The Signal from Santa Clarita, California • 22

21 Newhall Signal Saugus Enterprise Sundoy, Jun 1982 at '5 Happening Six Flags Opens Season With Mew Ut Six Flags Magic Mountain will debut the latest attraction at the park this month when Freefall, a ride designed to simulate Treefalr To Make Firm Faces vHealthgate' fl (1 II Debut This Month 1 by Miff on fAoskowttz II ance and taxes, were 50 percent ahead of the 1981 financial plan. In winning the award, Six Flags Magic Mountain overcame eleven other firms, including Toyota Motor Sales, the Akron store chain, Win-chell's Donut Houses, First Interstate Bancorp, Hunt-Wesson Foods, and Lawry's Foods. The new ride, developed by a Swiss firm, is expected to become popular after its inauguration. Riders will enter the Freefall cage, and after a 131-foot ascent, will hang motionless for a moment. Then the plunge begins.

Some 98 feet later, after attaining a speed of about 55 miles per hour, the riders will find mem-selves maneuvered onto their backs as the ride settles into a slower position. The cage rights itself and the ride ends. The cage is totally unsupported by cable or chute during its plunge. the fall that skydivers experience when they leap, from airplanes opens its gates. In another arena, the marketing responsible for selling the amusement park to visitors won the Crystal Obelisk award as the 1981 "marketing success of the year." The award was presented to the company by the Southern California American Marketing Association.

According to a spokesman for the park, the association recognized the effort made "overcoming past image problems and successfully competing with other entertainment alternatives for the consumers' ever decreasing discretionary dollars." The park enjoyed a 9 percent increase in attendance in 1981, and saw revenues advance by 30 percent, said the spokesman. Earnings, figured before payment of insur out the restrictions of a parachute or cable. Riders drop and travel from 0-55 mph in two seconds. Freefall opens this month for the park's 1982 summer season. Six Flags Magic Mountain's new Freefall ride is the first ride of its kind to debut at an amusement park.

The ride simulates the sensation of falling from the ledge of a 10-story building with-. AAcAAahorii CEiangos Ahead In EasiEk Scors able to offer checking accounts. One dramatic change sparked by the loosening of restrictions on demand deposits was the flight of such accounts from their traditional homes, the nation's banks, McMahon said that some years ago demand deposit funds accounted for 60 percent of the deposit base at his bank. That figure has now fallen to 40 percent and is running around 30 per Continued from Page 21 because the "thrift" institutions, mostly savings and loan associations and credit unions, were pushing for the right to offer demand deposit accounts, or checking, to their customers, The banks went along with the move, McMahon said, because the phase-out of regulation partially compensated them for inroads on their traditional turf that began when everyone became are going to be regulated" into a more restricted operation, vso "why not let (banks) go?" Some of the changes that may occur in the traditionally 'staid business of banking over the next tew months or years are: Freedom from rate restrictions. "We don't love the high rates," McMahon smiled, "but the public demands them" now.

cent for banks nationwide." The banks have taken up part of the slack with certificates of deposit such as the recently-introduced All-Savers Certificate, but more is needed "Banks are not losing," he said, "but profits are way down." In discussing the legislation now before Congress, McMahon says that "there is no way that the money market funds Entrance into the business of selling real estate and insurance. Real estate brokerage services, and Joint ventures with other institutions, which are permitted to savings and loan association and construction companies, for example, but are forbidden to the nation's banks. "The times and the economy have said, and "we feel that (these measures) have to come to pass." McMahon said that, while the introduction of new financial vehicles such as the money market funds has meant a bonanza for investors, it has also had something to do with facets of the curr rent economic recession. "They have satisfied the needs of the public," he said, "but not the needs of borrowers, except for the big multinational corporations." You remember the Watergate tapes that, were erased in the Nixon White House? Well, the nation's largest health food chain now finds itself in a similar jam. It erased computer tapes showing sales records and inventory Jevels.

The information on the tapes may have proved the company to be guilty of outrageously deceitful and illegal conduct in the marketplace. That at least is precisely the charge being made by the Wm. T. Thompson Company of Los Angeles against Pittsburgh-based General Nutrition in a brawl that has the health food business agog. A special master of the federal district court, in Los Angeles sides recently with Thompson in a decision that was chilling if you were associated in any way with General Nutrition.

though, let's set the stage in this battle of the vitamin pill pushers. General Nutrition commonly known as GNC because it operates stores called General Nutrition Centers qualifies as one of America's fastest growing companies, thanks to the increasing popularity of health foods. If you have a shopping mall near you, it might very well have a GNC squeezed into it. A typical GNC runs to 1700 feet and sells an assortment of vitamins, minerals and (nutritional foods, plus personal care items, most of them under GNC's own name. So successful' have they been that GNC now has more than 1000 units and is opening new ones this year at the rate of two a week.

