Still, the rolls have fallen 51 percent from their peak of nearly 44,000 in March 1994.

Peter looked down at his fumbling fingers and saw that the roll of film had fallen to the ground.

Even more remarkable, officials say, since the 2001 recession the rolls actually fell slightly.

So the grants remain the same, even if rolls fall because of a booming economy.

But as unemployment grew there, the rolls fell 5 percent more.

The roll had fallen from 900 to 576 over a 12-year period.

Still, even Turner can't believe how much the rolls have fallen.

The roll continued to rise until the mid-1960s, but had fallen to just 328 by 1968.

That has been the case in Utah, where the rolls have fallen by 35 percent over the last four years.

Last year, the state still got $317 million, even though its rolls had fallen by more than 80 percent.