Milford chronicle., 1958-05-30
THE AUTOMOBILE RECESSION is ON

THE AUTOMOBILE RECESSlON Is ON
ITO me this is an automobile recession"
writes j. A. Livingston, the wel-known bust
ness and financial analyst This simply re-
fleets the fact that the heavy drop in auto
mobile sales is the darkest spot in the eco
nomic picture 1t throws its shadow long
way. 1t is largely responsible for pushing
steel production down to less than half of
the industry's capacity. 1t is felt, directly
or indirectly, in a long list of enterprises,
: large and small.
Mr.. Livingston also points out that the
sag in auto sales can't entirely be attributed
to lack Of money. Personal income, despite
the recession, is only slightly down from the
peak. Savings are increasing, as are the sales
of savings bonds. And, he writes: "The dol
lar, long scorned in an initiation atmosphere,
is now priced
The most debated economic question of
the hour, therefore, is Whats wrong in
Detroit" There are, needless to say, many
assorted answers, some of which are in di-
rect conflict. But just about everyone is sure
that something basic has gone awry. And
the volume of criticism directed at the prin-
cipal automobile makers has grown apace in
late months, rightly or wrongly.
Many critics now think that the indus
try's policy-makers grievously misjudged the
American appetite for ever-bigger, ever-more-
this argument they point to the steady
growth in imports of small, economy cars.
Sales of these, it is true, amounted to only
] five per cent of the u. S. market last year, or
100000 units. But that's twice IS many as
were sold in 1856, 10 times as many as the
1850 score-and the prospect is that the
current year will see another increase in the
face of the sharp drop in sales of American
makes. Another significant fact is that the
+ Il POM ba oil Ar,,o hoe cb0
improved sales.
I. Tide, the advertising magazine, offers
three reasons for depressed car buying. The
American people, it thinks q. aren't ready
to go into hook for an outdated status SYM
bol; they have other things they want to
spend their money on; ard many of them
just don't care for the product they're being
offered :" That Status symbol" matters
may be highly important. 1t used to be that
the difference between the lower-priced cars
and the higher-priced cars was the difference
between bungalow and mansion. Now
more and more talk is heard to the effect
that all cars are practically alike, and that
you can hardly tell one from another on the
road.
There is reason to believe that the pro-
portion of the consumer dollar spent for cars
has been due to drop and to stay down. Peo-
pie want TV and hi-fi sets; they want boats
and trips abroad; they want all manner of
labor-saving devices; they want more recre-
ational facilities at home, ranging the gamut
from barbecue outfits to patios. So it seems
only natural that they'll make their cars last
longer and that, when replacement time ar
rives, they will look for a vehicle that costs
less to buy, operate and keep in running
order.
There is no end of speculation as to what
the big-three auto makers plan to do to COM
bat the trend So far, these makers haven't
said much. The 1859 models will be bigger
and more powerful thar ever and perhaps,
more expensive. But more and more observ-
ers of the Detroit scene think that the econo-
my idea is beginning to take on weight. The
u. S. automobile industry has had a great
and well-deserved reputation for vitality and
for the ability to change when change is in
order. The universal hope is that the indus
try will read the signs aright-whatever they
may point to-and pull triumphantly out of
its slump.
UNKNOWN SOLDIER OF w. w. III
Although we do not think of it too often
the fact is that the role of unknown dead IL
World War ii is not yet completed Thirteen
years after the war in Europe ended, this
month, and almost thirteen years since Japan
surrendered august IA, 1945) new graves
are still being found.
Most of these graves being found in the
fields are of men who died in skirmishes and
who were hurriedly buried by their comrades
in shallow graves. Identification of such dead
is almost impossible today. Those who buri-
ed them are scattered. dead, or do not re-
member names and details.
Yet after all these years, there is still no
unknown soldier in the Arlington National
Cemeterv-an unknown soldier from World
War IT, That situation is being corrected and
recently an unknown soldier was selected at