Sales are moving up tcAvard the $500 million mark. The prestigious Wall Street banking firm of Kidder, Peabody took GNC public in 1980 and its shares now trade on the New York Stock Exchange. Wm. T. Thompson has supplied nutritional supplements to health food stores for nearly 50 years.

It has more than 100 products in its line and they are sold under 1 the Thompson name. It's one of the major brand names in the business. The GNC-Thompson dispute flared3 up in the 1970s after GNC ordered product from the Los Angeles company and then featured the Thompson name prominently in its advertising. Thompson was happy to sell to GNC but noticed that the orders were rather anemic. It soon came to the conclusion that all GNC to do was place a token order so that it could use the Thompson Jhame as a corheon in its adve memorandum issued by GNC president Gary.

A. Daum to store managers advised them: "You don't need $1000 worth of merchandise to run the ad. Three or four pieces of the best-selling items are enough Yoih don't need a massive stock." In August 1978 Thompson brought an antitrust suit against GNC in federal district court in Los Angeles. GNC countersued Thompson. Early in the proceedings the court informed all the parties not to destroy any records.

But guess what? The GNC records that would have upheld or failed to verify Thompson's claims were some how wiped out. County Growing In Popu lation Wealth Population in the county is expected to reach some 10 million by the end of the century, making L.A. county the fourth largest area in the world Continued from Page 21 last year's figure, marking the first year since 1979 that income growth outdistanced inflation in the county. in number of residents. Unemployment in the area is expected to rise to around 8 percent, the report said, although that figure is expected to be Tourism, a major component of the economy of Southern California, is expected to increase only slightly in the county this year.

But the advent of the 1984 Olympic Games will provide a dramatic boost in tourism, accounting for tit 'least an additional 2 million visitors' in the area. the county will enter their; thirties in the 1980s, an age when people traditionally enter the home purchase market. Other concerns for the coming decade voiced in the report include "an overburdened transporta- tioirsysfehi? "air (quality, 'and water resource avail-n SUNDAY PUZZLER Help! lower than state and national figures. Another major problem foreseen in the report is the continued shortage of affordable housing in the county The median price of, a house irt the County is ex pected to reach $120,000 in ,1982,. up 8.5 percent from the 1981 figure of $111,000.

The report notes that one recent month saw an increase in the sales of single-family the first time such an increase was recorded in over a year, but the real recovery of the housing -industry "cannot be ex; pected until mortgage rates and construction financing costs moderate." Adding to the housing problems in the county, the report continued, is the expected entry of some 730,000 new residents into the already staggered market. That many young residents of New business? Old business with a new name? New faces at your business? New products? New ideas? The Signal needs your business news. While we can only publish legitimate news, we want to hear from the business community of the Santa Clarita Valley' whenever its members have something to say. Please send your items of interest to the Business Editor, The Signal, P.O. Box 877, Newhall, California 91322.

