MEMO

One-day workers' compensation conferences will be held at two sites in Missouri in October, including the Holiday Inn here Oct. 12.

The Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce will join several other area chambers in co-sponsoring the two conference. The first conference will be held at Holiday Inn North in Springfield Oct. 6.

The program is designed to help employers understand their rights under Missouri's workers' compensation law. Topics will include claims and obligations, managing costs and ways to cope with the complexities of the system.

Conference speakers will include Mike Taylor, National Council on Compensation Insurance; Robert T. Johnson, commissioner of the Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations Commission; state Rep. Pat Secrest and others.

Registration for the Cape Girardeau meeting will be at 7:30 a.m. Costs are $89 for chamber members and $119 for nonmembers. Lunch is included. Additional information is available by contacting the chamber.

Total construction activity is up in Missouri.

The F.W. Dodge Division of McGraw-Hill, an authority on the construction market, reported total construction for the first six months of 1994 at $3.3 billion, up 17 percent from the $2.8 billion during the same period in 1993.

Nonresidential construction in the state during the first seven months, which includes commercial, manufacturing and other buildings not designed for shelter, was reported at $1.2 billion, up 9 percent from the $1.1 billion during the same period of 1993.

Residential construction for the year through July is up 15 percent, at $1.5 billion in 1994, compared to $1.3 billion total during the same period in 1993.

Nonbuilding construction, which includes streets, highways, bridges, river and harbor developments, airports and a few other projects, was reported at $599,386,000 for the year, up 46 percent from the same period a year ago, which totaled $409,220,000.

July totals show a slight drop in residential construction, from $213,807,000 in 1993 to $201,118,000 in July 1994. Other figures were on the plus side. Nonresidential construction in the state in July 1994 was reported at $257,193,000, up 73 percent from 1993 July totals of $148,934,000. Nonbuilding construction was reported at $80,849,000 in July 1994, up 5 percent from the $77,215,000 total of July 1993.

Fall planting for color, fall lawn care and landscaping with trees and shrubs are among topics to be discussed during the Southern Living-Lowe's Lawn and Garden Seminar to be conducted at Lowe's Lawn and Garden Center, 3440 Lowe's Drive, Sept. 10.

Southern Living garden specialist Bill Slack will conduct three shows designed for novices and seasoned gardeners.

"Anyone can have a beautiful landscape," said Slack. "We want to teach the audience what they can do."

Slack, an authority on home landscape and garden design, was an extension landscape architect at the University of Georgia for 13 years. He earned his bachelor of science degree from the State University of New York and completed his master's degree in landscape architecture at the University of Georgia.

Slack, who has been named top extension landscape architect in the U.S. by the American Society of Landscape Architects, will conduct the free shows: fall planting at 10 a.m., fall lawn care at 1 p.m., and landscaping with trees and shrubs at 3 p.m.

Drury Inn Hotel, which opened in 1973 at Interstate 55 and Highway 62 at Sikeston, has been converted to Holiday Inn Express.

The property as well as the new Drury Inn under construction is owned and operated by Drury Inns Inc.

Holiday Inn Express hotels are a streamlined version of Holiday Inn full-service hotels.

The 67-room hotel at Sikeston has undergone renovation, including a refinished pool area, new roof line and a new tower that makes it easily recognized as a Holiday Inn Express.

Phyllis Little, who has managed the original Drury Inn for 20 years, is general manager of the Holiday Inn Express.

Westvaco Corp., a manufacturer of paper, packaging and chemicals, reported record sales and earnings for its third quarter ended July 31.

Sales for the quarter were reported at $641 million, 9.4 percent more than sales for the third quarter of 1993, and the largest quarter-sales gain in more than five years. For the first nine months of fiscal 1994, total sales were $1.8 billion, up 6.9 percent over 1993 totals.

Earnings for the third quarter were $20.2 million, or 30 cents a share of common stock. Earnings for the first nine months of fiscal 1994 were $52.2 million, or 78 cents a share.

Westvaco, headquartered in New York, includes a paper and paperboard mill at Wickliffe, Ky.

NEW YORK -- Lockheed Corp. and Martin Marietta Corp. have agreed to merge in a deal worth more than $10 billion. It is one of the biggest defense-contractor mergers in history.

The stock-swap merger announced last week reflects continuing industry consolidation, which has been driven by sharp reductions in defense spending.

Merging will allow the companies to cut production costs while providing defense, space and other high-tech products to their government and civilian customers, Lockheed and Martin Marietta said in a join statement.

Lockheed Martin, as the new company will be called, will have about $23 billion in annual sales and employ approximately 170,000 people.

WASHINGTON -- The income of Americans rose moderately but more rapidly than consumer spending in July, the latest sign that economic growth appears to be slowing.

The Commerce Department reported last week that income climbed for the sixth straight month, advancing 0.5 percent, while spending rose for the third month in a row, but by just 0.2 percent.