Life, 1920-03-18 · page 41 of 54
Life — March 18, 1920 — page 41: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily a **tire company advertisement**, not political satire. The cartoon shows two well-dressed businessmen in conversation—likely representing a tire salesman and a potential customer—with automobiles in the background. The ad addresses skepticism about Miller Tire mileage claims. The text acknowledges that Miller tires have developed a reputation for exceptional longevity, but counters "countless" anecdotal claims that the company fears are "misleading." Miller defends its products through factory testing data, comparing their tires against competitors across various vehicles (taxis, buses, luxury cars). The company emphasizes that actual mileage varies based on conditions and tire size, while positioning Miller as uniformly superior through rigorous comparison testing. This reflects early 20th-century automotive marketing: establishing brand credibility through empirical testing claims during an era when consumer trust in manufactured goods was still developing.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
How Many Miles Should a Cord Tire Run? There are countless tales told about Miller Tire Mileage. They have multiplied Miller lire users in late years, and these tires have become a sensation. These tales center here—thou- sands of them. And we fear that some are misleadin ee 6 8 8 Tire mileage depends largely on conditions—on size, load, care and roads. Often excessive mileage figures refer to an oversize tire. We've attained uniform tires. But varving conditions may vary mileage 50 per cent to per cent. Comparisons The real Miller fame is due to countless cempar- isons. Tread Patented Center tread smooth, with ction cups to firmly grasp wet asphalt. Geared - to-the - Road side treads eth like cogs in dirt THE MILLER RUBBER COMPANY Akron, Ohio akers of Miller Uniform Geared-to-the-Road Tires— Also er Red and Gray Inner Tubes-- Team-Mates of ‘iorm Tires—Makers of Miller Surgeons Grade Rubber Goods for Homes as well as Hospitals. Large tire users spend years in comparing Millers with a score of rival makes. It is by winning such contests, the country over, that Miller has gained its supremacy. Yet their mileage differs im- mensely. The Hudson Taxi Co. of Detroit reports an average of 15,000 miles on Miller Cords. Yet our factory tests on scores of jitnevs and taxis average 10,000 miles. We use under-size tires to get quick and extreme tests. A Radical Test The Eldorado Stage Co. of Los Angeles run 17 Packard Buses 153 miles a day They carry 12 passengers and weigh 8,600 pounds loaded. Miller won in their road tests, by long odds, against 21 rival makes. And in many other stage-line tests. We get many heavy-car record of 16,000 to 22,000 miles. Yet we run four Pierce-Arrows, all under- tired, 320 miles a day. And our average is 10,000 miles. Yet Millers are uniform tires. What Tests Show Eight machines in our runt ) factory vo tires each 650 miles a « der proper load This is on ge chines, run night and day, Miller Cords average Five of the bes antly co 15,000 mile ve to ours that Miller Vhat's our oyly sta ve must Vary on a Miller must excel in compa The Proper Test Miller Tires GEARED-TO-THE-ROAD Cords or Fabrics your new car if it lacks them To dealers we offer a rare opportunity comicbooks.com