Newspaper respondents reported a drop to 22 percent from 39 percent in 1997.

Elsewhere in the nation, urban high schools report dropout rates of 20 percent to 40 percent.

Analysts expect them to report sales increases of 1 percent to 3 percent.

But the Government reported a sharp drop in the inflation rate this month, to 9.9 percent, the lowest figure in more than a year.

Staten Island reported a drop of 1.6 percentage points, to 4.6 percent last month from 6.5 percent a year earlier.

In addition, an industry on the island reported tree losses of two to four percent from the storm.

A survey in December, 2005 reported a drop in that figure, to 8 percent.

For the same period, it reported the 30-day compounded average yield up one basis point, to 6.24 percent.

Bronxville reported an increase from 42 percent in 1995 to 55 percent.

The campaign has had some success: the ministry reported a decline in the infected population from 26 percent to 15 percent between 1975 and 1990.