European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - May 29, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Military meeting thursday May 29, 1,986 the stars and stripes Page 5 by Norman Black a military writer Wash i Noton _ the armed forces All managed to meet or exceed their recruit ing goats during the first six months of Fis Cal i9e6. But the Navy did so Only by accepting a larger number of enlistees without  diplomas a Pentagon report Shower tuesday. The Navy has become the Leader among the four military services in accepting recruits who do not possess a High school diploma thai position has historically been held by inc army although in recent Yean the difference Between the army and Navy has been u Small one. The decline in the number of recruits with High school diplomas is the first for the Navy in More Ihnn a decade and the first for any military service in six  Robert Sims Navy leads sign up of non High school grads the Pentagon s Chicks policeman. The semiannual report showed that 79 percent of those who joined the Navy from last october through March held a High school diploma compared with 88 percent of the army s recruits 97 percent of the Marine corps and 99 percent of he air Force s. By contrast for the same six month period in fiscal 1935,89 percent of the Navy s recruits had a High school diploma com pared with 88 percent for the army 95 percent for the Marine corps and 98 per cent for the air Force. The figures Are based on the number of recruits entering each service who have not previously served in the military. During the first six months of fiscal 1986. The Navy signed up 40,000 new recruits i us 3,200 men and women who rejoined after pre Vious service. Javy age of All recruits joining the four services with a High school diploma also dropped slightly during the period from 91 per cent during the first hair of fiscal 19bs to 89 percent during the first half of this year. Sims said he could offer no explanation for the Sharp Navy drop. Tjie Navy declined comment beyond say ing it had not changed its fiscal 1986 goal of having 86 percent of recruits with High school diplomas. But a Navy officer who spoke on Condi Tion of anonymity said service officials were attributing the drop to the Navy s slowness in developing a special package of College tuition benefits to match the army College fund. Such a package will be offered to recruits joining the Navy on or after oct. 1. The source also said in recent Well publicized initiative to reduce the average at sea deployment to n maximum is months was suspected of having emphasized to potential recruit that they faced lengthy absences from Home if they joined the Nuvy the Navy which is expanding to a 600 ship Fleet is also trying to expand faster than the other services it ended the first six months of the fiscal year with an Active duty strength of $71,900, up 6,1 00 from it year earlier. The  service reporting any gain. Of consequence was the air Force whose Active strength Row from 601,400 to 601.000. All Laid the report said the four services brought in 160,100 recruits during the six month period compared with a goal of 159,200 and ended the period with a total strength of 2.149,100. Lower interest rates spark leap in . Home sales Washington a the decade s lowest Mort Gage rates pushed sales of existing Homes in april to their fastest clip in 6k years yielding the largest annual in crease in median prices since 1981, an Industry Survey reports. Those sales increased 11.3 percent from March to april for a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 3.96 million units according to the National association of realtors monthly Survey which was released tuesday. The april Pace of Home sales was 17.9 percent faster than the april 1985 rate of 3.02 million units the report said it was also the fastest annual rate since october 1979, when Homes were Selling at a Pace of 3.77 million  median Price for an existing single family Home increased �1,300 list month to 581,100 up s.4 percent front inc april 1985 median of �74,800. The median is the. Palm at which half the Homes sell for More and half for less.  that annual increase was the biggest appreciation in existing Home values since february 1981, when median prices jumped 8.6 percent from february 1980. Internal hates major Factor interest roles now hovering above 10 percent for conventional mortgages and 9.5 percent for Federal housing admins ration Loans were the major Factor in the spurt in. Home sales the Survey said. Families Are discovering that affordability conditions Are better now than at any other time in this decade said Clark e. Wallace the association s president. The surge