European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 24, 1977, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 4 the stars and stripes saturday september 24, 1977 consumer liable under new system Low on electronic Bonk payment slip  asked Washington a a consumer re sponds to a Bank s advertisement of the convenience of having Bills paid automatically from his account. But a computer goofs and $120 is paid to the phone company instead of $ 12. Only then does the consumer learn that electronic payments systems do not give him the Legal safeguards on his Money that he has under traditional methods of pay ments. Esther Peterson consumer adviser to president Carter described this scenario thursday in urging Congress to write a Law giving Consumers the same Protection afforded now in transactions by chock or credit card. The computer technology now exists for such a method of payment and the first electronic payment systems now Are being marketed by Banks. Under such systems a consumer eventually is expected to be Able to pay for store merchandise by having the amount of his Purchase deducted from his Bank account instantaneously. Banks in the absence of a Federal Law have Little incentive to discuss the rights which Consumers will lose if they switch to electronic funds Transfer Peterson said. Consumers Don t realize that if some one steals Money from the Bank s electronic accounts no Federal Law says that the Bank rather than the consumer is liable killer gains a new delay of execution Tallahassee Fla. Up convicted murderer John Spenkelink won an automatic delay Friday of his execution until at least mid october when gov. Reubin Askew left on a european trip with out waiting for a Federal court order that could lift a temporary stay in the execution granted a week ago. The governor is on his Way and he will not come Back to sign any death warrant press Secretary Paul Schnitt said. Askew is not scheduled to return from his european Industry Hunting trip until oct. 10. Askew signed a death warrant ordering Spenkelink s execution last monday but a Federal judge issued the stay delaying the execution. That warrant expires at mid night Friday night and Spenkelink could not be put to death without a new warrant regardless of the court decision. . District judge William Stafford was expected to Rule on a Challenge of the Spenkelink sentence. Action planned Spenkelink s attorneys say they will go to the 5th . Circuit court of appeals if they fail to convince Stafford that capital punishment is unfairly administered in Florida. The state also indicated it would Appeal an Adverse ruling meaning a possible delay in the Case for weeks. Attorneys for Spenkelink told Stafford the state s capital punishment Law enacted in 1972, places a lower value on the lives of Blacks in that most killers of Black victims get life in prison while Many convicted of Killme Whites get the death penalty. Atty. Gen. Robert Shevin called the argument absurd saying the Law had no con Cern for the color or race of a murder victim. Spenkelink 28, walked away from a California prison and a life term for armed robbery shortly before killing a travelling companion in 1973 in a Tallahassee Motel. The victim was White. For the loss. Nor do most Consumers know How real a threat computer theft is she said. Peterson quoted an expert s estimate that More than 300 incidents of computer fraud have occurred with the average loss $150 million. She testified in favor of a Bill introduced by rep. Frank Annunzio d-i11., that would put consumer safeguards on electronic transfers similar to the Legal protections now applying to checks and credit cards. The Bill would allow a consumer to Stop payment within three Days on an electronic trans Fer As he now can do with a Check. Require a Clear disclosure to the con Sumer of All his rights and liabilities. Require a receipt to the consumer for each transaction plus a monthly statement of All electronic payments. Peterson said her statement May not represent the final position of the administration on electronic funds transfers. The implications of the electronic systems Are being considered by a Federal study com Mission and the consumer adviser said the administration does not want to take a final position until the commission makes its recommendations. Sheldon Saltman former publicity agent for stuntman Evel Knievel lies in a Hospital bed in los Angeles with a compound fracture of his left Arm and a new Challenge to Knievel broken right wrist. He accuses Knievel of attacking him with a baseball Bat. Knievel leaves a police station right after posting $1,000 bail on an assault charge. Knievel says Saltman in a recently published Book accused me of being an alcoholic a Pill Pusher and an immoral  a photo coast guard will Monitor cd Calls Washington a the coast guard recognizing the cd radio phenomenon says it will begin providing some Protection next Spring to boating cobers who find themselves in emergencies off the nation s coasts and in the Inland Waterways. The coast guard announced thursday it will install cd equipment at Many of its search and Rescue stations throughout the country in an Effort to provide some additional degree of safety to the Large number of Small boaters equipped with  the coast guard Long has declined to Monitor cd radio preferring instead the maritime radio service for distress Calls because a spokesman said it is a far Superior radio  but with 11 million cd licensees and an estimated 23 million cd radios in use the Secretary sentenced As spy Dusseldorf Germany Impi a court has sentenced Gerda Ostenrieder 33 year old Secretary in the foreign ministry to three years imprisonment for spying for East Germany. Spokesman told an interviewer we thought we could add a Little margin of safety to those who won t equip their boats with maritime radios but who do have cd facilities. There Are a lot of people with Small boats that Don t go very far offshore and who therefore Don t invest in the maritime service but have installed lbs the spokesman said. The coast guard estimates nine million recreational boats now in use. The Federal communications commission said 302,000 maritime licenses have been issued. The spokesman said the current National maritime communications and Dis Tress system. Will continue to be the primary system and one that is strongly recommended to serious  and he warned that since no additional coast guard personnel will be added to help Monitor cd channels there will be times when our cd monitoring might not be very Good because manpower will be tied up with maritime radio  the spokesman said the cd program still is in the planning stage and no Deci Sion has been made on How Many of the 200 Rescue stations will be equipped initially with lbs or what cd channels will be monitored. We still have to discuss with the acc what channels we will use he said. He estimated As a Ballpark figure that 75 of the Rescue stations in areas with High boat traffic would get cd equipment at first. No special antennas or Remote equipment is planned. % this is Good news said John Sodolski communications vice president of the electronic industries association a Trade group representing cd manufacturers. There have been a lot of deaths particularly in Small boats because people have not been Able to get through to the coast guard on their cd radios. This is really a step in the right  Albania Yugoslavia jolted Belgrade up a series of 10 earthquakes jolted Albania and portions of Southern and Eastern Yugoslavia causing some damage but no casualties