FAST TAX WRITE-OFFS on 21 types of defense projects will be reinstated by the Office of Defense Mobilization. Among the expansion goals reinstated: airport facilities, iron ore, diesel locomotives, truck terminals, railroad passenger cars, petroleum pipelines.

LOWER PULLMAN FARES will be tried in an experiment to increase off-season travel. ICC has given Pullman Co. permission to cut fares (until April 30) on berths, roomettes and compartments as much as 40% on 15 railroads operating west of Chicago.

CIGARETTE SMOKING is puffing ahead faster and faster, recovering from its recent slump. The Internal Revenue Service's latest survey (in November) showed a 10% jump in consumption.

GRUEN WATCH CO., which has had trouble keeping time lately (loss for year ending March 1955: $1,125,000), will try to get back in the black this year by acquiring and operating the 71-year-old Waterman Pen Co. of Montreal.

AIRLINE MERGER between Eastern and Colonial Airlines will finally go through after nearly two years of legal battles. Under the $12 million deal, Eastern will get 13 planes, some 2,700 miles of new routes to Montreal and Bermuda.

COST OF LIVING in 1955 showed the "greatest stability" since the Government first started keeping track of the monthly changes in 1940, says the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Consumer prices fluctuated within a range of only .8 index points as declines in commodity prices, especially food, balanced out increases in service items, e.g., haircuts, movies, shoe repairs.

GENERAL ELECTRIC will push into the commercial market for electronic machines in a big way. After making specialized computers for military and engineering use, G.E. will build and market a complete line of electronic computers for business use, ranging from "pocketbook editions" to giant, million-dollar brains filling three average-size rooms.

VOLKSWAGEN will cancel plans to manufacture its cars in the U.S. because of high U.S. production costs. It will sell the $4,000,000 assembly plant in New Jersey it bought recently from Studebaker-Packard Corp. Volkswagen still hopes to boost its 1956 U.S. sales to 60,000 v. 35,000 in 1955.

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