1928-11-29 — Page 13

· 12

MOTOR CAR SERVICE

ABOUT A WORLD-WIDE ORGANISATION

[Dy Carl H. Getz]

No Car at- All-

There le a country in Asia which is said to be without a single-au- tomobile. The total vehicular population of the country consista of the lone motorcycle. And it is Hot sure whether that one vehicle is still in good running order. The country may not have even a motor cycle:

THE CHINA MAIL,

MOTOR CYCLES WITH IM. PROVED ENGINES

General Motors South African, OLYMPIC FORECAST Ltd., distributes cars and tracks in the Union of South Africa, Rhode- sia, British South-west Atriun, för- tuguese East Africa. Nyasaland, Bechuanaland and the Katanga dis- An trict of the Belgian Congo. assembly plant is operated at Port Elizabeth, South Africa.

J

In Australia

LESS, NOISE

[By L. H. Cade]

The motor-cycle manufacturers are extremely reticent. They tell us very little about their plans for next year in the fond hope that they will be able to spring surprises which will startle us into a proper recognition of their enterprise when disclosed at Olympia, but I do not think that there is going to be any- thing startling to engage our at- tention when the Motor-Cycle Show opens. It will not he firework day

Kensington.

Down In Florida, the other day, Prince Karl Hohenlohe Bartenstein, of Wurtemburg, Germany, while on his vacation, wanted to buy an

But one has to go away around the General Motors (Australia Pty. American automobile. Ho solect- ed a Cadac roadster but would corner to find a place where the au- Ltd., distributes cars and trucks in not sign the order until assured tomobile is not being used and where Australia and has assembly plants Its benefits are not being enjoyed. at Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, that Cade standard service would be available to him when he Even on the sand-swept Gobi desert Perth and Sydney. General Motors returged to his home town in Ger! between China and Siberia where New Zealand, Ltd., distributes cara for years the slow plodding camel and trucks in New Zealand and many. The salesman, naturally enough, was puzzled: How was he was the only means of transporta. maintains asembly plant at Wel- General Motors Japan, to give assurance of service in Ger- tion, automobiles are to be foundlington,

Motor cars are displacing | Ltd., distribuutes car and trucks many on a car sold in Jacksonville?to-day.

China and He took problem to bis em-lamus in the Andes of Chile and in Japan and Koren.

Peru. In the pampas of the Manchurin and hue and assemblyat ployer.

"Gc: Germany on the telephone," Argentine, cowboys use autome: plant at Osaka, Japan. N. V. (n- biles. In India, rajahs once had eral Motors Java, distributes cars instructed the distributor. "Let me tek and have the customer here clephant mahouts-to-day motor and trucks in the Dutch East In- car chauffeurs. The royal family dies, French Indo-China, Biam and wher the call comes through."

of Japan still has its jinrickisha but the Straits Settlements and has an The salesman blinked, Ho steadied himself. But the same rides in American-made curs as do nasembly plant at Batavia.

If you remember your geography day Claude Nolan, Cadillac-Lathe royal families of most countries

But American au- you would probably be willing to Salle talked over the trans-Atlantic tele-tomobiles and trucks are not being admit that that about covers the embadial in next year's vintage..

distributor at Jacksonville, of the world. phone with E. II. Douglas, assistant confined to the homes and places world. But at this writing, astm-

Writing on the Wall Re-bly-plants are being built at War- sales manager of General Motors of business of the well-to-do.

let us try to stand outside the ve ascently. I was traveling between saw, Poland, and at Bombay, circle and visualise the motor-cycle G.m.6.1. at Berlin, who Burance that Cadillac standard ser-Alexdandría and Cairo, in Egypt, Whether additional plants will ever vice would be available to Prince and passed a Bedouin village where be built depends upon the require- from the point of view of the gen Bartenstein rat only in his home the houses were bullt of mud and ments of the oversens markets. Rural public. What do we discover? town, but throughout Europe and the roofs of straw and between twe sia, for example, is a great queson- Firstly, that the motor-cyclo is a in practically every country throughout the world.

that didn't binder him from finally karning that the newcomer was identified with the automobile ex- port business. That interested the talkative individual and be began to fire questions.

of the homes I saw an American- made truck.

