Rolling Out the Autos

The upsurge in the economy seemed to be picking up more speed, led by the auto industry. The carmakers, who have been keeping their fingers crossed about their rising sales, last week boosted production to 136,409 cars, the best week this year and the most cars produced since the week of Dec. 13, when the industry was in the flush of the new-model demand. Total auto output was 2,126 over the preceding week and 55,849 ahead of the comparable week of 1958.

In much of the auto industry overtime pay was the rule. Ford's Ford Division was operating six days at five assembly plants. So was the Lincoln-Thunderbird unit, along with Studebaker-Packard and American Motors. George Romney's Ramblers set another production record: 8,550 cars turned out on the way up to a programed rate of 8,850. Still catching up from the effects of a strike-caused glass shortage, Plymouth was on a six-day week at the Detroit, Newark, Del. and Los Angeles assembly plants.

Other signs of surge:

P: The Commerce Department reported February personal income was at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $364.5 billion, $1.5 billion over the month before and $1 7 billion over a year ago.

P: The Federal Reserve Board reported that February industrial production rose to 144, seasonally adjusted (1947-49 = 100). This is only three points under the record high set December 1956.

P: Private-housing starts rose with the improvement in the weather, on a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,320,000 units, were 35% above a year ago.

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