European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - May 5, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse                                16 the stars and stripes May lining up for Gas a 3hour wait to buy the allowed 5 Gallons at a will shattered Economy topple sandinista a photo by Monte Hayes associated press a shattered Economy rapidly approaching the Point of collapse is seen by nicaraguans and foreigners As a More dangerous threat to the leftist sandinista regime than a military defeat at the hands of backed armed and president reagans recently announced ban on Trade with the which takes effect can Only hasten that administration officials Reagan has also sought to increase Aid to the but Congress has rejected his proposal for million in military a rebel Leader insisted that the armed struggle to oust the sandinista will continue without the main Force of contras As the armed groups opposed to the sandinista government Are known is bleeding a heavily armed regular army along the Northern Border with Honduras while High plummeting production and Scarcity of essential con Sumer items fuel discontent throughout the even nicaraguan opposition leaders agree that the contras do not have the military punch to topple the sandinista but As the sandinista themselves know too Well be cause of their own guerrilla guerrillas can be a Pesky and Long lasting problem that can complicate other difficult situations and slowly strangle a govern there Are an estimated contras under the banners of at least three armed but Only about Are believed to be inside including claimed by the democratic nicaraguan Force since March the sandinista army has evacuated More than peasants from the relocating them near larger the government says it is Clear ing the area to be Able to conduct military operations without fear of harming civilian but the relocation is a tacit acknowledgement that the contras have greater support than previously thought among conservative even Small guerrilla groups could not operate in the area without some local and the contras move freely through some isolated Indalecio a member of the fun ruling said that the contras Are armed with soviet ak47 rifles purchased on the International Market or captured in Nicaragua As Well As other types of Auto Matic weapons and he said that in the past four months the contras have had to rely on captured weapons almost exclusive we will keep but without american Aid the struggle will be he the government says 40 percent of the National budget goes to military this severely hampers the sandinista ability to improve social or economic conditions among a population in great part disenchanted with the marxist rhetoric of the the last year Complete official figures were available was when agricultural and Industrial output fell by 5 percent and but business private economists and government sources say production has continued to production of which is the country principal source of foreign fell 30 percent last say government Javier an agronomist who was director of the food planning office of the agriculture ministry until resigning late last says the area planted in Corn has dropped from acres to i went so far As warning in a report that hunger was threatening Aviles you cant eat the sandinista blame declining agricultural production on continued attacks and sabotage by the they say farm output also is hampered by a labor shortage resulting from the military draft and by a Lack of dollars to import farm parts and inflation is estimated at 250 twice this year the government sharply raised prices on food Staples sold in limited supplies through official groceries be cause it no longer can afford to subsidize in the latest round of Price increases on april Corn jumped from 25 cents to 43 cents a Pound and Beans increased from 43 cents to 57 cents a a few Days earlier gasoline More than doubled in Price to a this is in a country where a teacher makes a month at the official Exchange rate of 28 Cordoba to the Dollar but less than dollars at the Black Market Exchange of 600 to desperately Short of dollars to pay for essential in the government is using any Means it can to keep dollars or any other form of wealth from leaving the anyone taking his car out of the country is required to put Down a Deposit equal to 50 percent of its the Deposit is forfeited if the car is not returned in one another source of discontent is the military Nicaragua permanent commission on human rights says thousands of Young men have fled the coun try to avoid being Many people Are worried that the draft age will be lowered from 17 and that women May be called a woman whose husband left the country in Decem Ber with their 12yearold son plans to join him soon in Mexico with their two teenage