Evening star., 1948-11-18
Auto Gouge Hearings
To Be Resumed Soon;
Fr Joins Inquiry


Further hearings on charges
that Washington automobile
dealers have been gouging GUS
toners by forcing them to buy
accessories and undertaking.
trade-ins now are planned def
nitely by a House subcommittee.
Preparations for an airing of COM
plants about dealers not involved in
this weeks two-day sessions already
are being made by investigators OF
the Public Works Subcommittee on
Questionable Trade Practices.
Chairman Macy is expected to
schedule a second set of sessions
next week or the week after.
It was disclosed, meanwhile, that
District as we'll as Federal officials
will study the transcript of the hear
ings of last Monday and Tuesday to
see if the bonus payments for new
cars and other dealings call for extra
income tax payments.
ETC Inquiry Under Way.
District Tax Assessor Edward A..
Dent has asked for a transcript, and
look at the record also is planned
by Corporation Counsel Vernon E.
West.
Meantime it was learned the Fed
eral Trade Commission also has
been conducting an investigation
into automobile deals here.
Preliminary phases of the FTC
inquiry have been completed, a
spokesman said. Results of this
have been laid before the commits
sion itself, to decide whether an
investigation into interstate COM
merce In car sales would be justified.
The District investigation still is
pending, with no decision reached
as to its disposition.
The recorded story OF the first
two committee hearings yesterday
was checked by Subcommittee
Counsel John T. M. Reddan and E.
r. Ferguson, jr 1t will be forwarded
to Attorney General Clark for pos
sible reference to United States At
torney George Morris Fay and to
George j. Schoeneman, Commls-
sioner of Internal Revenue.
Mail Reports Extras.
The subcommittee staff also was
busy answering flood of mail re-
sulting from its initial hearings and
came up with a list of 40-odd &C
cessories and extra charges a buyer
of a $4,000 new Hudson said he had
to accept. .r
Among other gadgets there was
q tool kit for $3.50, as well as a pol
tsh packet costing s25. seat covers
at s75 and a s29 electric razor in
stallation.
And the listing showed a radio
at; 1913, an electric clock at s15.74,
air foam cushions costing s26.23
and a weather control. installa-
ton amounting to $62.10.
Among smaller items was
Kleenex dispenser installation call
ing for an extra $3.50
Items Include Compass.
The buyer of this car said he had
to pay $40 for conditioning" of the
new machine before he drove it
away from the sales agency. Other
special items included a compass
for $5.95, a windshield washer in
stallation costing $13.25 and a pair
of jacks at 1895, plus q, hydraulic
jack at SIS. = %s@s
Then there were such things as
q $25 oil filter installation, front
bumper guards at $1259, a vacuum
booster pump FOR s7.87 and special
steering wheel for $19.41.
Fire extinguishers came to 1880
on this list and license plate frames
$3.50. There was back up" light
for $1l.35 and battery filler cost
$f0.95. An installation of three
courtesy lights" amounted to SIS
and battery charger" was listed
at Sits
Also, there was Q hashlight FOR 81,
q drophght for So, vanity mirror
for $2.25, magma light for 1895
and foglights for $40.
Among oddities that came to light
In the communications to the sub
committee were these:
A buyer who is deaf, and whose
wife also has lost her hearing, al
legedly was forced to take radio
with new car.
A customer said he was charged
$3.50 for repairs to 194l trade-in
car, so it would meet the dealers
standards, and then got 1851 al
1owance on it in buying a new
vehicle