COMPANIES

Columbia Gas to Freeze, Cut Some Salaries: Troubles continue at Columbia Gas System Inc., the troubled utility that serves 15 mid-Atlantic states. Effective next Monday, it will freeze some workers’ salaries and cut others as much as 10% in a bid to save $6 million--a cost-cutting action that will affect 8,000 employees, the company said. The utility missed a $10-million short-term debt payment Monday, its second default in less than a week. Columbia said last week that it faces bankruptcy if it cannot arrange fresh credit lines or renegotiate costly gas supply contracts.