24 — MANCHESTER HERALD. Thurs., March 11, 1982 _ S Williams now tries to stay out of jail . p o ^ G 5 Fair tonight; sunny Saturday — See page 2 'We've cut inflation in half « i f r : Wholesale prices ■ \' decline for first . f time in six years By Denis G. Gulino Producer Price United Press International Index WASHINGTON - With declining P«rc«nt Chang# gasoline prices leading the way, From Provloua Month wholesale prices d r o p ^ 0.1 per­ cent in February, marking the first - f ir s t DECLINE- time in six years the wholesale in­ IN SIX YEARS - dex has gone down instead of up, the government reported today. lo d tx lo r F»bru»ry; _ The White House hailed the report . DOWN 0.1% - as "good news, indeed,’ ’ and spokesman Larry Speakes said, "W e've cut inflation in half.” Murray Weidenbaum, chairman of the President’s Council of ♦.2 Economic Advisers, said that along with other recent price reports the See»one>iy February figure shows “ quite clear­ ' Adjweied " ly there is a pervasive slowdown in I I I I I I I I I I I the rate of inflation.” FMAMJ J A SOND Weidenbaum said the report in­ 1981 dicated a “ pervasive” decline in in­ flation at many levels — not only for finished wholesale goods but also for decline in another major category, raw materials and semi-finished capital equipment, was a surprise. goods. Auto prices went down 1.3 percent, The report meant wholesale price light truck prices plum m eM by 7.9 inflation disappeared last month. percent and several varieties of fac­ The Labor Department said that tory equipment went down, taking large decreases in energy prices and the overall capital goods sector a decline in automobile prices wiped down 0.4 percent, its first drop since out a haif percent increase in food October 1972, costs to bring the overall Producer The 0.5 percent increase in food Price Index down, after seasonal prices followed a much steeper rise adjustment. in December of l.l percent. Fish, Gasoline got 2.7 percent cheaper cooking oils and vegetables got in February alone and all energy cheaper for dealers and one of the products together fell 1.8 percent in most widely used ingredients in price, the first tim e that has processed foods, refined sugar, went Rwriner hitler tar snKJjers appiaud MERITj happened since January 1976. down in price by 3.9 percent, the Many analysts say that the reces­ Herald photos by Tarquinlo department said. sion is the biggest factor making it However some foods bucked the difficult for suppliers to mark up moderating trend, with eggs in­ Rooming house fire prices. The pressure of slackening creasing in price by a whopping 8 demand combined with the world oil percent for the month alone, price as”Best-tasting low tar Fve triedr Smoke billows out of a second-floor door to a rooming house glut and better weather conditions increases accelerating for other on Arch Street,; as firefighters stand on the fire escape for meat deliveries has given dairy products as well as beef and preparing to enter the building. The fire apparently started dealers an unexpected break, which veal. when Sandra Barker (right) emptied an ashtray with a still­ may moderate consumer prices in Prices went down for alcoholic the weeks and months ahead. beverages, leather footwear, gold smoldering cigarette In a wastepaper basket. Story and more The rare boon for buyers was jewelry while they went up for pictures on page 4. broadly based. The department said cosmetics, prescription drugs, tires, Canalowtarcigaretteprovide MERIT Landslide. that for the first time since light bulbs and tobacco, the depart­ February 1975 prices were down ment said. ‘ In addition, extensive unmarked' throughout the entire wholesale Goods in the intermediate stage of the taste incentive to switch supply pipeline, for finished goods, processing declined in price by 0.3 pack tests confirm that M E R IT those being prepared for sale and percent and crude materials were smokers from higher tar brands? for raw materials. down 0.6 percent. Both categories No sludge pacts The mid-1970s were marked by the had been up in January. delivers a winning combination of Research proves M E R IT can. last decade’s most serious recession but even then deciines in the make way for an addition to its sewer plant. taste and low tar when compared with By Alex Girelli material was delivered wet and has been stored wholesale price index were Manchester needs it to cover landfill areas when Taste Debate Ends. at the landfill for future use. ’The town expected extremely uncommon. In the past 10 City Editor they reach final grade. The cover is required un­ dry “ ash,V burned sewer