Norwich Bulletin Newspaper, October 13, 1910, Page 6

ice 0 ' And Guaranteed for One Year Absolutely- % It’s Our Answer to tbe “Bargain Day” and “Automobiles at Half Price” Advertisemeqts You've Been Reading of Late. Aiso We Give Herein Some Facts About the Present Automobile Situation--Especially Prices. 5 As Always, We Make It Openly=-=Take the Public Into Our Confidence and, Having Nothing . : Ourselves to Conceal, Tell Some T hings Some Other Makers. Would Prefer\ to Have Left Unsaid. IF THIS NEWS COMES AS A SURPRISE TO YOU as a prospective buyer of an automobile, what do you suppose will be its effect on the trade—on competition? Nothing so sensational has happened in this industry since the first announcement, just two years ago, of the $ price of E-M-F “30"—a price which, for a car of that size and power a quality at that time, was little less than revolutionary. BEFORE WE GO ANY FURTHER let us say this.advertisement is directed to business men—men who are in the market for an automobi are looking for the best possible value for their mone The posse: of the wherewithal to buy an automobile, is the best evidence of the busi- ness acumen and thrift, of such men. We assume that vou who read this are versed in sound business methods—that yvou have met and overcome crises in your own affairs—met competition of all kinds, fair and uniair —intelligent and the reverse. 80 WE ARE GOING TO TELL YOU fraunkly the reasons which have led up to and the reasons why it is advisable, as well as possible for us to reduce the price of this sterling product $230 irom the former price. Much said herein may be open to misinterpretation—every frank statement is. But as we have said, we are not interested in the few super- who may read this. We expect it will be received with whom it hits hardest—our rivals; but just so long as it me approval of men who know and men who want to know the true situation—if, in short, it serves as a guide to you to buy right—we are satisfied. SOME FOLKS WOULDN'T think this* good ady: sing at all. One who read the original draft asked, “Aren’t you advertising other concerns too much?” We admitted that might be so—but they are welcome to crumbs of publicity, such as it is, they can pick from this. Another “Why expose inside affairs—what business is it of the public's?” NOW WE NEVER COULD FATHOM the philosophy of the ostrich—nor see the sense of treating as trade secrets. matters that were patent to the whole world. You fool nobody but yourseli. Besides, it's bad advertis- ing, for it is palpably evasive. The reason I:--M-F advertising has always been effective was because it was always frank and appealed to reason.’ IT IS A MATTER OF COMMON GOSSIP that you can buy many of the best-known makes of cars at prices ranging down to half the list price. (In this regard it is only fair to say that “list price,” with many manu- facturers, has been a meaningless term—it represented me I mum price they hoped to get for their product. E-M-F of the few cars that could not be bought anywhe: —plus freight charges from Detroit to destination.) :ly the maxi- has been one than list price SUCH PRACTICES MISLEAD the average buver. Tle is mystified. price cutting begins he wonders where it will end. And whe such well-known makes are offcred at hali (list) price, he n ders if it is not'the same with all. One effect has been to question “Has the demand for automobiles fallen off?” easier than you might suppose. When cars of Iy won- ring up' the The answer is THERE IS NO LACK OF DEMAND for automobiles. become and always will remain a necessi will be a falling off in demand because the factories that will continue in business aiter the storm of the next few months has subsided, will be unable to more than supply the steady demand for good motor cars at right prices. Digest that last sentence—it means much not only to the trade, but to you as a possible huyer. It is a bad thin ; mobile from a concern that may not be in existenc months hence. ' The motor car has in modern life. There never to buy an auto- few weeks or BUT THERE IS A LACK OF DEMAND for obsolete models. There has been for some months. For cars with noisy. power-consuming. trouble- making planetary transmissions, there is no demand among the knowing. Cars with overhead valves and other obsolete featnres have been a drug on the market for some time. 1t is a truism that cars that can be bought at half price are twice too dear—and that term applies to obsolete models of any make. Better buy a second-hand car of modern design than such an one. E STILL THAT ALONE DOESN'T EXPLAIN the panic ) ESN'T condition that t this I'his (September : } has alweys been, e | season e vear and roads are ideal rosperous farmers t now reaping 1 price-cutting bumper har at this time, IT IS A NATURAL QUESTION—no one wha is not famil ar with t! & ! 1 side workings of things could answ it—and few of those who cou'l would dare, for they are feariul of hurting their own 1 ness. - It doesn’t touch us, however, and we think arify the atmosphere the sooner to let in some light and wventil m. PROMOTION AND INFLATION is the answer in a thing is imitated. Every business has its para plagued by promoters—adventurers. The me the more does it invite the activities of such me ness has been no exception. The public, as nsual, was mislead fo- a but every intelligent man inside the lines knew—and waited for the it able. We did—and we were ready for it, as this ad proves. word. Every good Every i1 i sperous th is > automob NOTE~—This ad. is the first of a series of four that will be published in the next few days. No. 2 will be on the subject of Manufssturers’ Guarantess and what they amount to. We'll let the tight in on some things in that ud teo. The third will not be for general consumption— uddresesd ty dealers only. We believe in talking to them openiy—of course you may read it if you chease. Perhaps, on second thoughts, you'd keiter. NEW YORK, N. V. CHICAGO, ILL. BOSTON, MASS. N P ? b -~ PHILADELPHIA, PA. SAN FRANCISCO, CAL. THEY BECAME ENTANGLED in the meshes of their own manipulations. As a result they are now trying frantically to raise the wind—to get money in any way just so long as it comes quickly so as to stave off in- solvency for yet a little longer. One expedient adopted in this extremity is the “Bargain Day” and half (list) price sales you have seen advertised. 