TIME CLOCK

ILE DE FRANCE, the 32-year-old liner that carried almost 700,000 passengers and soldiers across the Atlantic and other oceans, will be sold for scrap. French Line said the 45,330-ton ship had grown too aged and costly to operate.

HUGE RUHR MERGER is expected to link two former members of German steel trust dismantled in 1948. August Thyssen-Huette (sales: $430 million) has asked permission from European Coal and Steel Community to buy Phoenix Rheinrohr (sales: $390 million). Authority will probably approve. Company would rank as Europe's biggest steelmaker, producing 5,000,000 tons a year, or 25% of West German supply, 10% of European Common Market output.

OIL-IMPORT CURBS, which are now voluntary, are expected to become mandatory. Justice Department opposes voluntary system on grounds that importers divide up markets. Government also is considering putting tariffs on oil.

KOHLER FAMILY FEUD is splitting the bathroom-fixture family. Nephew Walter J. Kohler Jr., onetime (1951-57) Governor of Wisconsin, charges he lost $214,156 when he sold his Kohler Co. stock to company in 1953, says that Kohler Co. gave "untrue statements" about its real value; he is suing for return of money. But Uncle Herbert Kohler, boss of company, says Walter was just an unknowing seller, should have asked the right questions before he sold.

NEW ALASKAN OIL WELL, most important since Richfield Oil Corp.'s first discovery well on Kenai Peninsula near Anchorage (TIME, Aug. 5, 1957), was brought in by Standard Oil (Calif.) and Richfield, shows capacity of 500 bbl. per day.

COLGATE-PALMOLIVE CO. is close to buying Buffalo's Wildroot Co., Inc., makers of hair tonic, for about $10.5 million. Wildroot, which has been talking merger with several companies, reports: "The Colgate deal looks good."

BRITISH ECONOMIC comeback has put nation in best trade position in decade. November exports climbed so high that British trade gap dropped to $25.8 million, one of lowest since 1946.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.