Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-11-11
PREDICTS DROP
. IN j. S. AUTO RATIO
British Sales Manager Cites
Foreign Increase as Chief
Factor.

LONDON, England. man.
| ufacturerS and statiSticians in Londor
have ventured to estimate that as q
result Of the motor show, which has
just concluded, the ratio of auto owners
in the United Kingdom, now standing
at / for every Al persons, will be mar.
rowed down to l to every So within a
year.
It is said that the motor show, which
is held annually, has never before
aroused such a fever of enthusiasm for
auto buying among every class of the
community. Sales made at the show
have broken all records.
! At the present there are over 1905
| 900 autos in Britain, and II the eSti-
mated increase materialiZes, as every
important salesmanager predicts, this
| number will be increased by about
10000 or probably another l75,00O
within the next IL months.
According to the views of John Leslie
Salesmanager of one of the largest
manufacturing companies in this coun-
try, quite so per cent of this increase
would be met by autos Of American
manufacture, he admitted at luncheon
of auto manufacturers held at the
Savoy Hotel this week
England now has the fastest grow
ing auto sales of any other country in
the world outside the United States,
he said.
This increase is due to the auto
mobile consciousness of the classes with
moderate meanS-the $1,000 to $2,5O0
year man-who hitherto has not even
envisaged the possession of car. Now
even the VIGOROUSLY underpaid English
clergyman has been going to the motor
show with the idea of buying a car.
1.-THE gravest problem that has to
be faced" said Mr.. Leslie, lis that as
the worlds demand for autos will I'M
douhtedly increase from year to year
| until the time Is reached when practi-
cally every man in the world possesses
a car-which is not actually so very
diStant-iS that means must also be
! found For keeping up the supply of
| those essentials that go to the making
| of an auto.
There are several such essentials
| which as far as we know may not last
indefinitely.
Automobile manufacturing confers
more widespread benefit than any other
| industry" said Mr.. Leslie. I'm fact,
! there is hardly a person today who
does not benefit directly from every adj
ditional automobile made.
England, especially in her production
| OF raw materials, is PROBABLY Lne great
est beneficiary. Take the case of tin
! alone, for instance Six pounds of tin
go to the making of every automobile,
and it follows, therefore, that the an
ticipated increase in the United King
dom alone will demand an additional
million pounds of tin at the lowest
estimate. Automobile sales confer in
dustrial prosperity by reason of their
demands of the industry for vast guam
titles of raw materials, by the armies
of men employed, and by the enormous
spending power Of all motorists who use
the roads"
Other figures supplied to the meeting
showed that $300000,000 worth of
autos we're sold in Great Britain last
year. About SO per cent of these were
of United States manufacture. Since
1919 the auto sales in the United
Kingdom have increased from $75,000,-
900 year to the present figure. OF
the grand total of 1858, 499 automo-
biles in the world at the beginning of
1923 SO per cent were of United States
manufacture. This meant, therefore,
that 80 out Of every 100 cars on the
worlds roads today represented Amer
lean work.