Evening star., 1924-01-13
5000, 900 new CARS
IN 1924 PROGRAMS
Manufacturers Announce Biggest
Construction Plans Known to
Automobile History. ;ta
INCREASE IN employees
Million Green" Drivers in New
Machines May Be on Roads.
INCREASE IN EMPLOYEES
By HARDEN COLFAx.

Machines May Be on Roads.
By HARDEN CoLFAx.
Special Dispatch to The Star
NEW YORK, January l2-Five mill
lion new motor cars and trucks In
1924. rs per cent increase over the
banner production OF 1923! Almost
double the total for 1922.
Such is the mark at which the auto
mobile manufacturers of the United,
states will aim during the coming
twelve months. Figures of produc-
tion programs, announced before and
during the annual automobile show
this week. tell the story. Here they
are:
Huge Production Programs,
The Ford interests will go ON q
production basis OF 10000 cars and
trucks a day February 1. This pro-
gram may be increased later. If il is
not increased, however, but adhered
70 In Its present dimensions, there
WIZ pe 5,OoO,0O0 new Fords in 1924.
chevrolet expects to produce 100000
new cars during 1924
900 new cars N wv
caIiiee The B9rk fdr 95o company nop has program
Studebaker figures on producing
Those five producers If they live up
70 their present plans. will turn out
t,ooy,voo vehicles during the next
smaller companies, most OF which
have enlarged upon their 1923 pro
grams for the present year. 1t is
ufttra.conservative to figure the total
or these companies at another 100000
cars. Probably 10000 would be more
nearly correct
Biggest Plans Ever Made.
These are the most ambitious pro-
grams ever undertaken Two wears
ago they would have been laughed At,
NOW the industry is regarding them
not only with seriousness, but with a
,nouh'ihg conviction that, in the
main, they will be adhered to.
1t is too early in the year to esti-
mate fully and accurately the chances
or going over the top with the bic
Increase. however, there is somewhat
Of parallel between conditions now
@nd conditions a year ago. ~ Thar
tune even the most optimistic manu-
facturers would not have forecast a
Ia p-Vhn, '1"l u 4.''v.rUU c.,rs tn.
f1rnre frnExs wsy Isrlng ayot., the @e.r Vt ths
1923 being 4,014,0oo. or so per cent
increase over the figures of the then
banner year of 1922.
2.7SO.0OO Workers Employcd.
At the present time there are about
2''oo,0Oo workers employed in max
ing motor cars. trucks, tires and
spare parts. The wholesale value Of
cars and trucks in 1923 was not less
than $4,000, 600, 900; of tires and parts,
S2.o00,000,0o0. The retail value of
these items probably was 25 per cent
nisnes: according to conservative
ward of $500, ,O0O, 900. -
Now it Is planned to boost those
ngures by at least 25 per cent. If the
JOB can be done the automotfye in
q austr1es 81 @ VIII be employing more than
number employed on the railroads OF
the United States-and will have pro
duced goods to the retail value OF
S'.0oO,O0O.O00 during the year ending
January /, 1925
Enthusiasm in the Industry sweut
TO a new high mark during the pres
ent week. The big event of the in
dustry. the annual New York show:
brought to the city more than 10000
swamped the city's hotels. In many
cases 1t was found necessary to lodge
the visitors in makeshift WAYS. and
at numerous hotels hundreds OF
guests were compelled to sleep on
cots tucked away in odd corners. One
big hotel turned away more than 500
persons in a single day.
Road Room Is Problem.
These figures are eloquent of the in
crease In popular interest in auto
mobiles and of the power to purchase
the cars when manufactured. Appar-
emily there isn't any saturation point.
One wonders. however. IL there is
room on the roads for the millions
of prospective new cars. There are
only $4,000 miles of really high-grade
roadway in the United States and
about 100000 miles additional of fair
TO good roads. yet the projected 1924
end, would make a single line of
cars nearly 10000 miles in length.
The disturbing factor is the etatus
of the used car. There is little mar
ket Tor the millions OF used cars
which must be taken up TO make
room for the new output this year.
and the situation seems TO De grow
ing worse instead of better. If ii
gets much worse some OF the manu-
faeturers may find it necessary to re-
wise their programs downward
Production Now Soaring.
However. production Is soaring at
the present. and the next two months
probably will tell the story for 1924
December output was "a rer cen,
higher than that of December, 1922
Production for the present month
probably viii maintain "a, .......,
portion OF increase over figures for
January, 1929.
An interesting sidelight is the pros
pect that there will be turned loose
on the roads in 1924 nearly one mil
first cars.
(Coprri1bt 1ooIl