Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-04-28
motors CONDITION
FOUND GOOD TODAY
Industry as Whole Has Prof.
tied From Setbacks OF
Past Years.
ny EDWARD ". MORRISON.
,seisl Dispateh 70 The star.


DETROIT. April ga busy autome-
bile executive sat at his desk in the
oflees Of his company In Detroit Ne.
fore him was . mass Of figures ana
reports, just brought in by his secrs-
tary.
This man was not interested, how.
ever, IN the papers that lay before
him, His eyes were fastened on the
street below, easily visible from his
desk, where he could see q line Of
bright, shiny cars trailing away into
distance. They were "drive.sways," AZ
which there are hundreds leaving the
Detroit area every day this time Of year,
THOSE cars do not look much dif-
1efeht from the cara that were R0ing
OUT Of here two years ago" he said re-
1eeuvely. There hasn't been much
cnanee since 1879. same bodies, same
engines: same wheels. And yet the
automoniie industry as . whole has
gone through some vast changes" He
IN. Took Lesson Well.
The automobile industry" he said
nnaily, was like a spoiled child. Pros
for brief period here and there dur
ing Us 70 years Of existence, that IL
mad hardly more than candy 10 diaest.
When II got q shaking up, as every
spoiled child does eventually, 10 was
left Q little dased. But IL wss 4 viss
child and took its lesson we'll.
Today there 10 better spirit In
the industry than there ever was BE-
Lole. ~ spirit Of sanity. The pro.
ouctlon rooms and the sales depart.
ments have been hitched toesther. Pro
auction schedules are united 10 the
sales trend; they ere not forcing the
sales trend. Dealers and faetoriea are
before.
The factories have learned thar &he
prosperity Of individual dealers q in-
separately linked with the prosperity Of
me whole industry, They have found
mat the dealer must DO mere than
and repair departnaents q necesssry.
Assistance Is being given In helping the
dealer 70 organize his entire 6usiuess
economically. Dealers are finding f,lIt
mat the factory has more than q mere
junction Of shipping cara and forcing
sales sehedules - sometimes unwanted
schedules-upon him.
Buyer Gets Mere Today.
Look around the general ofiices and
the factory, and you will find changes.
Some Of our old illusions are gone. ant
those illusions have been replaced b. .
satisfying picture Of Q more evenly reg.
ulated business. The promiscuous in
Erooucuon OF new models appears to
all Of us. Prices seem stabilized. There
~ 9 closer hewing 10 the line on sales
and production. The automobile bliyer
y getting more Tor his money today
than ever before.
Economics have been effected, YES.
But they have been through the elm
instion Of wasteful practices chieAy.
into sales practices. There % iess haily-
hoo and Q more serious tackling Of cur
rent problems. Sales departments are
making less noise. but doing their jehs
Just as efficiently. The spoiled ei,ild.
looking about him ct the casualties slif-
fered in other industries. may well ask
whether he has not come through cd.
This soIiioquy IS echoed eisewhare.
The automobile industry Is applying
itself TO it's job. perhaps Q little more
grtmly than usual. but Iaonetheless with
Its old enthusiasm.
30 far as April Is concerned, sched-
ules have been well maintained. A sig-
niieant announcement comes from
CAASf&OkGt ktaAb. Hk00UCtAo1 u now On .
fun schedule o. I'VE and ene-haH days
. week IN all nine assembly and eleven
manufacturing plants. Several plants
are working both night and day. While
companies supplying Ford steel have re.
ported o slackentng in demand, there
has been no sign Of IN immediate letup
from the Ford ofnces In Detroit.
Pooling Ct Patents.
Automobile workers and executives
found much to interest them during the
eight days Of the National Air shew.
Detroit has taken the airplane and the
airplane industry to its heart. Il did
not overlook the announcement that
plane manufacturers are going to fell
low the automobile industry In one
thing-the pooling Of patents. This
step viii allow the DEVELOPMENT Of re-
search to accrue to the benefit Of the
whole industry, as it has In the auto
mobile field.
The De Vaux Co., the newcomer In
the automotive world. reports Q pro-
duction at Grand Rapids Of IS cars o
day. The plant at Oakland, Calf, has
passed the mark Of Is cars Q day. This
has been cheerful hint to other man
lfacturers.
A new name appears on the list Of
directors Of the Graham-Paige Corpora
.ion-that Of Mrs. Alfred O.. Wilson Of
Detroit Mrs. Wilson Is the widow of
John Dodge, pioneer manufacturer.
Ter election to the Graham-PaiRe board
brings the Dodge faraily back into the
for the first time since the
Dodge company was sold to New York
bankers in 1925