Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 189, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 20 August 1918 — MOTORCAR AS TRANSPORTATION FORCE [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

MOTORCAR AS TRANSPORTATION FORCE

, Survey Shows , That 90 per cent of Aiitomobile . Use Is for Bus- y k iness Pur-j gIL poses

By JOHN N. WILLYS.

□ O you know that right now there are 5,000,000 motor vehicles in use, or one to every twenty persons In the United States? . In these cars twenty-five million people, one-fourth of the population, could be transported 100 miles or more In a single day. Only the first filling of gasoline would be needed for the journey. » Before the war produced unheardof conditions, it Is not astonishing that people had paid little attention to these matters and had not analyzed the usefulness of the automobile. The manufacturers themselves believed their splendid . sales organizations to have been responsible for their marked sales Increases, when as a matter of fact, the motor car had come to fill a demand which had existed for centuries. But now we have stopped to analyze the food we eat, the clothes we wear and the time we can save. How then does the automobile fit Into this big plan? Who uses it? There was only one way to find out definitely and that was to ask the people who owned and operated cars. This was accomplished by getting an expression frotn every man who purchased one particular make of car in 1917, showing the occupation in which he was engaged. This information has been tabulated In classifications by trade to conform with the census figures. Investigation Proves Usefulness. The result of this investigation when charted, showed some surprising facts. The first one Is that this survey proved that 90 per cent of automobile use is for business purposes. The next great fact, gained at a glance, was that the xnen whose business depended upon covering a great deal of ground Ln a short space of time were its largest purchasers. While these figures apply only to the 1917 production of one manufacturer of cars, we may safely assume that approximately the same divisions by trades are applicable to automobile ownership in general. We have therefore assumed that to be the case In our conclusions. Shall we expect to find automobiles In the city alone?' Look.at the occupational division of the chart. The great. American farmer, representing 33.2 per cent of the population of the country, bought 53.1

per cent of the automobiles last year. The farmer is buying automobiles because they have done more to lighten labor and change his entire plane of living and doing business than any other invention since the harvesting machine. The isolation of the country is gone and in its place have come the educational and market advantage of the city, more contentment on the part of the farmers’ families. Again, the “trade” classification of the chart shows a large percentage of cars owned and again the cans?. For this division is comprised largely of salesmen. This classification, embmcing 9.5 per cent of the population, owns 18.9 per cent of the automobiles. These men have found that with the aid of the motor car they can make themselves much more effective in their work. Obviously, salesmen in these days must make themselves more efficient. Many a salesman is adding to his territory that of someone In the service. I asked one of the greatest and most important food concerns in Amer-

lea what the motor car means to them in their business. Time Saver for Big Concerns. Their answer was typical of the saving in time, railroad facilities and man power that the automobile is qjakfrig.. These people told me that the salesman with an automobile could cover from 10 to 20 per cent more ground. In the city the salesman can call on the trade more frequently. In other words, the automobile is the equivalent of 10 to 20 per cent extra man power. The motor car has been an invaluable aid to men in professional service as is shown by the fact that in this classification representing 4.4 per cent of the population, 7.3 per cent of the automobiles are owned. Here in this highly important occupational

division we find the physician called out in the middle of the night, or speeding to save a life by prompt response to an emergency call. We also find him taking care of more patients over a wider area to make up for some other physician wearing the uniform of the army, the navy or the Red Cross. But what of the country preacher?' He too,, is going about, using his passenger car to minister to the wants of his congregation, increasing his Sunday attendance and helping in a thousand ways, taking the place of the, “circuit rider” but using his automobile in his mission of mercy.

Likewise the lawyer, the Judge, the college professor all find that the passenger car helps to conserve time in their duties. Another significant fact is that the classificaton, “Public Service” shows that, comprising as it does 1.2 per cent of the population, it contains 1.6 per cent of the automobile owners. This branch is composed of city and county officials, mail carriers and men in the employ of city, state or national government. Many of these men must cover a wide area in their duties and it is here that the motor car is helping. Helps to -Speed Up Industry. The manufacturing industry affords another of our vast resources. This classification covers the factory owner-, contractor, baker, blacksmith, and their operatives. This branch represents a total of 27.9 per cent of the total population of the country and yet shows only 10.1 per cent of the automobiles owned. Located in the cities. Industry is not so dependent upon the .automobile, and still every motor car in this great branch is doing Rs part in speeding, up production. In the business community having 1,000 automobiles It is safe to say that each one in service will save an hour a day. This would mean that such a community is- 125 working days ahead every day. Carry these figures to the 5,000,000 registered automobiles in the country and it means that the nation is 625,000 working days ahead every day in time saved. Or commute this Into man pdw- ! er and It gives America the extra sen-ices of an army of 625,000 men at work every day. Under the heading “Transportation” are included all of the managers, su-

perintendents, foremen ”anff employees of the many public service corporations of the country. Here we find the railroads, telephone and telegraph companies and many like occupations. They represent 3.0 per cent of the population and own but 6.9 per cent of the automobiles. The reason for this small percentage of car owners it at once apparent, as the bulk of the business of these men Is over various carriers of the country and here the automobile is not so much an essential to the conduct of their duties. Mining Minutes With Motor Car. The next census occupational division covers the mining, quarry and oil-well industries; including owners, superintendents, foremen and operatives. Here w r e found that while this classification represented 2.5 per cent of the population of the country, it owns 2.1 per cent of the automobiles. This occupation is not one which must necessarily cover a wide area. Yet every hour and minute must count, for all of the products are vitally necessary In the war program. The next two classifications are composed of hotel proprietors, restaurant owners, boarding-house keepers, clerks and employees. Here, if anywhere, we might expect to find the passenger cars used almost wholly for recreation. ‘ But, while these two combined classifications represent 11.5 per cent of the population, they own only 3.9 per cent of the automobiles. This survey of the automobile and its many and diversified uses only serves to Strengthen the conclusion that it constitutes the greatest transportation force in the world. Compare the motor cars with the railroads and we find the automobiles of this country traveling 60,000,000,000 miles a year as compared with the 35,000,000,000 passenger miles of the railroads. These multipliers of energy are traveling 40,000,000 miles a day, the equivalent of 1,600 times around the world. Many a nation has been conquered, not for lack of bravery or

men, but for the'lack of transportation. We are farther from our bases of supply than any warring nation. This nation must devote every ounce of energy to produce more food, more munitions, but with the enormous Increases must come more transportation; more done in less time. We cannot go back to the days of the army mule and pack saddle, the prairie schooner; and the. Vone hoss shay.” Speed, speed and more speed is the cpy. "And America answers witlr her 5,000,000 automobiles —the greatest transportation tool, the greatest aid to personal efficiency iu the world.

By replacing horses the motor cars on the farms of this country represent a potential saving of sufficient foodstuffs to supply the wants of three and one-third millions of people annually.

Assuming that every automobile saves one hour a day, the total time saved represents ah: army of 625,000 men at work every day. Compjyel this with the total number of men In service today.

The passenger automobile travels 60,000,000,000 miles annually as against 35,000,000,000 miles traveled by all railroads.