Life, 1918-01-24 · page 3 of 40
Life — January 24, 1918 — page 3: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page is primarily **advertising**, not satire or editorial content. It's a Miller Rubber Company advertisement for "Uniform Mileage" tires, appearing in *Life* magazine (page 123). The illustration shows a man in work clothes pointing to technical diagrams and tire test data, emphasizing scientific validation. The quote "Science Records Every Vital Move I Make" suggests Miller tires undergo rigorous testing. The ad claims Miller achieved "uniform mileage"—consistent tire wear across multiple tires—through employing expert "champions" (skilled tire builders) and mechanical standardization. It positions the product as superior because competitors' tires varied in performance. This reflects early 20th-century marketing that leveraged scientific authority and industrial craftsmanship to differentiate consumer goods.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“Science Records Every Vital Move I Make” Uniform Mileage The Crowning Tire Triumph Due to Uniform Tires—Built by Champions A mighty response has greeted the Miller announcement that Uniform Tires are now an achieved fact. this world gift is ready~-that stabilized mileage is here after years of vain trials. Previously, Miller Tires varied in mileage as others do. Now 99 Millers in Mechanical methods do not account for this triumph. For they are shared by all makers. But tires contain much handwork. excelled by conquering “human variables.” To make workmanship uniform, we had to make work- men uniform. We had to take picked men only. Then we had to make each man a master tire builder. Tires 99% Excellent Today these Miller experts are called champions. Their personal efficiency averages 96 per cent. Ifa tire comes back their rating is penalized. But less than 1 per cent of the tires they build ever heed adjustment. That means that Millers are 99 per cent excellent. And Miller has 100 outrun standard guarantees. Run two Millers on opposite wheels and you shall see. In addition to stabilized mileage, Miller Tires give utmost safety. One reason is they are geared-to-the-road. ‘Their ratchet-like tread engages the ground as you go. This counters the tendency to skid. Few Can Get Them Such tires as these cannot be produced where quantity output rules. For picked men are rare. It takes years to make champions. If you want to be sare of getting Millers this year, you must reserve your supply at once. Only enough for one motorist in fifty will be made this year. Miller Cord Tires are the fine big fellows with the extra large air capaci There is nothing more luxurious, yet they cost less per mile than regulation type. THE MILLER RUBBER COMPANY, Akron, Ohio Makers of Miller Red and Gray Inner Tubes—the Team-Mates of Uniform Tires Branches and Distributors in All Principal Cities Thousands of tests like this prove that Miller mileage is stabilized,