Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1939-08-06
By L. SETH SCHNITMAN.

Washington automobile trade,
which plays very vital part in the
Capitals general prosperity, fur
nishes some fascinating comparisons
with other cities. AS in the case OF
retail trade as a whole, the volume
of business transacted here by auto
motive and related establishments,
computed on per capita basis, GUS
tomarily exceeds the performance
in any other of the 10 cities having
a population of between 500, 900 and
100000 inhabitants.
Even on a total dollar basis WASH
ington trade in automotive products
is currently higher than that of any
other city in the group, regardless
of size, besting Cleveland with
population almost 100000 greater
than that of the Capital. And this
takes no account of the sales by
local filling stations, which, likewise
on a per capita basis, are higher
than elsewhere in the large cities
under consideration.
Sales in the automotive trade To-
cally account for some Is per cent OF
the total volume of retail trade as
whole, while filling stations account
for almost per cent more OF the
local retail volume.
In Cleveland automotive sales are
currently bit less than 10 per cent
of total retail sales, with filling sta
tons accounting for further in
crement of almost per cent: in
Boston the ratios are much lower,
being about per cent and 2 per
cent, respectively; in st. Louis au-
tomotive sales are about Is per cent
and filling station sales about 4
per cent of total retail volume:
while for Baltimore the ratios are
about 10 per cent and per cent,
respectively.
II there is anything of significance
10 be drawn from these data, 1t would
seem to lie chiefly in the fact that
for the most part differences be-
tween cities center more largely in
the sales experience of autolnotive
dealers than of filling stations.
In larger sense filling station
sales afford a measure of the upkeep
cost for motor vehicles which, in
relation to total retail trade volume,
remains fairly constant as between
cities. On the other hand, sales
by automotive dealers, covering as
they do both new and used cars,
more largely reflect the medicines
of original cost and excess pur-
chasing power over and above the
basic requirements of life.
Automobile Sales Impressive.
For Washington, new-car sales
currently involve larger dollar total
of expenditures than is to be found
in any of the enumerated cities.
And for used cars the local ex-
perience comes close to equaling the
high volume being recorded in San
Francisco, which, incidentally, is
rather regularly one of the Ma
tons outstanding markets for used
cars.
Local sales by retail dealers in
accessories and tires are not so
large as in Cleveland, st. Louis,
Baltimore, r Pittsburgh, or even
Buffalo, but this, to large degree,
is due to the fact that locally the
ratio of new cars to total registra-
tons is higher than in other cities
in the group, making less the need
for accessories or requirements
fact even further accentuated by
the relatively low figures on local
commercial garage receipts.
For the initial half of 1899
the total of new cars registered in
the District of Columbia almost
reached $4,000 This represented an
increase of so per cent over the
total for the corresponding half
of 1888 and compares with an in
crement of only about 40 per cent
for the Nation as a whole.
New-car registrations locally,
however, were some Is per cent
behind the record first-half total
of 1887. But if the comparison
with 1887 appears disappointing, it
must be added that registrations
of new cars in nearby Virginia
and Maryland are about to estab-
lish new peaks and bring for the
metropolitan area as whole an
experience up to the best levels ever
enjoyed here.
Further, on current indications
it appears virtually certain that for
the District alone new car registra-
tons in 1899 will show progressive
improvement over 1898 and come
we'll within being at least 80 per cent
of the 1887 total of 1920.
Nau 1910 p..L Cnr>res&