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Show THE CITIZEN 6 Automobile Industry Biggest in United States ITS RELATION TO BUSINESS In the short space of twenty years the automobile industry has developed into the biggest industry in the United States. This means the manufacture, sale and maintenance of motor transportation. There is now on the roads of this , nation some twenty million automobiles. Just imagine the number of people required to service and repair these cars. And think of the money being spent annually for this purpose. Some merchants here in Utah complain that general business would be better if so much money were not spent in this manner. But it has been stated that we receive more money from the industry than we spend in it. The storage battery manufactuers are by far the largest buyers of lead. Other products of our mines as well as leather and wool are very extensively used. It would be interesting to get the exact figures in this mat- ter. Some people think that the rail- roads have suffered through the advent of the automobile. But the fact is that the great number of railroad cars required for the transportation of automobiles and supplies is startling. It is very possible that motor truck lines have taken business away from the short electric lines. . Yet, just a few years past, these same lines in the same manner made inroads on the short haul business of the great railroads. Either better service or lower costs It will surprise no one in a few years to see air lines made serious competition for all sorts of transportation. No tracks or roads to maintain and extraordinary tire mileage. Motor transportation will still be required, however, for delivery to and from the landing fields. The Passing of the Country Jake" Cast your memory back ten years. Recall the conference crowds. Then think of what the streets looked like just a few weeks ago. There was very little difference in the multitude than on any parade day that brings out the people. What brought about this change? The same change has taken place all over the country. The moving pictures claim the credit; Greater circulation of magazines has helped. But! Ask any old merchant how much increased business he gets now compared with ten years ago when the country crowds came to the city. He will tell you that there is practically no extra business today. The answer is that our country cousins jump into their cars and come to town any day of the year when they feel the urge to do some shopping. The business is not lost. It is simply spread out over the year. The automobile is constantly enlarging the limits of retail business. A short time ago our merchants thought of Salt Lake City as their . trade limit. Now it is Salt Lake county. Numbers of our city workers live out in the country and some of our finest homes are located in the Mill Creek and Holliday district. Even at present some of the progressive retailers are going after business beyond the county. Speed and safety in transportation will soon put the entire intermountain territory within the limits of our retail trade. Mechanical Improvements. Strange as it may seem at first thought, there has been no radical mechanical change in automobiles during the past ten years. Since the coming of the electric starter the greatest improvements have been four wheel brakes and balloon tires. There have been minor refinements and better body lines. And of course the laquer finishes have improved the looks of the whole world. It is the exception to the general rule to see a real shabby looking car now; while a few years ago a well painted car was the exception. Practically all automobiles made today are good and will give satisfaction within their price class. Manufacturers have great difficulty in finding any particular point in their product to advertise. The tendency has been to get greater and greater production in order to standardize and reduce prices. This competition has given us more dollar value in automobiles than in 3ny other commodity of merchandise since pre-wdays. If the manufacturers keep up their production, they must move their cars on to the dealers. All dealers have a limit to their supply of capital and credit and so they must move these cars on to the public. That is the reason you get such a big on your old car as a rule. But the fact is that the dealer knows what he is doing and takes his loss with the best smile he can dig up. But things are going to change in a very few years. Two cars to the family is now becoming more and more common. It is estimated that the saturation point of thirty million automobiles will be reached within five years. Then there will be a replacement of five million cars a year and the business will become automatically stabilized. Then maintenance and supplies will be the big end of the business and when you need a new automobile you will have to go and buy it the same as a suit of clothes. That will be a happy day for all of us. Traffic Laws Some people have become impatient with our local traffic laws. They should bear in mind, however, that it is a big problem that has come upon us quite suddenly. Mistakes have been made and will continue to be made until the problem is satisfactor-ar over-allowan- ce Today Motor Transportation By Theodore Thornskar BRANCH MANAGER GENERAL MOTORS TRUCK CORPORATION Research, one of the great forces contributing to Americas astonishing prosperity, is making one of its most important contributions in perfecting the modern truck reducing costs, and increasing the range of commercial transportation. Truck owners and users seldom think of this factor because it operates behind the scenes and only the results are seen. But one has only to stop and think, for a moment, of the trucks in use a few years back; and to compare them with the fleet, quiet, handsome commercial vehicles of today. The contrast is startling. By careful organization and by use of modern equipment the benefits of engineering knowledge and experience are applied to study of commercial transportation problems. First the problems of truck users are studied, their needs analyzed. Then trucks to meet these needs are developed, step ily solved. Some merchants insist on the hazard of k stopping of street cars. If these same merchants would insist that their own and other employees automobiles be kept out of the parking places in the business district, they would give untold aid and comfort to their would-b- e customers. Taxes The automobile is unquestionably taxed more than any other property. At the present time strenuous efforts are being made to have the 3 per cent war tax removed. The majority of people admit that it is unjust to continue this excise tax when it has been removed from everything else. But, since there are so many millions of horsepower in all the millions of automobiles in the country, somebody figures that they must have the strength to bear it. With the exception of the excise tax, all the other taxes would be good if they went for repair and building of roads. Think of the enormous amount of money that is raised from motor transportation from personal property, tax, gasoline tax, license tax and special city tax. If all this money went into the roads, then the motorist could pay it with a smile because he would know that his tire and repair bills would be lowered to a greater degree than the taxes paid. With all these present taxes there is still another one that should be added! It is a tax that would cut down the maintenance of automobiles enormously. It would repay the moor more. It is sugtorist ten-fol- d gested that the street car company be empowered with authority to tax automobiles for the purpose of keeping their car tracks in proper condition! mid-bloc- by step, and tested in the most thorough and practical ways. When we tackled the problem of providing trucks fast and flexible enough to keep pace with moder traffic, our own considerable facilities were amplified greatly through the scientific work constantly carried on by General Motors Research laboratories. From this union of unusual engineering experience and facilities came trucks, in the light duty and medium duty fields, that are today reducing costs of delivery and pickup, for agriculture and almost every line of business throughout America. New Ways to Prosperity. Modern trucks are opening, to both city ond country dwellers, new avenues to prosperity. More trucks are today used by agriculture than by any other American industry. The farmer is enabled to carry his produce farther and more speedily to his markets. The manufacturer and the distributor of merchandise are enabled greatly to widen their spheres of operation. This operates constantly to lower costs of production and distribution. And back of that influence is the research which has produced modem trucks, specially designed to take advantage of modem conditions. . Not even the. largest truck fleet owner can have, from his own experience, information as broad and accurate as the real transportation engineer enjoys, because the latter has access to accurate data of every kind of track operation. Needs Now Closely Met. Modem development has produced tracks accurately designed for the service to which they will be put. It was not so many years ago that traditions, in the engineering and construction of trucks, made very little difference tween equipment utilized for heavy duty and that in light duty use. That could not be highly efficient. Today we recognize the special needs of light duty track users, and provide (Continued on Page 13) Fish and Feel Fit The Season is Now Open dont Forget your FISHING TACKLE at f, fa 224-22- 6 oils a State St 4 i . |