This New Means of Transportation Is Expensive and Most of the Money Goes Out of State, 1914

“Automobiles Costing Millions of Dollars” from the Thursday, July 16, 1914, issue of the High Point Review. The Review as in the past refuses to accept whiskey advertisements. It will neither run any ads detrimental to the business interests of High Point.

According to an estimate made last week there have been approximately 12,000 automobiles sold in North Carolina since they were first introduced in this state. In Guilford county last year there were 578 machines and in Greensboro alone there were 299 car owners. It would be a safe estimate to say that 100 automobiles were sold here during the past year.

Taken on an average each car costs about $1,000 and this means that for automobiles in this state there has been expended $12,000,000 all of which is sent out of the state, save about 20 per cent allowed agents in the state.

The cost of the upkeep and operation of the average automobile for one month is around $20. This was the estimate made by a man in Greensboro yesterday who has had a great deal of experience with automobiles. At $20 a month for repairs the cost for the year on the 12,000 machines in the state would be $2,800,000, practically every cent of which goes out of the state.

While it is true that this large amount is paid out of the state for automobiles, there is paid inot the state annually a sum of $4,000 for license by the automobile owners.

High Point alone has over 300 automobiles.

Another interesting feature connected with the large number of machines being used both for pleasure and traffic, is the fact that the prices of mules and horses are even higher today than they were before automobiles were introduced into the state.