European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - March 16, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Wednesday March 16. 19b8 the stars and stripes Page 9 Lithe climbed ballerinas silhouetted in their Tut is bring a thistledown effect to a thistledown magic rehearsal at Wang Center in Boston. Here the Graceful dancers Are giving final artistic touches to a Ballet presen tation of the scandinavians a color Ful work that is soon to be performed on the deep stage at the Center. Downtown Athens vehicle ban begins Athens Greece a More than 800,000 Auto mobiles and taxis were banned from the downtown commercial District monday As the government tries to reduce some of Athens Eye stinging nauseating pollution. The ban is part or a major Campaign started in Jan uary to disperse a Brown smog Cloud that hangs Over the City. The traffic restriction will last through May when its effects will be evaluated. Trucks will be allowed in for four hours in the morn ing and 2 i hours in the afternoon to re Supply the shops. The area s permanent residents were Issue with special permits Tor their vehicles. Hundreds of policemen were stationed along three Central arteries that form a Triangle around the City s main shopping zone blocking off a total of 45 streets. So far we be had about a 60 percent Success rate. Alot of Drivers still Don t know what streets have been blocked to traffic so we Are showing a Little leniency to violators police u. Panayiotis Stathatos said. Drivers face a 11,600-drachma Fine $85 for Ille Gally entering the Square mile District near Constitution Square. Stathatos in charge of implementing the measures said there was a total traffic ban on 14 streets and a partial ban on 31 streets from 7 . To 8 . Scientists have blamed cars i Csc pow Rcd taxis and aging buses for the dangerously High smoke level sin Athens. A thick Brown Cloud forms Over the Mountain ringed Athens Basin when there arc sudden change in temperature and pollutants Are trapped in a still layer of air near the surface of the Earth. Another measure already in Force bans half the City private cars and half its 15,000 taxis from entering the 5-Square-mile inner City on alternate Days. Vehicles circulate in the area according to the last digit on their License plates. The government has also abolished the traditional afternoon siesta in favor of a continuous workday for stores and has ordered strict checks on Industrial emis Sions. Monday s ban was opposed by the 1,600-Strongathens Trade association. It s created a mess. It was taken quickly spasmodically and without sound planning said Panaghi Stavrides vice president of the association. Pound s value weighs heavy on officials1 minds London a the conservative government has split Over How to handle the surging Pound in a dispute that has overshadowed tuesday s budget and it expected tax Bonanza for the wealthy. Prime minister Margaret Thatcher s willingness to let the Pound soar unchecked has thrown in doubt the future of her top Treasury official Nigel Law son. The Chancellor of the exchequer is so angry Al Thatcher overruling his policy of keeping Sterling in line with the West German Mark that he May make tues Day s annual budget announcement his last published reports have said. Lawson is ranked among Britain s most Able Treasury officials since world War ii. The Stark fact is that the prime min ister and the Chancellor arc in open conflict Over a crucial part of our economic policy said John Smith finance spokesman for the main opposition labor party. Government officials speaking on condition of anonymity acknowledged the split which one described As a healthy  the Pound meanwhile continued acc Klong surge Topping 51.86 in trading on monday an eight cent jump from week ago. The government split was revealed i parliament last week when Thatcher rejected Bank of England intervention such As Selling pounds or reducing inter est rates to make Sterling less attractive to foreign investors. Thatcher believes that lower interest rates will encourage borrowing and fuel inflation now at a Low 3.3 percent. Curbing inflation has been a Cornerstone of her tight listed economic policies since she won Power in 1979. Lawson s strategy has been to keep Sterling at around 3 Marks. Sterling traded monday Al 3.08 Marks. Britain is not a member of the Exchange mechanism of the european monetary system which links eight other major european currencies including the Mark in a stabilizing arrange ment. Bill Martin chief economist at Stock brokers Phillips and Drew said that Thatcher s stance has aggravated prob lems caused by a High Pound which makes British exports More expensive. There is virtually no ceiling to the Exchange rate at the present time mar tin said in a television interview  round our International Trade performance is Likely to  Britain s Trade deficit which soared by one third to a record $2.8 billion in Jan uary was worsening before the latest up surge in Sterling. Lawson must t go the economist a respected financial weekly said in a headline Over an article which added the main reason is that or. Lawson is Good at his  Thatcher accused by some critics of being increasingly authoritarian since she won a third term last june is also at loggerheads with another senior member of her Cabinet education Secretary Kenneth Baker. A leaked government document last week confirmed reports that she has Tol Baker 10 rethink part of a planned Over haul of the state school and examination system. Lawson 56, an economist and former financial journalist appointed Chancellor in 1983, was expected to unveil tuesday Britain s first surplus budget for nearly20 years. Rank and file conservatives grumble that the argument Over the Pound had clouded what Many of them predicted would be a budget marking a High Point of an economic strategy of restraining state spending. It would be much happier if this particular dispute had been kept private and above All kept private until after the budget was Over and done with said John bitten a former Leader of the com Mons who was dropped from the Cabine last year. Higher than expect cd government revenues boosted by tax receipts from higher wages and sales of state owned assets meant that Lawson was expected to havea surplus of More than $5.5 billion on the $290 billion budget for the fiscal year ending March 31,1989. Lawson was expected to slash the to income tax rate payable on incomes Over $76,200 a year from 60 percent to 50 percent or even lower. The Basic tax rate at 33 percent when Thatcher won Power in 1979 was expected to drop from the a uncut 27 percent to 25 percent