Evening star., 1926-12-15
FORD PLANS BIC
| : PUZZLE TO TRADE
Motor Magnate Is Confident
He Can Sell Million and
/ Half Cars a Year.
BY j, c. ROYLE.

Special Dispatch TO The Star
NEW YORK, December 15.-Pre.
dieting the future course OF the foIu
Motor Co. is getting TO be almost as
universal a Winter sport as IorecaSl'
ing the weather. In either case anna
teur prophets seem extremely likely
to 90 wrong, according to the actual
facts available There is every indl-
cation that the Ford plants will close
this week as usual for inventory tax
ing until January 3. This has been
done each year heretofore. The only
difference this year is that during the
first part of December the Detrolt
plants worked days week instead
of four or five.
Make no mistake, Henry Ford him.
self is back in the driving seat. Re-
ports from dealers show Enthusiastically
that since October sales have been
dwindling and are running none TOO
high at the moment. Two or three
local dealers in Detroit and some in
other parts of the country who have
fairly large stocks on hand, storage
on which is running into big figures,
have thrown up the sponge. In other
words. they have resigned the Ford
agancias. But there is apparently an
abundance Of new capital to take on
the Ford representation.
Ford Little Worried.
Men who have talked with the
senior Ford, not as interviewers but
as automobile experts, declare he Is
confident that he can sell a million
and q half cars a year anyway, and
that he is therefore not worried over
the situation. They use this attitude
as a refutation of the reports, which
have persisted in spite of denials, that
Ford will present the public with a
six or eight cylinder car in the near
future.
Many of them insist, however, that
a ''double-cross" eight, which gets its
name not from it's slang significance,
but from the arrangement of its cyl
inders, is a possibility for next July.
The automobile world is full of
stories regarding amalgamations of
the Ford outfit with other companies.
Those who at least claim to be close
to the big manufacturers there are
some who say there are none such) de-
clare that Ford's experience with the
Lincoln has been a definite bar to
any further analgamationS.
Other manufacturers are reported
to be willing al-d anxious to receive
Ford into conso1 dations with them
provided he is NJ. in control. Henry
Ford has bossed svery concern he
has been associated with since he
made 'fiivver' a household word
throughout the world, and many De-
troiters are confident that he is not
likely to change.
Has S200, ,OOO, 900 in Banks.
His most fervid admirers admit
that he has not made as much money
in 1926 as in some former years. But
that does not seem to worry the head
of the Ford company. He still has
some 5000, 900 900 in cold cash in the
hanks. and no one with that sum
between him and the road over the
hill to the poorhouse can be expected
to get very much excited over a
diminishing demand over brief
period. -.
In spite of all the rumors, there
fore. the solid citizens of Detroit
seem convinced that Ford will do
nothing radical right away. In gen.
eral the conditions in the automobile
business are improving fast. Stocks
of cars are lowering steadily, and
Ford will be among the first to- feel
the change. Employment engineers
anticipate the Ford production in
January VII involve four days work
a week ard VII! rise or fall from this
figure ae sa'es conditions dictate.
In The meantime. Ford continues to
ACQUIRE power sites in the Michigan
district and elsewhere and to make
plans with regard to materials and
supplies, which indicate that he does
not propose to take back seat in
the motor congregation. His nearest
rivals at equally busy with plans
for future activity. The whole auto
mobile situation is viewed apparently
with far more alarm by stock specu-
lators dealing in motor shares than
by the industry itself.