HIRING GAINS ARE IN FORECAST FOR THE REGION

Solid hiring gains are in the forecast for the new year in Southeast Missouri.

Based on survey responses from a number of businesses questioned by Manpower Inc. about early 1994 staffing projections, 37 percent of area employers indicate they will add workers during the first quarter of the year.

In other findings, 53 percent of those interviewed indicated no change in early 1994 employment, and 10 percent expressed intentions to reduce staff.

Manpower, a temporary help firm that provides employment to about 1.5 million people, conducts its Employment Outlook Survey on a quarterly basis.

"The first three months of the year are usually a time of shedding holiday help and seasonal cutbacks," said Barbara Larkins, spokesperson for the local Manpower operation, 106 Farrar Drive.

The 1994 forecast is more optimistic than that of a year ago, noted Larkins.

"At this time a year ago, 27 percent predicted a boost in hiring," said Larkins, who added that "new year job opportunities are foreseen in durable and non-durable goods, transportation and public utilities."

The early cutbacks were expected in construction, wholesale and retail trade services.

The local outlook is well above the national numbers. Nationally, 18 percent of businesses surveyed indicated they would hire more workers, while 13 percent expected cutbacks and 66 percent will remain at present levels.

A lackluster outlook has been expressed in the Carbondale/Marion area of Southern Illinois, with only 10 percent of the employers expecting increases in employment. Seventy percent expected no change in hiring, and 13 percent expected to reduce the size of their staffs.

As with most recent trends, the Midwest and South are the regions indicating the stronger net hiring strengths with about 20 percent expecting increased employment.

In the Northwest area, only 15 percent of employers expect an increase in employment, and in the West, 16 percent expect increases.

Elsewhere nationally, businesses plan to increase investments in new buildings and equipment by 5.4 percent next year on top of a strong 7 percent rise this year.

These findings were revealed by survey responses from more than 7,800 businesses in October and November by the U.S. Commerce Department, which estimates investment spending plans in 1994 at $617 billion, up from $585 billion this year.

Companies are buying computers and other high-tech equipment in an effort to make their operations more efficient. However, at the same time, they've been slower to expand their payrolls than during other post-World-War II recoveries.

This year's investment spending increase will be the best since 1989. The report offers the first look at next year's plans.

Spending rose 3.4 percent in 1992 after recording a rare 0.8 percent drop in 1991.

Manufacturers plan a 3.8 percent increase in investment spending next year, compared with a 3.1 percent rise in 1993. Non-manufacturing companies plan a 6.2 percent increase following 8.8 percent this year.

Among the industries with the largest increases planned next year were blast furnaces and steel works, 25.9 percent; stone, clay and glass manufacturers, 15.5 percent; electric utilities, 10 percent, and food and beverage companies, 9.9 percent.

Those with the most pessimistic plans included airlines, projecting a 35 percent drop; aircraft manufacturers, down 21.1 percent, and non-iron and steel metal goods manufacturers, down 10.8 percent.

From the "If you're wondering what it is" department:

That 20-foot pine tree atop the new five-story, Drury Inn, being constructed near the intersection of Interstate 55 and Route K, was placed there as a "topping out ceremony," said job superintendent Doug Niswonger of Drury Development Co.

"When you top a building, it's a tradition to place a tree on top of the building. It's kind of a good-luck thing. With the Christmas season here, we decided to place a Christmas tree, complete with lights, atop the building."

The tree will be removed in the near future.

The new motel, owned and operated by Drury Inns Inc., is scheduled for a spring opening.

Columbia Construction is doing the concrete work for Drury Development Co.

Kudos to A.G. Edwards & Sons, an investment firm, headquartered at St. Louis.

The company, which includes an office at Cape Girardeau headed by branch manager Marsha Limbaugh, was recently selected as the best full-service brokerage firm for individual investors.

The survey was conducted for SmartMoney Magazine, and was based on 10 categories. A.G. Edwards finished tops in five of the 10 categories, and was the overall best with a 1.8 rating on a 1 to 7 ratio, with number 1 tops. Merrill Lynch finished second in the survey, at 3-plus, and was followed by Dean Witter Discover, Smith Barney Shearson and PaineWebber to round out the top five.

Heartland Telephone Service, 2707 Jackson Blvd., Jackson, has become an AT&T dealer.

"We'll be providing AT&T service and products in Cape Girardeau, Scott, Perry and Bollinger counties," said Bob Tucker, owner of the firm, which was founded six years ago.

Heartland will provide all AT&T products, from single line telephones to small business systems.

"This includes the new Partner systems, the new Merlin Legend systems and voice mail," said Tucker.

Tucker has almost 30 years in telephone service. He was with Southwestern Bell more than 20 years before founding Heartland Telephone Service.

"Our telephone service staff has more than 65 years combined experience," said Tucker.

Dennis Brown, an employee of the firm, has 34 years experience, and Scott Devore has three years experience.

Clyde Benson, owner of Great Expectations Dating Service and Gem Computer Service, is adding two more phases to his business -- consciousness-raising seminars designed to help people understand each other and a locator service to find missing persons.

"I want to offer opportunities for groups of people to get together and discuss why acts of violence occur," said Benson. He served three years as a military policeman while in the U.S. Air Force.

Benson founded the dating service and computer consulting firm almost four years ago in January 1990.

Additional details concerning his new businesses are available by contacting Benson at 1301 N. Kingshighway, telephone 335-6731.

The pork industry is big business in the United States.

An estimated 764,000 jobs and $23.3 billion in personal income are directly and indirectly linked to the U.S. pork industry, according to a new study recently conducted for the National Pork Producers Council.

Heading the study was researcher Dan Otto, an Iowa State University agriculture economist.

In 1992, $10.9 billion worth of pork was marketed from farmers in the United States, representing 6.6 percent of total agriculture sales. Production inputs, supplies and services purchased directly by pork producers accounted for $9.68 billion, and further value-added activities by the meat packing industry accounted for $25.9 billion to the nation's economy.

The U.S. pork industry, when the production through processing sectors are combined, has a total economic impact of $66.5 billion to the economy.

Last year, the U.S. pork industry produced 17.2 billion pounds of pork while marketing nearly 95 million hogs.

BOAT NOTES:

Twenty Missouri counties and/or cities along the Missouri and Mississippi rivers are seeking riverboat-gambling operations. The Missouri Gaming Commission is investigating companies -- four at a time-- who have applied for licenses. The Commission to date has received 22 applications.

Commission investigators are currently investigating President's Casino in St. Louis; St. Charles Riverfront Station; Missouri Gaming Co. at the Kansas City suburb of Riverside and St. Joseph Riverboat Partners.

No time frame has been established by the Commission for a decision on any license. The Commission also has the final say on the number of operations in a given region.

The "Slot Report" figures for October are in for Illinois riverboat casinos.

Illinois regulators added a new feature its monthly report -- a breakdown on slot payouts by machine denomination. October figures reveal that the higher-denomination machines pay better.

Overall, slot payouts range from a low of 90.2 at Peoria's Pair-A-Dice to 93.97 at the East St. Louis Casino Queen.