The Washington Post from Washington, District of Columbia • Page 72

-3 1 Jt, Tf. -TV AUTOMOTIVE SECTION AUTOMOTIVE SECTION WASHINGTON: SUNDAY, DECEMBER 14, 1919. Strikingly Attractive We can make a tew prompt deliveries before the price advances Lingerer Motor Co. 1136 Conn. Ave.

Telephone Main 8233 LAG IN MAKING AUTOS Manufacturers See Orders Pile Up Despite Rising Prices. NO EEACTION AS EXPECTED Motor Manufacturers 1 Chief Task Now Is to Persuade Buyers What Reasonable Delivery May Be. Strikes Have Helped in Checking Production, Now Tear Behind. 'hellalaneed SDC An IdeaFChristmas Gift for yourself and family. The AMERICAN Balanced Six is the most scientifically balanced car made in America today.

It is a real pleasure to drive one. Inspect our salesroom or call for a demonstration. Immediate delivery on open or closed cars. Snellings Motor Co, 1825-27 14th St. N.

W. North 1900 Open Sundays and Evenings One year ago at this time, when the government was about to raise the I ban on automobile production, there was great speculation on the part of I both manufacturer and public as to what prices would be Both were groping in the dark There was no pracedent for a guide There was considerable skepticism as to just what the attitude of the public would be toward motor cars Business as a whole was more or less in a state of unrest Some car manufacturers announced a reduction in price, and others followed suit Still others sat tight. In the process of reconverting plants no great haste was shown, because, on account of the fact that the decrease in price caused no avalanche of orders there was not much ground to believe there would be necessity of haste in getting into production again Most Were Poor Guessers. How poor guessers the manufacturers were is shown by the present- day demand For the last eight months it has been a mad scramble on their part to try to turn out enough cars to Jake care of even a portion of the orders thrust upon them Thrust is the proper word, for it not been a case of getting out and selling cars but more a case of trying to i a man that you can make a i ly reasonable delivery, and by a i reasonable is meant anywhere from one month to six weeks on open cars and, whenever possible, on closed jobs The public said in January a year ago "Well, the prices were boosted i the war, now it is over and they will come down We will a i May -was the date set for the decline, then June Surely it would be July for that is the termination of the automobile year Instead of a price decline the trend was the other way Well, surely it would come in the a for i but the unprecedented demand was i the a ket up The minute the weather got cold buying would fall off, and then the long-expected drop would come Cold weather is here Still there is no drop nor is there any abatement in buying December, usually a poor month in the! automobile business, is own Prices Still Climbing. Prices, instead of dropping the first of the year, as some are now prone to predict, will most likely go the other way Several popular lines are scheduled for a price increase, effective January 1 Other factories refuse to make promises to their dealers as to what the price is to be after January 1 Dealers for some time have been taking orders with the price subject to the one in effect at the time the car is delivered The factory will make no guarantee of protection on orders still unfilled so far as price is concerned, and they in turn do not feel they can afford i a guar antee to their customers Those who want motor cars would do well to place their orders now i it will not insure them a protection against price increase they i if by any chance there should be a decline, get the benefit of it Ordering now will do this--insure de- Washington Headquarters at New York Auto Show Favored Here' The Idea of the Automotive Trade having: central head- qnartera ta New York during the week IB betas commended by and connected with the trade who have heard of the plan.

Difficulty tn a-ettlna- In tonch with those one may to there frequently been a trouble I much valuable time been If yool are going- New York: to the either register in per- at Banquet Room 115, the Waldorf-Aitorla, or telephone your New York At the headquarters will be found a lint of the exhibitors at the New York show as well New York hotel addresses. The Washington Automotive Trade Association Invites every dealer or consumer to avail himself of the facilities of these headquarters, donated by The Washington Post. I livery at an earlier date, than if one waits until spring- to place the order. Strikes Had Some Effect. During the next twelve inonths there is to be no surfeit of cars While reporta shftw the steel strike has to date had no appreciable effect on the industry it is bound to have had some The coal strike has delayed production In fact, it has caused some manufacturers to close down entirely, and others to operate on part time A day lost in a big factory means more in the completion of finished g-oods than the mere stoppage of work for a few hours It means an entire disruption of schedules that will take some little time to readjust Without an interruption to business it would take the next twelve months for the factories to catch up with the demand for cars.

