gold or Hay the
money barons Of Wall Street.
! The new prices quoted on trac-
tors and the temper of Harvester
officials would seem to indicate
that the prayers Of the country
that someone give Mr.. Ford some
/. real conception are about to be
! answered
A week ago Mr.. Ford announced
a reduction of S230 in the price
or Fordson tractors, cutting the
price from 1925 to 1896 Last night
the International Harvester Com
pany sent out the following state
ment and officials refused to add
the official announcement. Thr
announcement said:
AnnOucc Big Cut
The International Harvester
Company today announced price
| reductions OF $3.50 on two pillow
tractors and $500 on three pillow
! tractors, effective Immediately
Until May | next, the company
will present to every farmer pur-
chasing one of these tractors a two
| fulrow or three-furrow pillow or a
tractor disk harrow
President Harold f. Mccormick
said: This reduction is not iusti-
fled by any present or prospective
reduction Of manufacturing costs.
1t is made chiefly to meet compc-
teton and enable our dealers to
retain their position in the trac-
! tor trade. The burden Of this re
duction and the cost Of the plows
or harroWs presented to purchas
ers will be borne entirely by the
company
Meet Ford's Endeay0r
Read it again and then consid-
cr the attendant circumstances.
Not 50 long ago Edsel Ford gave
an interview that the company
lost 500 apiece on every tractor
manufactured in 1921. Officials of
the international Harvester Com
pany know enough about manu-
featuring costs to know that he
spoke the truth When that trac-
tor, which cost 500 more than the |
sale price to produce in 1921 was
cut from 1928 to 1895 Information
al Harvester executives knew that
Mr.. Ford intended to throw his
personal fortune into the game of
selling tractors at a huge loss to
corral what business is to be had
and to dominate the field when
the farmer begins to buy again.
Mr.. Ford has said much about
building and selling million
tractors year. Thus far he has
had little luck in the direction of
this ambition. Last year be built
$4,000 tractors and lost $3.60O,000
thereby. He appears still to hope T
that he may achieve the million (
figure at which time he would not
be operating at a loss.
Have these things in mind when
you read whas Mr.. Mccormick has
to say about the price being en-
tirely competitive. about protect
ing his dealers and about the com
pany losing money at the game.
incidentally, have them in mind
when considering the fact that the
international Harvester Company
will give away plows worth Sl25
and Sl75 with each tractor bought.
Ford Ahead of Game
Mr.. Ford is in fortunate circum-
stances to begin this price war.
While other tractor companies have
their yards full of tractors and
other farm machinery they cannot |
sell, the Detroit wizard has unload
ed practically all of his tractors
on protesting dealers. These deal
ers do not get the benefit of the
recent cut. They find themselves
with half dozen to fifty tractors
which they were induced by var
lous devices to purchase at the old I
price. They lost the $3.50. Mr.
Ford doesn't.
Thus the willy Mr.. Ford will OBJ
tain millions of words of free adj
vertising and suffer little. : The
Ford dealer gets LIZ per cent !