In 1919 the Martin Truck and Body Corp. of York, Pennsylvania and the Parry Manufacturing Co. of Indianapolis, Indiana merged to become the Martin-Parry Corporation. In March, 1930 the Martin-Parry Corp. was purchased by General Motors renaming it the Chevrolet Body Division. During this 11 year period Martin-Parry provided quality vehicles for the USA and other parts of the world.

 

There is an excellent history of the Martin-Parry Corporation on the Coachbuilt website.  The Coachbuilt website pertaining to the Martin-Parry Corporation is:  http://www.coachbuilt.com/bui/p/parry/parry.htm

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MARTIN-PARRY CORPORATION ACTIVITIES

1919 PARRY MANUFACTURING CO.

Manufactures commercial auto bodies

 

At a recent meeting of the directors of the Martin Truck and Body Corp., of York and the Parry Mfg. Co., of Indianapolis, a merger of these two large body­ building companies was effected.

The new organization will be known as the Martin-Parry Corp. The consolidation of the two plants will greatly increase production facilities and the combined output of the two plants will approximate 50,000 bodies the first year....

The following directors and officers were elected:
Chairman, John H. Watson, Jr., Vice-president, treasurer and director of International Agricultural Corp;
Guy E. Tripp, chairman of the board of directors, Westinghouse Electric Mfg. Co; FM Small, president, Martin Truck & Body Corp.;
Robert I. Bar, vice-president Chase Securities Corp.;
James F. Shaw, of Knauth, Nachod & Kuhne;
SE Parry, former president of Parry Mfg. Co;
George H. Walbridge, vice-president, Bonbright & Co.

Officers were elected as follows:
FM Small, President;
Henry Hopkins, Jr. Secretary and treasurer. 33 34 35

1920 MARTIN-PARRY CORPORATION

Stockholders of the Martin-Parry Corp are expected to ratify a proposal to sell the company's truck business to a new corporation.  The chief business of the company is the building of automobile bodies but so many orders for Atlas trucks have been received of late that the President Watson feels the operation should be segregated.

It is expected that a company, known as the Atlas Truck Co. will be formed with 100,000 shares of no par value stock to take over the truck business. It will pay Martin-Parry about $250,000 in cash for materials, etc. and a block of stock.  This stock, it is intended, will be distributed to Martin-Parry holders who will also be given an opportunity to subscribe to additional shares of Atlas Truck stock.  In all about 60,000 shares of the truck company's stock is to be issued and the amount offered for subscription will be underwritten. 36


1921 MARTIN-PARRY CORPORATION

The Martin-Parry Corp. manufacturers of light commercial bodies, with plants at York, PA and Indianapolis, have made a second reduction in the price of their commercial and farm bodies for Fords.  This reduction amounts to as much as 10 percent on certain models and becomes effective June 20. 37

Seven new assembling and distributing branches will be opened in the near future by the Martin-Parry Corp. The will be located in Philadelphia, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Detroit, St. Louis, Kansas City and Newark. The same number of branches now is in operation. The purpose of opening the new stations is to carry a complete line of commercial bodies, relieving dealers from the necessity of tying up money in body stocks and to satisfy growing demands for sectional bodies. The plant of the company at York, PA is running at capacity and Indianapolis plant on a 50 per cent basis. 38


1922 MARTIN-PARRY CORPORATION

Martin-Parry Corp. has located a factory branch in Detroit as one of 29 similar branches the company is now operating throughout the country... 39

The Indianapolis plant of the Martin-Parry Corp. of York, PA will make the greater part of an order for 40,000 truck bodies of a special type placed by the Willys­ Overland Co. The bodies are equipped with new labor and time-saving devices.
It is said that the Martin-Parry Company also has working agreements with Chevrolet and Ford companies and is figuring on a contract with Buick. 40

St. Louis, Jan 28 - A portion of the plant formerly occupied by the Union Dairy Co. has been leased to the Martin-Parry Corp., truck body builders, of Indianapolis and York, PA. The St. Louis plant is to be used for assembling and as a distributing base for the South and West. The parts will be shipped to St. Louis nested and crated, in carload lots, and assembled here for distribution and sale. 41

