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Show : : ' i iPostwar Buyers Prefer Automobiles 25,000 Queried Rate Homes 2nd, New Radios 3rd Few 'Won't Buy at Inflated .Prices'; Woman Wants 'A Decent Girdle.' MINNEAPOLIS. MINN. More Americans plan to buy a new automobile auto-mobile within the first year after the end of the war than any other major item; a new home is the sec- rsr. mnrf fromionf TMirrhasp found on Mr. and Mrs. America's postwar shopping list, it is shown by replies to an inquiry made to 25,000 policyholder policy-holder families of Northwestern National Na-tional Life Insurance company. A new radio ranks third among postwar purchases now planned, and extensive trip, either U. S. or foreign, is close behind, the survey shows. Eager anticipation of coming improvements im-provements and new "gadgets" described de-scribed in current newspaper and magazine articles and advertisements, advertise-ments, was disclosed by replies which listed such items as home air conditioning, plastic kitchen equipment, equip-ment, and frozen food cabinets. Almost Al-most two-thirds of the prospective postwar home owners stated their Intention to build rather than buy, suggesting a desire to incorporate new ideas in construction and cquip: ment. "What major purchases do you expect to make when the war is over say within the first year after the removal of wartime restrictions?" restric-tions?" was the question. Over 13 per cent of the families queried one out of every eight sent in their postwar "shopping list" This unusually un-usually high questionnaire return is another measure of the eager interest in-terest of the U. S. public in postwar products, the report points out. Replacements Needed. Most lists name several major purchases planned; many remark that it will take considerably more than a year, perhaps several years, to manage all of the purchases listed. list-ed. Many more say that present automobile or household equipment is nearly worn out, and list mechani-' mechani-' cal refrigerators, washing machines, vacuum cleaners, etc., as "must" purchases 'at an early date. Tabulating the replies to the inquiry, in-quiry, the report shows that slightly over 50 per cent of the families responding re-sponding plan to buy an automobile within the first year after wartime restrictions are removed. This represents rep-resents 6Vfe per cent of the entire 25,000 queried; even assuming that most of the families who failed to send in shopping lists are not planning plan-ning any purchases, extension of the tabulation would indicate a banked-up banked-up demand for at least two million automobiles in the United States as soon as they can be made available, the report says. One-third of those replying expect to build or start buying a home soon after the end of the war. Of these families, 60 per cent intend to build, 32 per cent plan to buy, and 8 per cent are undecided. Better than one out of four 28 per cent of those replying plan an extensive trip of some kind, three-fourths three-fourths of them in the United States. A new radio is listed in 30 per cent of the shopping plans for the first postwar year, a new mechanical refrigerator re-frigerator in 23 per cent. A new heating plant is on the postwar purchase pur-chase program of 10 per cent of the families replying, 7 per cent plan to buy home air conditioning equipment, equip-ment, 3 per cent expect to remodel their present house. Many say they will buy an airplane after the war, "if conditions are right for its use." Farms, Equipment Listed. Approximately 2V6 per cent -list new farm equipment, 2 per cent expect ex-pect to buy a farm, most likely a small one. Other miscellaneous items listed for early postwar purchase pur-chase are washing machines, vacuum vac-uum cleaners, and other household equipment, with a frequent notation that present equipment is almost worn out. Additional education for the children and additional life insurance in-surance are also listed. Some families hedge their buying plans with such provisos as, "Won't buy, however, at inflated prices," and "Depends, of course, on how much it takes to pay taxes after the war." Several responses list among their major . postwar purchases, "plenty of beefsteak and butter." And one lady looks forward to a new automobile, auto-mobile, a new, radio, an extensive trip, and "a decent girdle." |