in Home sales partially reflects a tremendous pent up demand among people who could t afford to buy a House when interest Rales were 11 percent to 15 percent several years ago said association spokesman Walter Mommy. A lot of people were sitting an the sidelines wailing to see what was going to happen in interest rates Molony said. They had t even been thinking about buying a affording a House Index at 100 or More a _ median income Amity can buy a median priced Home 130 120 110 100 90 60 70 60 so 1977 7b 78 to 81 82 63 "84 85 b6 r a a Jarhl Gjoci do tit Jno Gnu Tiff scum Wanoi Asao chador of realtors Home for some  the actual number of Home sales was 335,000 in april compared with 277,000 in March and 283,000 in april 1985, according to the Survey. Regionally the biggest increase in Home sales occurred in the Midwest where the annual Pace jumped 15.8 percent to a rate of 1.1 million units. The Pace of ensling Home sales in inc Midwest Hist month was 37.5 percent above the april 1985 rate to South had the second biggest monthly increase a 13 percent gain from March loan annual rate of 1,22 million units 7 percent above the Rale during inc same period last year. Big Price jump in Northeast the Northeast posted a 12.7 percent increase to 710,000. Units which was 26.8 Pyrc Cal above the april. 1935 Rale the March to april Pace of Home sales did no change last month in inc West staying at the annual rate of $30,000 units up 1.9 percent from a year ago. The Northeast also had the largest annual increase in Home values up 19.1 percent from april 19b5 to a median Price of si04,700. The Midwest was next with a 13.2 percent jump to $66,200, allowed by the West where prices increased 5.8 Pyrc Cal to $100,400. The South posted a 5.7 percent increase to $78,500. Paper Calls China s kids troublesome generation peking up China is rearing a troublesome generation of More than 35 million single children Many of them Lazy arrogant and dependent spoiled brats a newspaper said monday. According to recent statistics there Are now 35 million families with just one child accounting for 21.2 percent of All couples with school age children the people s daily newspaper said. The huge numbers of single children Are u result of the strict one couple one child family planning policy aimed at a population not exceeding 1.2 billion by the year .2000.  who caused Bank run admits stealing $ 15 million Sands of time Baltimore my. A a former savings and loan president whose ouster last year sparked a run on Maryland s privately insured Thrift Industry pleaded guilty tuesday to theft of almost is million in depositors funds. Jeffrey a. Levitt former head of old court savings and loan also pledged through his lawyer before circuit judge Edward Angelelli to repay the full amount before sentencing july 2. Prosecutors requested a minimum 25 year prison term for the 44-Yrar-old Finan Cier and lawyer the first person indicted As a result of an investigation of alleged illegal activities by a few Maryland savings and loan owners and officers. La Villi plea covered 12 felony theft charges and 13 charges of misappropriating. Funds a Misdemeanour. He facts a maximum sentence of up to 245 years 15 years on each felony count and five years on each Misdemeanour charge. Prosecutors read a statement which re lated in detail his theft of depositors funds and the use of the Money to buy resort condominiums in Florida and Maryland to travel to the 19s4 olympics in los Angeles and la set up a foundation for his widely publicized charitable activities. Publicity about problems at old court last May touched off a run that quickly spread to other institutions and forced the state to step in to forestall the collapse of 102 privately insured thrifts in the stars and stripes 40 years ago today. May 29, 1946 the Frozen bodies of american prisoners murdered by the 55 at Almedy in december 1944, still had their hands raised in surrender when they were found a month later according to a report submitted by the prosecution in the trial of 74 is men at Dachau. 30 years ago today. May 29, 1956 press reports from Katmandu Nepal said a Swiss team has set a double Himalayan record by twice scaling my. Everest and also conquering who Csc which had been the world s highest unconquered Peak. 20 years ago today. May 29, 1966 the United states accused Cuba of deliberate unauthorized in trance by cuban military personnel into the . Guantanamo naval base and warned thai further incursions would have grave  ?0 years ago today. May 29,1976 president Ford and soviet Leader Leonid Brezhnev signed the treaty on underground nuclear explosions for peaceful purposes in simultaneous Washington Moscow ceremonies