European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - August 9, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Tuesday augusts 1988 the stars and stripes Page 5 gop expects minor fights Over platform new Orleans up leaders of the Republican platform process said sunday they expect their party to hold its anti abortion anti Era stance but predicted some Contention on Domestic issues needed by George Bush to woo moderate voters. There is rough agreement by All republicans now on such issues As the equal rights amendment and opposition to abortion said sen. Robert Kasten of Wisconsin co chairman of the party s platform committee. Kasten joined by co chairwoman gov. Kay Orr of Nebraska said the areas for potential controversy handsome Contention included the issues of child care drugs aids the Handi capped and new approaches to Educa Tion. It is in such areas that Bush who will become the party s presidential Standard bearer is seeking to define his own polices apart from president Reagan. The vice president made his first Effort in striking the balance Between Reagan s conservatism and democratic opponent Michael Dukakis More Liberal views in late july when he unveiled a $2.2 billion tax credit plan for providing Day care. These areas Are going to see a lot of activity Kasten predicted. But or added we will come to a consensus that will be found agreeable to the con  Bush is scheduled to address the convention next monday morning and outline his ideas for what the platform must include for his Campaign. Both Orr and Kasten said they did not see any substantive departure from the 1980 and 1984 Republican documents but stressed rather that the 1988 platform will instead broaden the concerns. Conservatives in the Republican party wary about Bush s commitment to their cause say they have been assured that their issues opposition to abortion and the Era support for the strategic defense initiative and a Flat pledge not to raise taxes will be honoured by the 106-member platform committee. Vans big cars cheapest to repair study finds Washington a vans and big cars Are the cheapest to fix while sports cars and special models Are the most expensive according to an insurance Industry study of collision repair costs for 1988 Model cars. The study by the Highway loss data Institute an insurance research group examined the frequency of insurance collision claims and the average Cost of claims for 60 new cars during the first nine months of the 1988 Model year. Even among cars of the same size class and body style there were Large variations in results the insurance group said. But generally larger cars had a better collision loss record than smaller vehicles did the group said. The average loss payment per claim of the 60 passenger cars ranged from $800 to $3,500, with the number of claims ranging from six to 17 per 100 insured vehicles the study said. The study did not provide Dollar amounts for All vehicle claims but it said the average for the 60 car was $1,921 per claim. The average number of claims filed was 11.1 per 100 insured vehicle years. It singled out the Chevrolet Astro Van As having the lowest average loss payment per claim 60 per cent lower than average for All passenger vehicles examined. The Jaguar xj6 had the highest 83 per cent higher than average for All cars while the Mazda mx-6 and the Ford Mustang also had aver age repair costs per claim that were at least 50 per cent higher than average. The study said the passenger vehicles with substantially better than average results in both fre Quency of claims and average Cost of repairs also were two vans the Plymouth grand voyager and Dodge caravan and two Large four door sedans the Chevrolet Caprice and the Mercury grand Marquis. All four of these vehicles had claim frequencies and loss payments at least 30 percent below the aver age for All cars. The least number of claims per vehicles involved the four door Cadillac Deville which had 46 per cent fewer claims than average for All cars. At the other extreme the cars with the poorest showing in both claim frequencies and repair costs were the Ford Mustang and Chevrolet Camaro both in the sports speciality category and the two door Mazda mx-6 in the Small car category. All three cars had claim frequencies and loss pay ments More than 20 percent above average. The Mustang had More than twice the average repair Cost than reported for All cars the highest among the 60 cars and 32 percent More claims. The two door Toyota celica had the most number of claims 53 percent More than the average for All cars. While both the number of claims and the average Cost of repairs ranged widely among vehicles of Dif Ferent size and design the insurance group said the also varied significantly within groups of basically similar cars. For example the frequency of claims among the Small cars ranged from 12 percent below average for the Mercury tracer to 53 percent above average for the Toyota celica and 46 percent above average for the Pontiac lemans. In the midsize category the frequency of claim ranged from 32 percent below average for the Chev Rolet celebrity to 29 percent above average for the Renault medallion. Repair costs ranged from 21 per cent below average per claim for the celebrity to 25percent above average for the Chevrolet Cavalier. The study examined 60 Model 1988 passenger vehicles that had collision claims filed from june 1987 through