Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1946-02-10
Car Outlook DINNER;
D. {. Dealers Despair
OF Filling Orders Soon

War walkers who thought last
August they might be riding in
bright new automobiles are still
dashing for streetcars these crisp
mornings. Only 323 new cars have
been delivered to District customers
since wars end.
Before the strikes came District
citizens had reason to believe that
approximately 1000 of their num-
Der would be spinning about in 1916
models by this time.
Now these same citizens are rep
resented by numbers in long watt
ing lists and most of them will be
lucky TO get a new machine any
time this year, regardless of when
the steel and automobile men 20
back to work.
How many thousands have OPP
timistically ordered cars is impos-
sible to check, but q survey of some
Of the Districts agencies tell story
Of woe and Illustration.
Ford Alone Near Schedule.
Only Ford has been able to ap-
proximate the kind of production
schedule hopefully set by the re-
conversion experts after the last
bomb dropped in August. All but
IA Of the 1923 cars which went from
the assembly line to the District
were Fords. But at one Ford agency
alone there was a waiting list of
1000 customers who think miracle
viii bring them car though fact
finding boards fail. And the orders
still are pouring in at 10-to-15-a-
day rate.
The Districts dealers, who In
normal times share one of the Ma
tons richest markets, have been
patient and judicious. Some have
accepted deposits of 500 from all
Corners against possible delivery dur
ing 1916, but not one has promised
anything.
Some dealers began taking orders
and placing customers on the wait
ing list in the order of their ap-
plications, but later gave it UP as
hopeless job fraught with dis
appointments.
One such dealer accepted orders
for $50 Chevrolets and $50 Olds-
mobiles before he gave up in dis
gust before Christmas. Now the
potential customers must wait until
cars actually are in production again
before joining the waiting list.
Reservation Plan Set Up.
Another dealer is taking orders
only from customers such as ex-
service men who left their old cars
to be traded in on the new ones anc
old customers with reservation
cards" which are renewed from
year to year.
The scoreboards of many dealer.
read: Orders, o; deliveries, 0. These
were the ones who thought the
grief of taking orders, placatine
ruined customers and answering
telephones was too much to bear.
The dealers have different answer.
as to when they believe the cars will
begin rolling again. They guess
everywhere from one week to two
months after the strikes are settled
Many say they will not start takine
orders until the cars are nationally
advertised again.
A Nash dealer who might be re.
garded with envy by others, had two
cars on hand yesterday-hut his
waiting list numbered 275. Dealer.
in General Motors cars have sat or
their hands since the war. With tive
or three exceptions, not one cal
manufactured by this company ha.
found its way into the District.
In addition to the 249 Fords, here
is breakdown on cars delivered tt
the District since last October: Nash
Is; Chevrolet. S; Mercury. IL; Lin.
coin. 8; Dodge, 2; Packard, II;
Plymouth, 2; Pontiac, 2; Chrysler
/; Studebaker, II; Hudson, l (3(
Hudsons recently arrived, but viii
not be sold until price list is fixed)