Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial. (Wilmington, Del.) 1878-1928, 1922-12-11
HENRY FORD GIVES
PROSPERITY RECEIPT
Wizard OF Industry Prescribes
Common Sense Dose for
Business.

Last week while Henry Ford was WIS.,
ltns the Rab-cn institute. he dis
GUESSED the business situation aud pre-
.crihci a common sense dose for
American business. This man, whose
daily Income runs into six figures
stated plainly that all this money was
incid.ntal--a .bi-product. His re
marks created so much interest, that.
today. he issued the following state
mcnt:
The trouble with most business
mcn." said Mr.. Ford. lis the fact that
they go into business to make money
to make as much as they can as
quickly as they can. They have
hard time OF II because they are try
ms 10 get something that someone
else has. The principle is wrong and
even II IL weren't. II would be pretty
hard because there are so many OF
them trying tol Get" that the COM
petition is terrific.
The man who will Use his skill ana
constructive Imagination To see now
much he can give FOR a dollar instead
~ low little he can give FOR dollar,
u hound To succeed. | cannot under
stand why people. don't see IL.
What applies to an individual APP
plses also to the entire country. y
nation grows a. Il serves. rs its peo-
pie give the most they can To others
--whethe in the form ~ labor, ma
terial or distribution. We are now
IN a period when this is very impor-
tant. business is doing its best To
come hack. but we must encourage 1t
Ia coming hack by holding down pric-
q Hn a
fet-ais which 60 into our manufactur-
"a PRODUCTS. | have in mind coal
iron. lumber cement. bricks, etc. IL
b. a great mistake Tor manufacturers
e. say that they do not care what they
pay a. long as all other manutactur-
crs must pay the same price. We
do wrong an paying higher Trices
simply because We can pass II along
90 someone else.
Most manufacturers continued
Mr. Ford. begin at the wrong end.
They ask the production department
how much Il costs 20 make the article.
then they ada a selling cost and a
pront Next they call in the sales
department and say. Here's the article
and this Is the Irice. go out and ge,
~ At Detroit we have always hsur-
ed from the other end. We began with
"A human need, then we wanted 10
give lust as much as We could Tor a
dollar. The product must be right. II
must give service. 50 ! experimental
and tested Tor II years before We
were sure the product was a. good as
W. could build D.. Then We began To
Azure out ways 90 make II more et-
nciently--to give more FOR the dollar.
When sales slow up We don't drive
the sales force and try 20 force folks
10 buy. we cut the price. then more
- them can and DO buy. When the
rricc j. cut u is usually cut below
me cost 20 manufacture al the time.
Then the ysocuction department has
20 figure out new economies, new
ahort cuts that win deliver the same
mr. FOR le.. mOney--and they've al
WAYS done a.,
The more YOU give peoRe Tor
dollar the more there are Of them
VINO can buy. The larger your geo
ducfion. the more YOU can give
Here We have the rule that has
built % one ~ the creates; com
nwrcial successes % our day-the or
gsnization thai has supplied cheap
ef'icient transportation 10 every
country round the world.
Things are coming alona
very well" added Mr. Ford. comment
ing on current business recovery, "ant
10 hey viii only keep from Jumpins
prices there's no reason why ths
Improvement can't continue. Hold
down Trices and raise up business.
~ the merchants and manufactur
ers BEGIN boosting. then costs % lv
ms will - Up. wages VIII try 20 keel
uace. and Wen az 20 on anOthe'
grand scramble @: Getting only q
land IN the ditch as we id in 1920
Maybe ! am wrong. but ! belsv'
fhese words demand the earnest con
s.defafion % every business man. w
certainly do no; want 20 repeat m
experiences 81 1920 and early 1921"
In connection with this s;atemen
The Rabson experts have been check
INK up commodity prices and fin
that m 1915 prices were travelling
Edewiss near that more or less fam
ols 1914 level"
Under the steady pressure O
European buying the trend turned up
vssd BOZ October Of that year and con
tinued goo climb steadily for two year.
After brief reaction the climb start
ed aEaln and for another year price
rnnred