Great Falls tribune., 1922-03-12
|. /, c WILL MEET
FORD ON TRACTOR
PRICE UNTIL MAY
Harvester Company Cut Fol
lows Reduction Made by
Detroit Manufacturer.
By GLENN GRISWOLD.

(In Chicago journal of Commerce.)
Henry Ford may find himself so
busy tending to his own business in
the next few months that he will have
little time to reorganize the cur. currency ,,
system Of the country, demonltlze gold
or flay the money barons Of Wall
Street.
The new prices quoted on tractors
and the temper of Harvester officials
would seem to indicate that the pray
ers of the country that someone give
Mr.. Ford some real competition, are
about to be answered
A week ago Mr.. Ford announced a
reduction Of $3.50 in the price Of the
Fordson tractors, cutting the price
from S625 to 1896. Last night (Feb.
81 the International Harvester COM
pany sent out the following statement
and officials refused to add a word
Or to change syllable of the official
announcement The announcement
said:
Announce Big Cut
'The international Harvester com
pany today announced price reductions
Of $3.50 on two-ploW tractors and $500
on three pillow tractors, effective imme
diately.
Until May ! next, the company will
present to every farmer purchasing one
Of these tractors a two-furrow or
three-furrow piow or tractor disk
harrow.
President Harold T. Mccormick
said: This reduction is not justified
by any present or prospective reduction
Of manufacturing costs. 1t is made
chiefly to meet competition and enable
our dealers to retain their position in
the tractor trade. The burden of this
reduction and the cost of the plows or
harrOws presented to purchasers will
be borne entirely by the company
Meet Ford's Endeayor
Read it again aud then consider the
attendant circumstances. Not so 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 manufactur
ing costs to know that he spoke the |
truth. When that tractor. which cost |
500 more than the sale price to pro-
duce in 1921 was cut from S625 to 1895
international Harvester executives |
knew that Mr.. Ford intended to throw |
his personal fortune into the game of |
selling tractors at huge loss to corral |
what business is to be had and to
dominate the field when the farmer be- |,
gins to buy again. !
Mr.. Ford has said much about build |
ing and selling million tractors a |
year. Thus far he has had little luck
in the direction of this ambition. Last |
year he built $4,000 tractors and lost /
$3,600,O0O thereby. He appears still
to hope that he may achieve the million
figure at which time he would not be
operating at loss.
Have these things in mind when you
read what Mr.. Mccormick has to say /
about the price being entirely compe-
titive, about protecting his dealers and
about the company losing money at the
game. Incidentally, have them in mind
when considering the fact that the IN
ternational Harvester company will
give away plows worth $125 to $175
with each tractor bought.
Ford Ahead Of Game
Mr.. Ford is in fortunate circum-
stance 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 unloaded practically all Of
his tractors on protesting dealers.
These dealers do not get sthe benefit
of the recent cut. They find themselves