·1 1
,�l1\A:u.» .,upport for­
eign car m ers in drov , but it i
questionabl to wbctber e profit
in any way from tb e perience.
Although must auto otiv espe
will tell us that we get a good ride
when we buy Japanese-produced
car the basic consumer fact that
Blae have 10 address among our­
elv is, "are we just being taken
, for ride?"
How much reciprocity do Af­
# rican-Americans get when we buy
foreign-made products? Do we
get jobs in their plants or offices?
Do our purchases create opportu­
nities for us in the way of inner­
city dealerships. How many sup­
plier contracts have our purchases.
of 20 percent of the Japanese cars
gotten any of us from say, Toyota,
Mitusbishi or Mazada? ,
And when was the last time
you saw a Japanese carmakers' ad
in a Black newspaper, or had any
· of our community groups benefit
from their philanthropy and" good
: citizen" efforts? For us to live and
prosper, we need to have a (air
exchange of job and career and
business oppertunities and the
bottom line indieates that we are
not profiting from our consumer
experiences with Japanese, or for
• that matter European carmakers.
,
AUTO-
DETROIT'S
'MAKERS are reeling from lack
of domestic sale'S and support. The
Big Three, who hired many of our
fathers' and uncles in the 40s and '
50s, have lost an incredible 4.7
billion bucks in the last two re-
• porting quarters. Unless things
change Ford, Chrysler and Gen-
· eral Motors may be out for the
count.
Black Americans would proba­
• bly do well to remember that what
· helped millions of Blacks during
· the past three decades get "two
• cars and a chicken in every pot."
· Now that the Big Three have
.. fallen on hard times, as a group
still seeking full participation in
the American society, we need to
recognize that based on our pur­
chasing habits we are a part of the
recessionary problem.
Of course the U.S. auto inclus­
try bas been affected by more than
a lack of Afiean-American brand
loyality. For years the Japanese
have built better cars than Ford,
O.M. or Chrysler. But the Big
Three have inves ted over $170
billion in improving productivity
and quality in the last decade.
In 1981, the number of defects
per U.S. defect rate of 1.6 per car
and Japanese rate of 1.2 defects
per car is negligible. In trying to
compete pound for pound in the
international automotive market­
place, Detroit got the message and
profited from their experiences of
the 80s.
Black Americans have little
profit, or respect, to show from
their automotive consumer expe­
rience'S. Unemployment has
reached 16 percent in the domes­
tic auto industry, and there are
175,000 less jobs for our nieces
and nephews.
PROFITS FROM foreign C8IS
are repatriated back to that coun- .
try, leaving, our inner-cutes still
lacking American or foreign in­
vestments. And auto parts and
suppliers come froin abroad, cas­
ing us, and whites, to miss out on
a major segment of revenues as-
ociated with automotive manu­
facturing.
Will Blacks ever realize tbat
we can get more bang for our buck
than we can at the ballot box? Our
actions will be the only way we
will show it.
gue, eri
ly believe t t employe
no right to intrusi q tio
during job intervie . They 0
believe that it is inappropriate or
employers to hir or fire an em­
ployee for personal matte unre­
lated to the job, or to try to chan e
the personal habits and lW tyles of
employees.
In rei the report, Ric S1o<1-
dard, executive dir tor 0 the Michi­
gan Citizens Lobby, aid, The poll
revea tbat the v t majority of
workers nationwide are adamantly
oppo ed to attemp by employers to
force upon them company-bl cd
lifestyle. As far the wor ers are
concerned, it' none of the bo 's
business who they date, what they
eat, orwb ther they mo e, take part
in a political demonstration, hold a
econd job, drive a motorcycle or
h ve pending workers' compensa-
tion claims. '
"As far as we and th public are
concerned," he added, "the ability to
BUSINESS FINANCE
t .
THE POLL WAS based on a
random sample of 600 respondents
o in Michigan, 46 percent men and S4
percent women. The margin of error
in the urvey is plus or minus 4
percent.
Michigan one of five tat
leered for urveys along with New
York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Illi­
nois. These surveys were and exten­
sion in populous industrial states of
NeL' January 1990 poll on these
is u .
tamp
honor Ma _ zelig
required to hold a shoe on its last,
grip and pull the leather down
around he heel guide the nails
into place and then discharge the
completed shoe �m the machine.
- Matzeliger's lasting machine
ultimately reduced the price of
shoes in the U.S. and is credited
'with doubling wages and improv­
ing working conditions for mil­
lions of people in the shoe indus­
try.
The stamp is the first design
for Higgins Bond of Teaneck, New
Jersey.
Jan Ernst Matzeliger, who
patented a machine for lasting
(shaping) shoes that revolution­
ized the manufacture of shoes'
the United States, will be com ..
memorated on a 29-cent stamp to
be issued in L� Massachu etts,
on September, 15.
The Matzeliger stamp, the 14th
in the Black Heritage Series, fea­
tures a large likeness of the in­
ventor, superimposed over a line
drawing of his machine. The
words, "Shoe Lasting Machine,"
the patent number (No.27�/207),
and the patent date (March 20,
1883) are printed across the top of
the drawing.
A native of Dutch Guina (now
called Surinam), Matzliger came
to the United States in 1870 at the
age of eighteen and served as an
apprentice cobbler in Philadelphia,
and later, in Lynn. He worked for
ten years to develop a machine
that could perfonn all the steps
I
9
r
SOUTHFIELD, Mich.--The
Better Busin BUreau has installed
a state-of-tbe-art telephone system
that will allow callers to get their
questions answered more quickly.
When consume calf the Bu­
reaus'snewserviceat3t13-644-9100,
they are greeted by a voice directing
them to choose an information op­
tion, either inquiries or .complaints.
Th new lin isoperationalseven
day a wee ,24 hours a day. During
regular busin hours, Bureau staff
members are also available to handle
calls.
"Previously, the primary com­
plaint we heard about our service .
from the public was that our phone
line was alway busy," aid Bureau
President Tom Ashcraft. "This inter-
The Better Business Bureau new service line
(313-644-9100) is operatlonal seven days a '
week, 24 hours a day.
----
------
The inquiries line allow callers
to hear business performance reports.
Callers request specific information
by entering the firm's telephone
number, 0 it's a good idea to have
that number before placing the call.
The complaint line lets callers lodge
acomplaintagainstabusin .prod­
uct or service.
active ervice has helped us remedy
that. The more calls we can take, the
more information we get from con­
sumers. Thi allow us to update our
files more quickly 0 we can let the
public kno about a fly-by-night
business before it flies into the night."
Reverend Wilmor
Allen.
De oi.ter
, j
the - AFRICAN
MARK T
DO shop-
a ociate mini ter
at New Starlight
Bapti t Church'
and owner of
Hollywood Fashions,
Retailers be
ready to:
• Display
Your
Product
• Promote
Your-
.:: Store
In the'
African
Mar�et
CALL.TODAY
869-0033
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