Schneider Sa

Square D Co. said Tuesday that it is willing to discuss an unsolicited merger offer from a French construction firm. Square D Chairman Jerre L. Stead said in a prepared statement that while the company is willing to discuss the $78-per-share offer from Schneider S.A., the firm's board has indicated in the past that the company plans to remain independent. The offer values Square D, an industrial control and electrical products maker, at about $1.774 billion.

In the back corner of a small laser laboratory tucked away in a little-known eastern Germany town, the "future of television" was born. The proud father, Christhard Deter, is eager to show off his brainchild, which he says is the first laser television system. "Laser projection has been discussed in patent documents and scientific literature for a long time," Deter says. "But laser display television is something completely new."

Stock prices closed mixed Tuesday as some investors trimmed positions and awaited the next step in the month-old Persian Gulf War. After a dizzying ascent last week, capped by a 57-point rise Friday, the Dow Jones industrial average eased 2.47 points to close at 2,932.18. Declining issues outnumbered advancers on the New York Stock Exchange, with 857 down, 779 up and 400 unchanged.