Evening star., 1946-11-12
Ford, ChrysIer Defer
Increases After GIN
Raises Prices 500
By HE A.seeiased Press

fs
DETROIT, Nov. 1.-THE Price
tag On General Motors passenger
cars and trucks was higher by
500 today while Ford and Chrys-
Ter, other, members Of the auto
motive industry's "big three" /"
marked time on possible action
following the removal Of oPA
controls.
In Cincinnati. Crosley Motors. Inc,
also said there would be . retail
increase Of 800 In the price Of III
l047 cars.
O. Z. Wilson, GIN president, an
nounced the increases yesterday and
said they would be effective imme-
diately. He said the corporation
had an application for such IN In
crease on file with OPA for several
months. and pointed out that the
raise placed GIN prices '.in reason
able relationship" to costs Of pro-
duction.
Mr.. Wilson also announced:
Adjustment In the prices Of GER
tain household appliances win be
announced later by the Frigidaire
and Delco appliance divisions: no
general increases on automotive
parts viii be made at this time
tS2A recently authorized increases
up to Is per cent on automotiye
parts; no general increase Is con-
templated on Diesel-electric LOCO
motives or other Diesel engines.
Ford 10 Adjnst Rarts Prices.
Earlier, the Ford Motor Co. said
no immediate price increase was
contemplated.
In Q letter distributed today to
Ford suppliers, Albert ]. Browning
vice president and director Of piir-
chases, said some prices Of certain
repair parts win he adjusted because
Of rsert0us inequalities III the former
OpA pfices."
There Is plenty Of justincation
for our raising prices at this time in
order to give the company q fair
and reasonable profit on its sales
: : : but to the extent that Ameri-
can industry can hold the line with
out passing on temporary increases
In costs, We believe that the free
working Of our competitive system
soon will bring about sterilization
at reasonable level" i
No Comment From Chrysler.
There was no comment from
Chrysler Corp.
In announcing the ON increase,
Mr. Wilson ascribed these reasons
for it:
l. GINS dollar volume Of business
in the third quarter Of 1916, al
though about the same" as the
previous peacetime quarterly peak
OF l94l. was mot on q satisfactory
basis"
2. GINS prices Is ret by the OPA
"discriminated against General Mo-
tors. :" The OPA pricing formula and
sits administration" gave competi-
tors substantially greater" price in
creases than were allowed General
Motors.
,. OPA had assumed" production
would equal that Of 1o41 but because
Of basic materials sl1ortases Gem
erai Motors flnds II impossible, to
achieye @any such rate Of produc-
tion at least during the next six
months"
Nash Sseiks Lew Prices.
George w. Mason. president Of the
Nash-Kelvinator Corp, said the
compAny's main intere5t sfs to keeu
prices - low As possible" He added
further prices Of Nash cars and
KelvinAtor electric appliances viii
depend as always upon our labor
and materials costs and our volume
of production.
w. A. Macdonald, vice president
in charge of sales OF the Kaiser
Frazer Corp, said that unless price,
OF materials went UP there would be
mo increase In prices Of cars."
George T. Christopher, presiden,
OF the Packard Motor Car Co, said
with restrictions removed and
production again depending upon
our own ability to acquire materials
our confidence in the future is sum
cient to justify our consideration oi
present prices remaining IN effect"