Life, 1918-01-17 · page 6 of 40
Life — January 17, 1918 — page 6: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is **not a cartoon or satire page**, but rather a **wartime advertisement** from Packard Motor Car Company, likely from World War II era. The ad argues that automobile production serves the war effort by emphasizing: - Packard's conversion of factory facilities to government military equipment production - How reliable transportation (motor cars) is essential to the war effort, comparable to telephones and trucks - That Packard engineers and workers have volunteered for military service - Development of aircraft motors using "Twin Six principles" The "political" point is **corporate patriotism**: Packard positions itself as a committed partner in winning the war, not merely a civilian car manufacturer. This reassures the public that industrial companies are sacrificing profits for national defense—a common messaging strategy during wartime rationing and conversion.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Packard’s hand is set to help win the war Enlisted—in this greatest of human undertakings —are all the resources of our nation-wide organization. Determined to do our utmost, there is a speeding-up all along the line—that personel efficiency may fe increased at east fifty per cent. Every Packard man realizes that mul- tiplied responsibility is his in this hour of unequaled stress. Twelve thousand workers are here united in a constructive auxiliary to the forces that drive for victory. By far the larger part of our factory facilities are today devoted to the pro- duction of motor equipment needed directly by the government. More than a thousand of our engi- neers and skilled workers have already gone into the country’s service—many of them at heavy personal sacrifice—to render voluntary aid in vital activities. All of the pioneer and experimental work which we have done in aviation motor building—work to which three strenuous years and hundreds of thou- sands of dollars were devoted—has been given to the government to help win the war. And we stand more than willing today to convert all our facilities exclusively to government work, if wisdom deter- mines that necessity. In the meantime—the motor car is itself a weapon of war, directly and in- directly. Dependable transportation is now tre- mendously more important than ever before. And to this urgent need Pack- ard cars give substantial and necessary assistance. Today the automobile is just as impor- tant as the telephone, the passenger train or the motor truck. Eliminate it and the world’s transportation facilities would be hopelessly crippled. The motor car ts a necessity/ And as such we will continue its pro- duction so long as all of our facilities are not needed for more urgent govern- ment work. One big way in which Packard is con- tributing to victory is in the production of a motor car of maximum efficiency and reliability—a car which makes most economical use of gasoline and tires. The newest type of foheag airplane motors are built on Twin Six principles. This frank statement is now made that the public may understand—and more clearly appreciate why the depend- able motor car is an important part of the necessary equipment that will help win the war. Packard Motor Car Company, its Branches and Dealers