Of the massive net charge of $590m to be taken by US West Inc (CI No 1,829), $150m covers the cost of reducing employment in its core telephone business by 6,000 over the next few years, starting early next year; $320m is for writing down the value of its commercial property development portfolio, which the Englewood, Colorado company wants to liquidate, and the other $20m is to write off intangible assets acquired with the directory publishing operations it bought outside its operating area.
