UNION VIOLENCE in bloody Southern Bell Telephone strike two years ago has been compensated by one of the biggest out-of-court settlements in history. Communication Workers of America is paying $315,000 to Southern Bell, which will drop $5,000,000 damage suit against union.

PENN-TEXAS CORP. now owns a surprisingly high 40% of stock in Fairbanks, Morse, and is still buying heavily for proxy showdown March 27. Penn-Texas bought 161,450 shares during January, by month's end held 550,050. Present Fairbanks management owns about 33%.

LAYOFFS are coming for Trans World Airlines as first step in economy drive by new President Carter L. Burgess (TIME, Dec. 17). Burgess complains that TWA has hired 4,900 new employees in past two years, says he may cut entire force of 19,900 by 10%.

SOFT-COAL PRICES will go up about 25-c- a ton although demand is dropping. Reason: 200,000 miners are getting 80-c--a-day raises on April 1. Hike will hit coal-burning utility companies hardest.

HUSH-A-PHONE fight has been lost by American Telephone & Telegraph Co. after eight-year court struggle. Bowing to a U.S. Court of Appeals order, FCC reversed its earlier decision and ruled finally that A.T. & T. cannot ban use of "Hush-A-Phone" shields, which slip over speaking end of telephone and permit user to speak without being easily overheard.

CONFIDENT CHRYSLER, which has increased its share of the market from 16.3% to 19% with its new models, is urging its 9,000 dealers to buy or lease new Chevrolets and Fords, display them alongside their Plymouths. Bouncing back from 80% dip in profits last year, company is spending more than $1,000,000 to push its "Compare All Three" stunt.

FARM SURPLUS will be whittled down $700 million this year. By June 30 Agriculture Department will have an estimated $7.6 billion tied up in price-supported commodities, down from $8.3 billion a year ago. Estimate for fiscal 1958 is still lower $7.3 billion. Reasons: lower support levels (last week U.S. cut supports on eight major crops, including cotton), planting controls, food handouts here and abroad.

BUSINESS FLYING BOOM is lifting dollar sales of civilian noncommercial planes to alltime high. Plane companies sold 6,738 private craft for $104 million last year, up 52% from the 4,434 planes for $68 million in 1955. Private civilian fleet now numbers 60,000 aircraft which fly 10,000,000 hours a year.

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