1f they had paid more attention to making good automobiles and selling them legitimately, instead of treating the automobile industry as a game to be played for big stakes,.all would have been different. NOW OF COURSE YOU EXPECT us to say that-all this does not touch the E-M-F product at all. That would be the usual—the ostrich way. But we never do the usual—that is not how big successes are achieved. Beside, you know better. You know that when thousands of automo- biles, of any kind, are thrown on the market at half (list) price, it natural- * Iy affects a concern with an output as large as ours. Every car sold is one less prospect for us—and the fact that people who buy these so-called “barg: will later find they have paid more than the market price for lemons—to use the vernacular—does not help matters at this time. IT DOES AFFECT US; and, since we saw it coming and had time to trim our sails to take advantage of the gale, we decided it was a good time to meet steel with steel—and set a price standafd that will endure for a long time to dome. For, observe, this is no temporary expedient. It is perma- nent. \We made it rock bottom at a stroke so there could De no doubt about that. NATURALLY, THE QUESTION ARISES in your mind: If the E-M-F Company can reduce the price of E-M-F “30” one-fifth—irom $1,250 to $1,000—was there not an exorbitant profit on.that car previously? Our answer is, there was not. We will tell you why: FLANDERS’ FORECAST IN MARCH, 1908, at the first meeting of the shareholders of the E-M-F Com-’ pany, General Manager Flanders, after describing the type of car the com- pany proposed to manufacture, said: “Our strength is in quantity production. We have the talent, the capital, and we will have the factory facilities. We can man- ufacture more automobiles of a better quality at a lower cost than any other concern now in existence, I verily believe. “Cars of the type I have described (E-M-F “30” five-passen- ger touring car, fully equipped) now command prices ranging from $1,500, $1,600, $1,750 and $2,000. I believe these prices are too high—the value is not there. That is our opportunity. “Manufacturing in large quantities, we can buy materials to the best advantage. Having the cash to pay and take our dis- counts, we can under-buy other makers. Most of them are mere- ly assemblers paying intermediate profits to parts makers. We shall manufacture every part of our cars—cast our own cylinders, forge and stamp and heat-treat our own steel, make our own bodies and every other part. In this way we can reduce the cost . of manufacturing so as to be able to sell a better car than those I have cited, for about $1,300. “Then if, as I firmly believe, the quality of the car, backed by the reputation of our organization, will so appeal to buyers as to create its own market, the selling cost will be so low, ‘we ought to be able to cut off another fifty dollars and place the car on the market at $1,250. If we can do that the demand will be greater than we can possibly supply. “So much for the coming season. But we must build for the future. We here believe in the permanency of the automobile business—else we would be foolish to invest so heavily in perma- nent factories. We must begin now to plan for that future. E- M-F *30” has been designed with that idea uppermost. We have embodied those features that will meet the needs of the greatest number and endure longest. From year to year we shall improve wherever possible, but make no radical changes. What- ever other models we may from time to time see fit to bring out, they will be merely to fill out the line. E-M-F “30” shall remain our standard—our permanent model. “The public has been saying prices of automobiles must come down. And while the public says many things without deep thought, and while this is said without a knowledge of the cost of making automobiles, the public is right, and eventually we hope to be able to realize that prophecy. But we shall not do it by making a chéap car in the sense that cheapness means poor quality. That would be fatal. “Once we have built and paid for our factories and equipment, standardized our product and perfected it to the deg-ee that will make few replacements necessary to keep jour guarantee good; when we have developed a car that we can guarantee for a year absolutely: by that time our customers will be many and they will all, if proper'y treated, be our salesmen—then I believe we can produce this “ame car in its highly perfected state and sell it for NOT FAR ABOVE $1,000!” WAS EVER PROPHECY FULFILLED more compl:tely than that one A\Y ever a business forecast more accurate? Was ever a worthier ambition realized, REMEMBER THAT WAS IN 1go8— to be exact. So the plan which we announce in this “ad” to place M-F 20" in the hands of buvers, backed not alone by its great reputation——there are over 18,000 in use to- boosting—but backed also by a full year’s guarantee ith the very foundation of this company—at its first at $1.000, w meeting. WE HAVE SAID WE SAW IT COMING. We did—and were ready for 1t. Omne man’s embarrassment is often another’s opportunity; you know. This is ours. WHY DID WE NOT DO IT BEFORE?