Or call, at Thank You. ACROSS 66 Cooled lava 132 Landed 17Landed WTestlfy 68 A state: 133 Festive properly 91 Roman 1 Signs of Abbr. 134 Siamese 18 Irish dances official healing 69 Wild hog coin 20 Snare 92 Pronoun 6Soapstone 70 Mournful 135 Let it stand 23 Narrow 93 Great num- 10 Athletic 71 Turkish flag 137 Clan board berof group 73 Small fishes 139 Prohibit 25 Thick slice people 14 Michaelmas 75 Impress 140 Like a day in 27 Worthless 94 Hebrew daisy 77 Retained June 28 Fuel month 19 Notorious 78 Contests 141 Test 31 Metal 96 Harsh and 21 Mixture 80 Consecrate 143 Ancient 33 Dart off forbidding 22 Tears 81 The self Greek city 36 See 1 1 97 Neck area 23 Thinly 82 Stops 145 Before Down 100 Gl green scattered 84 Biblical 146 Burden- 38 Part of a 102 Fate 24 Intractable mountain some plant 105 Fireplace persons 86 Downy 148 Cooked In a 40 Food fish part 26 Agony ducks way 41 Portend 109 British 28Atmos- 87 Moroccan 150 Pullman car 43 Beat streetcar pherlc port 152 Domestic soundly 112 Leave out conditions 89 Poem servant 45 Handles 1 13 Bristle 29 Southern 92 Sting 153 Unfair blow 46 Handling 1 14 Ear problem blackbird 95 Rule 154 Paradise roughly 116 Great 30 Buddhist 98 Be borne 156 Kind of sail 47 Antlered bustard dialect 99 Worshipped 157 Essence animal 118 Macaws 32 0fScandl- 101 Crossbred 158 Aleutian 49 Andy's 120 Notable navia 103 Dickens girl island chum 121 European 33 Neckpieces 104 a girl 159 Scandi-y 51 Weird 122 Revolved 34 Crony 105 Hurried navian 52 Boxed 123 Grafted, in 35Firn 106 Greek letter 160 Mountain 53 Steep, rug- heraldry 37 Young 107 Teutonic lakes gedrock 125 Crawler salmon deity 54 Arizona 126 Kite 39 "King" Cole 108 Chimney DOWN river, 127 Vehicles 40 Vessel carbon 56 Kept firing 129 Lampreys 41 Wagers 110 Pinch 1 Mephisto questions 131 Sift 42 Variety of 111 After- 2 Long- 59 Qualification 132 South' chalcedony thought of a legged birds 60 Seasoning American '44 Northern sort: 3 Part ETA 61 Sums up serpent constella- Abbr. 4 Flying 63 Requires 133 Frenchman tlon 112 Unlocked, mammal 65 Liquefy 134 Babylonian 46 Satiate to a poet 5 Break 67 Beast of abode of 47 Sleep 113 Piece for suddenly burden dead lightly one 6 Man 69 Exist 136 Cash 48 Milan 115Zeus's man 70 Meeting money beloved 7 In music, 72 Join 138 Gulls' 50 Direction 117 Ibsen high 74 French cousins 52 Give up heroine 8 King of article 140 Bellow 53 US coastal 119 New Eng. beasts 76 a good 141 Racetrack watchdog State 9 Small crown deed tipster 55 Deprived of.

120 Arabian 10 Confidence 77 Leased 142 Helen of feeling chieftain 11 Green land 79 Capuchin-: Troy's 57 Tellurium 121 Pierce 12 Simian monkey mother symbol 124 Refuse from 83 Weight of. 144 Chair 58 Evergreen grapes cern India 147 Inlet, shrubs "126 Send forth 14 Egyptian 85 Harvester 148 Decay 59 Algonquian 127 Dove's sacred bull 86 Sins 149 Lair 60 NA's neigh- home 15 Famous 87 Journey 151 Airline abbr. bor 128 Nonmetallic uncle 88 River 153 Scale note 62 Free of element 16 Circus islands 155 Compass 64 Hollow roar 130 Planet apparatus 89 else! point Special Master Parks Stillwell ruled kw 'I 1 tit I 6 I April that GNC and its legal counsel engaged in "systematic and wholesale destruction" of relevant documents and did so even after being ordered not to do so. The special master strongly recommended that the court decide in favor of Thompson and impose on GNC and its legal counsel the "severest of sanctions authorized by law." GNC is contesting this decision- in a proceeding that will end in July. The damages that Thompson could collect and that the court could impose on GNC might be substantial but the Pittsburgh company has told its stockholders not to "worry.

Its immediate reaction to the special master's harsh ruling was to double its cash dividend. William Thompson, head of the Los Angeles company, said that GNC's "conduct in this case is marked by the same, excessive and aggressive behavior and disregard for the rights of others that have characterized its actions in the marketplace. It's not out of character." The two law firms censured by the special master in his ruling on the document destruction are Berkman, Ruslander, Pohl, Lieber and Engel in Pittsburgh, and Gibson, Dunn Crutcher in Los Angeles. The Gibson, Dunn firm is one of the nation's top corporate law firms. A partner in this firm when the Thompson suit was filed is now the a'ttorney general of the United States: William French Smith.

(CI 1982, Los Angeles Times Syndicate t'i- or? ii 1 2 13 14 IS 1 8 9 f'llO 111 112 113 115 116 117 1 18 21 22 23 24 2S 26 27 26" 29 30 31 32" 34 35 36 3T 39 41 4T 4T 44 -s If 4jT' 49 50 tT 52 Lttst 55 57 58 sT1 62 (iT 64 of 71 72" 73 74" 75 78 79 81 82 83 84 8f 1 jjjf 1 i i 98 100 'lOI 102 6 103 --i LJ 104 106 106 107 106 109 110 11T Til" U6 uF tie 119 120 123 124 126 126 UI 129 130' 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139" 140 141' 142 143 144 145 157 153 154 .166 "160 Solution on page 15..