New-York tribune., 1918-05-07
AutonobiHng
Conference in Washington To-
day Will Fix Automobile
Production After Aug. |
By C. E. T. scbarns

Az the conference to be held in
washington to-day to settle the amount
OF automobile production in this coun-
try after August l the motor car
delegation will he
ne neaaed by William c. Durant. head of
me me Gsreral Motors Company. lie and
me oeners Will be in conference with
., ~, Ieohafd Replogle, director of steel,
,,,.o george N: Peck, director of finished
Board, and P. B. Noyes, conservation
olTector Te OF the Fuel Administration
It is asserted that the government
kaoeianime tor sharp cut in the num-
per OF passenger automobiles TO ho
oen oult is based on an estimate of $500
uoo tons of steel to be used in the
,noeor car industry and that this
am1hounS ama OF II, steel is too large to be
airoIea. ';ioI Inc way the figures are ar
,, r1ved at is this: 100000 cars were
Planned to be made in 1918, with an
aVgTf1age g1 Of 1 a tons of steel to car.
these figures are wide of the mark
because there is a big difference be-,
tween the production planned and that
actually undertaken. For one thinr
scneouies ssI were revised last spring
aleer thls country entered the war. be-
cause manufacturers for several rea-
SUns I1tesaw reduced demand for
AUTOMOBILES. Furthermore. there was
voluntary cut in production of 80
per cent, officially announced. some
months ago. This was done at the snc-
gestlon OF the Fuel Administrator
Inc allowance of a ton and a half of
steel on the average appears high. he
cause at least 60 per cent of the care
mace IN this country do not weigh.
ready Tor the road, as much as 5000
DO0n6C q
OF wood, rubber and many other ma
terials that go into the making of an
automobile. VI all
1t is stated further that the manu-
1acture of automobiles takes 10 nor
| cent of all the steel produced in the h
United States. If this were so. there
would be justification for a sharp re-
auctlon aut; in output. Actually, it was
eselmated last winter by automotive
about 2 per cent of all the steel
produced. This, too, before there was
81 81 per cent reduction in output
The schedules on which manufact-
lrers are working to-day, if permitted
TO GO through, mean about 900, 900. or
at the most 100000 cars for 1918.
"A further reduction of about rs ner
cent in output, which it is believed
VIII VIII be arranged by to-day's conference,
(l(1
cars for 1919. Divided among the
forty-eight states in the Union and
making allowances for some export
Duslness this means only a compara-
lively few new machines to be an
sorbed. "'
), 1t appears to be reasonably clear that
there are enough persons in this coun-
try who have actual need Of passenger
aa;utom1o:plies, a; 1: with railroad transporta-
ton limited as it has been and with
sharper limits coming, to account for
new motor cars to this amount. with or, +
charges of pleasure riding" living
against them.
TO prevent motor fuel for French
army needs getting by illegal means
INTO the hands of civilians, all mill
tary gasolene in that country is now
tinted red. This is done by means of
product added to the Essence" With
out lnJuring it's qualities. Justification
tor the coloring was found in one of
the army stations at the rear. I'm
medlately the red gasolene was nut in
use consumption dropped way off. The
authorities have arranged to punish
civilians found making use of army
fuel
Speaking Of gasolene, it is interesting
1917 increased so per cent over 1915
There were 2,729,712,033 gallons pro
duced IN 1917, an average daily increase
OF more than 1,850,00O gallons. A sig
nlflcant indication is that production
Tor the last six months of 1917 was
greater by 2s1 100000 gallons than for
the first half of the year. It doesn't
look much like shortage of gasolene
tor motor cars, especially in view of
decreased production of new machines
and natural and regular mortality in
the oldest models
a motor trade golf tournament, of
which the proceeds will go to the Red
Cross, starts to-day at the Great Neck
Country Club. The play will be on
Tuesdays in May, rounds alternately at
Great Neck and Dunwoodie.
Fire Record