Ramifientions

|

mark.

In January, 1924, there was ch tablighed an assembly plant at Copenhagen, Denmark, in which to assemble Chevrolet

The present-day motor-cycle is of a type which has been approved by the general public. It will develop along accepted lines of evolution rather than any adventurous path of devolution. It can be improved, and I am quite sure that we shall nee some of those improvements

little too ostentatious because of its noise and its "nakedness." Secondly, that it is a power for evil in the hands of young men cars, This who are not concerned with the was the first General Motors over-welfare of others. seas assembly plant-the germ of the idea that has revolutionized General Motors conception of ex- port business. The new policy was not only the establishment of ever- seas companies to operate assembly plants and warehouses, but to serve better the dealers.

Assembly Plant, There have been incorporated companies to do General Motors business overseas and to operate

Obviously, then, it is up to manu- facturers to build quieter machines and to adapt the extraordinary power-weight ratio to which ma chines have attained, to something other than speed. And we shall see that this has been done at Olympia. The manufacturers, have read the writing on the wall.

cloud for some years,

The motor cycle has lived under It has

been the scapegoat of the road. It has been blamed for the growing tide of road accidents, and this in spite of the fact that statistics prove it to be the safest of all modern vehicles.

Some idea of the thoroughness The incident--and, the use of the trans-oceank telephone by Ameri-with which American manufac- can exporter of automobiles has turers have gone into business in become an incident in the day's overseas countries cas he had by work-gives a little idea of the becoming acquainted with the over- organisation of General extent to which American

manu- seas

The oversens business of facturers of motor cars have ex-Motors. tuntled their business-selling the General Motors Corporation is automobiles and servicing them in entrusted to what is known as the This in turn is the overseas market. But here is Export Division. a story which probably illustrates divided into what, is known first as the General Motors Export Com- the point a little better.

An overseas representative of the pany which is charged with the re-

Undoubtedly the motor-cycles of was in the United States, aboard cars and trucks in overseas ter

next year will be better than those General Motors Export Company ponsibility for the distribution of a train, en route to his old home ritories not covered by General

on the market to-day." We say own on a weation. He went into Matora overseas operations, with

assembly plants warehouses.

OT

this every year,`and every year it the smoking compartment of the zone offices in 14 cities abroad.

General Motors Corporation owns is right. Next year's mounta will Then follows General Motors all the capital stock of these sub-not only be quieter, but it will not Pullman, a place famous for ita

Included in Limited, responsible for the dissidiary companies. public discussions.

be possible to ride them noisily ex- and trucks in the group accupying all the seats tribution of cars

In the case of the assembly plant cept by deliberate intent. This the parts are shipped in bulk from was a loquacious gentleman who Great Britain and Ireland. insisted upon knowing what every company maintains its headquar the factories in the United States one did

ters in London and operates an as- for a living. He was a

and Canada. In the warehouse salesman of horse-shoe nails but sembly plant there also.

operation, the completed car in knocked down at the factory, crated and exported, each crate containing a complete car. The warehouse over- seas receives, uncrates, reassembles and delivers the car to the dealer.-. No two operations are exactly alike. In some aountries complete bodies are made and a large volume of materials are country; such as tyres and body ma- purchased in that

countries terials. In other materials are not available and must be imparted..

In every cane the overseas com- pany is a self-contained unit, a com-crosser with the stealthiness which plete organisation auder the direc-i now characterises the big car. But tion of a managing director who has since the civil administration insists a manufacturing,

on quieter machines, then they will a sales and ad- vertising staff, service organisation, be constructed. Necessity mothers

invention. etc. When a new assembly opera- tion is established it is essential that the key men be General Motors men, but the personnel of the exec- tive staff is made up, as far as pos- sible, of the citizens of many over seas countries-mea who have re- cords of achievement in other lines of Industry. Local workmen are used. In the actual construction of the care as fast as this labour can be obtained and trained.

