Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, May 11, 1993                   TAG: 9305110033
SECTION: BUSINESS                    PAGE: B6   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

ROANOKE VALLEY ECONOMIC INDICATORS

The statistic is considered a good indicator of the economy because businesses tend to add phone lines as conditions improve.

Chesapeake & Potomac Telephone Co. said it had 132,583 lines in service in the area at the end of April, up 0.26 percent from 132,235 lines in March and 2.77 percent from 129,002 lines in April 1992.

Other statistics added this week to the regional economic indicators show:

The number of business bankruptcies in Western Virginia rose. The U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Roanoke received 32 petitions from businesses in April, up 6.6 percent from 30 in March. There were 20 filings in April 1992.

Norfolk Southern Corp. loaded 18,214 coal cars in the week ended Sunday, off 8.7 percent from 19,960 the prior week and 7.9 percent from 19,786 in the comparable week last year.