Business Confidence
Continues ItsWarmup
New York ? The cold figures
stay all but frann but business
confidence is warming up not
ably.
The statistics show Industrial
output at the same record level
for four months now and total
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jjivniuviiuii vi guuus aiiu SCT
vices all but unchanged. The
more penw?l figures ? em
ployment, individual Incomes
and consumption, saving and
spending ? hold at their high
level. But they don't rise as
many would like to see.
Still business sentiment has
improved in teeent weeks. And
so have the forecasts for the
coming year.
Belief that the economy
would turn up rather than down
showed up first in the stock
market. Rising prices represent
ed many thing ? belief that the
Cuban crisis held promise of
better day* on the internation
tl political scence; prospect of
more spending (or defense,
nonetheless; interpretation of
administration tax cutting and
spending plans as meaning a
larger federal deficit and per
haps another round of infla
tion; and the expectation that
both the consumer and the busi
nessman would loosen their
purse strings, with the Cuban
war scare out of the way.
Rising stock prices bolstered
confidence generally. But the
same factors back of the mar
ket boom made many business
men decide - that 1968 was less
likely to see a downturn in the
economy than they had thought
a few weeks back.
Those who still look for an
easing In the business pace in
the early weeks of the new year
now expect it to be along norm
al seasonal lines, with an up
swing to follow. Only a few
nay-sayers still expect a reces
sion by midyear.
Much of the new confidence
is based oa the belief that the
adaiftistratian and the Con
gress will work out some form
of tax relief ? and reasonably
MM-ty in the upcoming season.
A cut in the corporate in
come tax rate would five com
panies more net income to
spend ? for new equipment or
for bigger dividends. New rule*
for depreciation write-offs for
tax purposes work toward the
same end.
Lower rates on personal in
comes wauW give individuals
more money to spend . to the
benefit of business ? or more
money to save, thus building
up institutional funds that busi
ness can tap when it wants to
borrow.
So, at the end of this year,
business is looking ahead to an
other year of at least modest
growth ? far better than the re
cession many feared after the
stock market break at the end
of May.
Soviet stresses supervision of
economic orders.
StaLlings Jewelers
SLICK SLUSH caused can to &e into
ditches Uei vtk during the snow and cold.
These pretty co-eds from Appalachian State
Teachers College give ? troubled motorist ?
helping hand in the bitter cold and slippery'
conditions.
Garden Time
By M. E. GARDNER
. (N. C. State College)
.
A real good bulletin kas just
been released by tfc? .USDA
which you shqwkl know about.
The title: "Controlling Insects
on Flowers.*'
The bulletin covers the des
cription and control of about
400 insects which attack flowers
and is well illustrated with
many illustrations in color. At
tention is also called to the
proper use of dusts and sprays,
equipment, and precautions to
observe when handling and ap
plying insecticides.
The bulletin is for sale by
the Superintendent of Docu
ments, U. S. Government Print
ing oiffice, Washington 25, D.
C. The price is 40 cents per
copy. If you wish to have for re
ference an authentic publica
tion in a small package, I can
highly recommend this one.
A Rockingham, N. C. reader,
who was kind enough to give
"Garden Time: a little boost, is
having quite a problem with
pine needles on his lawn. He
has almost an acre, excluding
the bouse site, in his lot and it
is "full of pines". His question
is how to control pine straw so
that he can have both summer
and winter grass.
1 bgve written him for addi
tional Information relative to
the kind(s) of pine trees in his
OFFERS
Dependable, Personal Momy
Service for die needs of the
whole family
lawn and the number. When I
hear from him I will try to help.
I bring this question up be
cause I have a friend who has
? yard full of loblolly pines. He
has solved his problem by mak
ing no attempt to have grass,
and, in bis case, it works real
well. He doesn't have a weed
problem either.
Around the house and in the
side and backyard, he has very
effectively used convex-leaf and
rotundifolia hoHies, sasanqua
and jiponica camellias and aza
leas. Since all of his plants in
his landscape plan are ever
green, some of them winter
bloomers, he has color of eith
er flower or foliage throughout
the year.
His pines are growing in a
natural environment, which
they like. My colleagues in For
estry tell me that pines do not
like grass. This has also been
my observation. Neither do
they like the high nitrogen
level necessary to keep grass
green and growing. They will
respond to phosphorus and pot
ash.
FOREIGN AID CHECK-UP
President Kennedy has aet up
a bi-partisan committee to i?
vestigate the 94,OOO.OOO.QO?*
year foreign -aid program and
see if it is fulfilling Its aim.'
General Lucius D. Clay, the
President's former repi-esenta
tive in West Berlin, heads the
group.
. The obvious aim is to shape
a program which will gain con
gressional and public approval
in 1963. White House officials
admit that foreign aid becomes
harder to sell each year.
Weaver salutes Job progress
of U. S. Negroes.
Ayers Electric Shop
Paul & Ralph Say:
w - T? ? ' ? '
Om af the jays of this
HoHday Time
is the opportunity
to great yon
and
express oar gratitude
for the
pleasant relations
we have enjoyed
In the past year.
Wishing Yea A
MERRY CHRISTMAS |
and a
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
?PAUL & RALPH
c.
Watauga
< 1.1
Ralph Gwaltney
Mary Sjia
Hartley
Mary Brawn
Jortt
Bodenhelmfr
Winkler Motor Co.