—that’s another natural question. Glad vou asked it. . Answer is: During the first two years this company had to expend la; " sums on factgry buildings and ghe instal]at}on of machinery, tool s and other equig nt. Good business rules dictated that that cost must be absorbed by the output « »se years. The price, $1,250, was the lowest possible under and, yeu'll recall, other makers predicted our speedsy o dangerously narrow—did they consider our margis 1at price. TODAY WE HAVE $7,000,000 INVESTED “30” and Flanders “20” cars. We have 1 sources—and everybody kno Our probiem now is not to pa but to keep them running éco the year around. Our capaci Flanders “20” cars every w creditors. paid for— 11 capacity 30" and 123 FIGURE IT OUT FOR YOURSELF. ! profit of fifty dollars per car ¥'s pay, isn’t it? And you wouldn’t m o have the skill and experience of such an —and its guarantee back of it, would yo YOU SEE, IT’S VERY SIMPLE when ¥ 3 down to brass tacks. The lower price ent, more than double the demand—places this car within the reach of thousands who would otherwise have to be content with a planetary transmission abomi- nation or do without—or pay more than they feel they ought to pay for the car they want. Having the demand, we shall run our plants the year around. The “overhead” or fixed charges will be distributed over the large number of cars, making it a small item on ecach. Most important of all, we can keep our splendid organization intact. - and get WE EMPLOY 12,500 MEN. These and their families depend on this com- pany for their livelihood. They are the pick of the trade—most of them have been with us from the first. Every man is an expert in his line, be that line of great or little importance. That's what makes it possible for us to make a better car than others—one wec can guarantee for a year. OTHERS ARE RETRENCHING JUST NOW. That's our opportunity. We shall double up—the demand is there and will always continue. We haven't the slightest doubt about that. So you see our opportunity is al- so yours—ior the factors that make it possible and the confidence that actuates us in putting the price of this car at such an un-dreamed of figure, also makes it possible for you to own the best 30 horse power fam- ily touring car ever made at the price you have.always said a first-class automobile should be bought for. UNTIL VERY RECENTLY this move was impossible—much as we would have liked to do it—ifor you'll remember we had it in mind from the very first. ason when we bought materials and equipment for the-1910 model, pri were inflated bevond all reason. The promoters were at their zenith at that time. Legitimate makers found themselves bidding for supplies, against concerns we all knew could not stay in the business more than a year or two. Prices of tires and all other items went soaring So we had to await the return of normal conditions—and that is what we now have. Some timid folk think it is a slump. It isn't—just water find- ing its level, that's all. TODAY WE CAN BUY materials at their intrinsic value. Paying the cash our wants get first attention. This. and the other factors we have de- scribed above, make it possible to realize our fondest ambition and give you a car at a prite and of a quality that cannot be equaled by any other concern on carth. LET US IMPRESS THIS FACT UPON YOU: There is no change in the 1911 model. We could find no point to improve-—there wasn't a weak spot in the 1910 model. E-M-F ‘30" is today recognized as the standard American car. It has set the styles and the pace for nearly three years. We believe it will do so for at least three years morc. THERE NEVER WAS A BETTER MOTOR MADE. Never a better chas- > equipped with a Splitdorf magneto that never fails it is designed for hard work—to be driven not v expert chauffeurs, but by owners. It has proven the most economical car t) maintain that ever was made. Eighteen thousand owners will add to what we have said—ask them. s in effi IF E-M-F “30" WAS AN UNKNOWN CAR—2a new and untried product— uld be different. This “ad” would not then be such a thunderbolt trade. But it is the best-known car in America today. It is in its 1 year the present form. Never was a greater record of service and of satisfaction. THE YFAR’S GUARANTEE which we announced some time ago—on the 1910 model—goes with the 1917 mode! also and at the $1,000 price. And if you read that guarantee you'll find it is unequivocal—it means just what it says—we guarantee E-M-F “30” for one year absolutely. PRICE OF FLANDERS “20,” 1911 Model, is also adjusted to the new con- ditions. It is now $700 for Roadster and Runabout types; Tourabout, $725. We haven't said much about this car in this “ad’—wasn't room. We will in another, though. Watch for it—it will be enlightening. E-M-F COMPANY, Automobiie Manufacturers, Detroit, Mich. E-M-F BRANCHES: ATLANTA. GA. SACRAMENTO. CAL. OMAMA, NEB. PITTSBURG, PA. CLEVELAND, «riO. SOUTH BEND, IND. INDIANA®OLIS, IND. LOUISVILLE, KY. BUFFALO, N. Y. WASHINGTON, D. C. e A CITY, OKLA, MILWAUKEE, WIS, SKLANOME & e , O SEATTLE, WASH. SALT LAKE CITY, A MINNEAPOLIS, MINN. KANSAS CITY, MO. stUx FALLS, s.'g.T b FARGO, N. D. SAN ANTONIO, TEX. SFOKANE, WASH. DALLAS, TEX. DENVER, COL. ~ THE IMPERIAL GARAGE, comer Chestnut ‘apd" Willow Street, Local Dealers. ™ hamee