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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 9, 1982)
features Battalion/Page I; September 9, tJ — Quirks in the News warped UJHAT MAPPPWFD by Scott McCull No sexism in New York United Press International NEW YORK — The city no longer offers jobs to foremen, seamstresses, or linemen, thanks to a liberated New York City Personnel Department. “neutral” titles for nearly all positions. Thus “foreman,” “able sea man” and “lineman” have be come “supervisor” “mariner” and “line repairer,” respectively. Man returns $20,000 OH, YEAH, BUT SEE., ) ..S0 VO U In an effort to purge sexism from the bureaucracy, the de partment has adopted new Perhaps the most eyecatching of all was the substitution for seamstress, which is now a “sew er,” pronounced soh-er and not to be confused with the under ground municipal installation. CHICAGO — A disabled iron worker lived up to the philo sophical adage,’’easy come, easy go,” in giving up $20,000 in un canceled checks to Wieboldt’s Department store Monday. Edward Japczyk, 63, found the checks scattered in a parking lot across from his home and im mediately notified store offi cials. I WA5 LATE F0K THIS IMPORTANT Mt.ETIN& RND I COULDN'T FIND A PARKING SPACE ANV CLOSER, SO.. Jackie Floyed Electrolysis The only permanent hair removal method If you are seriously considering hair removal Jackie Floyed offers you a safe and effective method Electrolysis is AMA approved and permanent. By Appt. 693-5909 Located in Derma Culture 707 Texas 109A PARKED HERE, TOST LIKE A STUDENT FOR A CLASS SEE, VOU‘RE more appre- States’ economy suffers recession Texas faces declining oil industr TA/VU/ SPORTS 0& ‘peat the Heat! avtocrov THE HEXTjr OHi, SURHIM HO06ER THIS SUNDAY, SEPTIZ,0H ZAOMY PARKMC, LOT flE4i?TRATioti TUAEO Run? - l.ao AUTOCfl05teR$ t 5PF/TA-rnc>< f 1° United Press International As oil drilling activity dips to its lowest point in years, and as the nation’s economic recession worsens, Texas’ economy is hurting — although not as badly as states in the Midwest and Northeast. “The economy is faced with a double-barreled assault,” said Charles Casdorf of the Houston Chamber of Commerce. “We’re facing an energy recession and the national recession, which is finally affecting us.” The last week in July, Hughes Tool Co. reported 2,671 active drilling rigs in the United States — the lowest number in the past 27 months. Although Texas’ rigs were the nation’s most active, with 815 rigs at work, this number represented a drop of 20 from the week before. Last year at this time, Texas had 1,362 rigs working. In the 35 counties covered by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Houston, numerousenergy re lated companies both produc tion and support firms, had filed for bankruptcy from January through July. In the U.S. Bank- SPECIAL SALE Noon to 6 o'clock Friday, September lO One afternoon only 50% oft TOP D RAWER A&N CLUB ruptcy Court in Dallas for the same period, 17 energy firms told the court they were going under. “A lot of them just don’t have enough capital to wait it out,” said Houston court spokes woman Elayne Shochet Tatar. “And the interest rates are kill ing all of them.” In June, unemployment in the nation’s third most populous state hit a record 7.7 percent — the highest jobless rate since the Texas Employment Commis sion began keeping such statis tics in 1970. An average of more than $13 million in unemploy ment benefits were paid out each week in June. In July, the jobless rate dip ped to 7.3 percent, but thousands of Texans supposed ly immune from layoffs stood in unemployment lines. Chuck Bertani, head of the Texas International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, said machinists and steelworkers have felt the brunt of the current hard times be cause of their dependency on the energy business. Bertani estimated 11,500 of the 26,000 union machinists in Texas have been laid off in the last nine months, Bertani pre dicts as many as 50 Texas machine shops will go bankrupt in the next three months. “With (the big companies) having layoffs like they are, they will keep jobs they have subcon tracted out in the past. I know of about 40 shops that totally make their living off Cameron (Iron Works Inc), and I know they are going to go under,” Bertani said. The TEC estimates 40,000 people have been laid off this year and no one knows how many workers have lost their jobs through attrition. Joe Hlavinka, a 32-year crane operator for ARMCO Steel in Houston, last month had his work schedule reduced to one week every three weeks. He said the short schedule probably will remain in effect the rest of the year. Hlavinka, 59, hoped to work another year before retir ing, but now is considering early retirement to draw his pension. Nancy Smith, 27, of Beaumont planned to take a one year leave of absence from her fifth-grade teachingjob at Vidor Elementary School to stay home with her infant. She is heading back to school, however, for fear she may not have ajob to return to if she waits too long. Her hus band, Chuck, works at Beaumont’s Ideco Corp. plant, a subsidiary of Dresser Industries, which builds oil drilling rigs. Because of Chuck’s status as a union official, Mrs. Smith said he had been told he would be one of the last to go if there are more cutbacks, out she said there were daily rumors of more layoffs. Don Lander, 44, father of three, has worked in the oil equipment design industry most of his life. In September 1981, he was laid off by Baker Produc tion Services, a