Evening star., 1934-03-11


tar behind.
Car Schedules Upward.
Advance estimates point toward to-
tai production of approximately $685.
900 cars and trucks by the automobile
factories during this month, according
to the North American Newspaper
Alliance This objective, if achieved,
should make March the best month
that the industry has experienced
since April, 1881, when all plants were
credited with total volume OF 345,0O0.
1t will be an outstanding contrast
TO February, during which the total
attained has been around 200 900, &C
cording to unofficial figures. and to
March of last year, when the volume
went down to $4,000.
Attainment of the forecast total is
beclouded at the moment by uncer-
tainties over which factory executives
have no control. The negative factors
in the situation are body building and
parts supply. which have been slowed
by arguments with labor. together
with departmental and assembly line
delays resulting from machine, tool
and die changes.
Up to now these delays have been
80 serious as to prevent the plants
from getting enough cars out to stock
the retail outlets with 1884 models.
Cold weather conditions prevailing
over large areas have given the max
ors a brief respite from immediate
delivery demands.
According to the Iron Age, retail or
ders for new automobiles now exceed
so days of capacity production by all
plants and are In the largest volume
since 1929 The one threatening fac
tor is continued labor troubles.
Up and Down Year.
Statisticians now are revealing the
first authoritative figures on automo-
bile manufacturing trends during 1888,
which was an up and down year.
Final compilation shows motor vehicle
registration in the United States in
1888 dropped more than half a mil
lion units. The total as Of January
]. 1884, stood at 23819,537. compared
with 24,34l.822 year previous.
Cars listed at less than $1,000 ac-
COullUSd 1OI per CellI VI iii tlidI
were built. The $1,000 to $4,000 range
amounted to 80 per cent; $4,000 to
$1,000, only 09 per cent, with cars
above $4,000 dropping to 0,4 per cent.
Four-door sedans dominated public
favor. The industry built 667,877 of
them, or better than 40 per cent of
the production. Two-door sedans
slightly exceeded 80 per cent OF out
put and 535, ,696 were built.
The production Of four-cylinder
ears, steadily declining since 1926,
struck a new low of 2 per cent. Six
cylinder cars led with 636 per cent.
Fights were second and accounted for
"a per cent, with twelves and sixteens
making up the remainder.
The average wholesale price Of pas
.Senger cars last year went down from
9548 to s472. Truck wholesale prices
dropped from $500 to s482.
Automotive industries made the
compilation from which these cita-
lions have been made.
Super Highways Proposed.
Super highways to relieve trafic
congestion and make general travel
safer have long been considered New
York has partly completed roadway
Of this nature. But the plan. a ne
cessity of the future, is now going to
get real boost.
A comprehensive system of elevated
highways, revolutionary in engineer
ing design and within reach Of exist
ing public finances, is proposed for
Chicago in a study completed by DIR.
Miller McClintock, director of the Al
bert Russell Erskine Traffic Research
Bureau of Harvard University.
Because of Americas general famil-
3Arity with the Midwest metropolis
and the fact that the plan will prob
ably form pattern" for other cities,
the survey has gained Nation wide
interest
The survey is considered the most
thorough ever made of metropolitan
street transportation problem. Its
conclusions are backed by factual data
compiled during the last six years on
all phases of the problem.
The plan outlined calls for the
construction of 160 miles of elevated
highways in Chicago within the next
quarter Of century, at a cost of
approximately s100,OOO.OO0. Fifteen
miles of safe speedways are proposed
for immediate construction at a cost
Of approximately s8,0O0,00O, exclusive
Of certain easements and special
bridge work.
Routes Are Outlined.
Listed in the program for imme-
diate construction of limited ways
IS the report refers to these super
highways, are the four main routes
In Chicago. The four would greatly
facilitate traffic movement in all sec
tons of the city.
The report does not recommend
specific routes for the entire system
10 be built in IS years, but it does
propose their general directions as
Indicated by studies of traffic volumes,
origins and destinations of motor
travel and surveys of transportation
economies.
1t proposes north and south elevated
highways, running from city limits
to city limits, placed about two
miles apart. Between the radials
stretching northwest and southwest
from the Loop would be three east and
west routes, in addition to the
Randolph-Lak street project. The
lake front outer drive would be con-
tinued from Evanston to the Indiana
line.
DR.. McClintock admits that the
first impression of the average citizen
on hearing a proposal involving the
expenditure of $100,000,000 might be
to classify it as theorists dream be-
yond realization. He points out, how
ever, that the Chicago board Of local
Improvements in the l6 years be-
tween 1915 and 1881 spent $685.
647,6O2 to widen and improve 90 miles
OF public streets.