The Daily Herald from Chicago, Illinois • Page 18

BUSINESS THBDaiLY BIG BUSkHESS vVe re turning into one happy family around lu'T anrt I can't stand it 1 Business briefs Beer sales rise 7.3% in Midwest Midwestern beer sales climbed 7.3 per cent during the first six months of 1977, according to Frank N. Gibson regional vice president of the United States Brewers Assn. Sales for the period ended June 30 totaled 19,940,672 barrels versus the 18,392, 248 barrels recorded for the first half of 1976. Illinois, with sales of 3.918.596 barrels, led the eight states that comprise the Midwestern Region. Wheeling firm gels award Love Controls 1714 S.

Wolf Rd Wheeling, has been presented a safety award by its insurer, the Michigan Mutual Insurance for its outstanding safety record of working 176,800 man- hours without a lost time injury during one-year period ending Jan. 1.1977. Hanson I'liumlier president Robert Hanson was elected president of the Wheeling Area Chamber of Commerce and Indusfry at the November meeting. Other elected officers are Richard Calfa, vice president; Norbert Bigalke. treasurer Glenda Etheridge, secretary.

Morlh (V Ira I earnings up North Central Airlines reports earnings of $1,130,000 or 9 cents per share, for October, a 54 per cent increase over the same month a year ago. October revenues rose 19 per cent to $19,825,000 from $16.654.000 in 1976. United miles increase United Airlines' total revenue passenger miles increased 5.4 per cent to 2.61 billion in November from 2 4H billion in the month a year ago. Revenue passenger miles on United's scheduled services rose 5.7 per cent in November this -ear to 2.35 billion from 2.23 billion in the previous November. United's charter revenue passenger miles increased 3.2 per cent to 260 million from 252 million a year ago.

Sears sales 14.2% higher Sears, Roebuck and Co. reported sales for the four weeks ended Nov. 26 were 14.2 per cent higher than last year. Gross sales were $1.727,674,240, an increase of over sales of $1,512,984,312 in the same period of last year. People in business MONA JACKSON of Rolling Meadows, and a professional representative of Pfizer Laboratories Division, Pfizer recently completed a medical information program at the company's New York Training Center.

SIGLE J. C'LINE of West Chicago has been appointed city sales manager for McLean Trucking Co. in Wheeling. He has been a McLean employe since June 1972 and was sales representative at the St. Charles, 111.

terminal before his new assignment in the Wheeling terminal. RON SZEJNER of Arlington Heights recently was elected a trust officer by the American National Bank and Trust Co. of Chicago's board of directors. He joined American National in July 1977. He is a member of the Chicago and American Bar Assn.

DEANNA M. LARSKN of Arlington Heights has Joined the Alls- Ute Insurance Companies as a property TCH adjuster trainee in the claim department of the firm's West Chicago district claim office In West Chicago. Business calendar Wedaetday Northwest Suburban Manufacturers Assn. open house, 11:30 a.m., headquarters building, Franklin Park. Thnnday BuakMM Breakfast Club of Northwest Suburban Chicago meeting, a.m., Dr.

Munchee's restaurant, 1275 Lee Des Plalnes Hard-core unemployed can't meet requirements so jobs go unfilled NEW YORK Why do jobs go begging when unemployment is so high? If you or one of your children are among the unemployed, how do you make contact with one of the 300,000 or so job openings on file in the U.S. Employment Service's national job bank? According to the Labor Dept. the blue-and white-collar jobs most in demand are auto mechanics, carpenters, secretaries, machinists, tool and die makers, electronics assemblers, bricklayers, plumbers, welders, accounting clerks, bookkeepers, licensed practical nurses, telephone operators, short-order cooks, and diesel mechanics. Some of these jobs, like auto mechanics, secretaries and welders, are on the list every month. Educators, employers and government officials interviewed for this column showed a good deal of frustration at not being able to match jobseekers, especially young people and the hardcore unemployed, with the work available.

The key problems: Some employers have unreason- Jane Bryant Quinn Staying ahead able job qualifications. For example, they may demand high-school graduates for work that could be done just as well by nongraduates. Passing a high-school equivalency exam can help job seekers in this box. Employers faced with persistent shortages should reconsider their hiring criteria. The unemployed don't live where the jobs are.

Teen-agers living with their parents often lack the funds (and confidence) to try their luck in another city. Poor public transportation may block innercity residents from suburban jobs. Middle- aged workers, laid off in factory closings, can be too set in their ways to accept retraining and relocation. For those willing and able to move, the U. S.

Employment Service can sometimes provide leads in other cities. There are no guarantees, but the message of the times is: More workers may have to hit the road. Patterns of discrimination keep some jobs empty. Young blacks and other minority workers are well suited to take up the gap in blue-collar specialties that other ethnic groups have deserted for white-collar jobs. But discrimination in hiring and apprentice training may keep them out.

Federal affirmative action programs have helped some, but they are now under challenge in many courts. Many of the unemployed are not qualified for the jobs in demand and (painful fact) have no practical way of qualifying. Insufficient time, money and attention is spent on vocational training in the U. S. public school system.

