41.   And after several years of declining numbers of homeless people, advocates say the numbers are on the rise.

42.   But in October, some Catholic leaders at a Vatican synod urged consideration of part-time vocations as a way to offset the declining number of clergymen and nuns.

43.   But the declining number of patrons has prompted the property owners to come up with this idea to draw the crowds again.

44.   Bysiewicz and others attributed the declining number of contested races to several factors, including the strong economy and the escalating cost of campaigns.

45.   First, because of the declining number of villages which receive direct assistance as working capital for the poor communities.

46.   Florida officials say a variety of factors are mostly to blame for the declining numbers.

47.   It acknowledged that some of the decline came from new safety measures by employers and a declining number of dangerous jobs.

48.   Officials also have attributed the declining number of tourists to the large number of kidnap-for-ransom cases in the city and surrounding provinces.

49.   One congressional Republican who has talked to Jeffords in recent days said the Vermont lawmaker was pondering the declining numbers and influence of moderate Republicans in recent years.

50.   On the declining number of tourists visiting the country, Ng attributed that to the haze and water woes.