Source of Nottled fater uestioned sday The sketch on the ocean-blue labels w'rapped around bottles of Aquafina rinking water looks just like a snow- capped mountain range. But the water, which is bottled by lpsi-Cola Co. and has rocketed up the sp es charts of an industry whose overall sples are exploding, does not come from a mountain spring at all. It's not even a country well or a flowing stream. :.It filtered tap water from 11 cities aross the country - including 11ouston, Wichita, Kan., and Fresno, Calif. - whose supplies may not sjpring to mind as the most pristine or rfreshing. < As the public's passion for bottled ter continues to heat up, a debate y.the sources of the more than 3 mil- lion gallons sold last year in the United s has taken center stage. The water merchants, ranging from Pepsi-Cola and Perrier to a Georgia landowner who adds clove and licorice flavoring, look for ways to make the water seem special and increase sales at the same time. 'They argue about the value and pop- ularity of minerals, the merits of reverse osmosis and ozonation, the advantages of having one water source fveral, and the challenges of rising duction. Competitors complain that Pepsi- Cola is misleading consumers with the mountain sketch on bottles of "puri- fied" Aquafina. The leading brands are also keeping a close eye on the fast growth of newcomer Dannon, which pIays up its brand name (same as the yogurt) rather than its sources. .Neighbors of a Great Bear spring in nsylvania charge that Perrier, which s that regional brand and several others, including Poland Spring and Deer Park, plans to expand production somuch that their trout streams and wells could dry up. ,People here see this bottled water as aJi)ury for yuppies vs. something they ne4 to flush their toilets and take a sle r, said Jerry Centofanti, regional prigmm manager for water supply man- ment at the Pennsylvania Department -nvironmental Protection. ,Some bottlers say many of the "natur- al spring waters" are not all that natural beeause the water is trucked around and there=-shot with ozone and ultraviolet light'to kill bacteria before it is bottled. he trick for bottlers is to sell their bpads in a wide area - possibly the wfle nation - without drowning in high transportation expenses that can f lceed the cost of the water itself, o ,n as little as a few cents per bottle. .S. sales of bottled water, including wator cooler jugs, shot up 8 percent last yearzo 3.1 million gallons, or 11.7 gal- lons, a person, according to the Beverage Marketing Corp. of New York. That includes a nearly 25 percent jump for plastic bottles holding 1.5 liters and less. !It fits in with today's healthier lifestyles," said Gary Hemphill, vice digent of - Beverage Marketing, a ng that bottled water has increas- ingly become an alternative not just to tap, water but also to soft drinks. ' The sales and per capita consump- timn4evels for bottled water have more thawtdoubled over the past 10 years - faster growth than any other beverage category except iced teas and sports drinks. The industry even managed to o ercome the discovery in 1990 that es of cancer-causing benzene had been found in some bottles of Perrier sparkling water. Perrier temporarily haltI bottling at a plant in France and launched a worldwide recall. The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, September 3, 1997 - 9A Llama day Tobacco companies boost prices seven cents per pack Raise in prices expected to cover legal settlements NEW YORK (AP) - Major tobacco companies raised wholesale cigarette prices about 7 cents per pack yesterday in what analysts saw as a down payment on the smoking suit settlements that would cost the industry billions of dol- lars. The increase was the second this year, following a rise of about 5 cents a pack in March. The latest increase amounts to a rise of about 7.5 percent in the wholesale price of cigarettes, which should translate into a 4 percent increase at retail. Analysts said the latest increase should cover the first-year costs of legal settlements reached with the states of Mississippi and Florida over the states' claims to recover Medicaid payments made to treat sick smokers. They said the industry's quick move to match the biggest cigarette maker, Philip Morris USA, in raising prices may be intended to encourage Congress to approve a broader nation- al legal settlement reached in June. The White House is reviewing that proposed $368.5 billion settlement plan reached with a majority of state attorneys general and various anti- smoking activists. Higher tobacco prices could reduce demand for cigarettes by youngsters, backers of the agreement say. But crit- ics have called the settlement too gen- erous to the tobacco industry and say it is unfair to have current smokers shouldering the costs. The 7.5 percent wholesale price increase would be the biggest in percent- age terms since a 12 percent rise in late 1988, according to industry analyst Gary Black of Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. Black said it would generate