Facts & Figures

Body Blow. The General Motors strike (see NATIONAL AFFAIRS) knocked the wind out of the stock market. In three days, the Dow-Jones industrial averages dropped 5.71 points. G.M. fell 3^ points to 70-3-; Chrysler dropped 5^ to 126^ before the market caught its breath ana steadied.

Sail Ho! By year's end, the U.S. will again be importing commodities from the troubled Netherlands East Indies. The Netherlands Chamber of Commerce in New York announced that the first cargoes will include: tapioca, spices, varnish gums, essential oils, hides & skins.

F.O.B. U.S.S.R. Russia is priming its automotive industry to compete in world markets with Detroit's automakers. Under a new five-year plan, retooled tank plants and new auto factories will mass-produce low-cost cars. The Gorki works alone is scheduled to roll out 1,000 a day. But last week, this news was the least of Detroit's worries.

Spick & Span. The U.S. Army has almost stopped buying soap. It has more than enough for its needs, plans to sell the surplus. Among items up for disposal: 19,851,000 cakes of toilet soap; 1,345,000 Ibs. of soap chips; 1,588,000 tubes of shaving cream.

Stretchable. For the next three years, the world will have a huge surplus of rubber. So concluded the Rubber Study Group, comprised of experts of The Netherlands, United Kingdom, U.S. and France, at its second meeting held in London. The Group estimated production of synthetic and natural rubber at about 2.7 million tons, world consumption at 1.5 million tons.

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