The Sunday Oregonian., January 21, 1917, SECTION SIX, Page 14, Image 82

TIIE SUNDAY OREGOXIAX, PORTLAND, JANUARY 21, 1917. "
PRICE OF AUTOS TO
BE HIGHER FOR 1917
Ask the Driver Me Knows
STERLING All That the Name Signifies
SHOWING IN OUR SALESROOM
The Biggest Value in an Automobile at Any Price
THE PRODUCT OF EXPERIENCE
Average of Various Models
$87 More Than in 1916,
New Lists Show.
ValTe-in-IIead
Cantilever
Springs
Motor
MATERIAL COST IS REASON
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Cars, However, Will Be Better Than
Ever, Dae to Improved Methods
of Production and Workman
shipAverage Now 91687.
BY WILLIAM K. GIBBS,
In New York Show Number of "Motor Are."
Fluctuations in the value of stocks
seem to find a parallel in the selling
prices of motor cars. Reading: the tape
that tells you. Mr. Consumer, what
changes have taken place in car prices
since the exchange closed on 1916 and
opened on the morning: of announce
ment for 1917 car models, shows, that
stock to have gone up 87 points a
point in this instance being a dollar.
Last year you were able to buy cars at
an average price of $1600 flat, but if
you buy now you must pay an average
price of $1687. Again, it may be wise
to buy early, for few manufacturers are
willing to assure you that a higher
average price will not come until a
new issue of cars comes onto the mar
ket. Last year you were a bull; now you
are a bear in the parlance of the stock
exchange. It is hardly likely that you
will become a bull In the very near fu
ture, all Congressional and Cabinet
leaks that have developed notwithstanding-.
The motor car market is
fairly stable. Flurries do not come
overnight. Last year it was a process
of greater production that lowered the
average price of cars to f 1600 after an
average of $2005 had been established
in 1915. The season before us 1917
offers an entirely different reason,
which is that the cost of materials en
tering into car construction almost all
of the many component parts are af
fected cannot be -bought for anything
like the price that prevailed even a
year ago.
Production Forges Ahead.
Tou are not to understand from this
that production has not forged ahead.
It has. If it were not for the f.ct that
production has forged ahead the in
creases necessary to offset the higher
cost of material would be much in ex
cess of the present figures. When it
comes to Increases In price of motor
cars one naturally expects, or at least
should expect these to be In units of
50, $75 or $100. when consideration is
taken of the ratio of percentages in
Increase of almost every other commod
ity today, yet from the increases an
nounced so far it seems evident that
the car manufacturers are taxing the
consumer as little as is consistent with
a reasonable margin of profit, and are
content wtih adding just what the extra
cost is to them, since one increase is
as low as $10 and others are $15, $35,
$40. $55. etc.
Practically all of the manufacturers
who have announced increases, either
now or to become effective in the early
Winter, that are In excess of $200, could
be counted on one's fingers, the ma
jority of the increases not being in ex
cess of $100. Nineteeen-f if teen devel
oped the fact that the average price
of cars, taking the touring car as an
average car, was $2005. Then 1916
showed a big drop in average price
$405.
Machinations of Moloch, eince July,
1914, which have made millionaires and
paupers of Americans with greater ra
pidity than any one factor in the his
tory of the world, are wholly respon
sible for the increase In the cost of car
making material. All metals that find
place in motor-car construction are
liisrher than at any time since motor
vehicles made their bow to the world.
It would be difficult to conceive why
prices on cars have not gone farther
skyward were It not for one thing
greater production.
Greater Production Apparent.
Throughout the entire organization
of each car factory every one has en
deavored to work toward a higher
grade product with as little additional
cost to the car buyer as possible.
Makers have cot been blinded by the
thought of maintaining a pricve that
would be the same as last year's at a
Fcrifiee of quality, for every car
-n 1 1 1 1 hi t if:
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2-Toa Sterling Blaster Motor Tracks lTed by EAST SIDE: FUEL CO, Port la ad Or.
Koeliring Macliine Co., Northwest
250-270 Hawthorne Ave. T?SE!!tom Phone East 6482
2M, 3!i, 5 AND 7-TON UNITS .
See Us at the Show
maker know that the product must
be kept at a high standard, or made
somewhat better than the preceding
model to maintain sales.
The elasticity of the dollar Is con
siderably more reduced as the 1917 sea
son opens than was the case at the be
ginning of 1916. The dollar's present
purchasing power Is considerably be
low the par established a year ago, yet
Ugh, and it can truthfully be said that
the high-priced car of 1917 is corre
spondingly bettter in the same ratio
that the present popular-priced vehicle
bears toward the-highest-priced car of
five years ago.
More Cars Kiw Trader $1000.
Even though you have been told thav
the average price of 1917 cars Is
STYLES IN MOTOR CAR BODY TYPES OFFICIALLY DEFINED.
