STATE OF BUSINESS: Quickening Pulse

All through the economy, the business pulse was quickening. In January, the auto industry turned out 658,700 cars, a record for the month, and a rate of 8,000,000 a year. (The only better months in history were June, August and October of 1950.) The most spectacular performance was turned in by Chrysler. Fighting to regain its lost markets, it came within a half of 1% of President Lester Lum ("Tex") Colbert's goal by boosting its production from 13% of the industry's total to 19.5%. Plymouth bumped G.M.'s Buick from third place in...