The 'Nobby Tread Tire No woven fabric tire has quite the distinction, and certainly not anywhere near the record for mileage or anti-skid service, that characterizes the United States 'Nobby' Tread Tire. The 'Nobby' has fully United States Tires 'Royal Cord' 'Nobby' 'Chain' 'Usco' 'Plain' Mention "Motor West," Please, When Writing to the Advertiser Studebaker Established 1852 The Industry Itself From the analysis given in the leading Automobile Journals of 179 makes There are a few FOURS that equal the Power of the Studebaker FOUR at $940 but they are so much higher in price that they average $2753-$1813 more than Studebaker. The Studebaker "Six" costs $1180. The few other Sixes on the 1917 Here is one of the reasons for the amazing sales increases reported by STUDEBAKER DETROIT, MICH. SOUTH BEND, IND. WALKERVILLE, ONT. Address all correspondence to Detroit The Car that the Studebaker Dealer sells combines more of the most popular and saleable features than any other car-at a price that makes it the great value of 1917 It pays to be a Studebaker dealer Motor West LOS ANGELES-SAN FRANCISCO-PORTLAND-SEATTLE VOL. XXVII., No. 1 OREGON REPORTS BIG NEW CAR SALES Registration Shows 2,863 During Month of March Alone-There Are 2,565 Motor Trucks in State. Figures just compiled show that the new car business in Oregon was better last month than in February and January. Of the 31,937 automobiles bearing 1917 license tags on April 1, a total of 2,863 were registered during March and of this number 1,140 were new cars. In February 799 new cars were registered and in January 969 new cars. The total number of new cars since the 1917 registration commenced last December has been 4,116. In March, 56 new motor trucks were sold, while February business brought 42 new trucks. Since the 1917 registration commenced, December 1, 224 new trucks have been registered. The truck census for the entire State of Oregon now shows 2,565 motor trucks. of which 1,005 are Fords. Chrysler, Buick Head, Visiting Coast. Walter P. Chrysler, president of the Buick Motor Co., has been in San Francisco on important factory business during the past week. While here he held several important consultations with Charles S. Howard, head of the Buick organization on the Coast. Whitten Visits Coast Territory. F. A. Whitten, chief engineer for the General Motors Truck Co., was a recent visitor at San Francisco. His trip to the Coast was for the purpose of making first-hand investigation of truck conditions in the Pacific Coast territory. New Honors for Saxon Six. C. H. Donn Ellon, Pacific Coast representative for the Findeisen & Kropf Mfg. Co., of Chicago, makers of the famous Rayfield carburetors, arrived in Portland a few days ago with exciting tales of early season motor travel over Oregon's full portion of the Pacific Oregon Dealers Favor Coast Body. W. L. Hughson, as the representative of the automobile associations of California, has been conferring with members of the Dealers' Motor Car AssOciation of Oregon relative to the benefits to be derived from an all-coast association of automobile dealers. His plan met with enthusiastic approval at the hands of Portland dealers, who had entertained the idea some weeks in advance, and there is little doubt but that California can count upon the full support of Portland, not only in the matter of the coast association, but in the campaign for a national show in San Francisco. Chilcott for Nash in Northwest. W. J. Chilcott, who recently resigned from the General Motors Truck Co., Detroit, has been appointed distributor for the Nash Motors Co., Kenosha, Wis., in the Northwest. His distributing territory includes Washington, Oregon, northern Idaho, western Montana and Alaska, with headquarters in Seattle, Wash. Lottridge Resigns From Cuyler Lee. John Lottridge, for the past three years manager of the Cuyler Lee organization in San Francisco, has resigned from the company in order to take charge of a large automobile distributing agency in the East. Five years ago Lottridge joined the Cuyler Lee as a bookkeeper and within two years became manager of the concern, whose business has rapidly increased. $2.00 PER YEAR COAST SALES WILL Dealers Concerned Only by Possibility of Scarcity of Freight Cars - Increased Demand Everywhere. The one all-engrossing topic of conversation among Pacific Coast tradesmen during the last two weeks has been the war and its relation to the automobile business. Of course, the first concern of the automobile men was to prepare for war and to show their patriotism. This was done in many cases by the individual volunteering, but in other instances the firms promising to give a certain number of cars and men to the Government to be used for defense purposes. This matter taken care of, the automobile men next asked each other the question, "How will the war affect our business?" Country agents were written to or visited and local sales managers held secret confabs with heads of firms. The consensus of opinion seemed to be that the war situation would not affect the Coast selling business adversely for months at least and maybe not at all. About one thing only are the distributors worried, and that is on the question of having sufficient cars on hand to meet the demand in case the railroads should be commandeered by the Government for war purposes. "A car famine on the Coast is a possibility, but not a probability," declared a prominent San Francisco dealer. "Our organization is using every possible effort to secure enough cars to tide us over a temporary shortage, but it seems that every other distributor in this section is doing the same thing. People at the present time are buying cars faster than under ordinary conditions and I believe this is due to a fear of a shortage later." H. B. Rector, of the H. B. Rector Co., distributors of the Marmon 34. HYPL is worried over the shortage of cars. "The popularity of the Marmon in rural districts and the small towns," he said, "was underestimated by us, and we are trying now to secure a larger allotment from the factory to take care of the demand in the Northern California section." F. W. Hauger, sales manager of the Haynes Auto Sales Co., has just returned from a week's motoring trip through central California. Hauger visited Haynes dealers at Stockton, Modesto, Merced, Madero, Fresno, Bakersfield, Porterville and Visalia and everywhere found the country prosperous and the demand