The Ford Agricultural Motor.
Page 17
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
Correspondence which Speaks for Itself.
" THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR, London, England. "Gentlemen,—With reference to Mr. John Allen's views in your esteemed paper of 29th June, and his i comparisons with America and Canada. It s evident Mr. Allen knows very little about American roads at the present, otherwise he would know that many of the roads of this country are first laid with concrete, and then paved with hard blue brick, and, if he is interested in tractors, which he seems to write a great deal about, I would advise him to look up the doings of the Ford tractor, which is made a few miles out of Detroit, and can be seen constantly running along the hard roads in that district when not plowing.
"It would be very beneficial to many men at home, if instead of writing much and commenting upon what • cannot be done, for them to get out into the world and see the impossible being done by many people whom they do not consider as equal to themselves. "The writer intended to call upon you when in London, to express his opinion on. this matter, but unfortunately did not have sufficient time.
"Yours very truly, " DF—MW." (Signed) "D. FITZPATRICK." "Cleveland, Ohio, "15th November, 1916."
"London, 30th November, 1916. "D Fitzpatrick, Esq. "The Cleveland Worm and Gear Co., "Payne Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.A. "Dear Sir,—The existence of the Ford tractor in America has been officially stated in this country to be only. on experimental Imes. Do you suggest that large numbers of these Ford tractors are ninning about in the neighbourhood of the works at Detroit or elsewhere, or do you agree that only a few are being tested experimentally? If the latter supposition is correct, the makers of the Ford tractors will possibly know more about the manner in which such machines will stand up to work on hard roads a couple of years hence.
"Your strictures upon Mr. Allen are evidently due to your lack of information about his knowledge and experience. He is a man who does know what he writes about, although he, I am sure, will be ready to concede, with me, that nobody in England can know as much about current progress with the construction of hard roads in America as a man who is regularly travelling through the States.
"If you care to write a letter to me in a less offensive tone, I should greatly value the opportunity to publish it, but there is, I submit to you, no occasion to combine offensive epithets with a letter which might otherwise convey useful suggestions.—Yours faithfully, (Signed) "E. S. SHRAPNELL-SMITH, "Editor, THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR."
"London, 4th December, 1916. "D. Fitzpatrick, Esq., "The Cleveland Worm and Gear Co,, "Payne Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.A.
"Dear Sir,--Further to mine of the 30th ult. I see I did not make it clear to you that Mr. John Allen is conversant with the United States, from the Atlantic to the Rocky Mountains, and also with Canada. He has also been over some of the leading works at Detroit, such as the Studebaker and the Cadillac. Although he does not regularly travel in the States, he-is broadly informed.—Yours faithfully,
(Signed) ".E. S. SERAPNELL-SMITH, "Editor, THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR." Iv.
"THE COMMEROIAL MOTOR,
" 7, Rosebery Ave. London, E.C.' England.
"(Attention Mr. E. Shrapnell-Srnith).
" Gentlemen,—I am in receipt of your letter of 30th November, and if I did not know the kind of a man you were, I would confine it to the waste-paper basket without replying.
"In the first paragraph, you ask me do I suggest that a large number of Ford tractors are running about? From an English point of view, yes there are a good many hundreds. They have not been tested experimentally, but have been working under all kinds of conditions for over two years. The only reason why they have not been turned out at a thousand per day, is that they cannot employ men at
the present day to turn out the parts, owing to the country being so very busy, therefore you will see that the experiments that you are speaking of have been known to many as an absolute success for a long time, and the only regret to many of us is that we cannot buy machinery and put up the buildings for want of labor.
"I do not know that I have said anything about Mr. Allen that I think is wrong. I merely mention this as an Englishman, whe knows the characteristics of many Englishmen who stay at home and write epistles to the papers when they are not thoroughly versed on their subject.
"With reference to you publishing anything that I
write you, I do not consider THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR of sufficient value to contribute to or have my name signed in it. Please do not write any further letters to me, and if you want to know who I am, take a little time and ask your staff who the writer is and possibly they can enlighten you, as I believe I am better known in both London and Coventry than yourself.
"Yours very truly, "DF.RN." (Signed) "D. FITZPATRICK." "Cleveland, Ohio, "13th December, 1916."
V.
Our correspondent is needlessly roused and rude. We shall not write again. The correspondence which he initiated concerns Ford agrimotors—not the cemparative reputations in the industry of himself and the Editor of THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR. We have to deal with the letters and matters which are before us. We described and illustrated the Ford agricultural tractor in our issues of the 22nd and 29th July, 1915—nearly 18 months ago. Subsequent information is in those of the 23rd September, 14th October, and 25th November, 1915, and the 3rd February and 14th September, 1916. We have correct direct information concerning the Ford output position, and the potentialities which lie ahead of that maker's agrimotor and one-ton " truck."—En.