Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1924-02-12
SLIGHT RISE LIKELY
IN AUTO PRICES
Other Firms May Follow Step
by 0IdsmobiIe Trade
Very Much Confused.
BY j. C. ROYLE.

Special Dispatch TO The Star.
NEW YORK, February 1.-THE in
creases just named by the Odds Motor
Works. ranging from $50 to $45 in
the prices of its automobile models,
did not come Unexpectedly to the au-
tomobile trade. Similar advances in
other makes are known to be contem-
plated. The advances, however, are
expected to be slight. and will be i'm
posed to cover the cost of additional
refinements offered this year. such as
four-wheel brakes and balloon tires.
So many makers have adopted
changes in equipment that men close
to the automobile situation here be-
iieve the Odds move will be welcomed
by the trade. T.
New Prices ON OldsmobIIes.
The price boosts on Oldsmobiles in
creased the price Of the touring car
from $3.50 to $685. fob. Lansing. The
new price of the roadster is $685. of
sI.135 The volume Of sales so far
this year seem to have had compare
lively little to do with the upward
price tendency. The Olds works are
a part of the General Motors Corpora
I1On. anu tHdl Sohipohy SoAo AhoA Q
than 81, 900 cars of their various types
AS to the trend of sales for the
trade in general, nothing is more sig
nificant than the results Of the Twin
Cities automobile show, which ended
last week. The dealers and buyers
who were attracted to this exhibition
covered the territory supposed to
have been most severely stricken by
agricultural depression. Yet the
sol II oh a
developed by this show are fixed by
officials at s20.0No.000, on a basis Of
retail orders and agency contracts.
This total includes $2,00O,OOO worth
of sales actually made on the show
floor. The remainder is covered by
orders given by northwestern deal
erS.
Production at High Rate.
Total production of cars and trucks
in January totaled $4,000, an increase
of IL per cent over January, 1928.
There is every indication this figure
will rise well above 100000 this
month. The number, of workers en-
record level
There still exists a feeling of I'M
certainty in regard to the tire situa-
ton. Dealers have been waiting to
see just how the public would take
to balloon tires before stocking heay-
lily. They have feared to lay in
heavy supplies of the old highpres-
sure tires for fear there would be
a widespread trend toward the bal
looms, and have been equally afraid
to stock the low.pressure type for
fear owners would not go to the
expense of changing tires all around
when it came time for REFRESHMENTS.
Tire Situation Uneertain.
The announcement just made by
makers, however. that car owners
will not have to discard their present
wheels and rims, to which the first
balloon could mot be attached. has
had an immediate and widespread
ii possible to equip present wheels
with balloon tires. Two large manu-
facturerS now are offering two sets
of these tires as standard. one for
use with the regular wheels and one
for the special wheels being placed
Under this system, the Ford, Chew
rolet and Overland size wheel-30x
3k-will take balloon size Ska
40 inches, while the ordinary SEX
4 Inch wheel will take a 34x5 TT
100-inch low-pressure tire.
Crude Rubber Sales Increase.
Sales of crude rubber have increas-
ed this month, according to Fred B.
Peterson, a large dealer here. The
amount of rubber in the old and new
types does not materially differ, he
explained today. but factories are
busy turning out tires of both types.
The activity of the automobile
manufacturers is having a stimulat-
ing effect on the steel industry, and
operations in the Youngstown, Sharon
and Valley district were increased
this week. However, many steel men
will feel far easier when the wage
agreement now under conside ration
by the operators and mine workers of
the central competitive field is set
tied, in spite of the conciliatory atti-
tude shown by each side at the open
ing meetings.