THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, April 24, 1995 TAG: 9504220230
SECTION: BUSINESS WEEKLY PAGE: 04 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: Talk of the Town
LENGTH: Short : 37 lines
In this old seaport, there's been a lot of speculation about trade and the dollar. The greenback Friday was worth about 83 yen, down 15 percent since November.
Of course this makes products made in the United States cheaper abroad. Steamship lines have noticed an increase, though they still hesitate to connect the dollar's value and trade flows.
``We've seen a major increase in exports in recent months,'' said Robert T. Ford, Norfolk regional general manager for the steamship company Maersk Inc.
Shipments of synthetic resins and chemicals have grown, especially to Latin America. At the same time, Ford said, imports remain strong.
``A commitment to importing has been made by American manufacturers,'' Ford said. ``The value of the dollar can't change that.''
Speaking of regionalism, the Urban Partnership notes employment in private industry rose 75 percent in Virginia's cities between 1970 and 1990 while employment increased 81 percent in North Carolina's major cities. The partnership, formed by the Virginia Chamber of Commerce and 16 municipalities advocates revenue sharing among municipalities to help the cities grow.
USAir offers this traffic builder: Park at the Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport for four days or more in May and you'll get 1,000 frequent-flier miles.
Howmet Corp. of Hampton is on the sales block. The owner, Pechiney Group of Paris, needs cash. The Hampton plant casts parts for aircraft and industrial gas turbine engines assembled by Boeing Co. and General Electric Co. by CNB