Description of the industry. This industry embraces establishments primarily engaged in the manufacture or assembly of complete motor vehicles, motor-vehicle chassis, bodies, and such parts and accessories as gears, wheels, radiators, bumpers, shock absorbers, frames, horns, windshield wipers, etc., and trailers for motor trucks and truck tractors. This industry does not include establishments manufacturing tires and tubes, springs, ignition apparatus, batteries, starting and lighting equipment, headlights, sheet-metal stampings, hardware, etc. (Establishments manufacturing these products are classified for census purposes in other industries.) The manufacture of motorcycles is included in the Motorcycles, Bicycles, and Parts industry.

Prior to the 1939 Census of Manufactures the manufacture or assembly of motor vehicles and the manufacture of bodies, parts, and accessories (including all trailers) were treated as separate industries. To obtain figures comparable with those for 1939, the statistics for 1937 have been combined; data for establishments primarily engaged in the manufacture of passenger-car trailers have been deducted for 1937.

Cost of materials and value of products.-The figures for cost of materials, supplies, etc., and the figures for value of products for the industry include considerable duplication due to the fact that the products of establishments engaged in the manufacture of bodies, parts, and accessories are to a great extent consumed by other establishments in the industry in the manufacture of subassemblies and complete vehicles. To the extent that this condition exists, the published figures for cost of materials, etc., exceed the actual net cost of materials and the published figures for total value of products exceed the actual net value of products. In an effort to eliminate as much of the duplication as practicable, companies operating two or more motor-vehicle or parts plants in the same city were permitted to file. combined reports for such plants for 1939. As a result, a considerable portion of the duplication existing in the figures for earlier years has been eliminated for 1939. The figures for "Value added by manufacture" contain no duplication and therefore are more significant and of greater statistical value than the figures for "Cost of materials" and "Value of products."

Values of cars and other products.-Establishments classified in this industry were instructed, in reporting values for 1939, to furnish "net wholesale selling values at the plant covered by the report (based on average

net wholesale selling prices or on the prices at which invoiced to a separate selling department) of all products manufactured, processed, or assembled in this plant during the year.' plant during the year." In reporting values for 1937 manufacturers were instructed to furnish "net selling prices, not merely the cost of production, at the plant (based on average net f. o. b. factory prices or on the prices at which invoiced to a separate selling department) of all products manufactured, processed, or assembled by you within the year covered by this report." Federal excise taxes are included in the reported values of products and in the figures for cost of materials.

Motor-vehicle factory sales.-Factory sales of motor vehicles in 1939, compiled from manufacturers' monthly reports to the Bureau of the Census, amounted to 3,577,292 vehicles and chassis, 52,461 in excess of the Biennial Census figure of 3,524,831. This difference is largely accounted for by the fact that the monthly figures include foreign assemblies from parts made in the United States whereas some manufacturers, in making their Biennial Census returns, report, as such, parts used in foreign assemblies. Moreover, the monthly figures represent factory sales while the Biennial Census figures refer to production. In addi-. tion, the returns made by some of the establishments for the Biennial Census cover fiscal or business years while the monthly data are reported on a calendar-year basis in all cases.

Motor-vehicle registrations.-Figures on motorvehicle registrations, by States, are published by the Public Roads Administration, Federal Works Agency.

1 See GENERAL EXPLANATIONS-Definition of establishment.

2 See GENERAL EXPLANATIONS-Wage earners and wages.

3 Value of products less cost of materials, supplies, fuel, purchased electric energy, and contract work. See GENERAL EXPLANATIONS-Value added by manufacture. The 1937 figures shown are comparable with the 1939 statistics and exclude data for 85 establishments which in 1937 were primarily engaged in manufacturing trailers for passenger cars. They include data for 3 establishments which were originally classified in other industries for 1937 and previous years but which have now been transferred to this industry.

Not called for on schedule.