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Show Clubs Support Moratorium by Jo Schneider the law may not have been Review Staff Writer equal in its interpretations Complexity, inequity and lack of control appear to be the moving forces behind the Utah Liquor Commis- sions recent 90 day moratorium on the granting of private club licenses and the pending legislation before the Utah legislature. Wayne Russell, director of the Utah Liquor Commission, said the moratorium was imposed so a revamping of the application requirements to evaluate private clubs can be preformed. At present, he said, the criteria and format for granting licenses and for evaluating clubs during the license renewal process have been too complex. As a consequence, Legislative Alert The Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce is offering a service to the public during the current legislative session, called Legislative Alert. 1 and By dialing asking for the legislative hotline, a caller can hear a recorded message explaining legislative events of that day. The message is changed twice daily. The service operates between 8:00 a.m. and 5:30 p.m., Monday through 364-363- on all occasions. The Utah Licensed Gubs Association, representing many of the licensed, private clubs in the state, support such a moratorium. According to Don Beck, executive director non-prof- it of the association, the clubs want equal law and equal enforcement and they view of the laws as a 159 step towards equity. clubs are licensed in private the state, 80 of which are located in Salt Lake County. With this many clubs competing for business, the question of survival has also become imminent. Beck maintains a limit, presently proposed at one club license for every 6,000 population, would also im-- When is a Branch Not a Branch? Is a drive-i- n unit half a block from the main bank a branch? Or is it an extension of the main bank? That is the question a judge will be answering when the State of Utah brings Zions First National Bank of Ogden to court. A complaint against the bank was filed last week by the How Will 977 Slack Up? by Fred Ball Executive Vice President, Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce If you liked 1976 you wont be disappointed with 1977. Utah's economy overall performed strongly in its recovery from the 1974-7- 5 recession. And for an encore, economists say more of the same is in store for the new year, with most of Utahs major sectors The pace of the again showing steady improvement. expected gains will be fairly stable, these experts promise, with only a slight moderation appearing near the' close of 1977. Much of the optimism over the national outlook centers on expected shorter unemployment lines, a spreading of the in housing to the rest of the country, modest Utah mini-boogains in retail sales, greater spending by business and industry for plant and equipment, and higher corporate profits. Some form of tax break also seems assured early this year as a further spur to the economy. Those bright prospects will be dulled somewhat, though, by a still relatively high inflation rate, consumers less eager to open their pocketbooks for spending (unless a tax rebate is effected) and some uncertainties over labor union contract renewals. While it wont be anything spectacular, the economy in avoid roller 1977 will do what pleases economists most coasters gyrations and hold to sustainable, solid growth that will result in moderate gains in most economic sectors, laying the groundwork for further stable expansion beyond 1977. Utah has performed better than the nation regarding unemployment. It wasnt many years ago that the Utah unemployment rate was generally two to three points higher than the national average. This has now reversed and our unemployment figure is two to three points below that which the rest of the nation is experiencing. This trend should continue as our local industries grow, expand, penetrate new markets, make more profits and hire more people. At the same time the Economic Development Council, anticipates 1977 to be a good year as far as the expansion of the employment base is concerned throughout the state of Utah. m Bullish Forecasts Economists and government officials like to speak of scenarios and since the outlines they draw for 1977 are basically bullish for the United States, that sets the stage for the upswing forecast for Utah. The Utah economy in 1977 will probably display patterns very similar to those of the rest of the nation. Look for further recovery with gains in income, greater spending by consumers and a lower rate of unemployment. Tourism, recreation and conventions should experience a good year. The winter sports industry has been dealt a very severe setback because of adverse weather conditions for the ski season of Millions of dollars have been lost because of the lack of snow. However, if the snow comes in late January and February, the ski resorts are planning to remain open until at least the 15th of May in an attempt to recoup some of the lost holiday season ski money. Utah is becoming a destination point for the first time to many travelers. In the past Utah has been a watering hole for many travelers heading to or from California. Now however, more people are coming to Utah by choice rather than by chance. This is a big industry for Utah and generates clean dollars. It cant be too controversial, our visitors come, spend money and leave. with Utah is still being discovered growing sharply in 1976 and expected to continue this year. It wasnt many years ago that Utah suffered as many of our young people left the state because of lack of opportunity. Utah will welcome many transplanted residents in 1977. The states attraction as a place to live still has appeal, despite scare stories about provinciality and peculiar folklores and mores of the people. This promises to be a healthy bountiful year on nearly all of Utahs varied fronts but the new year is as full of challenge as it is of promise. Utahs energy future is uncertain and there are serious problems involving environmental protection and the restraints that inhibit expansion. Blessed by its economic blend of industry (we are not destined to suffer because of down turn in one segment of the economy) Utah has the potential for rapid but clean and controlled growth. Making the right decisions to satisfy conflicting points of view will be difficult however, and little lead time is available. Its a situation demanding the best efforts of Utahs responsible citizens and its executive 76-7- 7. out-migrati- leaders in business, industry and government. on State Department of Financial Institutions, seeking to close the drive-i- n unit. "The whole thing is a difference of opinion, explains Gary Schwendiman, Zions First National Bank attorney. "The state says the drive-i- n facility is a separate branch, the Comptroller of Currency, who regulates us since were a national bank, has interpreted the law differently. He says it is part of the present bank. Now the courts will have to decide. unit is The drive-i- n about 250 feet from the main bank, on the same side of the street. Utah law does not permit more than one bank office in any city except Salt Lake. So a branch office of Zions in Ogden would be illegal. There have been a multitude of precedents set for this case in other states, Some says Schwendiman. decisions state customers should be able to see the main office from the drive-i- n unit. Others state the other unit must be less than a mile away, and some say it should be right next door. In the Ogden case, several businesses are operating between the location of the main office and the drive-i- n unit. In Salt Lake a similar situation exists on 2nd South, where Walker Bank has established a drive-i- n about a half block from its main office. In this case, however, Walker had the extra unit chartered as a branch bank, which, in Salt Lake, is permissable by law. Will this question soon be settled forever? Im sure all parties concerned want this issue to come to a point where it is no longer a problem to anyone, says Schwendiman, but there is always the possibility the next case will be different. |