JET SEAPLANE, Martin's swept-wing P6M Seamaster, is going into production. Navy has handed Martin $102 million initial order (about 18 planes) for huge, 600-plus-m.p.h. craft.

COLOR TV will get a big boost from NBC. Network is scheduling 500% increase in color programs over last year, will have 120 hours of color in 1956's fourth quarter, with at least one major color show every night.

OIL IMPORTS to U.S. are nearing crackdown by Office of Defense Mobilization. With oilmen planning still more import boosts in fourth quarter, on top of 3% third-quarter increase, ODM will issue final warning for industry to cut back at least 4%, "or the Government will have to order the cuts itself."

FAIR TRADE LAW has been knocked out in Colorado, eighth state to ban price-fixing agreements. State Supreme Court ruled unconstitutional the clause requiring retailers who do not sign price-fixing agreements with manufacturer to charge Fair Trade prices.

GAS-HEATING BOOM, growing at rate of 20% each year (up 100% since 1951), is pushing natural-gas industry out ahead of oil for first time. July figures show 10.2 million U.S. homes centrally heated by gas v. 10.1 million for oil and 7,500,000 for old king coal.

BIG URANIUM DEAL will give Floyd Odium's Atlas Corp. foothold in Millionaire Charles Steen's mining (Mi Vida mine) and milling (Uranium Reduction Co.) empire. After year of maneuvering, Odium bought 30% interest in $8,000,000 uranium mill being built by Steen's Uranium Reduction Co. at Moab, Utah. In return for share in mill, Odium will cancel plans for his own mill near by at La Sal, Utah.

HIGH PRESSURE DEALERS, who specialize in unlisted and speculative issues, will get full-scale investigation. SEC has received so many complaints of blitz telephone campaigns to sell often-worthless issues that it is already investigating at least six Manhattan firms.

SHIPPING COSTS are zooming because of Middle East crisis. Rates for dry cargo and oil are up as much as 200% in past year (to record $19.62 per ton for oil from Persian Gulf to United Kingdom). Ship prices are also following trend, with standard T-2 tankers currently pegged at $3 million v. $2.2 million as late as last April. 1957 PACKARD will be produced despite reports that Studebaker-Packard and Rescuer Curtiss-Wright would drop next year's model. In January, company will start turning out either face-lifted 1956 model or redesigned and upgraded Studebaker bearing Packard name. Completely new model based on experimental Predictor (TIME, April 23) will come out in 1958.

COTTON SURPLUS, growing since 1951, will probably level off this year, says Agriculture Department. Despite slightly bigger crops, prospects are that heavier exports (double the 2,200,000 bales in 1955) and steady domestic use (9,200,000 bales) will push total consumption 25% ahead of last year, enough so that 1957 cotton carryover will be slightly less than last year's record 14.1 million bales.

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