Evening star., 1941-09-10
General Motors Cars
Are Shown Together
For First Time
Preview for Writers
Also Features Long List
Of War MuterieI
BY DAVID J. WILKIE.

DETROIT, Sept. 10.-With eX-
hibits and demonstrations of avia-
ton engines and machine guns,
shells and bomber parts and a long
list of other material of war, General
Motors Corp. today showed some
300 news and trade paper writer's
how the mass production capacity
and ingenuity of the worlds largest
automobile manufacturing company
has been assigned to the needs of
national defense.
C. E. Wilson. corporation presi-
dent, reported that General Motors
would produce total of more than
$400 900 900 of defense material in
1941.
Mr.. Wilson said that if shipping
lanes can be kept open for importa-
ton of raw materials unavailable in
this country, the final limitation"
on defense and consumer goods
production will undoubtedly be the
supply of labor available.
England Feels Shortage.
England has now definitely felt
this limitation of production due to
shortage of labor" he said, "and
their factory workers are now work
ing longer hours and many have
been recruited and taught to do GER
tain types of labor previously per-
formed by men.
"If we are going to get this de-
fense program done in time and pro-
duce sufficient consumer goods to
maintain an acceptable standard of
living, then the men who know how
to do the job must put on the old
overalls and hair shirts and really
60 at it. This applies equally to
executives, engineers, mechanics and
workmen."
The showing was at the corpora
tion's proving grounds at Milford,
Mich. There, IN. addition to the
great number of defense items IA
miliar and unfamiliar to the manu-
featuring technique of the motor in
dustry, the corporations various di-
visions also presented their new
model automobiles. These included
Chevrolet, Pontiac. Oldsmobile,
Buick and Cadillac passenger vehi-
cles as well as truck models of some
of the producing units.
First Shown Together.
The presentation of motorcars was
unique. in that it was the first time
the various divisions of the cor
poration have combined in one
showing of their new model We
hicles. The combined showing did
not presage any letdown. however,
In the friendly rivalry that has ex-
listed for years among the corpora
tion's various car manufacturing di-
visions.
The new model automobiles pre-
sented relatively little in the way
of mechanical advances, although
the styling Of long sweeping tenders
and other streamlining features
served sharply to differentiate the
new models from those of the l941
season.
Some people" said C. L. McCuen,
vice president in charge of engineer
ing, may be critical of the automo-
bile industry for bringing out new
models at this time. The question is
asked why didn't we just continue
with what we were producing. The
answer is that we could not have
effected the savings in materials
needed for the defense program
without important design changes :"
He explained that the design
changes, together with the curtail-
ment in volume of cars produced,
will effect saving of 100000
pounds of material
General Motors already has an
nounced that in subordinating nor
NAL activities to national defense it
will bring out no new models for
1943.