European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 17, 1977, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 10 the stars and stripes saturday september 17, 1977 $280  round trips okd Washington a travellers with flexible sched Ules can now Fly from new York to London and Back for $280.the plan approved thursday by the civil aeronautics Board will be especially attractive to teachers students and others who spend Large chunks of time in Europe. Under the plan passengers can name the week they want to Fly but not the specific Day. What they la get is a fare $346 cheaper than the Normal new York London round trip coach fare of $626.the cheapest fare for travellers who want to pick specific flights is a $350 excursion that must be booked 45 Days in  cab gave six airlines permission to offer the $280 fare As soon As they file tariffs with the Board. Some did thursday and the others were expected to do so Friday. The carriers Are pan american world airways trans world airlines British airways air India Iran air and air lingus the Irish  the plan a passenger tells an airline at least 21 Benefit held for children of fire victims Cincinnati a Minnie Butsch clutched a yellow Rose while her 70-year old husband Pius broke into a Grin at Singer John Davidson s jokes. For a few moments thursday night the memory of their daughter s death in the Beverly Hills supper club fire last May was tucked away but not forgotten. The Butscher and their five grandchildren were among a crowd of 7,000 attend ing a Benefit performance at riverfront stadium for the 200 children whose parents were among the 164 killed in the fire at the Southgate ky., nightclub. This is a wonderful thing they be done Here Butsch said. I m glad someone had the courage to put it  Davidson who was waiting backstage when the fire broke out did t talk about the Blaze that killed his music director Doug Herro. John s Here to help the children not to talk about the fire a spokesman said. Davidson Sang love songs and talked about his visits to the Ohio state fair and he sometimes crowned with his fans. Days in Advance of the week he wants to Fly. The airline calculates when it has an empty seat on a scheduled flight and informs him at least seven Days ahead of when he 11 be  purchasing the ticket the traveler cannot designate a return week. He must do that when he is ready to return again giving at least 21 Days , the fare will be practical Only for those planning to stay at least three to four weeks in Europe with no pre Cise timetable for leaving. The airlines originally had sought a $256 round trip budget fare so they could compete with the $236 new York London round trip sky train fare which will be offered by Britain s Laker airways starting sept. 26. Passengers will show up at the Airport six hours before flight time to buy tickets on a first come basis. But the cab rejected the $256 proposal last week saying there was a danger it could drive charter carriers out of the North Atlantic Market. The Board indicated it might accept a slightly higher fare and the air lines came Back with the $280  Board action thursday to dbl pan am out of a night Marish situation. Without waiting for cab approval pan am three weeks ago began advertising the $256 budget fare and the first 50 passengers flew from London to new York  the cab had not approved the new fare each Passen Ger who wanted to Fly would have had to pay the $370 Dif Ference Between the cheap Price and the Normal $626 round trip fare. But with the new $280 fare each passenger had Only to pay the $24 difference Between that and $256. Pan am had sold More than 1,600 of the $256 tickets most of them to residents of the new York area. This was the second new York London discount fare the cab has approved for the airlines. Last week it okayed a $256 round trip standby fare. That plan went into effect thursday but passengers in new York had trouble finding seats. Every 20 seconds for the last five years this Chicago billboard dude has been blowing perfectly formed smoke rings he s kicked the habit from 6 . To Midnight. But thursday his lips were sealed and he smokes no More. Winston which at one time had similar billboards in 18 . Cities announced it will take a new direction in advertising. A photo foreigners supplied first in crunch Gao says arms sales abroad shortchange . Defense Washington up in its Rush to sell military equipment to other nations Ibe United states sometimes shortchanged its own defense forces congressional investigators say. The armament management and Deci Sion making process has on occasion Al Lowed foreign deliveries to affect . Defense capabilities adversely the government accounting office reported. The Gao is the investigatory  of Congress. The problem comes when sales of Mili tary equipment to foreign nations Strain production capabilities of . Weapons manufacturers. When the crunch comes some of these systems Are provided to foreign customers before our own forces Are fully equipped Gao said. In most cases foreign buyers Are sup plied from ongoing production sources within Normal Lead times but when delivery dates Are rushed the weapons producers Are caught Short. Consequently when there Are insufficient stocks on hand to simultaneously Supply both . And foreign needs the sales May result in withdrawals or diver Sions from our own forces  in 1973, when the october israeli War had a major Impact on arms sales . Military forces had 17 per cent by Dollar value of its equipment withdrawn or diverted for foreign sales. That percentage dropped to Only 1 per cent in 1976. The Gao noted the improvement in reducing withdrawals and diversions but warned that growth of foreign military sales threatens to have a major future Impact. However the Gao also noted the Bene fits of such a thriving business to the United states. Foreign sales volume has grown Over the past seven years from $952 million to Over $8.7 billion. This growth has allowed . Manufacturers to operate plants at higher Levels of production and in some cases to continue operating plants which otherwise might have been closed Down it said. Foreign military sales also can play an important role in support of foreign policy the report said. But it said the rapid Rise in volume of sales has taxed the ability of Dod to manage the program and there Are Indi cations that some deliveries to foreign customers have had an Adverse Impact on the . Forces  the Gao noted that the Armor plated personnel Carrier is a very popular item and about 68 per cent of the vehicles have been provided to foreign countries. During a recent period when the army was not buying the carriers foreign sales were valuable in taking up the Slack and keeping production lines open. House passes minimum wage Bill Washington a the House beat Back attempts thursday to require a lower minimum wage for teen agers and then passed legislation that will raise the nation s wage floor to $2.65 an hour in Janu Ary. The measure will also boost the mini mum wage to $3.05 by 1980 a 75-cent in crease Over the current $2.30 hourly minimum. About 3.1 million of the nation s 90 Mil lion workers Are paid the current mini mum wage. The Bill passed by a 309 to 96 vote Send ing it to the Senate where a similar Bill has been approved in committee. House speaker Thomas p. O Neill broke a tie vote on the controversial business backed proposal to pay youths Only 85 per cent of the minimum wage for their first six months on the Job. The sub minimum wage amendment failed 211 to 210. Even without o Neill s vote his first since becoming speaker last january the amendment would have failed on a tie vote. Under the House passed measure the $2.30 hourly minimum wage would go to $2.65 an hour in january $2.85 in january 1979 and $3.05 in 1980. Labor lobbyists said this 75-cent hike would be the single larg est increase in the minimum wage. Before finally approving the Bill the House voted 221 to 183 to adopt an Amend ment by rep. . Pickle d-tex., to exempt 3.8 million workers from coverage under the minimum wage act. The Pickle amendment raised the exemption under the act for companies making $250,000 or less in annual sales to those making less than $500,000 a year. Earlier the House Defeated two other key labor proposals to automatically in crease the minimum wage annually by 53 per cent of the average factory worker s wage and to scale Down the so called tip credit which lets employers pay tipped workers Only half the minimum wage