OLDSMOBILE, which wound up 1953 in seventh place in the auto industry, has been rocketing ahead with its 1954 models, will probably nudge Plymouth out of fourth. Though Plymouth still leads in the four-month totals (138,996 v. 136,748), Olds outproduced it by 6,417 units in April, will probably be right behind Buick again in May, thus giving G.M. three of the four top makes.

PROXY RETURNS to Wall Street brokers to date hint at a majority vote for Robert R. Young in his battle to win control of the New York Central. The brokers, who hold an estimated 40% (more than 2,578,000 shares) of all Central stock for individual owners, report that the proxies counted so far are running well over 50% in favor of Young and against the Central management.

TV SALES of black & white sets, despite all the worry about color, are at last year's level. First-quarter totals: 1,780,795 sets sold, barely 100 sets lower than the number sold in the first three months of 1953.

NO-RAIDING PACT between the C.I.O. and A.F.L. is on the rocks.

Dave Beck's big A.F.L. Teamsters Union refused to sign such an agreement, and now the C.I.O. Steelworkers Union, second biggest in the C.I.O. (1,200,000 members), has also refused to sign, thus virtually wrecking its chances.

COACH SHORTAGE on U.S. railroads is beginning to worry the Office of Defense Mobilization. The number of cars in service on major roads has dropped from 29,000 in 1944 to 22,300 this year. ODM has set a goal of 1,250 new passenger cars for 1955, will work out fast tax write-offs to help finance them.

HIGH-GRADE MICA, too costly to mine in the U.S., will soon be made synthetically for the electronics industry. Mycalex Corp. of Clifton, N.J. has found an inexpensive way to make mica of magnesium, aluminum, silicon and fluorine, is ready to swing into large-scale production after successfully operating a pilot plant. Eventually, the process may make the U.S. less dependent on foreign supplies of high-grade mica, 95% of which (about 26 million lbs. annually) is imported from India.

PACKARD AND STUDEBAKER are talking about a merger to compete better against the Big Three.

EASTERN AIR LINES, whose costs have been rising faster than its increase in passengers, will shoot for higher volume through more low-fare air-coach service. Starting next week, Eastern will increase coach planes from 22% to ,50% of its total flights, expects to boost the percentage to 60%-65% by the end of 1955.

CUBA, which has no coal and imports some 50,000 bbls. of oil daily (90% of consumption), may soon have its first sizable producing oilfield. A group of U.S. oilmen and Cuban promoters have brought in the country's biggest find, with a well pumping 250 bbls. of good-quality oil in the Jatibonico Basin, about 215 miles southeast of Havana.

THE GOVERNMENT DRIVE for economy is reaching into the dustiest nooks and crannies. Latest target is the daily Treasury balance statement, which since 1916 has been issued with a two-day lag, but will now be three days late, thus allowing the Treasury Department to lay off three employees in its Bureau of Accounts. Saving: $10,000 a year.

A NEW NATIONAL AIR policy has been drafted by top industry officials and sent along to the White House for consideration. Major proposal: an orderly end to airline subsidies and a gradual merger of routes so that strong unsubsidized lines can each carry their share of money-losing routes that must be continued in the public interest. Big scheduled airlines will probably back the report, but smaller lines may fight it on the ground that they would be swallowed up under the plan.

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