The Martin-Parry Corp. announces that it will duplicate in Los Angeles an assembling and service plant recently opened in a new building in San Francisco.
Assembling and service plants also have been opened in Omaha, Denver and Salt Lake City. 42

1923  MARTIN-PARRY CORPORATION

Revised sales methods proving successful --branch system with lower prices moving the product rapidly--Atlas Truck also coming ahead. 43

1925  MARTIN-PARRY CORPORATON

Martin-Parry Corp. may add to capital-Stockholder to meet January 26, to vote on proposal to increase outstanding shares by 2000,000 - there are now 100,000 shares issued. 44 45

Martin-Parry Location of the southern plant of the Martin-Parry Corp. in Jackson, MS was announced recently by JA Callahan, Gen. Mgr. and Henry Kawn, Mgr. Of the local plant.  Construction is to start at once and the officials expect to have the plant in operation by the middle of the winter. The Martin-Parry Corporation is one of the largest builders of auto truck bodies in the US. The initial plant of the corporation will cover 150,000-sq. ft. and employ 400 or more workmen. 46 47

1926 MARTIN-PARRY CORPORATION

Martin-Parry financially strong-- Cash of $217,640 shown on balance sheet of August 31 -Notes payable reduced to $225,000-Surplus account is advance to
$1,833,541. 48

1927 MARTIN-PARRY CORPORATION

Martin-Parry Corp reports for the year ended Aug 31 loss of $620,905 after charges and inventory adjustment.  Profit on sales of the investments in
Was $791,574, leaving net profit for the year of $170, 669. This compares with net income of $5,234 in proceeding year. 49

1930 MARTIN-PARRY CORPORATION

Martin-Parry Corp. has reduced its capital from $2,280,000 to $1,000,000, thus permitting the creation of adequate working capital as well as the payment of a liquidating dividend of $4 a share to holders. The management is being concentrated in York, PA and the activity of the company will henceforth comprise of the manufacturing of windshields and other automotive parts... 50

The Martin-Parry Corp reports for the three months ending May 31 net loss of
$44,027, after expenses, interest and charges comparing with a net loss of
$120,663 in the preceding  quarter and a net profit of $8.891, in the quarter ending May 31 last year. 51

Martin Parry Company, Indianapolis, Indiana-Certain of the plant facilities and branch operations of this Company were acquired for the purpose of producing commercial bodies for the truck department of the Chevrolet Motor Division and for coordinating body production with chassis production. As truck and commercial cars form an important part of the business of the Chevrolet Division, this acquisition will enable the Company to establish definite price on the completed vehicles based upon the most efficient and effective manufacturing methods. A cash payment was made for the plant facilities in the amount of
$900,000. 52



33 Motor World, June 11, 1919, page 45
34 Power Wagon, July 1919, page 42
35 Automobile Trade Journal, Aug 1919
36 The Automobile, April 15, 1920, page 929
37 Motor Age, June 23, 1921, page 11
38 Motor World, Aug 10, 1921, page 42
39 Automotive Industries, Jan 26, 1922, page 203
40 Automotive Industries, Feb 2, 1922, page 249
41 Motor World, Feb 1, 1922, page 37
42 Automotive Industries, Jun 29, 1922, page 1447
43 Automobile Topics, May 12, 1923, page 1228
44 Automotive Industries, Jan 22, 1925
45 Automobile Topic, Jan 24, 1925, page 1059
46 Motor Age, Oct 22, 1925, page 33
47 Automobile Topic, Nov 21, 1925, page 119
48 Automobile Topics, Nov 27, 1926, page 220
49 Automotive industries, Nov 10, 1928, page 681
50 The Golden Age of the Luxury Car, Jan 1930, page 138 51 Automobi le Topics, July  19, 1930
52 General Motors Corporation twenty-second Annual Report, dated Dec 31, 1930