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Show supplement to the National Enterprise Business Thriving in Utah Spurred by coal and coal and mineral development, Utah sales volume during 1975 scored a 12 percent gain over the previous year despite nationally depressed economic Measured by conditions. sales tax receipts, sales volume in the state totaled $4,731,000,000. After adjustments for inflation, Utah Foundation reports an effective gain of 2.6 percent compared with national personal consumption expenditures of 0.9 percent. The adjusted increase was also an improvement over the 0.7 percent gain recorded in the state in 1974. Utah Bankers Study Advantage of Automated Clearing House A vote by Utah bankers to establish an automated clear- ing house within the state could make the paper check checks. Rather, the firms accountants would record necessary information on a magnetic tape and the clear- inghouse would deposit the money in individual accounts. obsolete. The Foundation report shows the largest percentage The automated system According to Mark Nelson, planning analyst with First eliminates gains in business activity last year were in counties with extensive coal and mineral development. Emery County recorded an increase of 126 percent; Carbon County, 38 percent; Iron County, 36 percent; Grand County, 31 percent; and Morgan County, 30 cumbersome accounting associated with paper checks, Nelson said. And it means firms no longer need to contend with lost or stolen checks, he added. Since the automated system in Utah will be operated on Federal Reserve Bank computers, savings and loans, and k other institutions will be able to participate in it in a correspondent status. That is, by having an account with a member bank, they can receive indirect benefits from the system. Security Corporation and chairman of the Automated Gearinghouse Subcommittee of the Utah Bankers Association, the Salt Lake area is one of the last in the country to convert to ah automated system. We decided we need the system and the time is right, Nelson said of the Utah percent. cumbersome. The volume has increased to the point we cannot hire enough people or install equipment fast enough to do the job manually, he said. 15 years has increased by 82 percent, or an average of 4.1 percent per year. The report points out the largest gain occured in 1972 when adjusted sales-vo- l ume in the state rose by 12.6 percent. The smallest gain amounted to only 0.2 percent Nelson said several large Simplifies Process An automated clearinghouse would allow businesses with a computerized payroll system to automatically deposit payroll money into employees accounts without printing, a's Mark Nelson , It's a small step in the direction to stem the delivering or recording paper tidal wave of paper expected in the future. , Study Concludes Complex Ideal for Property prices the past Firms Request Change companies in the region have requested the banks to establish the automated system. But in response to Review inquiries, accountants with two large companies indicated reluctance to jump at the opportunity. Warren. Oviatt, accounting supervisor with Utah Power and Light,, said the major problem with converting to a magnetic tape system involves Continued on page 2b Higher account for approximately 9 . percent of these percentages, the report said, Sales volume in Utah over non-ban- bankers decision. Paper entries have become too . Employees simply receive a statement from their banks that the money has been deposited in their accounts. in 1967. . More than half of all business activity in Utah is concentrated in Salt Lake County, .with nearly half of the Salt Lake County total emanating from the city proper. During the recent years, however, the volume of business activity in Salt Lake City rose 106 percent compared with an increase of 234 percent in the suburban areas of the county. City-Owne- d A hotel-retail-offi- com- - ce plex is the best use for the property along West Temple between 2nd and 3rd South. That is the conclusion reached by Taylor Dark, an consultant to the Salt Lake City Redevelopment Dark has been Agency. conducting an economic base study of Salt Lake City for three months. Focal point of the study was the 250.000 square feet of land He along West Temple. expressed this viewpoint in a preliminary meeting with Mike Chitwood, agency direcL.A.-base- undoubtedly a parking struc- ture would be required. He added mdte detail about park- ing requirements would be included in his final report, due next week. d city-own- Resistance to Change Dark said the major prob- - lem of any developer doing business in Salt Lake City would be overcoming the belief that Utahns resist novelty. People here are just like people anywhere Dark said. else, They to change. They do respond like novelty. They appreciate continued on page 2b widely-hel- d ed An attempt to amend or revoke approximately 240 nuisance standards will be undertaken by The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) according to James Foster, chief of media services in Washington, D.C. A number' of standards were adopted without any g procedures by OSHA within the first few months of its inception, and in most cases right off the books of existing statutes. As an example, Foster cited an existing rule which states a railing must be 42 rule-makin- tor, last week. Dark recommended the agency seek a developer who could build between 75,000 125.000 square feet of space; 250-35- 0 hotel rooms; and 100,000 to 200.000 square feet of office space. There is an inherent park- - Focal point of an economic base study undertaken by the city Redevelopment Agency is the 250,000 square feet of ing problem in this plan, and" Dark acknoqledged, property on West Temple. retail-commerci- OSHA Eyes Nuisance Rules with Suspicion al city-own- ed inches high, if it is 41 or 43 inches a citation would have to . be issued. OSHA, said Foster, would like to change these of ordinances but in a manner , different than the normal procedure of the proposals coming from Washington, reported in the Federal Register, then allowing time for public comment. Foster said OSHA will hold a series of nine meetings as a pilot project before the proposals are made. The first meetings will concern walk and working surfaces, fire protection, and handling of anhydrous materials or pure ammonia, If this works, a similar system will be used to modify other standards. Foster said, OSHA will be holding meetings in Denver on June 24th and 25th concerning anhydrous materials, and in San Francisco on June 9th and 10th concerning fire protcc-kind- s tion. |