Evening Republican, Volume 23, Number 230, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 23 September 1920 — FORD BACK TO PRE-WAR PRICES [ARTICLE]

FORD BACK TO PRE-WAR PRICES

AUTOMOBILE MANUFACTURER BLAZES TRAIL TO NOR. MAL PRICES. The 'Ford Motor company 'on Sept. 21st announced a reduction in the price of its ears “to the pre-war level.” In announcing a reduction in the prices of Ford. cars, trucks, and tractors, Henry Ford says: t. “'Rie war is over and it is time war prices were over. There is no sense or wisdom in trying to maintain an artificial standard of values. For the best interests of all it is time that a real, practical move was made to bring the business of the country and the life of the county down to normal. “Inflated prices always retard progress. We had to stand it during the war, although it wasn’t right, so the Ford Motor company will make the prices of its products the same as they were before the war. Means Temporary Loes. “This, in face of the fact that we have unfilled orders for immediate delivery of 146,065 cart and tractors. “We must of course, take a temporary loss because of the stock of materials on hand, bought at inflated prices, and until we use that

stock up we will have to submit to a less, but we take it willingly in order to bring about a going state of business throughout the country. “There is a lull in general business; we are touched by the waiting period, that always precedes a reaction; people in every walk of life are waiting for prices to become lower. They realize that it is an unwholesome, unnatural, unrighteous condition of affairs' produced by the war. It is -one of the p'enalties civilization pays a for war. In every line of activities there is a growing idleness because the demand is not there. Blames “Greed of Profiteers.” “Raw materials are being stored; manufactured goods are being stored, because the volume of consumption is growing less through the selfdenial of the people, many of whom could not, afford to pay the high prices because they felt the injustice of the situation. Manufacturing plants are being shut down all over the country. Labor is being ! thrown out of employment. Yet the cost of living has seen very little reduction. - “Our country is rich beyond measure in natural resources; rich, in all the material things that go to make a nation great, and yet its progress is being* held practically at a standstill because of the greed of the profiteers. “Now is the time to.call a halt on war methods, war prices, war profiteering and war greed. It may be necessary for everybody to stand a little secrifice, but it will be most profitable after all, because the sooner we get the business of the country back to a pre-war condi-* tion the sooner the lives of our people become more natural—progress prosperity and contentment will occupy the attention of our people.” “There .will be no change in wages.” Rival* Slow to Comment. Manufacturers were reluctant to discuss the decreases announced by Mr. Ford, several of them saying ' they would require time before making a statement. Here and there . one was found who said Ford’s action was impossible on account of the present cost of material and labor. The old and new prices follow: Stripped chassis, from $525 to 3360; runabout from 3550 to $895, with, starllr from $625 to $465: touring car, from $575 to $440, with starter from $650 to sslo* truck chassis, from $640 to $545, including demountable rims and pneumatic tires; coupe from SBSO to $745, including starting system and demountable rims; sedan, from $975 to $795, including starting system and demountable rims; Fordson tractor from SBSO to $790. '