European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - February 14, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 2 the stars and stripes Friday. February 14,1986 army expands investigation of overpayment for shipping by Larry Margasak Washington a the . Army now acknowledges it has a burgeon ing problem of overpayment for shipping the household goods of military families and has called in its own in estimators. An internal army document obtained by the associated press said excessive payments to private firms have topped $4.5 million and cautioned that the figure will go higher. The army told the a last month the problem was far smaller and was contained. Both army and civilian Federal officials confirmed wednesday that the military service has called in its own criminal investigators the Justice department and Federal auditors to Deal with the escalating problem. The general services administration was asked to try to recover the exorbitant payments from the six firms that received them but the Agency said it has made no decision. The overpayment were triggered when the army selected companies that were among the highest Bidden for shipments of military goods from around the Globe to the Washington d.c., tra. Most of the moves were of families stationed in Ger Many. The army is supposed to pick the companies offering the lowest Cost according to col. George Kaine spokesman for the military traffic management come which handles worldwide shipments of goods for All servicemen. While refusing to specify the allegations against the firms Kame said the six companies under investigation Are to blame and they have temporarily been suspended from handling shipments into the Wash. In ton area. Several company officials said in inter views that the army was trying to make them scapegoats for mistakes made by military shipping clerks who chose the firms that arranged the moves. They could have rejected my rate but they did t. Now they re upset about something they did wrong said Todd Bunger manager of the International Divi Sion of Pioneer Van lines inc. Of Edmonds Wash. His firm is among the six  army memo said the overpayment occurred in 731 shipments from "20 Dif Ferent origin rates areas to the washing ton d.c., area from april i 1984, through sept. 30, 1985. Seventy seven percent of the shipments were from Ger Many. Col. Kaine told the a last month it looks like a booking clerk in Frankfurt made a mistake. We Don t see any world wide problem. We have put a Stop to  on wednesday he said it a obvious that we appear to have similar problems from other Points of origin As Well As Ger Many. The investigation continues. The memo said the $4.5 million Over payment figure is considered understated at this time because it does not include shipments that began lost oct. 1. They Are not yet entered in the traffic command s  computer records y Elded these examples of excessive payments in moves to Washington goods shipped from Frankfurt at a Cost of $35,327 stat should have Cost $2,978. Another shipment on the same route Cost $32,170 but could have been arranged for $3,063. A shipment from Japan that Cost $2,848 instead of a possible $823. The temporarily suspended firms Are a sound forwarders inc. Of Bothell Wash Alpine forwarders inc. Of Edmonds Wash. American  Ball Tran sit co. Of Indianapolis and three other Edmonds firms Emerald City International Van line inc., Emerald City inter National corp. And  e. Davis president of american  Ball said we file rates with the government and they accept those  . Willard president of Alpine called the suspension unfair and Ken Armstrong chief executive officer of sound said we have nothing to  renovated Community health Center consolidates Hanau soldiers services by Connie Dickey St for writer Hanau Germany the $360,000 renovation of a Community health Center into a one Stop Soldier and family sup port Center Means service members no longer will have to visit several caverns Totake care of business. The renovated facility officially opened  Rhame and i toured several like facilities an other installations and decided what we wanted in our Center. We stale their Good ideas and left the bad ones said it. Col. Walter Meyer director of personnel and Community activities. Brig. Gen. Thomas g. Rhame is the Hanau military Community commander. The idea for the consolidated Center came about when 1984 was designated the year of the family. We began looking at All the services that help the Soldier and his family and How they were spread All Over the place Meyer said. That s when we decided to get All these organizations together and decide How we could make things better for everyone.". He said the organizations decided on a centralized location with some musts a one Stop value added tax Relief office a one Stop employment office a one Stop passport id card Section and vehicle registration office. The new Center houses the american  Cross army Community services id card tags Section religious Educa Tion Center and vehicle and weapons registration. Other agencies include a Central in and out processing Center containing representatives from finance the education enter housing inbound household goods and from the medical and dental clinics. The Center also provides information on automobile pick up procedures drive testing civilian employment income