European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - April 18, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 2 the stars and stripes Friday april 18, 1986 House gop uses nicaraguan Aid ploy Boffi sides say Contra Issue will resurface Washington a Republican members of the House used a Surprise tac tic wednesday to abruptly Stop House consideration of president Reagan s $100 Mil lion nicaraguan Aid proposal saying they wanted to divorce it from an unrelated spending Bill Reagan badly wants to veto. Democrats claimed the republicans acted out of desperation because they did not have the votes to defeat a key proposal opposed by the White House. Both sides agreed the Issue of Contra Aid is not dead and will resurface perhaps under different ground rules within a few weeks. The Republican minority pulled its sur prise by voting for an amendment that would have ended the Reagan administration program of aiding anti sandinista gue Rillas in Nicaragua an amendment that had been widely expected to fail. As a consequence the amendment by rep. Lee Hamilton d-ind., passed 361-66 with Only one Republican opposing it. It would bar All Aid to the contras while Mak ing $27 million available for nicaraguan refugees. The unexpected ploy which blocked consideration of an amendment opposed by the White House was characterized by gop leaders As a move to free the Aid plan from a $1.7 billion catch All spending Bill Rea Gan says is pork barrel legislation brim Ming with waste and  House speaker Thomas p. O Neill or. Immediately withdrew the Aid plan from consideration temporarily. When you have a Rotten Rule to play by you Are forced to take unconventional action said House Republican Leader Bob Michel of Illinois who called the procedure under which the House was operating a Sham  the democratic ground rules he said were a variation of the old con game Heads i win tails you  you in the majority leadership who thought you could ignore the plight of democracy in Nicaragua by turning this de Bate into one in which we had to choose Between Aid to the contras and a supple mental appropriations Bill loaded with goodies i have to say again we just can t play that game Michel said. The Republican tactic prevented the House from voting on an amendment by rep. David Mccurdy a okla. Opposed by the White House that would delay All military Aid to the contras and require direct negotiations Between the United states and Nicaragua s sandinista government. It also would require another affirmative vote by both houses to free the Money for arms. Plunge in inflation nudges Economy to achieve Best growth rate in year Washington a the . Economy showed a four fold rebound in growth from january through March helped out by the Best news on inflation in almost two decades the government reported thursday. The Commerce department said the Gross National product the broadest Mea sure of the Economy s health grew at a 3.2 percent annual rate from january through March the Best growth rate in a year and More than four times the Pace of activity during the last three months of 1985. In a companion report the Commerce department said corporations after tax profits Rose 4 percent in the final Quarter of 1985. The increase the Best performance since the third Quarter of 1983, followed a 3.4 percent profits increase in the third Quarter. The upturn in growth was aided by a Steep decline in inflation. Prices As measured by an inflation Index tied to the Gnu were rising at an annual rate of just 2.5 percent in the first three months of the year. This was the slowest rate since no increase at All in the second Quarter of1967. The 2.5 percent Rise As measured by the Gnu deflator which covers a changing Market Basket of goods was Down from an annual rate of change of 3.3 percent in the final three months of 1985. The slowdown in inflation mirrors other Price drops such As a Sharp decline in Oil prices this year. The first Quarter Gnu growth of 3.2 per cent after adjusting for inflation was at the fastest Pace since a 3.7 percent growth rate in the first three months of 1985. By the final three months of last year growth had slumped to a barely perceptible 0.7 percent rate As the country was battered by a soaring Trade deficit. The big improvement in the Gnu for the first three months of the year came from a turnaround in Trade. The Trade deficit which was deteriorating at an annual rate of $21 billion in the final three months of the year was showing an improvement at an annual rate of $14.8 billion from Jan uary through March. In addition to the help from Trade other positive factors for Gnu growth in the first Quarter were consumer spending and residential construction. The Gnu report said personal consumption spending was rising at an annual rate of $24 billion in the first Quarter compared to a tiny $800 million rate of increase in the final three months of the year. The pickup in spending was concentrated in purchases of non durable goods. Pur chases of durable goods including cars fell. Residential construction one of the few Bright spots of the Economy so far this year was increasing at an annual rate of 9.7 per cent in the first three months. By contrast business investment spending was falling by a Sharp 13.6 percent annual rate. Analysts said this reflected in part the cutback in spending on exploration activity by Domestic Oil companies in the face of the Sharp declines in prices. The 3.2 percent annual rate of growth for the first three months of the year was faster than the 2.2 percent growth turned in for All of 1985. However it was still below the 4 percent growth rate being predicted for 1986 by the Reagan administration. The administration