The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1928-08-20
BY BEN LIFSCHITZ

~ AA1AN La pSA4Al II
This is the fourth in the series of
articles on Automobile Symbol of
Modern Slavery" The articles thus
far have covered the scope of the
industry, the giant mergers and the
driving forces to imperialist war.
The automobile industry has gone
thru fundamental changes since the
famous Ford Model CIV appeared in
1908 in Detroit.
The main idea of those who de-
veloped the first model was to pro-
duce such a car as would be of
greatest use and at the same time
accessible to the average business
man and higher paid worker. The
purpose was to produce the car as
fast as possible, paying little atten-
ton to durability but depending
upon substitution parts in place of
those sections which wore out
quickly.
The other automobile concerns
producing more durable car could
not keep up very well and compete
with the Ford which in 1912-1913
reached the highest point of stand
ardization in the industry. The
other concerns, therefore, limited
themselves to the production of
higher priced cars, producing more
of the touring passenger cars and
of the heavier motor truck.
However, this condition could not
last very long. The automobile in
dustry was growing very fast. Vast
fortunes were gained. Capital in
overwhelming amounts went into
the automobile industry to share in
the golden harvest. This lead to
rapid concentration of capital in the
industry.
This naturalization process which
was proceeding very fast in all the
other industries in the U. 8. were
on at a faster pace in the automobile
industry. Especially during the war
did high speed manufacture devel-
ope.
A number of automobile concerns
that passed through the rationale
alton process during the war were
able to adapt their plants to the
production of a lower priced car
which, however, had many of the
improvements in the motor and
other parts.
With the appearance of the Gen
eral Motors in the field as a heavy
producer in 1920 the competition
between Ford and General Motors
became very sharp. The General
Motors which represented a mer-
ger of a number of gigantic con-
Germs, was in favorable position
to compete with the Ford Co.
About 1920 the General Motors
which had acquired go per cent.
stock interest in the Fisher body in
1919, decided to compete with Ford
for control of the market Many
changes were introduced in the
plants of the Fisher Body. The con-
veyor system was introduced in
factory after factory. New machin-
Try was installed and the whole
rearranged for the
mass production of Fisher bodies.
Because of the advantage of hav-
ng so many different models and
motors it was easy for
General Motors to produce a motor
model better even than that of the
lew Ford model.
One of the other reasons is that
t was hard for the Ford Company
o satisfy the demands for the diff
erent styles in the automobile
industry. Building and adapting
III of its machinerics to one model,
was much harder, and it will be
larder in the future for Ford to
ldapt himself to the ever changing
demands for new models.
Ford Reaches His Zenith.
The Ford Motor Company reached
is zenith in 1926. The new model
"A" cannot effectively compete with
he Chevrolet, which even now is
letter than the new Ford Model.
But it is not only the Chevrolet
hat is competing with Ford. There
ire also other cars, the Chrysler,
Nhippet and the Pontiac, six
ylinder car which sells for S775.n0
Ind the Pontiac truck which sells
or S745.00 j