Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-03-29
Auto Sales Gains
Result in Higher
Production Rates
Various Detroit Factories
Are Stepping Up Sched-
uIes to Fill Orders.
BY J. c. RoYLE.

Special Dispatch to The Star. -
DETROIT, March 2s-In April the
Buick unit OF General Motors will be
turning out cars at the rate Of 1850
per month. In one sentence that shows
the remarkable improvement which
has come to the automobile industry
in the last few weeks. The Buick plant
at Flint which, In a way is ba-
rometer Of the motor manufacturing
industry is now turning out $50 cars
q day and working four-day week.
Beginning April /, the schedule will be
hoped up 20 per cent TO five days a
week. That in itself is a fine April fool
joke on the pessimists.
The Buick plant was not picked out
specifically by the writer. 1t is used
simply as an example. The increase
probably will not spread to every unit
in the motor industry, but Is will
spread to every unit which Is ade-
Quately managed and operated and
which has kept abreast Of public taste
as well as keeping production within
reaching distance Of demand.
Gain in Loadings.
In the last week Buick loaded around
SIS car loads of outbound autos, gain
Of some IS car loads as compared with
y
production was higher than it has been
until the present month. In the Grand
Rapids district new automobile plant,
the DeVauX-Hall Motors Corporation
has just started production. The prod
uct OF this concern Is an assembled
car and its activities therefore are
giving additional business to Lansing,
when come the wheels, to Muskegon,
which furnishes the motors and SYRIA
49,.
The Ford outbound shipments pass
ing over one railroad have increased
rs per cent in the last week. This takes
in the automobiles shipped, the coke,
cement and fertilizer shipments de-
veloped as by-products of the Ford
plants and the Lincoln car shipments.
Similar increases are reported from
Briggs Body, Budd Manufacturing Co.
and other parts producers.
Shipments from Kelsey Hayes Wheel,
which furnishes both Ford and Chevro-
let with part of their requirements,
showed slight advance in shipments.
The Timken Detroit Co., makers of
axles and ball bearings and other parts,
are increasing their fuel shipments in
bound in anticipation Of more active
demand.
Production at both the Graham
Paige and Lincoln factories was larger
in March than in February, but the to-
tai from neither was quite up to the
figure of March, 1880. The shipments of
automobile makers and auto parts max
ers located outside Detroit, but in the
main automobile centers, is reported
here to have been over so per cent
heavier in tbs last month than in the
corresponding period Of last year. In
nearly every instance production In
March has been heavier than 1t was IN
February.
Copper Shipments.
Significant in this connection is the
volume of shipments of copper and brass
from the American Brass Co. These
heavy shipments will continue at least
until the end of this month
The Chevrolet company in March Will
turn out over sc, 900 cars. This means
that approximately 10000 cars have
been sold since, Chevrolet is holding
firmly to the policy of keeping the cars
moving in the possession of ultimate
owners rather than to allow even a
brief halt on the floors of dealers. This
company, one OF the outstanding mass
producing units of the industry, is
working on full-week schedule.
Motor Wheel will exceed the February
output this month. Fisher Body. some
of the spark-plug makers, the du Pont
Co. makers of automobile lacquers and
the Armstrong Co., all are increasing
their production schedules. The Olds-
mobile Co. is turning out 1900 cars
week, while REQ and Durant are both
working steadily.
(Copyrlght 1917