The Fresno Bee from Fresno, California • 17

Home Improvement Spending May Signal No-Travel Summer the medium sized auto is hurting" Louis DiRicoo manager of Breuner's Home Furnishings in Fresno said February surpassed all projections made earlier in the year planned Jojjin increase in salisc this spring despite predictions the furniture industry would he said we exceeded that plan by a wide Similar echoes came from Calvin Gardiner manager of Sears Roebuck and Co in Fresno and from Robert McNutt manager of Angel's Home Improvement Center McNutt refused to speculate why February business had been so good in this business with competition as keen as it is you learn not to question why someone is in your store spending his money I don't know why the people are suddenly spending more but as long as they are spending it here I'm certainly not going to ask them why" January said McNutt was a lackluster month for sales February was so great that we are way ahead of our projection for the year" want the money for home remodeling landscaping or swimming pools swimming pool contractors appear to be in for a very good year Those we have talked to do not seem to be as concerned about sales this year as they are about getting the materials they need to complete the pools and that's a good sign" said Nash Oddly enough Nash said the savings inflow is still moving at a strong rate jier-haps an indication many consumers have not decided what they will do this summer Larry Bertania manager of the Fresno main office of Security Pacific National Bank said his staff has not noticed appreciable increase in home improvement loans but we feel we will have that increase and very soon We think there will be a large demand because of the queries we have had so Bertania said new automobile loans while not as robust as new car dealers would like really haven't been all that bad The dealer who has a full line of autos from the economy model to the top of the line has the best chance The guy with only By Earl Dunn Bef Butines Writer General retailers swimming pool contractors and lending institution officials today are pointing to self-indulgence as the major reason for a sharp increase in sales during February and a surge in home improvement loan applications Some retailers however refuse to speculate why last month produced record sales in their companies If some felt the consumer was disheartened about his freedom of movement being impaired by the gasoline shortage and thus decided to something for they did not say so directly But in general the valley consumer is beginning to show some signs which might indicate his plans for a summer spent er to home than usual home improvement loan applications are way above normal for this time of said James Nash senior vice president in charge of loans for Fresno Guarantee Savings and Loan Association Many applicants said Nash say they The Fresno Bee Friday March 8 1974 Page B1 Fuel Shortage Is Credited With Drop In Traffic Deaths Arbor Day Still Lives state Early day conservationists were concerned with replanting the woodlands and set aside a day of special observation when the patriotic gesture was to go plant a tree Over a million trees were planted in California the first year Arbor Day was celebrated and the ceremony has continued to flourish Sixth grade students at Ericson Elementary School cheer as classmates plant a Silk Oak tree during Arbor Day ceremo- "flies The students did their part to further a tradition started in 1886 in Call-fomia by a concerned state legislature which foresaw a need to impress sters and adults alike with the importance of preserving the forests in the The local trend is in keeping with state statistics which also show significant decreases The CHP reported was the fourth consecutive month highway deaths have dropped in the state There were 265 highway deaths in the state last month a reduction of 58 from January's toll and 136 fewer than a year ago Gibbs said traffic on Interstate 5 has dropped considerably and apparently much of that traffic has switched to Highway 99 through Fresno But he said even Highway 99 traffic is down by as much as 25 per cent from a year ago He said motorists have moved from the isolated 1-5 to 99 because prns- pects of finding gasoline stations are belter In addition reduced allocations to gasoline dealers and a fear of not finding gasoline stations open on weekends has forced many persons to stay home Gibbs said his officers' are issuing more speeding citations than they were when the 55-mile-an-hour limit went into effect He said motorists at first the line" but they began speeding again and although the number of those motorists exceeding the limit is high it is not what it was month ago lie said that for one 24-hour period in February his officers issued 872 citations for speeding including 590 to passenger car drivers and 43 to truckers He said one reason the passenger car figure is higher is there arc more cars on the road frankly it's damn hard to nail those He said the truckers' are equipped with citizen band radios and the drivers radio each other with details on where the ('HP units are and whether the trucker can exceed the limit But Gihlis said his officers are trying to ticket' truckers who brpak the speed limit! iVr'''' 1 By Jim Boren Frevio Bee Staff Writer Highway deaths and automobile accidents have significantly in the Fresno area because of lighter traffic and reduced speeds brought on by the fuel crisis The California Highway Patrol also says an increased number of citations issued by its officers has contributed to the decrease Capt Gibbs Fresno area commander for the CUP said the number of highway deaths in his area dropped from 18 in the first two months of 1973 to eight during the same period this year The CHP's Fresno area includes all of Fresno County except Interstate 5 and other portions in the southwest and northwest Gibbs said the number of accidents in the Fresno area dropped from 438 last February to 299 this February Jobs ProgramWinds Down With Little Financing Hope City Eyes Firemen Hiring Plan The City Council is expected to vote Thursday on a pilot minority hiring program for the Fire Department The council yesterday received City Manager Ralph Hanley's proposal which includes one change as a result of discussions with employe groups The change- says that in cases where an employe takes a written test to establish eligibility to transfer from another city department to the Fire I)e-' partment grading shall 1m: on a basis using a raw score of 70 ier cent as the minimum passing For example if there were 100 questions the applicant would have to get 70 right to pass 'This contrasts with an adjusted score in which all grades are related to the highest correct number by anyone taking the test Robert Dyson chairman of Planned Variations Area No 5 Neighborhood Council was critical of any plan which amounts a token effort to place only two nr three minorities out of 10 positions when minorities represent 35 per cent of the lie called such a plan affront" to people who have waited 85 years for equality Hanley has said that under his firemen trainee program along with the transferability provision about 15 of the exiiccted 30 vacancies in the department during the next two years would be filled by minority persons In response to a question from Councilman A1 Villa Hanley said he is convinced the plan will work and he is far invested as anyone can be in seeing that this does I More Gas Valley Share Of