Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 14, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 25 January 1918 — Automobile Industry May Be Rated as Largest by Next Government Census [ARTICLE]

Automobile Industry May Be Rated as Largest by Next Government Census

The automobile Industry is rated as the third largest in this country. Those who should know believe the next government census will rate- it as our largest industry, Forbes’ Magazine states. There are 1,000,000 wage earners dependent for their bread upoh the making of the $1,000,000,000 worth of cars and parts turned out the past year. It has been the despair of the motor makers to take census of how many more are employed in as chauffeurs, as mechanics, in service stations as salesmen, etc. Another 1,000,000 might cover these. So, counting five to the family, there must be dependent upon the industry fully ten per cent of our total population. There are 450 makers of passenger cars and trucks, and 12 of these turn out over 80 per cent of the entire product. There are 825 makers of parts.

The Industry consumes about $250,000,000 worth of iron and steel; $150,000,000 of lumber; $20,000,000 of brass, $32,000,000 of- copper, $25,000,000 of cotton fabrics; $20,000,000 of coal and coke; $26,000,000 of tin; $16,000,000 of lead, $42,000,000 of electrical equipment, and $24,000,000 bides and hair, to mention the value of only a few items. There are over 300,000 trucks* and 4,000,000 passenger cars in operation in this country. The advertising bill runs well over $23,000,000 annually, to say nothing of the money spent for advertising tractors and other gasenglned machines, which may be properly classified as belonging to the industry. *5