International

"Sell any cars oworscas?" be began.

General Motors

International, A/S, distributes cars and trucks in Denmark, Norway, Esthonia, Ice- landeland has a total of 355 ears, all passenger automobiles Latvin, Danzig and Lithuanin. AR assembly plant is operated at Co- The automobile wan, nodded.

penhagen, General Motors Nor "Sell any in the Fiji Islands?"diaka, A/B, distributes

care and the questioner burst into a trucks in Sweden and Finland and hearty laugh as if ke had pro operates an assembly plant at pounded a question that couldn't Stockholm. General Motors. Cen- be answered. But again the timental, S/A., distributes cars and automobile man nodded his head. trucks in Belgium, Holland and "What's that asked the man in Switzerland and maintains an as- surprise. "There aren't any carssembly plant at Antwerp in the Fiji lalunds,"

and

"Only 700 of them," said the ex- porter quietly.

ML

"Seven hundred," repeated the "Seems impossible. But how about leland ? Now I have you. How about Iceland ?".

man.

ile Kopt Quict

Gen-

eral Motors G.m.p.H., distributes cars and trucks, in Germany, Aus tria, Czecho-Slovakia, Hungary and European Russia and has an as- sembly plant at Berlin,

in

General Motors ((France) S.A., distributes cars and trucks In Once again the automobile man nodded.

France, Algeria, French Morocco "Automobiles in cctand," said and Tunisia and has a warehouse at the man. "I don't believe it." Le Havre. General Motors Pen- "Only 365 ears are to be found insular; S.A. distributes cars and in Iceland" said the automobile trucks in Spain, Portugal, Spanish Morocco, Canary Island and Gibral- tar and has a warehouse at Madrid. That was almost too much for General Motors Near East, S. A.

distributes carg and trucks. the questimer. He kept quiet.

Egypt, Greece, Italy. Bulgaria, But included in the group Arabia, Hejaz, Italian Africa, Aden, college professor who knew his

Syria, Persia, Palestine, Jugo- geography, And he began to ask Slavin, Roumania and Turkey and questions about places the aver-has a warehouse at Alexandria. age man has never heard of. Не

General Motors Argentina, S.A. mentioned the Solomon Islands, the distributes cars and trucks in Ar- Gilbert Islands, Reunion laland, gentina and Paraguay and has un the Tonga Islands, Faroe Islands, Seychelles Islands, the Sultanate of assembly plant at Buenos Aires. Bahrein, the Kingdom of the Hejaz, General Motors of, Brazil, S.A. dis- tributes cars and trucks in Brazil. But the automobile man had a little has an assembly plant at Sao Paulo and branch warehouses at Recife note-book which contained the re- and Porto Alegre. General Motors, glatration of automobiles and trucks in every country in the world Uruguaya, S.A., distributes cars and and each time a ecuntry was named trucks in Uruguay and has an as- he nodded his head. Several times sembly plant at Montevideo.

Yemen, Errea, and so on.

he couldn't ned too emphatically

because, for example, the Faroe

Ielands have but 12 motor vehicles

as have the Seychelles Islands.

The college professer smiled. "I had no idea automobiles had penetrated the far corners of the globe," he said.

"I know an important city in Europe with a population of nearly 200,000 which hasn't a single motor vehicle," mid the automobile man.'

The group looked up. They ask- ed where the city is.

"Search the town from one end to the other and you won't be able to find a laxi-cab," he continued. "There isn't even a motorcycle In the city. The city is Venice."”

The men smiled.

