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The Early Years
When it all started back in 1908, Toronto was Canada's second largest city, with 240,000 people about the size of Saskatoon today. The first Trans-Atlantic radio sputtered messages, while Canadians made hair raising hops in airplanes. Car registration had climbed from only 178 in 1903 to just over 2,000 by 1908. Within two years that number had tripled although the horse and buggy, as well as wagons, were still the most common forms of transportation.
It was said that the Association was conceived by a small group of automobile dealers to repeal the decision by the city fathers to require that automobiles in the Orange Day parade be transported on horse drawn wagons to avoid the noise and fumes created by those early models. While there are no records to confirm this initiative, there is no question about the leadership the Association has played in the growth of the Canadian automotive industry.
In 1913, the manufacturing and marketing genius of Henry Ford created the assembly line production of Model "T" Fords and the automobile age blossomed. But a Canadian beat Ford to the punch. Sam McLaughlin of Oshawa, Ontario went into partnership with American David Buick to mass produce McLaughlin-Buick vehicles, preceding the Model "T" by about a year.
Canada was at the height of an economic boom fueled by wheat in the west, steel in the east, and railways that crisscrossed the lands. On the eve of World War 1, Canada was a young giant at peace. The coming conflict would change the country forever. Most of its young men went to war in Europe and many never came back.
1914 was a key year for TADA, as well. On the 23rd of July, the Association was incorporated as a private company and its first general bylaws drafted. M. A. Kennedy of the Ontario Motor Car Co. Ltd. was elected chairman; F.I. Fox of Ford Motor Car Company of Canada Limited was secretary. Just before the guns of August boomed in Europe, the Association also began its long tradition of staging automobile shows.
In 1915, the organization became known as the Toronto Automobile Trade Association Limited. Each member company had to buy one share each valued at $100. That year, the fledgling Association also began dealings with the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) to hold its auto shows. Its members were also concerned with gasoline sales pricing and the need for a system for tire charges. They also voted to dispense with offering free monthly inspections and service on new cars sold and to insist on cash payments for repairs, rather than giving out credit.
As the war wore on, there were enough automobiles on the road to create a new industry used cars. Valuation and trade-in practices were being established by dealer members.
By 1917, TADA was already negotiating with the CNE for more space for their auto show and as hostilities overseas came to a close, such issues as dimmers for headlights, safety education with the Ontario Safety League and a war sales tax, similar to a model just adopted in the United States, were being confronted by Association members.
The last days of World War 1 directly affected TADA. Its chairman, M. A. Kennedy, resigned to devote more time to his munitions business. Association members were also becoming lobbyists, meeting frequently with the War Trade Board to resolve the issue of a wartime excise tax measure. The 10 per cent sales levy, which applied to new and used cars, was finally removed, thanks to TADA's initiatives.
The Association also fought against what it believed were unfair increases in motor truck, manufacturing and dealers license fees setting the stage for years of making its views effectively known to the public sector.
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