What is the difference between a coupe and a coupelet, a touring
car and a salon touring car? Here it is, with other body types and
distinctions officially determined recently by the nomenclature divi
sion of the Society of Automobile Engineers:
Roadster An open car seating two or three. It may have addi
tional seats on running boards or In rear deck.
Coupelet Seats two or three. It has a folding top and full-height
doors with disappearing panels of glass.
Coupe An inside-operated, inclosed car seating two or three. A
fourth ssat facing backward is sometimes added.
Convertible Coupe A roadster provided with a detachable coupe
top.
Clover Leaf An open car seating three or four. The rear seat
Is close to the divided front aeand entrance is only through doors
in front of the front seat. - ' !
Touring Car An open car seating four or more, with direct en
trance to tonneau.
Salon Touring Car A touring Car with passage between front seats,
with or without separate entrance to front seats.
Convertible Touring Car A touring car with folding top and dis
appearing or removable glass sides.
Sedan A closed car seating four or more all in one compartment.
Convertible Sedan A salon touring car provided with a detach
able sedan top.
Open Sedan A sedan so constructed that the sides can be removed
or stowed so as to leave the space entirely clear from the glass front
to the back.
Limousine A touring car seating three to five Inside, with driv
er's seat outside, covered with a roof.
Open Limousine A touring car with permanent standing top and
disappearing or removable glass sides.
Berine A limousine having the driver's seat entirely inclosed.
Brougham A limousine with no roof over the driver's seat.
Landaulet A closed car with folding top, seats for three or more
Inside and driver's seat outside.
the product .of the car factories has
been enhanced in value by the addi
tional research and experiment con
ducted In the twelve-month. When you
sit behind the wheel of a 1917 model
and begin your annual drive, you will
find you have better value than you
had In the beginning of 1916, even
though you did have to dig down a
little deeper into the bank account than
you figured you would. When you dis
cover that, perhaps the additional cost
will not be a disturbing factor in your
mind.
Looking back over the span of mo
tordom, one fact stands out prominent
ly. The present popular-priced car, and
by that I mean those listing from $900
to $1500, if put in the scales of aver
age with a car costing four or five
times as much five or six years ago,
the balance would almost invariably
be In favor of the newer creation.
The high-priced car of 1917 a'nd the car
of equal price half -a decade ago have
little in common. We have only to look
at the $5000 car, or one of higher price,
today to know why the price is that
higher than the average for 1916, there
is no cause for alarm, and you who
have hoarded your loose change with
the idea in mind of sporting a new mod
el during the early Spring will have
plenty of cars to choose from, in fact,
there are more listing nuder the $1000
mark than there were a year ago. For
1917 there are 65 models in four-cylinder
cars and 12 six-cylinder models
from which to make a choice. Last
year there were only 49 four and 11
sixes.
It might not be amiss to tell in a
story of this kind just what the in
dustry did in 1916 in the way of sales.
The year just closed was a record one
so far as sales were concerned, the
progress attained being as great as
that of any other American Industry.
Retail sales of motor cars In 1916 were
In excess of $1,000,000,000, and there is
no indication that the demand for a
reliable, service-giving, power-driven
vrhirlf t hit t tin a lukftn ml c Vi nn ImnArt.
! ant place in the work of transporting
' rapidly and economically a big propor
tion of the citizens of this and other
countries of the world, .la Bearing a
decline.
Figures that are a veritable romance
In business, and which show that the
sales of last year exceeded 1.600.000
passenger and commercial vehicles,
with a retail value of more than $1.
000,000,000, and an average price of ap
proximately $672, make Interesting
study. The average price for passenger
vehicles, considering the total volume
sold, was $605, a little over one-third of
the average price of. each make of car
produced.
It seems apparent that the real
answer to the motor trade prosperity
is the one magic word, "service." Just
as long as the motor car can trans
port the Individual or freight more rap
idly and at a lower cost than any other
type of vehicle, just , so long will this
country and the balance of the world
scrape up its pennies and hoard them
until they can buy some sort of a
motor vehicle. There are types for the
most fastidious those who want all the
luxuries of the king's equipage, or those
who do not go In for pulchritude just
as long as the particular vehicle their
pocketbook lets them" buy gets them to
their destination on time and with a
degree of comfort.
NEW LINES ARE ADDED
BALLOC A WRIGHT, PIONEER FIRM,
MAKES ANNOUNCEMENT,
Special Department Created t Raadle
Smith Farm-A-Traek lUclse
Tire Agency Is Takes.
The newest lines added by the pio
neer Portland wholesale automobile ac
cessory house of Ballou St Wright are
the Smith Form-A-Truck and the Ra
cine tire.
