European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - November 20, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Friday november 20, 19b7 the stars and stripes Page 7 major . Weapons costs decline defense spending during Rit Gwi to nmn hmm in water if is five 1wo a Bula pand tog Congie Stanif a Don chm. My Orinc loom Washington Al l the Asti mated Price lag of the 94 major weapon programs Char form the hot re of Percsi Donl Trajan  declined slightly during the final Quarter of Nici 1987. The Pentagon said wednesday. As of Cpl. 30, the end of the fiscal year the Pentagon said the 94 programs carried a combined Price lag of j823.79 billion Down $202.3 million or 0.02 per cent from the june 30 estimate. The Pentagon attributed the quarterly decline primarily o a reduction in the estimate for completing an army communications program known As sinc Gars which involves the Purchase of combat Field radios. The estimated Cost of the new radios declined by j482.6 million to $5.2 billion. Known As the Oliver a Artl Perry class includes the Stark which was attacked last May in the persian Gulf by an iraqi Jet fighter. The report puts the total Cost of the 5 ships in the class purchased by Llic Navy at s9.5 billion Kemp campaigning on tax Cut Washington a Republican presidential hopeful Jack Kemp in a new television commercial aimed at new Hampshire voters lumps vice president George Bush and former president Jimmy Carter to Gether As opponents of the income  cuts that be came Law in 1981. The commercial also says that Bush and Senate re publican Leader Bob Dole Bolh supported the 982 tax increase that was the biggest in history when Jack Kemp becomes president he lax in crease game will be Over says new Hampshire sen. Gordon Humphrey who narrates the commercial. Kemp Campaign spokesman John Buckley said the commercial began airing this week on television stations in new Hampshire and nearby Massachusetts. He said Kemp s Campaign will show commercials in Iowa and new Hampshire continuously through the presidential primaries and caucuses in those states in february. The commercial attacking Campaign rivals Bush and Dole for their Tan positions begins with Humphrey explaining Why he s supporting Kemp. In 98r Jac Kemp said the answer to economic stagnation was a 30 percent tax Cut. Jimmy Carter attacked the idea. George Bush called economics it voodoo Humphrey says As pictures of the for Mer democratic presi Dent and the current re publican vice president. Are displayed. Bush initially attacked the proposal but then supported it after being lapped As Ronald Rea i Gan s vice presidential running mate. Humphrey adds Jack Kemp now the Washington insiders Are after your paycheck again. They say thai passage of the biggest tax increase in history in 1982 was t enough. George Bush and Bob Dole supported that tax  Newton libel judgment slashed Las vegas Nev. A a Federal judge wednes Day threw out All but $5.3 million of the record $22.8 million libel judgment won by Wayne Newton against Abc for news stories linking the Singer to organized crime figures. . District judge Myron Crocker in upholding the liability portion of the jury award ruled that new ton had proved by Clear and convincing evidence that Abc had defamed Newton. Bui the judge Cut nearly is 7.5 million awarded for damage to Newton s reputation and loss of earnings. He said the evidence did not support Newton s Allega Tion anal the broadcasts Hurt his reputation or Cut his earnings. Abc attorney Floyd Abrams said the network will continue to Appeal the verdict. We Are pleased the damages have been significantly reduced but still believe hey Are far beyond any amount that could possibly be sustained he said. It still is a loss in the sense that the judge is assuring the jury verdict of  it s a big Victory for Wayne Newton said Newton attorney Morton Galane. It vindicates him completely and it s still the biggest libel award in  Galane said Newton has not decided whether to accept the reduced damages or seek a new trial on damages Only. Crocker who presided at the libel trial last year said i was convinced that Abc journalists Brian Ross and Ira Silverman had serious subjective doubts As to he truth of the broadcasts but went ahead with them anyway. He said Ross and Silverman edited and combined the audio with the visual portions of the Broad cast in a Way that created defamatory  Light truck safety tests planned Washington a � the National Highway traffic safely administration will begin crash test ing Light trucks in 1991, expanding the evaluation program to cover a rapidly growing segment of the automotive Market the Agency announced. Under the Nitsa Rule trucks vans and Multi purpose vehicles with a Gross weight of 8,500 pounds or less and an unloaded weight of up to 5,500 pounds will be required to pass a 30-Mph frontal crash lest during which front Seal manual safety Belt systems must be capable of providing certain Levels of Protection to a  Nitsa s 1987 crash tests for cars were con ducted at 3s Mph. The new Rule goes into effect Cpl. I 1991. Light trucks in the last decade have been an expanding segment of the automotive Market their share growing from 24 percent to nearly 33 per cent. Traffic statistics have proven that Bell use reduces the risk of death or serious injury in Light trucks and multipurpose vehicle just As it does in passenger  Nitsa said. The Agency said the new lest Standard will Lead to design and engineering improvements in Many Light Ruck models so that All will meet or exceed the minimum performance  the Agency began crash tests of cars in 1979. The program remains experimental. The crash test program uses instrumented Dum Mies designed to represent the average adult male and measures Impact and acceleration on a Dum my s head Chest and thighs. The vehicles added to the crash test program fit the definition of a truck and so do not need to meet the stricter safely standards. They Are. How Ever often used like cars. While car sales have sagged steadily truck sales this year have surged ahead of 1986 Levels. So far in 1987, Domestic and foreign automakers have sold More than 4 million Light trucks in the United states. State verifying recall petitions for Mecham Phoenix Ariz. A Arizona s Secretary of state wednesday began delivering 33,500 petitions seeking the Recalt of nov. Evan Mecham to the county recorders responsible for verifying the nearly 390,000 signatures. Recorders must validate 216,746 signatures to Force a recall election. The gop governor has come under fire for such actions As rescinding a Martin Luther King or. Holiday and defending use of the word Pickan i any for Blacks. Secretary of stale Rose of turd said 33.544 petitions were submitted nov. 2 and 3 by organizers of the recall which began shortly after Mecham took office in january. If enough signatures Are validated the Secretary of state must notify the governor who must decide whether to resign or run in a special election. Should Mecham resign. Mofford. A Democrat would succeed him. If Mecham does not resign an election must be held with i n 100 to 120 Days. Mofford announced nov. 11 that her office had counted 386,648 signatures after deleting invalid ones. On wednesday elections director Jim Shumway called that figure tentative and said 387,285 was the final count. Mofford and Shumway on wednesday boarded an air plane with boxes containing nearly 1,900 petitions bound for counties in the Northeast part of the state. Mofford and Shum Way were flying o 10 More counties thursday. If we mailed them there s no guarantee that they d get there she said. She will be met by a Deputy sheriff in each county to help provide Security and give a hand with the petitions. Arizona cot. Evan Mecham