sludge. years of monthly statistics, New' virus higher tar leaders. der the regulations of the Department of En­ Nationwide survey reveals Representatives of Manchester and the Mat- Penny ^ i d when he and Director Arnold M. wholesale prices have gone down ERIT vironmental Protection, which issued the landfill tabassett Sewer District faiied yesterday to Kleinsclmtidt viewed the ash in August at Mat­ only eight times, department operation permit. Confirm ed: T h e overwhelming M enthol agree on terms under which the town would con­ tabassett n did not have an odor even in 90-degree anaiysts said. over 90% of M ERIT smokers ’The failure in negotiations ’Thursday leaves the tinue to accept materials from the district as weather. I In the unlikely event that may bring matter at a standstill. No deliveries are being cover for the town’s landfill. O’Brien could not say what the next step would February’s performance coiild be majority of smokers reported M E R IT accepted. who switched from higher tar are Tovm Attorney Keyin O’Brien said today no be in the light of the failure ’Thursday to iron out repeated for the next twelve Last week, however, the hauling contractor new meeting has been scheduled. all the problems. He did point out that the direc­ months, wholesale prices would was at the landfill grading and doing cieanup taste equal to—or better than—leading The town administration has been given a tors have M t the ’Tuesday deadline. decline at an annual rate of 1.7 per­ epidemic glad they did. In fact, 94% don’t work, according to Kandra. As public works Tuesday deadline to work out an accord with Mat- cent, the department said. In con­ a s k e d ] t o d a y what would happen if the director, he is in charge of the operation. higher tar brands. tabassett. The Board of Directors set that trast wholesale prices went up by 7 Tuesday <^adline were not met. Penny said the Kandra, who took the post Jan. 4, said that in even miss their former brands. deadUne when it chastized General Manager percent in 1981. By Char.les S. Taylor directors yvould have to decide the next course of ' mid-February, because of the nature of the Confirm ed: W hen tar levels were Robert B. Weiss Monday for not having insisted The Producer Price Index for United Press International Further Evidence: 9 out of on formal, binding agreements from the district. action. If the town stopped getting Mattabassett materials being received, it was necessary to fill, it might be forced to buy more expensive fill alter (^ration s at the landfill. February was set at 277.4, which , a t l a NTA - A new strain of ’The lack of such agreements is blamed for the before seasonal adjustment was the « •* ii i elsewhere! revealed, 2 out of 3 chose the M E ^ T excessively wet fill, and the poor quality of much M EANW HILE FREDERICK Wajcs, who left same as in Januarv A samnle developing - an 10 former higher tar smokers of it, that Manchester has received from Mat- He said ihe administration had excellent oppor­ market balket of g< ^ s that cost ‘ hat could mean an upcoming tunities toj negotiate a good agreement with Mat­ town employ Jan. 22, said none of the undesirable combination of low tar and good taste. tabassett since deliveries began in early winter. “ ggs” — grease, grits, and screenings^ had been dealers $100 in 1967 would therefore tabassett earlier this winter, when on three oc­ cost $277.40 last month. ‘ oday toere was no evidence yet report M E R IT an easy switch, Yesterday’s meeting was at the home of WeiM, delivered up to the time he left. who is confined to bed as the result of a back in- casions Weiss had declared moratoriums on Year after year, in study after study, accepting any more of the sewer district’s sludge. The amount of that “ ggs” is one of the issues. Although gasoline prices have “^-^"nattonrCemers for Disease jury. that they didn’t give up taste in During these moratoriums, Mattabassett was The town agreed to accept no more than 2,500 been dropping in recent months the c o ^ r o r ^ to toe st^in, dublJS A- At the meeting were Weiss; George A. Kandra, cubic yards of it, but it appears that more has M ERIT remains unbeaten. The Manchester’s director of public works; Steven losing fl0,|900 a day and m i^ t have negotiated in Shanghai, represents an antigenic , switching, and diat M E R IT is the a way mom favorable to Manchester, Penny said. been delivered. “ drift” from previous A-type flu Werbner, acting assistant general manager; ’The town insists on burying the “ ggs” and not Gregory Abrahamian, executive director of the One o f Weiss’s responses to the directoris’ viruses.