and Many private economists believe growth will continue to strengthen throughout the year As the econ omy responds favourably to falling Oil prices and Steep declines in interest rates. Still the Economy is expected to be held Back this year by a huge Trade deficit. The big plus in growth contributed by Trade in the first Quarter simply meant that the Defi Cit stopped deteriorating and began to show some improvement. However the Trade deficit was still running at a huge annual rate of $126 billion Down from an annual rate of $140.8 billion in the fourth Quarter. The various changes left the total Gnu at $3.62 trillion in the first Quarter after adjusting for inflation. Before these adjust ments the Gnu was expanding at an an Nual rate of 5.8 percent in the first three months of the year compared to a 4.3 per cent growth rate in the final Quarter of 1985. South african Leader will Call session to consider expanded rights Tor Blacks Cape town South Africa up president Pieter Botha said thursday he will summon a special session of the South african parliament aug. 18 to handle eight Bills on reforming the country s race Laws. Botha said parliament would consider legislation to give Blacks a role in top level decision making the right to own land and the right to South african citizenship. Other Bills would cover the introduction of a uniform identity document for All South africans Black migration to the Cit ies and the Extension of Powers held by leaders of self governing tribal homelands. Under the country s apartheid race Laws Blacks have no vote Are not entitled to own land Are obliged to carry an identity pass and do not have an automatic right to South african citizenship. Botha told parliament during a budget debate in Cape town that he would adjourn the House on june 20 and members would be recalled for an unspecified period from aug. 18. The special session will begin two weeks after the second Federal Congress of Bot a s party which has ruled since 1948. The previous Federal Congress was held 2 men die in 7-Story fall san Francisco a two men struggling with each other plunged through the window of the room they shared and fell seven floors to their deaths police said. The men were identified As Daniel Whitter 24, and Martin Rojas 29. In 1983 to prepare the Way for a three chambered parliament opened on sept. 3 last year with separate houses for representatives of the asian and mixed race minorities. The Congress is to be held in Durban on aug. 12 and aug. 13. No details of the program have been Given but the party newspaper said in an article last week the Congress would Deal with reforming the country s apartheid Laws on racial segregation. Botha has pledged repeatedly since last August to give Blacks a say in the National government but he has made it Clear in will not accept one Man one vote. He also has insisted segregated schools hospitals and residential areas will be retained. At the White House Deputy press Secre tary Albert r. Brashear said Michel s Strat egy had been endorsed in Advance by the White House. We told him it was the Best possible thing he could do Brashear said. We were disappointed that he had to resort to that tactic today but we would Hope the House democratic leadership would not Force him to do it  Michel outlined a complicated procedure to revive the Reagan plan unencumbered by being attached to the spending Bill and o Neill said he had Given his word to democrats that there would be a vote on the Mccurdy amendment. O Neill later sent word to reporters that he would permit the Aid plan and Amend ments to it to be offered in the Normal Man Ner perhaps As a rider to the defense appropriations Bill which is expected to reach the House floor sometime in May. News update prostitution charges Providence . A a Brown University senior and a prominent insurance agent have been indicted on prostitution charges in a sex for Money scandal that has rocked the Ivy league school. The Providence county grand jury named Dana e. Smith one of two Brown students whose March 6 arrest led to the seizure of hundreds of photographs of nude and Semi nude women from the condominium of Stanley Henshaw Iii. Henshaw also was indicted. The other woman arrested March 6, Rebecca r. Kidd of Orange conn., was listed As an a indicted co conspirator. Henshaw 43, whose condominium is near the Brown Campus is charged with 12 felony counts ranging from maintaining a Public nuisance to soliciting women. Ritter sentenced Philadelphia a the Only adult move member to escape a fiery confrontation with police in May that killed 11 members of the Radical group has been sentenced to prison after being convicted of riot ing and conspiracy. Ramona Africa 30, who acted As her own lawyer during the five week trial was sentenced to 16 months to seven years in prison. The maximum sentence would have been 3 /2 years to seven years. Common pleas court judge Michael Stiles said Africa would be Given credit for time served making her eligible for parole in six months. She was convicted feb. 9 of rioting and conspiracy in connection with the confrontation but was acquitted of several other charges. She has been held in lieu of $250,000 bail. Prank admitted Jacksonville Fla. Up a woman who reported finding Sta Ples in a Box of girl scout cookies has been arrested and charged with lying about putting the Staples in the cookies the Fri said. Fri agent Mark e. Tilton said in a sworn complaint that Veronica Singleton 18, admitted after a poly graph examination that she placed the Staples in the cookies As a prank. Singleton admitted she had lied about the tainting and contaminating. Singleton stated she did this As a prank Tilton said