Business & Finance: P. O. D. for F. O. B.

The F. O. B. price is almost as much a tradition of the automobile industry as the assumption that Henry Ford makes the lowest-priced car in the U. S. Last week when Chevrolet suddenly announced that henceforth it would quote only prices on delivery it looked as if both traditions might be doomed. One objection to P. O. D. is that it bars from national advertising the use of price. But with the fastest-selling U. S. automobile leading the way, F. O. B. may soon be a dated term. And Chevrolet claims that in any competitive comparison of P. O. D., it will have the advantage.

¶ Walter P. Chrysler buys most of his lighting and ignition equipment from Delco-Remy, a subsidiary of his biggest rival. General Motors. But most of his instrument boards and gauges he buys from Moto Meter Gauge & Equipment Corp. Last week Moto Meter was gobbled up by its Toledo neighbor, Electric Auto-Lite, which makes a great many electrical accessories for independent automobile companies but none for Mr. Chrysler. Having thus acquired part of Mr. Chrysler’s business, Auto-Lite will probably lose no time in asking for the rest.

¶ Fords have two springs, mounted transversely, instead of the usual four on other cars. People have wondered why Henry Ford did not wake up to the fact that he had independent wheel action on not two but four wheels. Last week Ford advertising came back at “knee action” with “FREE ACTION!”