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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 14, 1991)
TREKusa One of the largest inventories of Trek Bicycles in Texas! Hundreds and Hundreds of Close-Out Models save §50-$200 764-2000 f - J 3122 S. Texas CYCLJEtinr we have a Trek Bike and Price that’s right for you! Page 16 The Battalion Thursday, February 14, Lenders tighten belts II Farmers face crunch Our Reputation Opens The World To Engineers A s Smaiiis^iiin -SSiriB •an ■■ He Ralph IILlPitfSQns J.S a major worldwide engineering firm, the Ralph M. Parsons Company has established a sound reputation for building some of the world's most dynamic and challenging projects. Our projects offer professionals a wide range of complexity, diversity, and location — from a major airport in Saudi Arabia to construction management for Los Angeles' $?.3-billion Metro Rail Rapid Transit System. And our concerns are just as global — from projects that handle vital environmental needs like the treatment of hazardous and nuclear waste products to studies on the Advanced Launch system for the next generation of large-payload space launch vehicles. ’ ^ Since 1944, our projects and people have advanced our world's capabilities. In the process, we've developed an Unlimited world of opportunity for Engineering professionals in the following disciplines: Chemical, Civil, Electrical, Mechanical, Nuclear, Structural, and Project Controls. We offer a competitive salary and benefits package, includ ing an Employee Stock Ownership Plan. Our on-campus interviews are scheduled for Thursday, February 21,1991, and an information sessionwillbeheld on Wednesday, February 20, 1991. See your Placement Office for details. The Ralph M. Parsons Company, 100 West Walnut Street, Pasadena, California 91124. Equal Opportunity Employer WASHINGTON (AP) — Farmers face a severe credit crunch as the spring planting season nears because of escalating fuel costs, a drought in bank lending and tougher restric tions on government assistance, offi cials said Wednesday. Members of Congress and spokesmen for farm groups in Texas say a crisis in farm credit could develop during the next 60 to 90 days, as farmers who have been hit by the recession seek loans to get their 1991 crops in the ground this spring. But bank lenders and the Farmers Home Administration are tighten ing the clamps on loans, officials said. And farmers who come to plan ting time weakened by floods, freezes and droughts last year may not find a willing lender. Steve Pringle, director of national affairs for the Texas Farm Bureau, said he knows of one farmer in Cor yell County who went to 12 bankers oefore finding a lender 75 miles away. “Just across the board, there is a financial crisis facing producers in the state today,” Pringle said Wednesday. “The financial crisis facing farmers right now is going to become even more evident here in the next 60 to 90 days.” Joe Rankin, president of the Texas Farmers Union, predicted a similar crisis, saying that many farm ers seeking loans for this year’s crop will be unable to “put it on papei and make it work out.” As a result, he said, there willl* “more of a mass exodus” from lift farm than in the early 1980s. “I expect recessionary pressure! to make it harder for Texas farmer! to get financing for their cropsth# year, but that’s only part of the prof lem,” Sen. Lloyd Bentsen, D-Texas said Wednesday. “Many farmers come to planting time weakened by floods and free® last year, and some parts of our stair have been suffering from drougfc for the past several years,” Bento said. Bush proposes plan to improve highways Give Your Sweetheart Flowers on Thursday... then Give 'em a Laugh on Saturday! The MSC Opera and Performing Arts Society is pleased to present Neil Simon's newest hit RUMORS starring Peter Marshall of J television's “Hollywood Squares" 2 for 1 Balcony tickets now ovoiloble for students at the MSC Box Office (Must present student ID, not valid with any other offer) For more information, please coll 845-1234 Give your dote something they'll die over... laughing, that is! WASHINGTON (AP) — Presi dent Bush proposed on Wednesday a $105.4 billion, five-year plan to prepare the nation’s highways and mass transit systems “for the next American century.” But state highway officials said the proposal was inadequate, would raise state taxpayers’ costs and will be rewritten in Congress. Mass transit officials said they have been shortchanged. Environ mentalists contended the continued emphasis on highways will dramati cally increase oil consumption and threaten air-quality improvements. Others criticized the bill’s encour agement of tolls to pay for new and repaired bridges and highways. But Bush and Transportation Secretary Samuel K. Skinner said they believe that the legislation is properly balanced and that its high