Evening star., 1936-05-31

center of the highway. Every road
has its deadline, or hfeline-to be
defined in terms Of safety or death
by the users of the highways.
Whether the zone of safety is out
lined in broad painted strips, or wheth-
er it is left to the determination of the
individual driver, it is always there.
Every driver knows it, but unfortunate
ly many operators ignore it. The tend
ency is to straddle the road when no
other cars are approaching, and the
habit persists even in the face OF
danger.
Accidents from this cause are en-
tirely avoidable. With cars on their
own side of the road, no head-on or
side-swipe collision would ever occur
The motorist who drives to the right
of the center under all conditions is
contributing nightly to the safety
Of the highways.
1T is definitely within the power
Of every driver to make the center
of the road q deadline or lifeline.
Production in automotive plants
during the current week will total
approximately 109,359 units, bringing
the total for May to between ABS, ,000
and 100000 units, says Automotive
Daily News, in its midweek sum-
mary Of the industry. The production
this week is down slightly from the
previous week, which A. D. N. in
its revised estimate places at 110,79e
units. The reduction does not repre-
sent a. definite slowing of production
by any one individual maker. Ford
Motor Co., which last week placed
its Rouge plant on a four-day basis
as a temporary measure to balance
stocks in assembly plants, is expected
to continue that schedule this week.
The II assembly plants are continuing
on a five-day basis and assemblies
have not been retarded more than
500 units per week as the result of
the Rouge plant change. Sales OF
Ford products during the first 10
days of May have shown good in
crease, A. D. N. reports.
Production during April as reported
in A. D. N, totaled 527,726 in the
United States and Canada of which
502,775 were produced in the United
States and 24,951 produced in Cor-
ada. United States production in
cluded AIT. 1873 passenger cars, of which
1895, 1872 went into the domestic mar
Get and 21,951 were exports. There
were also 85.642 commercial cars and
trucks, of which 74,363 went into the
domestic market and 11,279 were ex-
ported. The Canadian production in
cluded 20,247 passenger cars and
4,704 trucks.
Production during the first four
months Of the year, according to this
report, totaled 1,644,85l units in both
the United States and Canada. The
United States share was 1,575,356
and Canada's 69,495. OF the United
States production, 1,283,746 were pas
senger cars and 291 ,610 were trucks
To break this down further. saws
Automotive Daily News, 1904 ,069 pas
senger cars went into the domestic
market in the United States and
1857 were exported. The domestic
registrations are estimated by Auto
motive Daily News during the first four
months as having reached a total OF
l,072,172 units, which means that the
difference between domestic produc-
tion and domestic sales during the
first four months was only 128,000
which indicates that dealer stocks
have not risen sharply during that
period. 1t is pointed out by Automo-
tive Daily News. however, that the
November announcement dates made
it possible to have dealers well stocked
before the first of the year.
May sales, says Automotive Daily
News, on the basis of scattered reports
covering the first 20-day period of the
month indicate that the month will
run above April, which is now esti-
mated at $4,000 to 375,O00 new pas
senger cars and $1,000 new CONNER
cial cars and trucks. Reports from
40 States for the month to date total
273,445 new passenger cars, against
235, 5,292 in the same States last year.
These States in last years tabulation
accounted for 73 per cent of the total
The States which are still to report
for April, this year, should show a
total of 97,0ll, says Automotive Daily
News, bringing the total for the month
to 370,456, which would be the best
month since August. 1929, when 376,-
886 new passenger cars were regis