Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1923-08-22
REGISTRATIONS
SHOW INCREASE
In NUMBER CARS
Total of 4C46 Automobiles
Have Been Registered in
Cameron County This Year
Tax Collector Reports.

If automobiles are a sign e prosper
ity. then Cameron county L. enjoying
the most prosperous period in its his
tory. according To j. j. Fox. county tax
collector. and comparison of figures
on the registration Of ears this year an
last year bear out this statement.
Up To the present week. total ol
4.046 ears have been registered. show
ing an increase over the total regiStra-
tion Of last wear az 7I6. The total regis
tration for last year was 329O ears II
this rate Of increase i maintained for
the remainder Of the year. and with tnc
cotton money Just now getting into cir
cuation. il probably will be- the in
crease will amount to more than 1000
ears. and fully 1900 ears viii ~ III OPP
Grafton in this county. or. according 10
Mr.. Fox. about one car for every 10
people in the county. Counting an aver
age family as composed If five members.
il means that there j. one car for at
least every two families. all classes of
population being included
Most Of this increase is composed of
new ears. Taken year in and year ont.
the number Of ears that change hands
remains at about the same. the tax col
hector said. The statement il further
borne out by the fact that from 0to 40
ears have been registered each week by
the tax collectors department. Only in
one or two weeks has the figure dropped
below twenty. According 10 Mr. Fox.
the average weekly registration of new
ears will exceed twenty. but for the
purpose Il statistics. ON the basis of
twenty ears average per week. IN one
year the number Of new cars viii amount
10 more than a thousand. Taking $500
as the average value Of these ears. and
that il very conservative. this years in-
vestment in new ears in Cameron county
amounts 10 more than $e00.000.
This is further borne out by figures on
the number of transfers.. Fast year
there were 6JS transfers recorded. ana
10 date this year. there have been 65i
cars transferred. The sale of used ears
shows corresponding increase with the
increase Of new ear sales, but not nearly
so large an increase. The present in rcase
is about in the ratio of 126 10 |. In
other figures. the ratio Of the total num-
ber Of registrations this year 10 date. To
the number of transfers j. approx
mately 6.25 10 |. while the ratio cf total
registrations last year 20 total number
of transfers was ; 10 J. Evidently. q
large part OF the new cars being bought
are going 10 families that have not
owned ear before, Mr.. Fox said.
An idea Of the importan the auto
mobile ssales business is attaining in this
county is given by the number If deal
ers." Mr.. Fox said. There have been
issued licenses to 5G dealers in Cameron
county. and as many Of the dealers in
Cameron county. and as many Of the
dealers sell from two 10 four makes of
cars. il j. estimated that there are more
than hundred makes Of ears sold.
The importance Of the business does
not stop here. The demand for ears in
this county brings demand for service
stations. repair shops. accessories. gaso-
line and oil. mechanics and other classes
of workmen. To the cities il brings
traffic problems that are e'bccomng more
acute daily II ally. And it, effects on
the citizenship itself j. even more far
reaching"