about $1.6 billion in extra revenue in the first year, which he said would more than offset the first-year payments required under the settlements the industry has struck under an $11.3 billion deal with Florida and a $3.6 billion agreement with Mississippi. Black said if the national settlement were approved, tobacco prices would have to be raised 40 cents per pack to meet the first year costs and an addition- al 35 cents per pack over the next five years. Philip Morris, which makes the top- selling Marlboro brand, told whole- salers Friday that it was boosting prices by $3.50 for every 1,000 cigarettes ,effective on orders the day after Labor Day. There are 20 cigarettes to a pack. Rivals R.J. Reynolds Tobacco, maker of Winston and Camels, and Brown & Williamson Tobacco, which sells Kool, Carlton and Lucky Strikes, followed suit. Philip Morrs spokesperson Brendan McCormick declined to say what caused the increase. Reynolds spokesperson Maura Ellis cited "our increased costs of doing business" but declined to elaborate. Tom Fitzgerald, a spokesperson for Brown & Williamson, said the recent Florida and Mississippi settlements as well as other factors played a role in the price hike. David Adelman, a tobacco analyst for Morgan Stanley Dean Witter, said raising prices in increments could make it easier for smokers to get used to higher prices without driving them to quit because of a large one-time boost. He said gradual increases also could discourage vendors from hoarding cigarettes in anticipation of a big price jump. AP PHOTO Handlers helped Floyd and Pat Zopfl control a team of eight ponies and 64 llamas pulling a wagon through downtown Janesville, Wi during Monday's Labor Day parade, setting a world record. Couple iled in bounty hunter o Start the TRADITION of EXCELLENCE NOW! 95,000 Members Worldwide 1,500 Student Members PHOENIX (AP) - Bounty hunters wearing black ski masks and looking for a bail jumper kicked in the front door of a house, held children at gun- point and shot a young couple to death in a case of mistaken identity, police said. Three of the bounty hunters were in custody Monday, including one who has been charged with second-degree murder and two hospitalized with gun- shot wounds. Police were looking for four others. Investigators said they don't believe the bail jumper was in the house and may never have lived there.. "It's still a mystery why they went to that house," said police Sgt. Mike Torres. The shootings have focused renewed attention on Arizona laws that allow bounty hunters to break down doors and use guns to bring bail jumpers back to jail. They don't need a court order or warrant. They don't even need a license to do what they do, police said. "Whatever force necessary," said Linda Ownbey of Liberty Bail Bonds, the state's largest bail business. "It's spelled out in the contract that people have to sign." In Sunday's shooting, the bounty hunters were looking for an out-of-state bail jumper who owed a California bond company $25,000. Police said one bounty hunter held a woman and her three children at gunpoint while others kicked down the door to the couple's bedroom. Killed were Chris Foote, 23, and his 21-year-old girlfriend, Spring Wright. Police said Foote apparently managed to shoot two of the bounty hunters with a handgun before he died. Luisa Sharrah, who lived in the house, said she woke up to find two men straddling her and tying her hands with white cords. "I was in bed with my two girls ... then these two guys beat me in the head with a Mag-Lite," she told The Arizona Republic. "I kept screaming at them, 'What the hell do you want?"' Sharrah said one bounty hunter held her and her children - ages 12, 11, and 6 - at gunpoint. The gunmen kicked down a door in the home and were met by a volley of bullets from Foote's gun, she said, but the bounty hunters shot back. David Brackney, 45, and Michael Sanders, 40, were hospitalized in stable condition with gunshot wounds to their arms. Both had worn body armor. Torres said they would likely be arrest- ed and charged upon release from the hospital. Late Sunday, police arrested Brackney's son, 20-year-old Matthew Brackney, at a residence about a mile from the shooting site. He was booked on two counts of second-degree murder. Join the Alumni Association as a Student Member! for only $o, you will receiVe ree Dinners during (inalS, a cool T-shirf, a chance fo win a rip fo MiChisan'S Bowl Game, and AluMnef career counseling. ID# : _ -e-mail address: Name:_ Student Campus address: Zip: --_ Phone:_ Circle one: Undergrad Grad Year in fall: 1 2 3 4 5 : Major: To join simply MAIL this form and your $10 payment to: Alumni Association Student Membership 200 Fletcher St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1007 Or, stop by and sign-up in person...we are located at the corner of Washington and Fletcher, across from the MLB. Questions? Need another application? E-mail us at m.alumni@umich or call 313-763-9733. ON MAIN BETWEEN WILLIAM & LIBERTY VISIT OUR WEBSITE: www.a2ark.org WELCOME WEEK EVENTS! m