'NEW TAXING PLANS FOR NEW YORK CARS LACK AUTO MATERIAL Makers Unable to Meet Demand Because of Shortage. LABOR ALSO IS SCARCE One Producer States That Manufacturers of Plate Glass Are Behind Feet Body Part Makers Cannot Keep Pace With Their Increasing Orders. Scripps-Booth Four-Door Sedan The many small refinements comb'ne to make this car all that is to be desired in style comfort. No deta Is of construction o- appointment have been considered too small to be slighted. rRIPPS-BOOTH SALES CO.

1214 Connecticut Ave. Franklin 5831 Service Station 21 at and SU. N. Original Price of Machine Required in Information Furnished. ANY automobile will give a good demonstration when new.

If you want to learn what "permanence of value" means, take a ride in some Cadillac hereabouts that has covered 25,000 miles or so. THE WASHINGTON CADILLAC COMPANY 1138-40 Connecticut Avenue Telephone Frank. 3900 New State is to have a new method of taxing motor cars, begin- i February 1 Its provisions i the following i a i First--Number of cylinders and bore of cylinders to get correct horsepower Second--Tear car was a a ed not necessarily the year you purchased the cai; Third--Manufacturers' list i of manufacture, equipped, not necesanly the price paid for it The method of i the fee is based on three elements Horsep age of car and list price There are two systems of computing fees First, there is a fixed fee of 25 cents per horsepower. Second, there must be paid an a i i a amount based upon the age and list price of car as follows Rate 1--It registered during year of manufacture or wTthin three years i December 31 of year of a a 40 cents on each $100 (or major i a i of list price of car Rate 2--If registered i the or fifth years following December 31 of year of manufacture, JO cents on each $100 (or major fraction) I of i price of car Rate 3--If registered later than I fifth year following December 31 of year of manufacture, 10 cents on each i $100 (or major fraction) of list price of car i At no time shall the fee for a six- cylinder car be less than $10, or for a cat be less than $5 To trace the original list price of many cars from four to eight years old say many of which wefe pur- chased by their pi esent owners as second-hand cars and who, perhaps, have no idea of their original selling: price, will be no easy matter In I recognition of this difficulty, the commissioner of motor i says, hiff office has been gathering- a mass of information a i back to the advent of motor cai a a This i i a i has been condensed and tabulated that each of his offices will be i with a i card index which will quickly give the correct fee on any car in existence In obtainin this information It was found that about 750 i have been enfiagod in the manufacture of motoi i but that approximately 137 a either i others or g9ne out rff business In checking over the fees toi ca.it, the cleiK will information showing everv pe of car, list price, engine horsepower out by eVery company manufacturing motor vehicles Reason for inability to build automobiles fast enough to meet the demand has in a measure been confined to generalities Inability to plants from war industries into peace time occupations in relatively short periods, and inability to procure raw materials in sufficient quantities as well as the lack of labor have been the mam reasons given The prospect for a motor car, who for the first time in his life, perhaps, has been brought to the realization that sometimes there are things which even money cannot buy, has of late demanded specific reasons for inability to fill orders promptly Shortage in Plate Glass. One of the largest manufacturers of closed type bodies gives a very good reason why his company has been and today behind on orders It is because of the shortage of plate glass This manufacturer states that today there is a shortage of about 7,000,000 feet of plate glass Prewar estimates show that there was needed for windshields approximately 12,000,000 feet of plate glaa0, while for closed bodies half that amount was used The demand today is half again as much and still increasing: Glass manufacturers have been having their own troubleb the same as other lines of industry Their labor conditions have not been such that maximum production could be reached and maintained They are usfng every means in their power not only to catch up, but to increase their output, so as to care for the increas- ing demand I Other Factories Behind.

