WATER-SKI BOOM is turning into big business. Skimakers forecast sales of 250,000 pairs worth $6,500,000 this year, almost 50% more than 1956, also say that water-ski fans will buy $18 million worth of outboard boats and motors (14% of total outboard sales) in 1957.

U.S. SAVINGS BONDS have slipped away from longtime role as nation's favorite investment, says Federal Reserve Board. Some comparisons from an investor survey:

1954 1957

Savings Bonds 42% 26%

Savings Accounts 22% 25%

Real Estate 8% 12%

Common Stocks 7% 10%

CURBS ON EXPORTS to Poland will be greatly eased. Commerce Department is lifting restrictions on a wide list of industrial and farm items, will even consider exporting such strategic goods as petroleum, magnesium, machine tools, electronic components, etc. Department hopes to accelerate U.S.-Polish trade, expects it to jump 130% to about $75 million this year.

MAJOR FRINGE BENEFITS by U.S. industry will top $12 billion this year, equal to 6% of total U.S. wage payments by private business. In 1956 alone, says Commerce Department, industry paid $5.71 billion for welfare and pension funds, $3.19 billion for old-age and survivors' insurance, another $1.85 billion for unemployment insurance, and $983 million for accident compensation.

CITIES SERVICE CO. will make first major effort by any U.S. company to drill for oil in Africa's promising Sahara Desert. Deal is for fifty-fifty profit split with two French companies in a joint venture to exploit Sahara's proven reserves of 3.5 billion bbl., explore for potential reserves conservatively estimated at 7 billion bbl.

LEAD, ZINC TARIFF will probably jump 100% to 200% soon to give depressed domestic producers a boost. With U.S. prices down to 14-c- per lb. for lead and 10-c- for zinc, Tariff Commission is expected to recommend doubling lead duty to 2.55-c-, tripling zinc tariff to 2.1-c-.

SEARS, ROEBUCK, which sells everything else, will jump into life insurance this week. Sears's Allstate Insurance Co., one of the biggest U.S. automobile insurers, will sell wide range of policies in Sears stores.

FAIR TRADE is out in South Carolina, tenth state to rule that manufacturer may not set retailers' prices. In legal battle between fair-trading General Electric Co. and Columbia, S.C. discount house, state supreme court gutted fair-trade law by striking down "non-signer clause," which says that stores must abide by fixed-price agreements even if they do not sign such pacts.

LOCKHEED AIRCRAFT is climbing into two new fields to offset defense cutbacks. For business flying market, Lockheed has designed and built a ten-seat U.S. jetliner in record time of 30 weeks; plane has two engines and 500-m.p.h. cruising speed. For military customers, company is working toward small nuclear reactor which it hopes will be used as engine for guided missiles.

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