MOTORS & MOTORING

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 202, 21 May 1920, Page 2

MOTORS & MOTORING

(By "ClutoL")

Motowiri and. Big Incomes, They have in the United States a very iomplete method of compiling statistics ».assist trade, and with, them the breakers of new territory or runners-up of Dew business are .able to-unearth tb« _. lackers who can afford to buy a motor, . rat who for some reason or other dp n0*..... lo so (writes J. Owen in the "Westminster Gasette"). -The plan of attack »■ . rather loud and undignified, but it seems • a have succeeded every time, and even n the most obstinate case when boosting ■ iiAB failed to make a convert, pther. andi moro subtle methods" are adopted which literally shame the passive resister into raisins? hinieelf to .the automobile level. of his less wealthy'-neighbour : >ut these beating-up methods irt England, it is iiot surprising to find that t\e ae- • tual number, of car-owners is very v ar From being en.ua! to the number of higb> x incomes In pro-war days there were •, only about a,quarter of a million cars in ise, and the bulk of these.were owned by tradesmen, garago owners, and other \ people with small incomes. These pee-1 plo form tho majority to-day, which is • a little ourious in view of the fact, that ■ the number of people who' have incomes i of more.than ..£SOOO a year is eaid.toi • range between 340,000 and 500,000. It: is no wonder that those who are ongag-. cd in the production of rather expensive ■-; vehicles should want to tap. this mar-/ k'et. and their number is legion, -".if something, to work upon, bst thera-'wlll.. have to be many more buyers among ,tne wealthy classes to kcofy them all going.,. '... We must look-upon it in the nature, of ?,- disgrace for any' person having an in-: come "of £500 a year not to possess a' ; motor-car, and if they all do their duty , : there should be as many cars as there.. .' are incomes of above this figure. It is . a pity the taxation official who let us into this secret did not also tell jra how many people there are with incomes beWee'n jeiOOO and £5000 a year/ as then one could estimate fairly accurately what . the'output of cars for home use ought to be. and if it did not come up to. estimate,^we should have to shaino the. slackers into their purchases, as the . , Americans do. " / The Transportation Problem, Very soon after the armistice was sign- ' ed many" references were made" to the. value of the motor and the road, as demonstrated during hostilities; and almost as many recommendations were submitted urging the j development of both to meet the economic demands in all .: countries, the resources of which were, and still are, so sorely taxed. Transportation is lacking everywhere, and in too .... many cases where, a railway, has been'., dental them, because it would not pay - for years, if at all, the people concerned have never riven the improved road and motor vehicle a thought. Yet this com- • bination offers greater facilities for trans- • port," and is very muoh cheaper, than . railways, for.' it opens; up and develops the country at tho same time, whereas the railway can only develop it after it has been opened up with good roads, provided' it is capable of development. Transport, the taking of goods from : where thev are produced to where they are-wanted,, is the key to progress and , plenty. : " Whippings for Motor Thieves! " Why not Tevive the whipping-post for , antoniobjle pirates? This was a query received by the editor of the "Western Washington' Motorist," the new official magazine of the Automobile Club of ' Western Washington,, an. organie«ium owned'and controlled by nearly 5000 motorists in western Washington. counties. -Even in the face of figur-Federal ■... and State laws : aimed at automobile thefts, the -piracy of motor-cars is still noted in. the "police annals of western .Washington cities, and the Automobile Club, through the co-operation; of its . membership, has been conducting .an aggressive campaign of publicity in order .to benefit the motoring public. It was during this- investigation of the cause of these thefts that a member wrote to tho - ."official club magazine, which is. circulated among the Auto' Club "membership, suggesting that the whipping-post be rowed as a warping to .thieves. In this connection the Automobile Club .nouns .out that Judge E C. Conrad,- sitting in the Court of General Sessions at'Wil- . : mirgton, Del., addressed, a warning to automobile thieves Operating within his iurisdiction. Tho'Judge decreed that •, the next automobile thief and all like offenders who follow him in court would be sent to tho county workhouse and ' whipped at the post, The Automobile Club invited suggestions from the motoring public as'to the most effective means of discouraging motor theft's. . ; ■." AnWican Cars and Foreign Markets, .' The foreign market is practically a new one for a great number of American manufacturers. Although American cars have always been sold in moderate numbers in : these markets,' the 'present ■ opportunity comes not only in Europe, but •in the South' and Central Americas and the Orient on account of the Inability of the European manufacturers to sup-' ply the demand. Australia and New Zealand have .always been largo consumers of American cars, and if the Anion- ■ oan manufacturers are able'to furnish a sufficient number of cars during tho coming 'year''to supply these hew markots, whioh have opened up so unexpectedly, they will establish themselves in tho for- , eign field in a, manner which'will plane them "in a most enviable position with a minimum cost for. this development ; (6ays,an American writer).' In meeting .competition in world bade. the/American mar.ufaot.urer is developing a.highly 6po- ;' . cialised class of salesmen, known as "foreign travellers,''.whiclt class was practic-. ally unknown to the American motor industry prior to the war. Each country has its own peculiar characteristics, which have Vbe 'given-a. great deal of • study 'from this standpoint of sales demands and which affect the companies' foreign manufacturing and sales requiro-.': ; ments. -u A Few "Dont's." Hera are 6omo of tho "Dontfs" always ...'■■ quoted by Secretary of New York State Hugo in his continual campaign for caro in the use of the highways. ",'. Don't forget to slow down at street or road intersections. It tnay save a human . "■.. 'life. ■Don't forget to look to the right and' • left before passing a railroad crossing. ' Don't forget the pedestrians.' They, too, have rights on the street? and highways.' ''-. . ', ; Don't forget to use extra precautions ■ when you see a child crossing a highway. ■ Don't forget that all motor vehicles must bo equipped' with adequate brakes in good .working o'der and adequate, horns or other signalling devices. Don't forget that your, light must be lit within a half hojir after sunset. > Don't forget that Safety First for yourself and others often 6aves your-temper and at times life and limbs. Remember the A.B.C. of motormg-nl-• ways be careful. . Jottings, Commenting on a statement by fcha Frenoh National Automobilo Chamber of Commerce that the output of cars in 1920 would reach 200,000, "Motor Lire" (U.S.A.) remarks that-that total repro. seats the shortage of motor vohicles in America for tho same term. "In all Eur.opo," it observes, "including Win warmutilated dosses of 6ervioe wagons and cars, there are not a million'" anlomo- ;. biles. In America thero are 6,500,000 cars, and' the estimated production for , this year is another 4,250,000 ears." The •.'. State of New York possesses the greatest number of motor vehicles amongst the' States, the total last year being 559,204, , but Ohio ran it fairly closely with 464,826 cars. In three years' time it is asserted that there will be 15,000,000 motors in operation. '. Tho.National Automobilo Dealers' Association (IJ.S.A.), is seeking to bring' about tho. repeal of a law operating in the States of North and South Carolina which enables a person to *m for possession of a car by which ho'lias been rundown. It .is snid that/this' law has become-very popular or. late, and has' been uphold to often' to Hie loss of tho oar to tho owner that a growing number of people in those Statts, when they M tho need of <* car, saunter'into way of n mttor-car,' are knocked injlituW suit, and quickly olitnin '- possession of the ve'hicle that injured them. Ligktinr-ip timet To-day, 4-W pmr Next Friday, 4.M pjn.