subsidiary of Baker Oil Tools. A month later he was hired by Smith Industries Inc., only to have his work hours cut in May. “I started in this field in 1957 and there have been several slow periods, but there’s never been anything like this,” he said. “I never thought this would ever happen. I always told my wife that I never had to worry about a job in Houston.” Two of Land er’s children are in college and he’s told them will they will now have to pay their own way. “It’s unquestionably the most difficult economic period Texas has experienced in a good many years and it is a reflection of probaby the deepest kind of re cession we’ve had for a very, very long time,” said Terence Travland, assistant chief of the TEC Economic Research De partment. “The last significant reces sion we had in Texas was really in 1975-1976. The highest rate of unemployment was in June of 1976 when the rate reached 7.0 percent,” Travland said. Dr. Francis “Doug” Tuggle, Dean of Administration at Rice University, believes the worst is yet to come. “I don’t look for any substantial pickup for the next AGGADXLLO T-Shirts *9” Sweatshirts *12 7S 13 oz. Tumblers * 5 00 each Maroon or White — All Sizes Call: Carolyn White 846-8788 Office 693-0506 Home (The Real Estate Mart) PCPA IV Professional Career Planning in Agriculture Bar-be-que 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 15 Tickets I 3 00 Tickets available Sept. 6-Sept. 10 MSC Main Hall 12 to 18 months,” he said. Tug gle maintains a Darwinian atti tude about energy firms going bankrupt. “In the post oil-crisis period, there were too many oil com panies. This is the shakeout. The fittest firms will survive. The fewer firms that survive will be more fit,” Tuggle said. “But when the nation’s economic en- ? ;ine recovers, Texas is going to uel it.” Tuggle believes the state's E olitical and business climate, its ick of a personal income tax and its lack of labor unions, and its “can-do" spirit will help it bounce back from the current bad time. Various pockets of the state support Tuggle’s optimism. Houston, the state’s biggest city with the most people depen dent on oil, has recorded the highest raw number of layoffs. Unemployment in June was 7.1 percent more than a third high er than it was two years ago. But Houston is still expand ing, largely because people be lieve demand for oil inevitably will rebound. The National Association of Realtors predicts Houston will lead the nation in housing starts for the eighth consecutive year. In Dallas, Texas financial, in surance and mercantile capital with a fairly diversified eco nomy, unemployment climbed to 7.2 percent in June. San Antonio’s five military bases have helped provide a steady economy despite the re cession, according to Ken Daly, assistant director of the city de partment of economic and em ployment development. “The military provides a sort of cushion for the overall economy by providing a steady employ ment base and steady income,” Daly said. “It keeps a large per centage of San Antonio consum ers with jobs, which generates more jobs.” However, the manufacturing sector in San Antonio has been hard hit by the recession. Swearingen Aircraft Inc., laid off 400 people earlier this year — the largest single layoff in San : ms SA 'E Antonio this year. Unemployment in Sail K,, nio reached 8.9 percentii!) and a recent study by tii F* Antonio Chamber ofComa said employers in thaia 27 percent lower wages national average. In the oil-rich WesiTi cities of Midland and the downturn in drillinga tells the story. Midlandreo a 7.6 percent uneDMj rate in June while Odessai tered an 8.4 pcrcentjobh In the agricultural CM Luhlxxrk, officials otfli many as half of the land the South Plains and Rank are facing heavy losswandjB sibe bankruptcy becauseo mI { damage from heavy rairoH hail this year. State Agriculture CooflB c sioner Reagan Brown eslimBrg damages of $6:16 millionlo^B f ton and grain crops in the IS s Panhandle. Fhe crop lots B s pled with high interestrateB ( low commodity prices disaster for those who their living off the land.UiB * AN ployment in Lubbock in was 6.2 percent. In Austin, the econom; mains strong with a 4.6 unemployment rate in junt one of the lowest in the Texas Instruments Inc.L laid off some workersbeauB slow demand for semicondB tors, and Westinghouse It-. which operates an indusBY motors plant north of r laid off some workers in J uly because of slow demand*' equipment. However, Motcp Inc. recently announced f Q < LCU openings at its Austin plan!I In El Paso,jeansmanufadl ers — outranked in jeans [| duction only by Hong have lost money from the ref ' 1 -n sion. U: W1 -vorld’: :oncer existin In the rich farming lancthefas the Rio Grande Valley, uedt fund ployment soared to 13.3 per a curri in the Brownsville-San Beit An Harlingen area and 14.9;5tuden cent in the McAllen-Plimanag Edinburg area. cook ] with tl -al facil culum ATTENTION ALL RECOGNIZED STUDENT Pizza 1 King, dozen food c Sc ORGANIZATIONS & Mich. Check your boxes for a copy of the 1983 Aggie ve i op : land yearbook contract. If for some reason yoedems organization has not received a contract and yot [° r ta r group wishes to be included in the Aggielanffiye! contact our office at 845-2681 or 845-2611. a natively, a representative of your group may drof| taii 1 r | by our office, RM 0012 in the basement ofrfustd Reed McDonald Building and pick up a contract ^* ed an 'ta, K; line. Pre-Law Society ni| “ Ir :prom ididn’ iPolla j “W ■Mich General Meeting s Come, Join, Get Acquainted #308 Rudder 7 p.mi •■J;. - ' vWanV