Facts & Figures

Ford Finance. Outsiders got a rare glimpse at the financial innards of the Ford Motor Co. when the late Henry Ford's widow--and executrix of his estate-- filed an accounting in court. The company, which had been losing money in 1945 and 1946, had improved enough to pay dividends of $2 a share last December and $3 a share last April. About one-third of the $1,907,100 paid on the stock held by the estate went to grandchildren Henry, Benson, William and Josephine Ford, who were left the voting stock. The rest went to the Ford Foundation, which inherited the non-voting stock.

Cost of Living. Butter, which had hit $1 a pound in most big cities a year ago, was down to a 21-month low (67-c- a pound). Other changes in cost-of-living items were mostly down, with Manhattan Shirt Co. cutting spring prices on some shirts by 8% and the Florsheim Shoe Co. by 50-c- a pair on men's shoes. Notable exception: aspirin was boosted 3-c- a pound by one. of its biggest producers, Monsanto Chemical Co.

Cost of Dying. In Los Angeles, where death has an unusually competitive sting, Utter-McKinley Mortuaries mailed out certificates entitling the bearer to a $20 discount on funeral services.

Back to Nashua. Textron, Inc., which had vowed to pull out of its Nashua (N.H.) textile mills because of high costs, did some backtracking. After union and public officials protested about the loss of jobs, Textron agreed to sell the mills to a non-profit organization formed by local businessmen, lease part of the mills back for ten years. Of the town's 3,500 Textron workers, 1,800 will thus be assured of steady employment.

Stainless? The Department of Justice announced that 18 makers of stainless steel--roughly the U.S. steel industry-- had consented to a decree in an antitrust suit that banned them from fixing prices and "employing other restraints of trade." The steelmen said that, as they had already conformed with most of the provisions, they saw no reason to bring the case to trial.

Deal for Steel? General Motors Corp. announced that it would build two plants near Pittsburgh, one for "blanking" (cutting) steel, the other (a $13 million factory) for stamping out Fisher Bodies. G.M.'s official reason was that it needed a body assembly plant in the Pittsburgh area. But automakers thought there was another reason. They gossiped that G.M. had made a shrewd deal with Pittsburgh steelmen, who are worried that the decision on basing points (TIME, July 19) will make it hard for Pittsburgh to sell steel when the shortage is over. The steelmen reportedly had promised G.M. plenty of steel next year in return for the new G.M. plants, which would furnish a local market when demand falls off.

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