51.   A sweltering summer last year reduced conception rates, disrupted the breeding cycle and led to the smaller herd.

52.   A weak economy with low inflation would encourage the Fed to reduce rates.

53.   All the same, no one expects the central bank to reduce rates before the second half of the year, he said.

54.   Bruno said the resulting savings would make it easier for electric companies to reduce their rates, which throughout the state are well above the national average.

55.   But he signaled that the Fed would reduce rates sufficiently to insure that the economy gets back on track fairly quickly.

56.   But he said that he would keep urging the governor to abandon her current plan to reduce auto-insurance rates and consider his instead.

57.   But in some states, legislators and governors are beginning to urge caution about reducing tax rates further on the basis of recurring surpluses.

58.   But in many areas, reducing the rate at which spending grows would have the effect of cutting back government services, especially in health care.

59.   But he downplayed his failure to get the tax rate reduced, and he said he was pleased with the budget compromise.