Motor Mergers

President Albert Russel Erskine of the Studebaker (motor cars) Corp. has a thriving $135,878,000 industry at South Bend, Ind. At Buffalo, N. Y., 450 miles away, President Myron E. Forbes of the Pierce-Arrow Motor Car Co. also has a not so thriving industry, with assets of $24,373,000. These facts, plus the reasonable inference that Studebaker might specialize on one grade of car and Pierce-Arrow on another, plus the further fact that President Erskine last week admitted he has been having informal conversations with President Forbes on the subject, indicated that a Studebaker-Pierce-Arrow merger was possible. But nothing definite has happened in that specific regard.

President Forbes and President Edward S. Jordan of the Jordan.Motor Car Co. at Cleveland, also have considered a joining of their companies. But that has been too nebulous so far for anything but denials.

The Nash Motors Co. at Kenosha, Wis., also has been in merger discussions. But doughty President Charles W. Nash has been "sitting tight," saying nothing. Last week he let it be known that behind locked gates and doors his engineers are redesigning the Nash motor and body to improve speed and chic of present models.