European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - February 3, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Wednesday february 1988 the stars and stripes Page 3 . Infant mortality rate still High United nations a the United slates despite its wealth and medical advances has a higher infant death Rale than 17 other industrialized countries the National commission on infant mortality said monday a a hearing no the United nations the commission reported that the . Infant mortality Rale deaths per 1,000 birth sin the first year Wail 0 in 1936. Japan Sweden France. Canada Australia West Germany. Britain and other nations All rank higher and take Bici Carcare of their mothers and children than the United Stales which has the highest per capita Gross National product. More social financial and educational support protective Laws and benefits for mothers More prenatal Home visits Anda stronger Independent midwife profession were among the suggestions to improve the . Situation. But pouring More Money into the problem finding More obstetricians and clinics were nol favored i am embarrassed that the United slates does so poorly sen. Lawlon Chiles chairman of the National com Mission to prevent infant mortality told the hearing. With All our resources and technology How can we rank Isth worst i find this situation totally unacceptable the Florida Democrat said. Of her nations he said arc doing bet Ter with common sense than sophistical infant mortality rates compared to number of Public health ranked by Slzas of City population nurses population in millions new York los Angeles Chicago san Diego Phoenix Houston Philadelphia Detroit Dallas Baltimore 7,164 3.096 2.992 2,063 1,714 1,705 1,646 1.0sb 974 763 infant death rat 12.8 11.0 16,5 8.9 9.8 11.1 15.4 19.7 11.1 16.0 Black number number of  Public residents poverty death health per nurse resident rate nurses per nurse 12.9 12.6 23.0 15.g 14.1 15.3 21.5 22.4 17.7 19.1 500 246 63 54.5 44 38 69 37 48 143 14.329 10.942 47,499 37.869 36,972 47,380 23,865 29.431 20,296 5,339 5,483 3.406 13,582 2,755 2,272 b.454 10323 15,469 4.753 2,816 number of deaths per 1.000 tire births Chicago Tabuno graphic source Chicago reporter cd technology. He cited providing mater nity care far All the needy offering paid leave from work for child bearing giving nursing mothers work time to feed babies. A commission report died a bleaker comparison to Washington d.c., the infant mortality rates of 21 for Whites and 24 for non Whites Are equivalent to rates in Costa Rica Romania Cuba puerto Rico Korea and Mauritius. It said thai United slates lags behind Many other countries in social services for pregnant women and is among the few countries which does nol provide National Cash sickness benefits. The commission said the United tales had made great strides in lowering its infant mortality rate from 47 in 1940to 27.8 in 19so, bul it said most Indus Lorali a nations have improved faster. Or. Artur Miller testifying on behalf of the american Public health association said that the United Stales needs Tori itself of pretences in facing he problem of High infant mortality. He said that failures Are not the fault of women who refuse to Lake advantage of services our financial and cultural barriers to perinatal services Are formidable said Miller from the school of Public health of the University of North Carolina. Eliminating poverty is not the Centra problem because countries with More severe poverty than the United states Are achieving belter records of maternal and infant health he said. A racially mined population is not the problem he said because other euro Pean countries with mixed population do belter than the United slain teen Ager also arc not to blame he said. We cannot claim As a nation 1o be too poor to care for pregnant women an infants. Our Vitues and our priorities May be distorted but our resources arc ample we cannot claim that a Strong capitalist Economy will be weakened by governmentally sponsored efforts Hal protect the interests of pregnant women and   pm residents so sound Gnu Phil forms expert weather prediction Phil sees o crowd but not his Shadow Punxsutawney a. A Punxsutawney Phil a groundhog with a Lack for weather forecasting Mon Day predicted an Early Spring for Only the ninth time in 10 years. After the furry legend was plucked from his luxury Burrow at Dawn he looked around at a Croud of report ers photographers and severe Hun dred groundhog Day celebrants. Buttic could t see his Shadow in the rain that s it sure sign of an Early thaw according to the 1 Unis Lawm a groundhog club. Phil s closest friends from Punk us lava Fly a town of 8,000, say his fore casts Haven t been wrong in the 101years he s been making his predictions. He s been right every time according to us at least said William null Secretary of the club and director of the town s chamber of com Merce. Some people have challenged thai bul that s  Day tradition Nas in that if a groundhog sees its Shadow after crawling out of its Burrow six weeks of Winter follow. If in does to Spring is just around the  has predicted an Early Spring Only eight other times in the history of the Celebration. Null said. They occurred in i8w. 1902, 1934, 19io,1970.1975,1983 Aid 1986. The groundhog Day legend Isba cd on an Olif scottish Couplet claiming. If Candle Nas Day is Brig tand Clear there la by Twa two Winters in the year according to the Cham Ber of com Marc. Dod says soviets have at least 160 More ss-20s than reported in treaty Washington up tie de sense department said monday the soviet Union has at i Cost 810 ss-20 missiles 160 More than they reported under the treaty eliminating medium Range and Shorter Range nuclear mis Siles. A spokesman said the Pentagon s de sense intelligence Agency says there Are 405 ss-20 launchers each with i missile loaded and ready to tire and another missile ready to be reloaded for a total of s10 missiles. Under the intermediate nuclear forces treaty signed by president Rea Gan and soviet Leader Mikhail Gorba Chev 8, the soviets have reported 405 ss-20 missiles deployed and 24s ss-20s in Reserve for a total of 650 missiles. The Pentagon statement monday also represents a change from the 8s2 55-20 missiles claimed in the 19s7 annual Edi Tion of soviet military Power published by the Pentagon last april in response to a question by United press International the Pentagon said the soviets might still have 882 ss-20s even though we hold 405 ss-20 launchers or 810 missiles arc now deployed at full readiness. In inf treaty  the Pentagon said the 8b2 missile figure includes the 810 believed in so Viet arsenals As Well As 72 missiles Hal Gorbachev publicly announced in Paris in 1985 were either removed from combat duty or apparently deactivated. But those 72 missiles Are nol believed to have been destroyed or Dis mantled the Pentagon statement said a Pentagon spokesman could offer no explanation for Why the 72 ss-20 mis Siles removed from combat in i9s5 were Only being recorded now and not in the 1987 soviet military Power Issue published last april. Sen. Jesse Helms . Said last week the intelligence Community was in turmoil Over the political pressure thatis being i cited As some have Pill it. To Cook the books to bring the number ofss-20s listed by . Intelligence closer in line with the number claimed by the soviets. Helms who is waging a virtual one Man War against Senate ratification of the inf treaty charged the soviet Union May Well possess significantly More ss-20 missiles than Are accounted for in the  in a letter last tuesday Helms asked Reagan to delay Senate consideration of the pact because he said the soviets failed to give an accurate accounting of the number of missiles they possess. Last wednesday a Pentagon spokes Man said that even if the soviets we Reable to hide a certain number of missiles the inability o test and train with them without being caught would make the is 20s militarily unreliable in a relatively Short period of  last monday adm. William Crowe the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff told the Senate armed services commit tee thai there might be a difference of somewhere Between 165 and 300" is 20s in the Dia assessment and the soviet report a lower Cia estimate differs from the Dia and is closer to the soviet  two agencies rare in agree. Defense Secretary Frank Carlucci told the Senate commit lace he said the question is whether the differences in the intelligence estimate and the soviet report Are serious enough to constitute a major violation and the answer to that question is