Hiked Allocation Is Uncertain state receives less than 85 with FEO documenting per cent of the amount spld why he needs more fuel cessful So far 753 persons have been provided PEP jobs' Of these -455 found permanent jobs in the public nr private sectors 148 are still in the program and 140 were washed but-that is they quit or were fired 1 Arsen Marsoobian the city's manpower coordinator and James Burnis the PEP coordinator arc in the process of applying for new PEP grants available under the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act of 1973 This legislation is similar to the 1971 legislation that established PEP but the funds have been cut by about 75 tier tent laical officials estimate about $600 million will be available to carry on the PEP jobs through June 30 1975 on the national level Marsoobian said no funds have been appropriated but he hopes they will be in about a month Burnis estimates Fresno County may receive between $500000 and $600000 and the city of Fresno less than that The new PEP legislation provides grants to cities and counties with unemployment rates of 65 per cent over a three-month period Fresno qualifies with an unemployment rate of 66 per cent in January 65 in December and 71 last November But Marsoobian points out the legislation was processed through Congress in mid 1973 By Charles Milos The $62 million Public Employ- -ment Program (PEP) 'In Fresno County is winding down to a June 30 close with little hope it will be continued at that level of financing for another year The US Department of labor's Emergency Employment Act of August 1971 created PEP and thousands of public service jobs throughout the country Faced with a high unemployment rate the government allocated $225 billion for a two-year program The money was stretched by the various public agencies and the pro- i gram was continued to June 30 Fresno County received $3969180 which it shared with the cities in the county except Fresno the school dis- tricts and other public agencies The City of Fresno received $2117800 since the inception of the program The main thrust of PEP was to provide jobs in the public sector for qualified persons Federal guidelines provided the criteria for hiring promotion education and the placing of the candidates in permanent positions in jiublic or private employment The idea was to have an immediate impact on unemployment with a long-range view of finding permanent jobs fur "'-PEI employes 4- In Fresno and throughout Fresno County the program has been suc Arntz said gas situation in California will be tight this nutyith It will be tight into 'April It should get even tighter as we continue into the summer-when gas demand normally increases'1 Id Ed Reinecke serving as governor while Ronald Reagan is attending a national conference in Washington said with the extra fuel California should have enough for commuter driving and essential services'' But he added the amount available still is over 100 million gallons See Gasoline Page B4 By Mike Lassiter California will get 995 million more gallons of gasoline this month than it did in February but it is not known how much of the increase will find its way in the San Joaquin Valley Announcement of the fuel adjustment was made in San Francisco Thursday by William Amtz regional director fur the Federal Energy Office His statement followed an announcement in Washington by energy czar William Simon that fuel allocations to all states have been adjusted to make sure no than he is receiving now Currently 650 applications are being processed by FEO and more are living received each day the sNikesman said Usually it takes two weeks to process an application the spokesman said However even after FEO aiproves an increase then1 is usually another delay before the applicant receives the fuel Thus much of the state's extra allocation may not find its way into stations until late in the month Even with the extra fuel in 1972 California got 6802 million gallons of gasoline in February and will receive 7797 million this month Arnlz said While that will be a 14 per cent increase Amtz said the fuel available will still fall 15-20 per cent below motorists' demands Amtz said distribution of the extra fuel will be made on an application by application A FEO spokesman said that means each dealer will haw to file an application es Cloud Future Of Valley Public TV By Lanny Larson Several San Joaquin Valley counties are cooperating to bring educational and public television to the area but there is a new cloud over the proposal because the US Depart- ment of Health Education and Wei- fare is switching-funding signals The Tulare and Fresno County Boards of Education have adopted resolutions jihilging supiiort for one television station rather than a Fres-ho-based Channel 18 -and a Tulare County-based 43 competing for grant money bnd Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Fresno County Schools Supt Ernest Poore who proposed activation of Channel 18 was surprised last month to learn a Tulare County Department of Education proposal to put Channel 43 back on the airas an educational-public station was solidly in the works Since then there have been several meetings between the two eountics and with educational officials in other valley counties Tulare County Axst Supt John Vaccaro said the agreement provides for setting aside the Channel 43 proposal contingent on a joint powers ett said HEW has since informed her department a new set of funding guidelines will be published after March 15 which would give the Frev no application a lower priority than anticipated There also is a question liow much any valley -project would he delayed as a result of the guidelines change Tile funding priorities expected to be announced this month probably are more likely in April or May Mrs Jowett said That means the date Poore expect-ed to have his station operating around the first of 1975 will In: set setup after money is allocated so all of the valley counties would be involved in the television project Vaccaro said engineering studies would be mekied to provide the maximum possible service essence of our thrust at this time is to get the money then work out the details Vacvaro said Harriet Jowett who has been directing the Channel 18 project fur the Fresno County Department of Education! indicated other counties which signed endorsements of the Channel 43 proMal will help in policy planning and programing back And while the work in Washington and the waiting in the valley continues efforts are being made 1o initiate community input for the public as-Ni't of whatever television station results difficulty is that educational agencies take a dominant role in setting the system up hut communities have to make the push and put up most of the money" Vaccaro said got to get the public on whatever board we have The enthusiasm from the public is there but we've got to start working with it" The starting point would be with funding Mrs Jowett and Vaccaro agreed Hut that may lMeome something of a problem HEW's policy under public broadcasting legislation is to give top funding priority to a new educational-public station serving more than 500000 persons In Decemtier a proposal was made to change that policy in favor of giving top priority for improving and expanding existing facilities Stuart Ilalleck HEW's public broadcast chief said last month the change would not be made Mrs Jow A A lA-Z-BOYRECLINERS ever 60 styles and 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