Indianapolis, Car Production & Forward Magazine

This unique article was published in the March 13, 1910 Indianapolis Star. It summarizes some interesting reading available in Forward Magazine, apparently the publication of a business organization known as the Commercial Club.
 
The review of Forward Magazine discusses its editorial view that a progressive attitude was fostering an era of economic optimism in Indianapolis. The March issue focused on the automobile and motorsport pointing to how "Indianapolis and the Automobile" were a union of shared interest. Among the writers providing insight were:
 

• T.B. Laycock of T.B. Laycock Manufacturing Company apparently with an article titled, "Men as They Pass."
• Dr. Charles S. Woods, health commissioner of Indianapolis, with "The Food We Eat." (Not convinced that's a fit with autos, but they had pages to fill I am sure.)
• Charles A. Tripp, chairman of the smoke prevention committee of the Civic Improvement Commission is credited with contributing, "The Smoky Way - And Another."
• Other articles were titled: "Building and Boosting," "Indianapolis 250,000," and "Getting Together for Trade."

The feature article, "Indianapolis and the Automobile," reports an interesting statistic that the city's factories pushed out one car every nine minutes. I assume this was during a typical working day, probably Monday through Saturday. You may find an excerpt from the article intriguing slice of life from another time.
 
"Let's imagine it's 7 o'clock in the morning. The clock ticks, the hands move slowly but surely; the cogged wheels, the springs and the delicate mechanism do faithful duty. So! Now it is 7:09. Presto! Behold a brand new automobile, complete from the tip of its shining nose to the tail lamp, the product of those nine minutes - Indianapolis made - the best that money and brains can build. Nine minutes more and out goes another new automobile to have its part in the effort to supply the world's demand. Every nine minutes of the day and night - or eight and a fraction, to be precise - an automobile is completed in Indianapolis and shipped to its market - and it finds its market waiting. To be sure, an automobile is not created in those eight or nine minutes, but, considering the output for this season of Indianapolis factories, it is estimated that automobiles are completed and marketed in Indianapolis at the rate of seven each hour. The average citizen of Indianapolis knows in a general way that Indianapolis is a 'great automobile town,' but he has no conception of the tremendous growth of the industry, its ramifications, the capital invested, men employed, its hopes, its dreams and its advertising value to this city."
 
The article excerpt heaps high praise on the industry exhibited by the founders of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
 
"Of all the dreams which have been the outgrowth of the automobile industry here, none was more idle (?) and daring than the conception of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Imagine transforming a Marion County farm into an arena wherein the speed battles of the world would be fought; where men whose name and fame is known the world around would compete; where national events would have their being while the nation sat breathless and watched! That is just what Carl G. Fisher and his associates did with a Marion County farm. And now they are going a step farther. They have focused the eyes of the United States upon Indianapolis and the Speedway; next the world is going to take notice."
 
The Indianapolis Star summary notes further that the Forward Magazine article continues to extoll the tremendous contributions of the Speedway and its leaders. It called for the city and the local automobile industry to support the Brickyard and its mission.
 
Laycock, too, receives praise for his outstanding employee relations. Apparently his workers enjoyed a company subsidized cafeteria to keep food costs at a minimum as well as library for continuing education and showers at a time when many houses lacked indoor plumbing. He also created somethig referred to as a "mutual benefit association" - presumably a type of company-funded medical insurance. As an aside Laycock is reported to have a habit of smoking:
 
"He smokes three cigars a day and works in his shirt sleeves."
 
Presumably this positioned him as more "human" or a "regular guy."