Glass is but one item that enters into the manufacture of motor car bodies Spring manufacturers, tanneries and upholsterers are all experiencing in to catch up With business in hand, i going out after additional The a i is something that depends not on the factory whose name it bears solely There is no car built today that is manufactured completely under one roof There was a time when a car i entirely by one concern was considered as a very fine sales point, but experience has shown that to obtain best results some part of the car or its trimmings at least must be purchased on the outside To do otherwise mean greatlj, increased cost of production i consequent inciease in selling price Saving Half of Tire Cost and All of Tire Worry With TIRES A NEW scientific principle of tire construction--invented by Chas. C. Gates, E. you four big tire advantages that you have always longed for-1. GREATER MILEAGE.

2. PUNCTURE PROOF GUAEAN- TEE. 3. OVERSIZE. 4.

HALF THE COST. Although all of these unusual advantages are contained in this one tire, the principle of construction is so simple that motorists wonder why the idea wasn't thought of long ago. Here's the Gates ending--idea in a nutshell: When your tire has given you all the mileage you can safely demand of it--when the rubber tread is worn thin but the fabric is still serviceable--when your next move seems to be the purchase of a new expensive tire --learn how your worn casing can be incorporated in a new factory built, oversize GATES HALF-SOLE TIRE that will giye you the four anusufcl advantages mentioned in the opening paragraph. The reinforced double fabric strength and the double cushion resiliency in the GATES HALF-SOLE TIRES has made them instantly popular with over 1,000,000 car owners everywhere. Look at ihe tires on your car today and see if you, too, can't begin now to- enjoy the radical reduction in coat and unusual gain in safety and comfort that GATES HALF-SOLE TIRES will give you.

Come to our service station and we will be glad to furnish you with further facts and figures. lUDNlCKrWIUJAMS 12 tkDStreetsN.W'Wjshin^lotv D.C. MAIN 888 MINIATURE LINE IN WINDOW C. O. WewJemann Installs Facsimile of Great Railroad.

Weideman-n of the sales force of the a i a Company installed the company's display i a. compete electric traction i It is a facsimile of one ufc the largest railroad lines in the countr-y, and is i to the scale of of an inch to the foot Uven to the depot and the semaphore lights, the exhibition is complete COMPAQ TO START Fred Swindell Concern--To Handle Representative Line. 222 4 SERVICE Automotive Servica and Supply Co. 1408 Chiuch St. Phone Franklin 4845.

All repairs on any make automobile United Service Incorporated Service Dapt. of Dolco, Klaxon, Detroit, MfchlcMk For some i past the-p i a a i twice a week in The a i Post advertisements of the Tn a Motor Company, in i i it, stated that the name of the cars i represented would be announced dut. i as well as the personnel In. an e'sewhere in i papei facr is made public that i a well-know "WUbn- i ss man, whp ifp to a few was mteiested Intone of otor car cmpanies President of the Tri-Stata itor Cpiitoany Irvm Frahk is sec-f a i Hreaeurer Irving Henderson, to entering the service wasjjn automobile busi- ness foi is sales manager Gardiner Orme, to nearH erybody the is wholesale manager On the three lines of cars which it haiMles the new company has large territory. For the District of Columbia, Virginia and Tennessee it has the Standard Bight, a eight- cylinder car, built by jthe Stahdard Steel Car Company o'f Pittsburgh In Maryland, the District of Columbia and Virginia it has the distribution of the Maibohm, a.

popular-priced six- cylinder car For the District of Columbia and portions of Virginia and Maryland it has the sales rights for the Comet, a medium-priced car. Like other firms that have lately entered the automobile field in Washington, it has found it difficult to procure a salesroom. In fact, while it has an option on one. It will be some little time before it can get possession. Not deterred by this fact, for the time being it is going to conduct its sales operations from its service station, 1814 to 1818 street northwest This IB one of the largest if not the largest service station in the city, which is entirely located on one floor.

The floor space is 70 by 140. The building IB fireproof throughout and equipped with the most modern facilities for giving efficient motor car Bervlce. The Holbrook Auto Corporation Announces the Establishment of an ALLEN PASSENGER CAR AGENCY IN WASHINGTON Salesroom 1320 14th St. N. Phone Franklin 4099 Service Station 612 St.

N. Phone Franklin 7009 i.