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The influence of income levels on the demand for consumer services is examined. For twenty-six categories of services income elasticities are established. Also the influence of price and other variables, on the quantity demanded of a consumer service are investigated. The primary aim is to determine whether the relationship between income and consumer service demand is consistent across a range of countries. This enables some comments to be made on the "post-industrial society" hypothesis which suggests that the advanced economies experience a particularly high income elasticity for the consumer service sector - thus a greater proportion of resources are devoted to this area as a result of demand influences. The results of the cross-section empirical analysis, based on data derived for thirty-four countries on an internationally comparable basis, suggest that the consumer service sector as a whole exhibits a relatively low income elasticity when compared with durable goods. However this sector is a heterogeneous group and the thesis shows a wide variety of responses when a disaggregated analysis is undertaken. A number of functional forms are used for each service in ordinary least squares multiple regression, which permit a variety of hypotheses regarding the behaviour of income elasticity at different income levels to be tested. The countries used in the analysis varied greatly in their traditions, geography and so on and yet relatively consistent relationships between income and consumer service demand are shown.

Growth and food habits of young-of-year and yearling Stizostedion hybrids stocked in Cherokee Reservoir, Tennessee, were examined from July 1983 to December 1985. Growth was excellent throughout the study and hybrids averaged 296 and 442 mm at ages 1 and 2, respectively. Both young-of-year and yearling hybrids attained 90% of their annual growth by December. Condition factors (K) of hybrids increased with age (0.62- 1.17), while relative weights (Wr) were within the acceptable range (95-105) for all but three months of the first two years following introduction. Both condition indices decreased sharply during the spring and summer. Reduced abundance of appropriate-sized shad following winter and sub-optimal temperature/dissolved oxygen characteristics may negatively affect hybrids during this period. Hybrids began consuming fish immediately following stocking, with shad being the most important food item for both young-of-year and yearlings during each year of the study. Insects, primarily chironomids and Hexagenia nymphs, were consumed by hybrids during the spring and summer, but were a minor component of the total hybrid diet. Non-shad fishes were frequently collected in forage samples, but occurred rarely in the diets of hybrids. Results from prey-predator length relationships suggested that there was a decrease in the abundance of appropriate- sized shad during the late spring.

192p.

U.M.