Federal and state governments fund job-training programs, but there's not enough to meet demand. And because of the political need to show results, these programs are forced to deal only with the most capable of the unemployed. Steven Poppick, a teacher in a New York City "Adult Training Center," tokl my associate, Linda Rubey: "We can't take many hard-core unemployed, young black and Puerto Rican high school dropouts with poor math and reading skills. Many of them want jobs, but they need remedial education before they'll be employable." Edward O'Danie, director of manpower development training in New York City, says his schools have dropped many blue-collar courses, like carpentry and machinist training, because graduates couldn't immediately find jobs. Many employers don't like to hire inexperienced youngsters and unions don't welcome minorities as members.

In other words, job-training programs have adapted to the biases of the system rather than breaking those biases down. (c) 1917, The Washington Post Co. Coins of the realm in a change by GUY HALVERSON Clink, clink, clink jingle, jingle. Those extra pennies, half dollars, and possibly even dollar coins jingling around in your pockets these holiday season days may be far more valuable than you realize. Indeed, they could become collectors items.

The U.S. Government no slouch when it comes to money matters, as taxpayers learn each April at income tax time is now taking a hard look at the composition of the entire U.S. money supply. At issue: whether or not to abolish the penny and half-dollar, and reduce the size of the dollar coin. ON THE OTHER side of the coin (forgive us), enthusiastic Treasury Department officials are working to boost public use of the new $2 bill, reissued last year after a lapse of 38 years.

Finally, while no one in government circles is seriously contemplating any changes in one additional paper bill -the $100 bill some officials are privately wondering here about just who uses these bills, and in what ways. At least 290 million $100 bills are in circulation, representing the fastest increasing bill in the entire federal currency output. Any major changes in the composition of the money supply, according to economists and financial experts, could be expected to have major consequences both for day-to-day Debate on oil threatens to split OPEC CARACAS, Venezuela (UPI) A divided Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries meets here Tuesday with debate over oil prices for 1978 posing the threat of a new split among its 13 members. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, which broke with an OPEC majority over prices 12 months ago, have gained the unexpected support of Iran in pressing for a freeze of the current price of $12.70 a barrel for the benchmark crude. The 10 other members Algeria, Ecuador, Gabon, Indonesia, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Nigeria, Qatar and Venezuela seek price hikes that range from 5 to 10 per cent among moderates to as high as 15 to 23 per cent among radicals.

The Saudis, the Emirates and Iran jointly control more than half of OPEC's 30 million barrels a day production and can impose their wishes by increasing output to flood world markets with their cheaper crudes. THE situation resembles that at last December's OPEC oil ministers conference in Doha, Qatar, when acrimonious debate led to the first major split in OPEC ranks since the organization was created in 1960. The Saudis and the emirates balked at a two-part 15 per cent hike announced by the other 11 members and increased their prices by only 5 per cent. A compromise agreement in July, calling for a 10 per cent hike in 1977 for all 13 producers, healed the rift and OPEC ministers vowed to avoid similar confrontations in the future. Saudi Petroleum Minister Ahmed Zaki Yamani said then, "We have learned our lesson." However, in the weeks leading up to the Dec.

20 conference in the Caribbean coastal resort of Caraballeda, 37 miles from Caracas, OPEC ministers have openly split into three groups, favoring a freeze, a moderate increase or a major hike. OPEC price decisions generally are worked out in advance and taken to the ministers conference for formal approval. transactions in buying and selling goods, and ultimate costs. Major coinage changes, says Roy DeMeyer, i e-president of engineering for Brandt, Inc. a major Wisconsin-based manufacturer of money processing equipment, would be "very trying." According to DeMeyer, Brandt is already working on possible design changes for coin counting and sorting equipment to handle a new smaller penny that may be introduced in Canada sometime next year.

Since such equipment sorts money by gauging various diameters, changeovers for industry, banks, retail firms, could prove to be very costly, he says. FURTHER, SUCH changes, say economists, could be inflationary. Vending machine firms, who have supported a smaller-sized dollar coin, for example, and have strong congressional support, are believed eager to boost vending machine prices. Most machines cannot accommodate the current dollar coin. Top Ford administration Treasury officials have favored scuttling the penny because of rising costs of copper and coinage production costs.

Indeed, a study by the North Carolina-based Research Triangle Institute last year suggested that the penny and half dollar be eliminated, and that the dollar coin be reduced in size. Although originally favoring major coinage changes Treasury Sec. W. Michael Bluementhal now is believed to be having some doubts. Stella Hackel, the new director of the U.S.

Mint, has told a Senate committee that there is no "immediate need" to scrub the penny. According to a Treasury Dept. spokesman, the government will be "sampling public attitudes" during 1978 about the fate of the penny, as well as the half dollar and the dollar. There is strong speculation here that happens to the penny, and dollar, the half-dollar may eventually bite the dust. Currently, there are some 30 billion pennies in circulation.

Production costs run from 0.7 to 0.8 cents to produce the coins, minted in Denver and Philadelphia. According to a congressional source with the House Banking Committee, any effort to scrap the penny would have little chance of getting past Congress. The heads of both Senate and House banking committees believe such a step would be highly inflationary. Christian Silence Monitor GRACIOUS FAMILY LIVING 4-bedroom Catino Colonial. Large living dining rooms with beamed ceiling.

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