Evening star., 1937-02-21
AUTO PRODUCTION
EXPECTED DT0REACH
new HIGH LEVELS
Weeks Rise Likely to Bring
Assembly Total Close to
10000 Mark.
MORE THAN 2,500,0O0
FORECAST BY MID.JUNE
Unified Orders Of Major Firms In.
dieate Half of 1887 Estimate
Will Be Filled by Then.
By the Associated Press.

oy tHt hSSOCldtcQ FIeSS.
DETROIT, February 20.-Capital
and labor In the motor car industry
having for the time being at least de-
cided to compose differences Of opin-
ion around the conference table, auto
mobile factories are steadily heading
for q record level Of production.
Assembly lines Of General Motors,
completely halted by the more than
six weeks Of strikes, began moving
again this week on a limited basis and
Immediately the weeks output volume
turned upward to approximately 3d.
600 passenger cars and trucks, COM
pared with 74,145 last week. Next
week. barring unexpected develop
ments. the industry's total assemblies
should near the 110,000-unit mark.
AS the negotiations between Gen.
eral Motors and the United Automo-
bile Workers Of America over issues
unsettled when the strike was ended
on February II enters its second week
Monday, the corporation will have
most If not all of its assembly lines
in operation, some Of them near capa-
city. Under the revived competition
presented by General Motors again in
full swing, other large producers Of
the industry are expected also to step
up assembly line activities.
Steady Progress Reported.
Steady progress has been reported
from the General Motors and U. A.
w. A. conferees seeking to compose
strike differences. In eight sessions
in four days at the corporations
Offices here, they have reached a ten
tative agreement on machinery for the
handling of grievances Of union men,
bers employed by General Motors;
have ironed out several misunder-
standings incident to resumption Of
production operations, and have
plunged into q discussion of the union
demand for seniority based on length
of service.
Awaiting discussion are questions
Of wages and hours. systems Of pay.
and speed of production lines. These
will be taken up when the negotiators
resume their meetings Monday.
90 far - the motor car industry It.
self u concerned there are At the
moment no major labor disputes IN
any plant. A few strikes, involving
actually only 4 few hundred workers,
have developed in some accessory
plants, but in virtually every case they
are isolated and do not threaten the
supply Of basic materials required by
automotive assembly lines.
$4,000 Total Likely.
Unless these supplies are interrupted
the industry next month will assemble
about 55o,o0o passenger cars and
trucks and the output may reach a
level in excess of $50, 1000 for at least
one month between now and next
August
Unified orders on the books of the
leading producers indicate an aggre-
gate output of more than 2,500, 900
units before the middle of June is
wholly probable, despite the curtail-
ment Of assemblies during January
and February as result Of the strikes.
This would be just one-half of the
expected aggregate output for the cur
rent year.
This volume of output, in the opinion
Of authoritative observers, forecasts an
aggregate wage distribution this year
Of upwards Of 100000, 900, without
allowing for the possibility of addi-
tional increases in various plants and
afiliated industries.
Accessory Firms Rushed.
Besides the assembly plants of the
motor car industry, accessory COM
panies are operating close to record
levels. and with the release Of addi-
tional orders, halted during the
strikes, sustained activity is indicated.
In not few instances the automo-
bile companies have readjusted con-
tract prices with these concerns, to
make feasible wage increases that the
parts and accessory makers were
obliged to grant. In other instances
the accessory manufacturers will op-
crate on . smaller margin of profit.
Commenting on wages and labor
developments in the automotiye in
dustry, Wards reports this week says:
while the union (U. A. w. A. did
fail by wide extent to gain its an
nounced objective in the General Mo-
tors stfike-that of exclusive bargain
ing-it did achieve recognition.
Unionization will probably come to
the industry. Thus far, Chrysler,
General Motors, Briggs, Murray.
Ainsworth, Packard, Budd Wheel and
others puhliclY announced raises In