The Washington herald., 1921-04-10
CROWDS THRONG
PRIVATE EXHIBIT
OF MOTOR CARS
Automobile Club of Amer
lea Show Is Mecca
for Wealthy.

Commerce, was the prlnclpai
speaker at the luncheon preceding
the automobile exhibition at the A.
c. A. today.
The exhibition itself continued to
attract a great gathering OF visi-
tors to the clubhouse at PAT West
Fifty-fourth street, just of Broad
way, and a particularly agreeable
feature was the absence Of the
crowding that is so marked at some
of the shows. In the elaborately
decorated assembly hall of the club
cars are set like jewels in their
brilliant coloring and finish and the
picture is one of unusual attrac-
tiveness-
The Arrangement Of the cars has
brought out much favorable COM
ment. No attempt has been made
to crowd every available inch of
space with exhibits and there is
ample room to move around freely
and make as close an inspection
as desired.
In the assembly hall eighteen
models are shown, including one
chassis. as follows: Essex, Hudson,
Minerva. Lafayette. ROlls-Royce.
Lexington. SteyensDuryea, Cole,
Pierce-Arrow. Winton. Mercer and
Haynes OF this list the Pierce
Arrow. Packard and Rolls have two
cars each. In the grill room which
adjoins, two Cadillacs, a National,
Lincoln. a Marmon and two Paige
DetrOits are shown. At the head
of the staircase is the Velie, and
on the main floor the Ambassador
is shown in the lobby and the Lo-
comobile and Dodge Brothers in
the bureau of tours.
Invitation Exhibit.
The exhibition. which will be
open daily from . to IL p. m, is
an invitation affair. arranged by
the Automobile Club Of America for
the special convenience of the club
men and women of New York City
and their friends. Invitations have
been sent out in large numbers
and the secretary is also forward
ing tickets on application.
The society element was well rep
resented among the callers yester-
day. A quick glance revealed Will
lam Rockefeller. Reginald Wander
bilt, Cornelius, jr., Col. A. B. Dick.
Henry Morgenthau, w. B. Goodwin,
]. L. Cutler, H. r. Lounsberry, jr..
H. A. johnson, ]. II. Raymond. Ed
ward Bates, H. H. Good, c. w.
HammilI, Samuel Allen.
At the luncheon, at the Automo-
bile Club of America today. Mr..
Reeves whose position as general
manager of the National AutOmo-
bile Chsmber of Commerce, brings
him into direct touch with every
phase of the automobile industry,
said :hat the regular weekly reports
received from fifteen different sec
tions Of the country showed the
selling season in motor cars to be
well under way, with every indi-
cation that sales for .he next three
months will be probably rs per cont
of last years record breaking spring
and fully equal to the same period
OF 1919. During the past three
months Mr.. Reeves has visited most
of the big centers Of trade east Of
Denver.
Plants on Full Time
At yesterdays meeting Mr. Reeves
called attention to the great num-
Der Of workmen who have returned
to the automobile plants and said
that as in 1914 and 1919. the au-
tomobile industry was the first Of
our industries to start on an up
ward trend. He declared everyone
in business should forget the alb
normal 1920 year and establish
themselves on a new basis compar-
able with normal periods.
IL was shown that with 5000, 900
motor vehicles in use, of which 10
per cent are trucks. there is q re-
newal demand Of about 1.2oO, 900 We
hicles annually. Practically eyery
one now is buying TRANSPORTATION
in motor cars with recreation as n
secondary feature.
Business was fiat during De-
cember. January and February"
said Mr.. Reeves. but since March
l. the Industry has moved OF dead
center with the factories putting
thousands of men back to work.
The sales reported have been
heavy in secondhand cars, as well
as in new cars.
This upward turn means that
the automobile industry. as in 1907.
1914 and 1919, is the first to feel
tne puollcs pulse and is leading in
the return to buying by the Ameri-
can public.
Trade Best ON Coasts.
our reports show that trade ia
best on the East and West coasts
with the Middle West CONTINUING to
get better, but with the South ana
south Dakota recovering SLOWLY
with motor car sales comparativeIv
SLOW. II was logical and nron.r
mat the industry should have a re-
adjustment after the hysterfa or
last year, especially as the business
mad increased $50 per cent in less
than five years.
Knowing the need for trar.,o
tation, the l25 manufacturers in tho
national Automobile Chamber -,
commerce nave readjusted their AZ
Isirs 10 meet with the present con-
year 1920. 'he
In the manufacturing territorv
Detroit has been putting back mar
at the rate of 1000 to 5000 a vasL
and the Cleveland territory shows
a gain of workers in automobIIs
plants Of "a per cent during tbs
past month. In the Chicago. Indi~
annapolis and Buffalo territories tbs
return Of men to the factories has
been about the same.
A number of the plants are no.y
working 100 per cent, and vary
substantial number have 60 tn 70
per cent Of their old forces at work
Dealers here and in other sec
tions visited say that, while the
winter had been slow, spring has
opened with a rush, with second
hand cars moving rapidly and with
a substantial demand 90 a.. -