Ford's Power

Sleek and slender as its sponsor, the new Ford Six was motored out of the Detroit factory last week as Henry Ford & Edsel watched. The elder man smiled contentedly as it was placed beside the fifteenth million model T flivver. Its maximum speed is 60 miles per hour. And it was the first product of the Detroit plant since May 26.

Wall Street, puzzled by the silence of Mr. Ford, continued its speculation regarding his new moves and how they may affect his greatest rival, General Motors Corp.

The Standard Statistic Co., financial tabulators, last week stirred the stock exchange with their report of the potential power of Mr. Ford. "He has the power to disturb the automobile world, the entire business world," they said.

Pointing to his gigantic resources of $300,000,000, the Statistic Co. said: "He could, if he wished, clip more than $100,000,000 from the current value of stock owned by the General Motors Corp. stock-holders by forcing competition on an unequal basis.

"He could greatly pare down the profits of many other automobile concerns. . . . He could occasion widespread unemployment among employes of automobile concerns other than his own. He could turn his attention to lines of" manufacturing other than automobiles. He could take a financial loss for a time which would be large in actuality, but small relatively, and still remain . . . the richest man in the world. He could sell a million cars next year at $100 less than cost per car. Such a program . . . would make a very small net difference in the total value of Mr. Ford's estate."

Brokers believed the statisticians, and General Motors stock, that had attained a high point of 141 during the year, closed the week at 125 3/8.