february 1988. While there Are about 400various 1988 car types Only 60 had sufficient High Way exposure during the study period to be included the Highway loss data Institute said. Screenwriters overwhelmingly ratify new pact Hollywood a screenwriters overwhelmingly ratified a new con tract with movie and television producers sunday ending a 22-Weekwalkout that crippled Hollywood and left the fall to schedule in shambles. Members of the writers Guild of America gathered on both coasts Sun Day and voted 2,111 to 412, or 83.7percent, in favor of a four year pact with the Alliance of motion picture and television producers said Guild president George Kirgo. Approval Means writers can return to work monday he said but the fall television season will be delayed prob ably until november As producer scramble to make up for lost time. The Alliance of motion picture and television producers is please that the Aga membership has ratified the new agreement and we Are Abl once again to get this Industry Back to work said Alliance president Nicho Las counter Iii. Contract ratification came in the154th Day of one of the longest and most painful strikes in modern Holly Wood history surpassed Only by the Aga s 1960 walkout which lasted More than five months. The Aga has 9,000 members mos living and working in Southern Cali fornia. The Alliance has 217 member companies responsible for 85 percent of network prime time television and90 percent of feature film production and distribution. Our members Are anxious to return quickly to what they do Best creating the stories and writing the word for the television shows and motion pictures enjoyed by millions of Ameri cans said Mona Mangan executive director of the Guild s East coast con Tingent. Guild negotiators said earlier the expected Little dissent from strike weary writers despite a lukewarm response to the proposal. There is great Relief Here Kirgo said before he voted. But there were detractors in the Union ranks. I think if we had stayed out a Little longer we could have got a better Deal said Union Board member Allan Manings who voted against the pact. Nevertheless the mood at the Holly Wood palladium membership meeting site was almost festive with one entrepreneur Selling to shirts that read i survived the writers Guild strike 88 let s do lunch  the Impact of the strike which began March 7, reached beyond writ ers producers and behind the scene personnel affecting businesses ranging from equipment rental to caterers an has Cost the television networks tens of millions of dollars in lost Revenue. In arguing for acceptance of the pro pageant will continue swimsuit Competition los Angeles up the new director of the miss America pageant announcing measures to increase the event s credibility said sunday this year s pageant will retain the swimsuit Competition even though it s hard to rationalize it. Leonard Horn of Atlantic City n.j.,who named pageant director last octo Ber said he and other officials Are actively seeking alternatives to judging contestants on the basis of their appear Ance in swimsuits. It s hard to rationalize putting a col lege woman in a swimsuit and High heels but it s an integral part of the Competition he said. This year s pageant to be telecast sept.10 from Atlantic City will add seven min Ute Taj cd interviews with the finalists an will eliminate the Shorter speeches usually shown As contestants walk the runway in evening gowns Horn said. We want to show that these Are multifaceted Young women who Are More than physically attractive he said. Horn denied that criticism of the pageant from feminists had anything to do with the changes but later said the pageant seeks to present courageous and ambitious women. This is consistent with the women s  last year s Winner Kaye Lani Rae Rafko joined Horn in defending the pageant s portrayal of women. She said the swimsuit Competition is important be cause judging physical fitness is very important. Everywhere you go people Are promoting health and physical fitness said Rafko who is also a registered nurse. As a nurse the first thing i look at to evaluate a person s health is physical a  Rafko added that the swimsuit Competition is included so the judges can see contestants not in a sensual Way but to judge their  postal Guild negotiators said it would provide writers More creative control Over scripts and Over the reacquisition of original screenplays. But the Union acknowledged it was not very successful in winning larger payments for reruns of television pro Grams sold to foreign markets a major hurdle in negotiations. Sands of time in the stars and stripes 40 years ago today. Aug. 9, 1948 Tass the soviet news Agency said that certain jewish organizations asked Russia unofficially for arms for the israeli forces but denied that such help had been Given. 30 years ago today. Aug. 9, 1958 the United states announced that the atomic submarine Nautilus completed history s first trans Polar undersea voyage across the North pole. 20 years ago today. Aug. 9, 1968 japanese surgeons transplanted a heart into an 18-year-old boy in the first such operation performed in East Asia. They described the 3 a hour operation As a  it was the world s 30th human heart transplant. J 0 years ago today. Aug. 9, 1978 president carte planned to meet with egyptian president Anwar Sadat and israeli prime minister Menachem begin to seek a framework for peace in the Middle