New-York tribune., 1919-11-23
st. Louis Feels
Urge TO Build
Motor Cars
Two New Plants Starting
There: DR.. SHELTON Head
of Interesting Venture: {:
Gardner Also Starts

81 L'CIN' Nov. 2u.-Ihla city.
reached by twenty-six railroad lines
and with the country's greatest water
way at its door, has ambitions to
become motor car manufacturing
center and is even to-day locking
forward 30 the time when it win be
the second largest city in the country
IN the point OF numbers Of cars turned
ont ihe city expects within a year
to eclipse others except Detroit.
Several recent developments give
some color 10 these hopes. Not only
is General Motors completing an
enormous assembling plant which it is
stated Will assemble thousands of
Chevrolet and Buick cars Tor the
Southwe stern market, but the Gardner
Motors Company and the Ske4ton
Motor Corporation have plans for
putting out, before another year is over
10000 cars annually Doris Moteg
Car Company, which has oeen IN bust
ness for fourteen years. and Moon
Motor Car Company. another veteran.
are we'll known St. Louis makers.
Traffic Truck is ID new conner which is
moving fast.
They say labor Of the kind needed
isn't going TO ne hard 10 get III these
parts. and the existence OF these enter
prises to which should be added a
huge Ford building will develop the
labor market even better. This city
already is the seat of the Wagner
MANUFACTURING and NcQuay Norris
companies, the former making me-
chanlcal devices and the latter LEAK
proof piston rings. So, with the new
companies that are coming, Ii viii
surely be a considerable motor ear
center.
Gardner Motors, which plans to turn
out $4,000 four-cylinder cars at slips
(not all of them the first year, of
course(, is headed by Russell t. Gard
ner longtime builder Of Banner bug
gles and a brother OF Governor Gard
ner, of Missouri. he dates back toward
Durant, bort and Nash da III the
buggy business. Several years ago
he got the contract 1or the Mississippi
valley TO assemble and sell Chevrolet
cars. About 10000 were so put to-
sether and sold before Chevrolet went
into General Motor. or vice versa.
5"o sons were IN it, and so he sold out
and stayed away from the motor car
business for a time. The war ended
and General Motors embarked on a new
and huge plant (they say it is $4,000, 600
enterprise)- He got his old plant back
or Will have il at the .irst of the wear
he has laid ont the ear, which is :
good locker and brimful Of style AT
the price
The other new company has a 40 les.
interesting personality at its head He
IS DR.. l.. S. SHELTON. of Okmuleee, Okla
Or. Skelton was a practiclng physician
IN Nlncennes, Ind, some years ago,
HIS health gave way and he was told
to go to the Southwest. He went tc
Oklahoma and got Interested in oil
ou know the rest. To date he has in
terests in oil and gas, he has bank
d factory where they made binocu airs
for the government in war time, q lead
and zinc mine, d 2S,000-acre ranch il
New Mexico, and is interested in sever
big automobile distributing stores
varlously in Los Angeles, San Fran.
cisco, Dallas, Omaha, Kansas Citv ane
two in Oklahoma City. His health j.
better.
Dir. SHELTON assays about $4,000 600
Which is more than he would hav.
been worth II he had stayed in Vim
cennes for several centuries He Is
in the early lifties. The car his com
pAny has planned Is. like the Gardner
70 be four-cylinder jon 1t will sell
lof Sl.24n- 1t Is going to be something
take 1t from ". A. Chapman, an old
Dort man. who is with shelton to build
and market the car. 1t is going to BE-
assembled III the ample plant of the
81. Louis Gar Company, where street
cars and freight cars are built. Wan
expansion left the st. Louis Car Com
ntny with room enough to build so OOO
Skeletons wear. il not more, Chairman
says. Edwin b. Meissner. vice-presi-
Ne CT III ST. Louis Car Companv. is
enthusiastic about the SHELTON car, and
altogether ii looks like business out
around that plant.
rms Is the same DR.. Shelton who re
gently bought control of the Premier
Motor Corporation OF sndianapolis
uqu'dated all the indebtedn Of the
company and instructed f. +. Nehrbas
general manager 10 20 ahead oa a
o,oUu-car production basis for 1920
Or. Skelton is president of Premier
and Charles 5. Crawford is vice-presi
dent in charge Of engineering. Ernest
W. Hunt, director OF sales, aud Elmer
Mckee, advertising counsel, will work
that end Of it,
Just to show there are others who
thlnk we'll Of the ST. Louis endeayors
big man in New York has offered to
sake on the Gardner line, nut he wants
40 many cars guaranteed TO him that
not before spring will he be able TO
get the line established as he must
have it If he takes on New York And
he's willing TO wait for il, too
80 1t begins TO look as ii ST. Louis
would be eventually on the country's
motor car map. It's no longer ii South