Life, 1915-09-02 · page 8 of 48
Life — September 2, 1915 — page 8: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **corporate advertisement**, not a political cartoon. The White Company (an automobile manufacturer based in Cleveland) addresses motor car buyers directly. The "statement" defends the company's design philosophy against competitors introducing radical innovations. White argues for continuing their proven **four-cylinder engine design** rather than experimental new types flooding the market. They position themselves as conservative and reliability-focused—building cars as "investments" with lasting value, avoiding the "spectacular methods" of competitors pursuing sales gimmicks. The implicit critique: other manufacturers are chasing trendy designs and price wars that compromise quality. This reflects early automotive industry competition (likely 1910s-1920s) when technological standards were unsettled and marketing claims were aggressive.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
A STATEMENT ee from THE WHITE COM PANY to MOTOR CAR BUYERS many are looking to this company for an expression of its attitude toward the innovations in mechanical design and new price levels now being announced. We therefore take this occasion to state our beliefs and purposes, which are based on fourteen successful years of experience. [: view of the confusing market which confronts motor car purchasers, We believe the four-cylinder motor is to be the standard and ultimate type. We therefore consider it wiser to continue perfecting this type of motor, which we have already spent years in developing, than to step abruptly into a field of design that is new to the entire automobile industry, and thus impose an experiment upon our customers. With reference to price, the White policy will be as it always has been —to build cars to the White standard rather than to a standard that would make a cheap price possible. Materials and labor cost more now than ever before—consequently, lower prices must and do indicate compromised quality. We hold it as a first principle of our duty to purchasers of White Cars to make a product that will give maximum service with the least amount of attention and of expense for operation and maintenance; a product of such quality and approved construction that it will command ‘high value at any time the owner may wish to dispose of it; in all, to build motor cars which the owners can truly regard as investments. White policy will always be governed by consideration for the ultimate service-value of White Cars. We will not take part in the spectacular methods, adopted solely for sales stimulation, which prevail in the motor car market at the present time. In short, the stability of policy which has always meant security to White owners will continue. We neither consider it good business nor do we find it necessary to repudiate the design nor to depreciate, unnaturally, the value of cars which have been purchased from us, by making frequent radical changes in design and price. THE WHITE COMPANY CLEVELAND comicbooks.com