The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-07-20
Newspaper 1; Office e Boy In 25,OOO,OOOC Concern
Yellow Cab Magnate De- serted Home Upon
 Getting Licking :.

NEW YORK, July 19.-The earliest thing known about John Hertz IS that he ran away from home at thes age:ot 12 because his father gave him lick ing. The latest is that he was merged the Fifth avenue bus system and the Chicago Motor Coach company into the S25. .O0O, 900 Omnibus corporation, which he will head as chairman of the board of directors.
 Between these two epochal events in a career which seems not yet in full flower, John Hertz had given this country its first dependable, economi- cal taxicab service and had become several times millionaire.
 Father Of Yellow Taxi
 No matter what developments come out of the huge new bus systenl-and it's plans are most ambitious-thls quiet, simple, kind-hearted man of Al will likely he remembered always as the father of the Yellow TAxicab and of some 800 Yellow Taxicab companies all over the country. The transportation companies in which he is directly inter- ested have a marked worth of more than $10O,000.000.
 The story of Hertz is in many re- spects one of the most remarkable in the annals of American business, not because he sold his school books, ran away from home and became million aire in his thirties, but because he revolutionized a great American indus try, with which millions do business and brought it's cost to the public, to a level hitherto thought impossible. In the process he probably. came nearer than any other American capitalist to real solution of the hackneyed, but chronic, labor problem.
 Hertz was born in Chicago of poor Austrian parents. Because of the above mentioned thrashing in tenement sub stitute for the proverbial woodshed he took to the streets. His first job was as office boy in the city room of the Chicago Daily News, where he eked out a bare existence without returning to his home.
 At 15 he was fired by an unusually kind editor, who told him he should get an outside job to build up his health. t:: +.
 The outside job was driving a wagon. Long hours and $6 week. He put in most of his spare time around a gymnasium, where he met prize fight CTS. He often picekd up news items and a sports editor paid him 25 cents an inch for the stuff he sent in.
 Young Hertz developed intoR rather good boxer himself, as he proved by winning various amateur tournaments at the Chicago Athletic association. Then he became manager for 8 pro fessional fighter This did not last long. John fell in love and the girl of his choice, a member of a good family, re- fused to marry him unless he severed all connection with the fight game. He did. They were married.
 Sells Automobiles
 Automobiles were just then begin ming to be considered something more than curiosities. Believing they offer ed great prospect, he became an au- tomobile salesman. In his connection with boxing he had made many ac- quaintances, including various wealthy men. He used them to advantage. Al though he made only $1,S00 in his first year of selling, he cleared S12,000 the second year and in the third sold more cars than all his company's s other salesmen combined.
 When l sold a man an automobile, '' he was quoted as saying, T was his servant from then on. If one of my customers had breakdown at ? o'clock,