SMITH TELLS OF HIS RETIREMENT

The San Francisco Call
December 31, 1912

Elmore Distributer Disappointed at Factory's Withdrawal from Field

Since A. J. Smith sold out his business he has been asked by many people and continually pressed for his opinion as to why the General Motors company discontinued the manufacture of the Elmore car. Smith makes the following statement:

"It is very hard for me, after what I was led to believe while at the factory in September, to think that the General Motors company has discontinued the manufacture of the Elmore. While at the factory I was led to understand that there would be a lapse of several months, and in that time the factory would be moved up into Michigan; that the new 1913 Elmore, as per specification already received by me, would then be brought out. But with the persistent rumors through the press and the public that the company has discontinued the manufacture of the Elmore, and owing to the fact that I could not receive any information denying these statements from the factory, I concluded to sell out my business and take a much needed rest.

"If it is really true that the Elmore has been discontinued by the General Motors company, I believe it is a part of the General Motors policy to discontinue the manufacture of any car they control that is not manufactured and easily sold at a profit that is satisfactory to them.

"If the manufacture of the car has been discontinued, my personal opinion is that the car has been either pulled off the market to give the valveless two cycle motors a black eye, or that the Elmore could not be manufactured and marketed successfully by four cycle manufacturers. I personally believe that if the 1913 Elmore had been brought out, as per the specifications sent me in June, that the sale of the 1913 Elmore would have equaled the sale of the most popular valve motor car in the country."