for motor cars on the increase. "I do not believe that the war with Germany will affect the Coast automobile situation adversely for many months anyway," declared Hauger. "We now have thirty-eight Haynes agencies throughout the State. and all of them are doing a fine sales business." F. L. Du Broy, of the Du Broy Motor Car Co., distributors of the Mitchell in Northern California, is more than pleased with the prospects for the coming season. "I do not see how the war situation is going to hurt our business. To date," declares Du Broy, "there has been an increased demand, as the public has been fearful of a car shortage and hastened to buy its cars before the war interfered with shipments." George Cadwalader, of the LoganCadwalader Co., Velie distributors in Northern California, returned last week from a motor trip throughout the San Joaquin Valley and is most optimistic as to the prospects for a big year for the automobile distributors. "Business throughout Northern California is booming," said Cadwalader, "and this season promises to be the best from the standpoint of motor car sales that has been experienced for years. While on the trip I visited San Jose. Stockton, Fresno, Modesto and Sacramento. Velie dealers in all these towns were making a record number of sales and anxious to secure more cars from us." Northwestern Supply Opens Branch. The Northwestern Auto Supply Co., of Billings, Mont., has opened a branch at Pocatello, Idaho, to cover the territory which includes Idaho, western Montana, northern Utah and eastern Oregon. The new store will carry a stock valued at $50,000. P. A. Calkins will be manager. Tingey Joins Salt Lake Studebaker. J. W. Tingey, former cashier in the office of the Utah Secretary of State, has resigned to become associated with the Studebaker distributing agency at Salt Lake City. TOOLE HEADS COAST OVERLAND SALES SALES Former Manager of Stearns San Francisco Branch Promoted-Robertson Traveling Representative. John F. Toole has been appointed assistant to Frank C. Riggs, western district manager of the Willys-Overland organization, and has returned to San Francisco, where he is well known as former manager of the F. B. Stearns branch. He will head the sales departments of the various Coast Overland branches and dealer agencies. Toole joined the Locomobile at the close of the Spanish-American War, left that company for the White in 1906, joined the F. B. Stearns Co. in 1909, and in 1912 came to San Francisco to head the Stearns branch here, from which he resigned two years later to rejoin the Locomobile as Atlanta branch manager. He was more recently special representative of the Knight division of the Willys-Overland. James Robertson, former Dort representative on the Coast, has been appointed traveling representative for the Willys-Overland Co. of California over the Northern California territory. Hawkins Secures Best Tractor License. C. A. Hawkins of Cleveland, Ohio, has acquired an interest in the C. L. Best Gas Traction Co., San Leandro, Cal., manufacturers of farm and road tractors. The investment involves over $500,000 and by it Hawkins has secured a license to build tractors at Cleveland under the Best patents. The Best company is at present installing $150,000 worth of machinery. Besides the original A. O. Lombard patents, the company controls the rocker-joint and oscillating track frame devices. It is rumored that Mr. Hawkins is repre.. senting the White Co., of Cleveland. Victor-Springfield Tire in So. Cal. The Victor-Springfield tire will be represented in Southern California and Arizona by the Burton-Woerner Co., 334 West Pico street, Los Angeles. Speer Locates in Los Angeles. E. Lacy Speer, for a number of years a prominent advertising and sales promotion writer. formerly connected with prominent eastern automobile trade publications, has located in Los Angeles, having opened an office in the Chamber of Commerce Building. As service manager for The Class Journal Co., Mr. Speer was a leading factor in the preparation of a large number of national campaigns, involving the writing and supervising the illustrating of automobile parts and accessory advertising, and his wide experience in matters of exploiting sales in an advertising way has given him quite a reputation in the East. It is his intention here to devote part of his time to rendering assistance to dealers in California and other Coast States, who will appreciate the value of co-operative work in the matter of local advertising, which, we understand, includes individual territorial work adapted to meet the requirements of the dealer who is seeking to enlarge his business in his own field. Pullen Heads Chevrolet Coast Service. Announcement was recently made that Eddie Pullen had joined the forces of the Chevrolet Motor Co. of California. Pullen will act as technical expert for the company. He will have charge of the service division and will tour the Coast territory, supervising Chevrolet agency and dealer service. He announces that he is through with racing. Bull's Eye Tread Co. in Frisco. The Bull's Eye Tread Co., Inc., has been formed in San Francisco with the purpose of manufacturing tires and marketing them. The new concern will enlarge the facilities of the Pacific States Tire & Rubber Co. Within three months the new corporation, of which C. Gross is president, will be daily turning out 500 tires equipped with Bull's Eye treads. Johnston Forms Advertising Agency. William R. Johnston has resigned as vice-president of the McCoy Motor Supply Co. and sold his interest in the company. He has formed a company to be known as William R. Johnston, Inc., with headquarters in Los Angeles and offices in San Francisco, Seattle and Chicago. The work will be sales promotion and service, covering Pacific Coast advertising of eastern manufacturers of automobile accessories and equipment. Empire Sales Takes Internat'l Truck. Distribution of International motor trucks, manufactured by the International Harvester Co., has been taken by the Empire Motor Sales Co., 1142 South Olive street, Los Angeles, which also represents the Empire car. For the year 1917 the International Harvester Co., Chicago, plans a 300 per cent increase in its commercial car production. Kissel and Doble in Kern County. A. M. Smith, automobile dealer of Fresno, Cal., has been appointed to distribute Kissel Kars and trucks and Doble steam cars. His territory will cover Kern County. |