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Show monday, 10 October 31, 1977e m mJWSSsnmMWMOJummMummnsimmumMiauuamtBm Howard Johnsons cant estimate real damages caused by fires room, with all adjacent rooms also being unoccupied. The fires arc obviously aimed at harassment," the Howard Johnsons motor lodge has already run up a bill of about SI 00.000 in repairs due to five arson fires set in the hotel during the past two months. But hotel manager Jim Thomas is quick to point out thats only the amount Howard Johnsons can turn into its insurance agency for There are other damages. losses. Last night we had 60 of 225 rooms out of commission and had to send some folks elsewhere for the night." Thomas also said the hotel lost a small convention when disturbances caused by construction forced the group to disband to quieter quarters. Though there haven't Photo by J.M. Schutz Five arson fires in the past two months have caused $100,000 damage at Howard Johnson 's motor lodge. Merchants warned, sales must be sales Sales had better save someone some money, the state consumer affairs divi- sion is warning merchants, or itll be the merchants who pay more than they should. Merchants offering items " prices will receive a sale at warning shortly from division executive secretary Eueda M. Stevenson that the sales must represent a real price advantage or be regarded as an illegal deceptive act. Stevenson told the Enterprise the letter is being sent to Penalties for violating the law include an injunction continuation and an award of actual damages, Stevenson said. She estimat- ed some 20 to 25 merchants will get the letter if they have advertised such sales. been any cancellations as a result of the arson fires, Thomas fears the negative impact may be down the road." And he can't tell how many reservations wont be made as a result of the fires and bad publicity. The fires themselves are still a mystery to both the hotel and local fire officials. Although one suspect is being held in the case, the fires as well as several bomb threats have continued to plague the hotel. The first fire was set Aug. 2 on the seventh floor of the building. Since then, fires have been discovered on the 10th. 11th, 12th and 13th floors. (The building has 13 stories.) All rooms set ablaze have been locked and occupied. The modus oper andi of all the fires is similar. Thomas said, City Fire Marshall Ben Andrus said each fire is contained within a single un-again- flag) to (B mS) oo 0 toaire doftsro gfl) businesses which advertise such sales in order to acquaint them with the law and prevent an epidemic of such deceptive practices. She said once a few merchants begin advertising sales, others pick it up in order to remain competitive, and the division wants to stop that before it happens. Stevenson said the letter wasnt prompted by compla-ain.- s over this particular practice, but was called to her attention by other instances of stores engaged in other types of deceptive acts such as bait-and-swit- ch or misrepre- senting merchandise. According to the consumer official, the price to which the is sale price compared must have been the price of the item somewhere in the trade area" of the for at least 30 days prior store to the sale. If a specific price advantage is available, the merchant can legitimately advertise it. ooo od st fire marshall said, No accelerant was used, and the person simply gathered whatever was flammable inside the room and set it ablaze." Andrus and Thomas arc still puzzled about how the arsonist gains entry to the rooms. They theorize it could be a misplaced key or an inside accomplice. The fires have become increasingly frequent and a night desk attendant jests theyve all come to know the firemen on a first name basis. Thoma:. is hoping the arsonist will slip up soon. Meanwhile, hes beefed All up his security guard. employees and prospective employees arc also being investigated for possible connection with the fires. Harvest restart good Harvest progress was good during September in spite of the various storms that passed over the state, according to the Utah Crop and Livestock Reporting Service, U.S.D.A. The harvest of a third crop of alfalfa hay was about 72 percent completed. Silage corn harvesting progressed to 72 percent completed potato digging, dry onion harvest, and apple picking were all at the 30 percent mark. Condition of nonirrigated pasture and range feed was a poor 60 percent of normal-m- ore moisture was needed in almost all parts of the state. In other crops the service reported: Alfalfa Hay: Production for the state was expected to reach 1,411,000 tons for the 455,000 acres of alfalfa in Utah. Realization of that figure would be the result of an average of 3.10 tons per acre, a decrease of 1 1 percent from last year. At the start of the season, a much smaller crop was expected but very timely rains were valuable in increasing yields. Potatoes: Harvest of an expected 1,188,000 cwt. of potatoes was well underway The estimated by Oct. 1. 5,400 acres was slightly above last years acreage of 5,200 i's- ' . ll ,'ifl s ; :T 3 while the expected i4 yield of 220 cwt. per acre was down 20 cwt. from last year. Sugar Beets: Utah s 9,800 acres of sugarbeets were expected to yield 173.000 tons ft this fall. This is an average of 17.7 tons per acre slightly acres, y higher than last year. Acreage in 1977 is 46 percent less than 1976. Milk Production: During milk 1977, September production totaled 80 million pounds up 5 percent from the 76 million pounds produced in Utah a year ago. i Average production was 1,025 pounds per cow compared with 960 in 1976. MFS dividend : n M !! Mountain Fuel Supply Company has declared quarterly dividends of 50 cents per share on the companys i common stock and $2 per share on the preferred stock. The common stock divivdend is payable Dec. 5, to shareholders of record on Nov. 10, 1977, and the preferred stock dividend is payable, Jan. 3, 1978, to shareholders of record on Dec. 2, 1977. EteafQ 0iB step sfl ffi stag) (fe Hfe, flast i, A - |