Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-01-27
MOTOR CAR HELD
VITAL POSSESSION
Chevrolet Official Says Every
American Should Have
an Auto.

Every adult member of American So
ciety who can finance an automobile
should have one. The reason for this is
that with an automobile an individual
can transport himself more quickly and,
consequently, within given days time
can see more people, do more work,
and be more effective in his living. This
is a fundamental matter in economics.
So states r. H. Grant, Chevrolet COM
pany vice president who continues:
There are in the world three great
necessities that must be provided if the
human race is to exist. These great
necessities are food, clothing and shelter.
After a human being provides himself
with the three great necessities he then
has a curiosity as to where he should
90 and how he should get there. To
put it in other words, transportation be-
comes an inherent necessity as soon as
the three great actual necessities have
been taken care of.
ut so happens that the progress of
mankind depends more on transporta-
ton, which is not in the strlctest sense
a necessity, than it does on the three
great actual necessities of life. The
whole history of the progress OF the
world proves this.
Mankind was retarded in his mate
rial progress for many years from lack
of Transportation facilities The great
and outstanding material progress OF
the world has taken place in the last
two centuries since transportation has
been made efficient. The introduction
of the steam railroad, the building OF
bridges, the introduction Of rapid COM
munication in the form of the telegraph
and the telephone, the development OF
rapid transit in congeSted areas, the in
PRODUCTION of the street car, the sub
stitution of automobiles for horses and
finally. the partial development of air
TRANSPORTATION have been the greatest
factors in the material prosperity OF
mankind. Tf@ underlying reason for
this is that jSTnabled men and women
to incre ~; ir efficiency by covering
a gree, ~ aU., seeing more people and
doing m 10 things within the period OF
working LAY.
Increases Efficiency.
I'm my daily work I am often i'm
pressed by the fact that our present
sales OF organization could not be pos
sibility were it not for our transporta-
ton facilities Thinking along the same
lines. when I was in Europe last year I
cheney of many countries abroad would
be tremendously increased if we could
take the people off bicycles anu put them
in automobiles In my estimation, in
many foreign countries today the bicycle
is merely tf:c sorerunner of the auto
mobile. WheEi VI travel in those coun-
tries where e - bicycles are not used,
we see the re.lsYtion on every hand OF
lack of progresA and only when good
transportation Abilities are available
will those countries compare with coun-
tries which today have good transporta-
ton facilities.
when the automobile began to make
progress in individual transportation,
economists pondered the question as to
whether or not the diversion of money
from ckss-r businesses into the automo-
bile buse-k"S would not be an economic
handicap d the country. There OF
course was 30 need for this worry IS
every aut17TGile sold was making fcr
greater eftcNScy in the country. Later
on this econo1 e fact was recognized.
I'VE have rev progressed to such an
extent that economists watch the ex-
pected volume of automobile business
to help them judge whether or not the
country is going to be prosperous in the
coming year, consequently, we can take
progress as we have made in the auto
mobile business every one is convinced
that our industry is doing the world
good and not harm from an economic
standpoint.
Saturation Still To Come.
"For years favorite topic of con-
versation has been the saturation of
the automobile market. This Saturation
point has been predicted time and time
again. but has not come to pass. Look
into 1929, in spite of all past predic-
tons, we are anticipating the greatest
automobile year in our history The
reason for this is that we are so sound
fundamentally. Not only does the GUS
toner buy car for pleasure, but he
also buys it with either conscious or
subconscious recognition that he is in
creaSing his efficiency
Again the viewpoint OF the Ameri-
can people has been constantly chang
ing and pushing the saturation point
further and further away. The two
car-to-the-famiiy idea had very de-
cided effect in this direction. The gen.
eral prosperity Of the country made
very large replacement market neces-
sary and brought into being each year
large number of new buyers.
When I first came into the auto
mobile business in 1924 I felt that we
had advanced to point where we
should begin to recommend two cars
to the family in all instances where
the family was prosperous enough to
have two cars. This at the time was
considered a radical thought. and the
question OF extravaganza came up. To-
day the average family is equipped with
two cars, or is expecting to be, and 1t
is not considered extravagant TO have
two cars The reason for this Is that
again the fundamental rule applies that
efficiency is being increased as trans
portation facilities are being increased.
Car for Every Adult.
81 believe that we have now advanced
to the point where further funda-
mental piece of progress should take
place. We should now adjust our think
ing to the point where we believe that
it is economical for evry adult men,
Der of American society who can afford
an automobile to have one.
In considering the transportation
subject many people have wondered
whether or not the development of air
transportation would not be competitive
to automobile transportation and as a
result less automobiles would be sold.
I do not believe that such would be the
case. I feel that If air. transportation
is developed to point where airplanes
are used, again, as result of the intro
duction of more transportation than
ever, the world will again go forward
in its material progress.
MY conclusions are that the more
transportation we have In the world the
more prosperous we are, and feel
that the immediate practical step in
front of us in this direction is the pur-