Evening star., 1955-11-20
Auto DeoIers Get Chance
To Tell of Pressures
By MARTIN S. HAYDEN

the product he sells, ''tfe man"
lis the figrnent in the public rela-
tions sense Of a retired Navy
admiral who has ended up in
the improbable position of chief
spokesman for 10000 United
States auto dealers.
Senator O'Mahoney, Democrat
|of Wyoming, yesterday verified
that he plans to call Admiral
Frederick j. Bell, executive vice
president Of the National Auto
mobile Dealers Association, as o
witness in his Senate Monopoly
Subcommittee hearing into al
legged evil In the 'bigness" Of the
General Motors Corp: Admiral
Bell In turn revealed that, If
called, he assumes" he will 60
and testify in line with his stand
lard complaint that. not only GIN.
but the auto industry as q whole,
''is brilliant in everything else,
but stupid in the handling Of its
dealers.
True Independence Wanted
'.As spokesman for the auto
Dealers" Admiral Bell said yes
terday. "I'm not looking for q
fight. I'm not opposed to Cen
Ieral Motors sbigness' and do not
regard automobile manHfactur-
ers as enemies Of the auto
dealers: I'd be a fool If / did. I
do insist, however, that the au-
tomobile dealer should have
what every other retailer has:
A fair chance to be a truly in
dependent businessman" )"
The man speaking doesn't look
like o retired sea dog. His dark
hair and athletic build belle his
So years. His phrase turning is
not what might --be expected
from an Annapolis graduate who
Ipeaked one career rs the 1912
skipper of the U.S.S. Grayson.
when he won o Navy Cross by
fighting of japanese dive
bomber attacks and then taking
his destroyer away from the pro-
tective fleet and into enemy
waters TO rescue downed Ameri-
can aviators.
Ask the admiral by what right
he speaks for automobile dealers.
and he says he doesn't know;
/ he relates that he had gone to
work for BaItimoreis McCor-
mick 81 Co.. tea and spice
house, when o NADIA committee
lcalled on him two and q half
years ago and offered him opera
tional direction Of the NADIA
with its history Of always threat
|ening but never quite getting
around to open battle with the
Iautomotive corporation parents
lof its members.
To Present Story
Now, II Admiral Bell has his
way. the association is going TO
Ipresent the story symbolized by
the man In Richmond" who
first appeared in a Bell-signed
editorial in the October MAZDA
magazine. Admiral Bell wrote
THAT his Richmond man" had
spent 80 years selling and serv-
icing q product (automobiles) at
q profit for the maker and the
seller and with pleasure to the
buyer: just Q few months ago
he spent 500. 900 "at the request
Iof his supplier" TO improve his
agency.
Last week." says Admiral
Bells editorial, che was told his
selling agreement would not be
renewed. He is about to 90 out
|of business. A relationship OF 80
yEhI0 10 W NC cCfElCA.
why is this going to hap
pen? Because, so he's told. he
hasn't sold as many cars in the
past few months as an expert in
Detroit determined he should
sell. It may be he has allowed
Ia competing make to take first
place, or third place. or fifth
place. It makes no difference.
nothing makes any differ
|ence. The man In Richmond is
|out OF q job"
Since publication. NADIA has
had hundreds Of requests for
copies Of the Richmond editorial;
Admiral Bell emphasizes that it
lis q symbolic case but insists it
lcan be documented In real-life
instances throughout the Ma
ton.
For example" he says, I'VE
can document cases Of small
dealers on metropolitan fringes
who couldn't get the cars they
lordered from the factory and
then were Cancelled out for not
selling enough cars, We can show
what happened financially to
specific dealers caught last year
when, to be delicate. they were
l'encouraged' by manufacturers
Ito register as sold cars still on
1.-THE Michigan assembly lines
lall so the manufacturer could
show q top annual sales record" !"
Won't Testify Against GIN
Admiral Bells current worry
| is that Senator O,Mahoney might
want him to testify against"
IGM; he says. II won't do It,"
But he adds, 1--WE have got a
complaint that the auto industry
as q whole can't continue to
carry water on both shoulders,
calling q dealer an independent
businessman and treating him
Jas AN agent
"Other industries" he said,
I"have dealers but no other