Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-01-26
SALES AND SERVICE
HELD ESSENTIALS
Prosperity of Automotive In
duStry Seen Dependent
Upon Distribution.

Prosperity of the automotive industr,
during 1880 and in the years that ar,
20 follow is going to be in direct pro.
portion to the prosperity and stabilit,
of the motor vehicle distributing or,
carnations, according to Alvan Ma.
cauley, president of the Packard Motor
Car Co.
The time was, and not so long ago
1t must be admitted, that the public
bought its motor cars in establishments
not far removed from the alley garage
There, too, it went for its service work
If not in actual fact to the alley garage
itself.
The motor car sales place has moved
20 the avenue. 1t has taken a rightful
position beside the best mercantile In
StltutlonS, and in many cases has added
beauty and attractivenesS to their en-
vironment. The country over knows
the new motor car merchant as a good
neighbor, solid, substantial business
man and an influential citizen of his
community.
Service work on the country's cars
IS being done by the men best equipped
to perform it, experts trained to care
ganization, training and the most mod
ern business methods have met the
competition Of the unauthorized service
station and overcome it. A composite
Of all the service stations maintained
by the induStry'S distributing organiza-
tons would be a well and centrally
located business institution comparing
favorably with its brother, the motor
car sales room and show place.
Forecast Is Usual.
When a year has been finished and
8 new one is starting it has become q
custom for the heads of motor vehicle
manufacturing companies to be asked
Tor their views on the prospects for
prosperous conditions in the industry
over the following IL months. Perhaps
the general stability Of the industry.
coupled with the general healthy con-
dltlon OF the country, is one good an
swer to that question at this time.
Naturally the entire country is inter-
ested in the condition of the industry.
Tor 1t Is the nations largest business.
and upon its prosperity three millions
OF people are directly dependednt. With
tne automotive vehicle, however, occu-
pylng such vitality important place In
the life OF this country as it now does
and with the industry now stabilized
as thoroughly as it is, there should be
nothing but a feeling of Optimism 60
long as the United States has so much
OF the wealth Of the world as it now
has. --0"
General business justly gives the au-
Oomoblle industry credit for new BUSH
ness practices which have gone far to-
ward further stabilizinR the Ynanufac-
turing Of the worlds personal transport
tation equipment. These new business
practices have been such az to make
the automobile plants Of the country
quickly responsive to trends. conditions
and demands of the product.
When the industry had to plan many
months ahead, sometimes as long as a
whole year, the automotive vehicle fac
tory was ponderouS machine, slow to
get into motion, but once moving, hard
70 slow down, much less stop. Such
new business methods as short time In
Ventory control and adequate market
analyses have given us "four-wheel
brakes" and an almost instantly re-
sponsive "self-starter."
Servicing Essential.
Without such equipment and lack
ing adequate distributing and servic-
ing machinery it is most doubtful if
the industry could have kept itself so
closely in step with the unprecedented
demand for its products as that which
We experienced in 1929. With the
tools for management of earlier days
we could not have maintained a tempo
OF activity which made the year lust
ending the most prosperous in our
history.
The now modern 'four-wheel brakes"
Of management permitted a slowing
down, entirely normal in itself, after o
years activity considerably above nor
NAL, without leaving the industry with
the handicap Of excessive inventories.
The motor" was permitted to idle"
after the greatest race" in history and
after a shattering of all records A
breathing spell has been possible while
adjustments to the ''machine'-such as
needed reduction Of used-car stocks in
the fleld-could be made.
The leaders of the industry have
been watchful during this period
through which we and other industries
have just passed. They have not been
concerned about the outcome, and it is
to be expected that this national auto
mobile show period now under way will,
in a way Of speaking. be the starters
signal for pressure on the accelerator
pedal.
No one foresees for 1880, believe, an
other year such as this Just closed. The
returns such a season Of abnormal ac-
tivity brought were most welcome, of
course, but our industry has reached
such a solid, substantial basis that we
do not need abnormal activity for
wholesome and certainly most welcome
prosperity. I believe such is in store
for us in 1880.
a