Down to the Minimum

The U.S. is down to the last thin line of motorcars essential to the maintenance of its civilian economy. At the rate of 4,000 a day, the nation's much-enduring cars (average age 6.3 years) are rolling off the roads into the junk piles. By year's end, the Office of Defense Transportation predicts, only 23,750,000 privately owned passenger cars will be operating v. 29,507,000 in 1941.

In reserve are only some 650,000 used cars held by dealers or in storage, and less than 20,000 new 1942 models not yet released. The margin of safety in the U.S. car supply is as thin as the tires on many of the cars still rolling.

Passenger tire production for this year will be between 15,000,000 and 18,000,000 --far short of the scheduled 22,000,000, the estimated minimum tire requirements for civilian cars. Mechanics available to keep cars in repair have fallen some 44,000 short of the needed 250,000.

Gloomiest note: even with the best of luck, next year the attrition rate will rise to 2,000,000 cars.

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