F. H. Downes. head of the special de
partment created to handle the Smith
Form-A-Truck, announces that In
quiries are coming from all parts of
the Northwest and that a large number
of dealers in various sections will come
to Portland to see the two samples of
the Smith Form-A-Truck at the Port
land Auto Show.
"We have just closed contracts with
dealers at Burns, Hood River, The
Dalles, Goldendale, Wash.; Klamath
Falls, Medford and McMInnvtlle and
cars will soon go forward also to deal
ers in other parts of the territory,"
said Mr. Downes yesterday. "At the
present time the Smith Form-A-Truck
attachment is adapted to the Ford,
Maxwell, Chevrolet, Dodge, Hupmobile
and Buick, as well as all shaft-driven
cars."
Ballou & -Wright have the selling
rights on the Racine tire for all of Ore
fron. Washington and Idaho, an well ns
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8000 Miles to
Set of Tires
TTiTTTTf i"WI
25 Miles to
Gallon of Gas
With Complete Electrical Equipment2-Unit Starting and Lighting System
$630.00, F. O. B. Portland
Look over the field then visit our showroom and see if it is not an unpar
alleled fact that no car within several hundred dollars shows these features,
which mark the Chevrolet as a high-quality car at the very bottom of price.
Consider the Motor No car at the 6how within $200.00 of the Chevrolet shows the valve-in-head
motor, the most powerful and economical of all types. More than that, the Chevrolet valve-in-head
motor has a detachable head, which will cut many dollars from the cost of having valves regrbund
or in the annual overhauling. Our salesmen point with pride to the small bore, the vacuum exhaust
and other features which indicate the high order of the engineering forces that back this wonderful
car. And then,
The Brakes Few cars have the large brakes that make up but one of the safety features of this
car. The mechanic will state that they are much larger than practice says is necessary, which com
bined with "the light weight of the car, makes it positively safe on any grade and on any road.
The Oversize Idea Is just typical of the car from stem to stern. It's the Chevrolet way of
building its prize model. All the way through you will find the crank shaft larger than practice
says it need be; the propeller shaft is larger than it has to be; the axles are larger than present-day
standards deem necessary to carry a car of the Chevrolet's weight over all roads. That is why
this little car, that is enjoying such phenomenal popularity in its second year, is being looked to,
not as a follower of precepts, but as a maker of new standards.
Comforts Every salesman at the show will talk of the comfort that has been built into the new
model. You will never know how comfortably riding a car of suca light weight as the Chevrolet
can be made. It is the long cantilever springs in back and a featura of spring construction in front
that takes out practically all the shocks. Chevrolet calls it a built-in shock absorber. It does for
the' front end just what the cantilever does for the back end and looks much the same but;
We can never tell you all the good things that you will find in Chevrolet. You will have to come
and see the new models in our own show.
You may be about to buy a car of higher price. Or perhaps one of lower price than the Chevro
let. In either case it will be wise buying to see the Chevrolet and compare ut with your first selection.
BENJ. E. BOONE & CO.
514 Alder Street
Main 3966
Western Montana. The Racine Is a me-dtum-pHced
tire which carries a 5000-
mile guarantee for the non-skids and
a S50-mtle guarantee for the plain
treads, which are of wrapped tread
instruction.
Western Truck Atta.com.ents
A 2-ton Western Truck, with WesternDump, just delivered to the Edlef sen Fuel
Co. This is a starter of a fleet of seven. Price $888, F. 0. B. Portland.
.We build 1, iy2, 2-ton attachments for ALL makes of cars, S350.00.
Westeoi Oiregop ii inuiek: Co. I
SSiliiiiXIHiones: Main 90, A 22MfflJiifflllF. A. Hawks, Mgr.i,'i!!!!JJIffli22d and Kearney, at Palace GaragefflV,VfflSi
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The New Series
FRANKLIN CAR
Embodies in its construction what is most desired by the
motorist.
SCIENTIFIC LIGHT WEIGHT The Franklin Touring Car
weighs but 2280 pounds and is flexible and strong. Bodies,
fenders, hood and dust shields are made of aluminum.
ECONOMY Franklin owners average better than 10,000
miles to a set of tires, 20 miles or more to the gallon of
gasoline.
DEPRECIATION The motorists' greatest expense is far
less in the Franklin than in any other car selling for the same
price or more.
POWER Series 9 Franklin cars have wonderful power, not
obtained by excessive high speed or large motor, but through
perfect balance, light weight and direct air cooling.
SATISFACTION AND COMFORT A car that can be run
365 days in the year without any special attention, no fear of
freezing in Winter or overheating in Summer; free from me
chanical and tire troubles; operating at an expense less than
any other car in the world; taking you over the roughest
roads without fatiguing you in the least; controlled without
an effort. Let us show you our new Series 9 Franklin.
BRALY AUTO COMPANY,
Main 4880 A 3881. 19th and Washington.
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