taxes and army emergency Relief. One Section houses the United service organization s women s support Center one of Only three Uso women s centers i Germany. Anne Kelly Hanau Uso director said a committee of women tackled the idea of creating a facility where women could escape loneliness isolation and  Center will offer classes and features a lounge for Reading and watching to a sleeping room for children a playroom and a Large Kitchen. Update accused War criminal Zagreb Yugoslavia a and Rijal Artukovic 86, who served As Interior minister in the nazi puppet slate of Croatia during world War ii was extradited to Yugoslavia wednesday the state run Tan Jug news Agency in Belgrade reported. It said Artukovic was today transferred to Yugoslavia and turned Over to court authorities on the basis of an extradition request dated March 31, 1951, which was renewed in August 1984. Suspect charged san Fernando. Calif. A prosecutors have charged a movie makeup artist with two counts of murder in the explosion of a Home made bomb that killed los Angeles top explosives expert and his partner in the artist s garage. Donald Lee Morse 36, was or dered held without bail in an appear Ance in san Fernando municipal court. The bomb squad had been summoned to Morse s Home about 25 Miles Northwest of los Angeles after police went to the House in search of a link to a shooting that wounded an official of the makeup artists Union last week. A pistol was found in Morse s Home but police said it was t the weapon used in the shooting. The pipe bomb killed Arleigh me Cree 46, a world renowned bomb expert and officer Ronald Ball. 43. Japan to retain limits on Auto exports to . Tank ammunition dropped on Highway Gellhausen. Germany the cargo on a heavy expanded mobility Tactor Cal truck carrying 105mm tank ammunition shifted thursday and 25 encased tank rounds spilled on Highway 40 near Geta Hauson. The rounds were encased in Metal canis ters and the lid of one of the rounds came off. But officials said there was no danger of detonation and there were no injuries or civilian property damage. J the Accident occurred about 11 25 in As the 1st in 33rd Armor 3rd army def truck was travelling from Coleman Cavern in Gellhausen to the ammunition holding area located near the Dernhach Range the area was secured by us. Military and. German police. The ammunition was recovered by unit personnel and was taken to the storage area. The site was cleared by 1 52 pin. I Tokyo a Japan announced thurs Day it will not raise its ceiling on Auto exports to the United states maintaining voluntary restraints for a sixth year to help ease one of the most serious areas of friction Between the two major trading partners. Michio Watanabe head of the International Trade and Industry ministry said Japan will voluntarily hold shipments in fiscal year 1986 to 2.3 million vehicles the same number As in fiscal-1985 and the maximum number Japan can Export under the ceiling. The fiscal year starts april i. Japan has restrained its Auto exports to the United slates its most important Over seas Market since 1981. Based on various factors surrounding .-Jspan Trade and economic relations Miti the Trade and Industry ministry has decided to extend for one year the same measures for fiscal 1986 As those of fiscal 1985," Watanabe said. The japanese government has been deeply concerned by moves in the . Congress to enact protectionist legislation against Japan particularly in the Wake of the com Merce department s recent announcement that the is. Trade deficit with Japan reached $49.7 billion in 1985. The Trade imbalance was up from s36.8 billion in 1984. About one third of the in crease is attributed to Japan s decision to raise the Auto Export quota that year by 450,000 vehicles. That increase was still under the 2.3 million ceiling under the voluntary quotas. News reports said prime minister Yasu Hiro Nakasone wanted to Settle the Auto Issue before he visits Washington possibly in late March. Japanese automakers said they would Issue reactions to the announcement later in the Day. Previously officials of Toyota Nissan and other automakers have strongly opposed continuing the restraints and said their elimination Yould not result in a surgeon shipments to the United states. . Embassy officials declined comment on the announcement saying Only the vol ume of exports was an internal decision of Japan. Japan first agreed to hold exports to 1.68 million vehicles in 1981 to give the crippled us. Auto Industry time to recover from the Post Oil crisis recession. The quota was kept at 1.68 million through 1983, raised to 1.85 million in 1984 and moved up to 2.3 million last year As most of the us. Industry showed Strong in the United slates some members of Congress were upset last december when an unidentified Trade ministry official told japanese reporters that a sixth year of restraints was out of the question unless there is some exceptional justification. Nakasone quickly moved to Cool tempers by saying no decision had been reached on the quotas at that time. In Detroit Ford motor co. Welcomed Japan s continued Auto restraints As a constructive decision but it said the ". Japan Trade deficit is Way out of balance and pressure on the american automobile Market is continuing to grow. The full year effect of last year s ded Sion to raise japanese car exports to the