The Automobile man might have told .of another city in Trans-Jordania, south of Syria and East of Egypt which, if I am Informed correctly, has never acen an automobile. This city, near the Dead Ses, has no traffic problems and has, no: au- tomobile dealer. The reason is that it hasn't any population. The city is Patra which some archeolo

ists believe in the real Mount; Sinal from which Mones obtained The JOTE

these

The business of this corporation

la Silence Désirable? It is a debatable point as to whe- ther the absolutely silent moter- It seems to me cycle is desirable.. that the terrors of the road to the nervous pedestrian would be in-

creased by the production of motor- cycles which would be toiseless and which would bear down on the read-

Better still is the fact that we better protected and shall have more comfortable motor-cycles,

I

think that we are at the turn of the tide in the mutter of superla

tively high compression power units. There will be a tendency to lower compressions, and to thereby enhance the comfort of riding, for it is more comfortable to ride what ig termed "woolly" engined machine.

is truly becoming international in scope and character. It has made in an overseas country are sold in an investment overseas of 55 mil that country. The surplus cars are lion dollars in plant, equipment, in- exported from that country to a ventories and working capital. Not neighbouring nation. For instance, merely is it selling its cars in the the plant at Antwerp, Belgium, ex- overseas market but is in businessports cars to Holland and to Swlizer. in oversens countries, contributing land. The cars exported help es- in no small way to the prosperity of tablish a trade balance in favour of many nations. Tire workmen in the Belgium by offsetting those things plant are citizens of that country which Belgium muat buy from Hol- and have steady employment at good Innd and Switzerland. And so it wages. The dealera selling and ser- goes that the prosperity of this large vicing these cara make a profit and concern is becoming interwoven with employ salesmen and mechanics. the commerce, and trade Finally, not all the cars assembled peoples.

A Narrow Shave!

Racing through pitch black countryside in an effort to reach Lakehurst Flying Thai in time

of many

go aboard the "Graf Zeppelin" for her return fight, the automobile of Joseph D. Jesse! (inset) struck

a bump; twisted out of its chriwag's hands and plunged down" an-embamusent with the result who

in the pictures Fendi-reached the fungor with only a few minutes to apart.

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER. 29, 1928.

AN OUTSTANDING MOTOR CAR

Everyone is talking of the wonderful appearance of the new Oldsmobile Six. Its lines are typical of the latest trend in automobile smartness. One of the outstanding cars of 1928, it has been the subject of widespread praise and admiration.

You will be proud to ride in this fine-appearing car. The appointments have been selected with feminine exportness.

The smurt voguish beauty of the new Oldsmobile marks it as one of the outstanding style leaders of the year

Experience the pride of possession that comes from owning a car everyone stops to examine. Come and see these beautiful curs to-day,

OLDSMOBILE

Touring Roadster

M$2,500.00

.M$2,500.00

Sedan (2-door)

.M$2,600.00

.M$2,800.00

Sedan (4-door)

THE DRAGON MOTOR CAR CO., LTD.

Telephone Central 1246 or 1247

33 WONG NEI CHUNG HOAD, HAPPY VALLEY.

A FINE CAR OF LOW COST.

Plymouth

Plymouth 4-Door Saloon

"Can Enough Be Built to Meet the Demand?"

That's What They All Ask as '

Soon as They See and Ride in This Remarkable Car

PLYMOUTH

The low- priced car market is un- dergoing a terrific up- heaval. On all sides you hear enthus astic approval of the new triumph of Chrysler en- gineering-

The New Plymouth. The hundreds of thou-

sands who have already inspected the Plymouth details, and bave experi enced its smooth and eco nomical performance, its luxurious comfort, have enthusiastically ac claimed it as setting up an entirely new high measure of low-priced quality and value.

And naturally, they have

asked what is only an obvious question after secing the new Plymouth -"Can enough be built to meet the demand?" Be sure to see the new Plymouth. Check it over in detail. Don't be con tent until you ride in it and drive it. Then you too will ask, "Can enough be built to meet the demand?"

"Price $2,500

**

Completely equipped, with leather upholstery.

Sole Agents:

A. LUNG & CO.

SHOW ROOM:

19, Queen's Road C.

Tel C. 1219.

&

SERVICE STATION: Percival St, Wunchal, TEL C. 4316-