way provisions are needed to fix de teriorated roads and bridges “so that America can stay competitive in the global economy of the 21st century.” Skinner said each $ 1 billion spent on highway construction creates 30,000 to 50,000jobs. Hal Rives, president of the Asso ciation of State Highway Transpor tation Officials, called the bill a good start and added, “On a scale of 1 to 10, we give the administration bill a 6.” “It is not dead on arrival” on Capi tol Hill, “but it will not pass as ar rived,” said Frank Francois, exec utive director of the association. “The concept is good,” said Rives, who is Georgia’s transportation com missioner. “It streamlines the entire program. But the funding is clearly inadequate to meet our national transportation needs. And what money is there is not fairly distrib uted.” The bill proposes spending, in ad dition to several minor programs, $87.17 billion on highways and $16.3 billion for mass transit over the next five years. In a series of policy shifts, the leg islation proposes giving priority for federal highway aid to a 150,000- mile National Highway System, which would be composed of the 42,000-mile interstate highway sys tem and other highways important to the economy and the national de fense. The federal government would pay 75 percent of the cost of re pairing existing roads and building new roads in this system. The annual federal share would rise in each of the five years from $7.7 billion in 1992 to $11.2 billion in 1996. The only higher priority would go to completing the unbuilt 1 percent of the interstate system and to mak ing critical repairs. Such projects would continue to be financed by the federal government on a 90 percent- 10 percent basis. A lower priority would be given to 700,000 miles of important roads that would be grouped in an Urban and Rural Program. State govern ments would have to pay 40 percent of repairs and construction of such roads. Federal spending on this program would rise from $3.9 billion in 1992 to $5.7 billion in 1996. Bush and Skinner said that, in a tradeoff for imposing greater costs on states and cities, the bill offers re gional and local transportation plan ners much more flexibility. Forest Service boasts job boost: environmentalist cries devastation WASHINGTON (AP) -Tim. her sales from Texas’ four na tional forests generated hum dreds of jobs and $25.7 million for (he East Texas economy las year, the U.S. Forest Service says But an environmentalist claim! the Forest Service’s logging prac lices tin eaten f auna and tloraiil East Texas and should btj changed. According to the Forest Sen ice, timber sales from the Am f elina, Davy Crix:kett, Sabineancj am Houston national fores j netted the federal governmenu little more than $1 million in fis cal 1990, after expenses of S3- million and a $2.18 million pay I ment to area counties for schoo!i| and roads. Actual sales resulted in $8i million in revenue, a 21 pcrceir increase from fiscal 1989, with S: million board feet harvesied Timber was harvested from 9,lti: acres, which account for 1.5 pc: cent of the 635,687 acres inij four ft nests, the Forest Servkf| said. It said sales from its operations last year generateSI 998 jobs and $25.7 million fT East Texas communities. But Ned Fritz, a Dallas end ronmentalist and attorney wb has filed suit to change the w the Forest Service harvests timbej in East T exas, said the system cm courages clear-cutting and bub get padding, and escapes dost congressional scrutiny. swim strategies (Or how to find a fit that’s right on the dot) Dillard’s Color Dot System takes the guess work out of selecting swimwear. We know that when you are choosing the bare minimum, you want a fit that plays up your assets, not one that calls attention to those less-than-perfect areas. That’s why we’ve added the Color Dot System. On every hang tag, you’ll find one or more colored dots to help you find the suit that best flatters your figure. • Yellow dot is for a long torso • Purple dot identifies a suit that minimizes hips and thighs • Blue dot suits control and flatten the stomach • Pink dot represents a design that defines and shapes the waistline • Green dot suits support and enhance the bust Come in and discover how easy it is to make The Color Dot System part of your swim strategies. Our Fit Specialists are specially trained and ready to help you determine your correct swimsuit size. They know how to select a suit that really fits through the hips, waist and bust. And we have a specialist in every store. There’s never a charge, so make your appointment today. Our great selection of styles by many famous makers let’s you find the look and color that fits your unique personality. Including styles by Jantzen, Catalina, Bill Blass, Rose Marie Reid, La Blanca, Oscar de la Renta and more. 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