European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 10, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 2 a a a the stars and stripes saturday March 10,1990usafe to Widen test personnel system by  Arrington Doke Kaiserslautern Bureau Ramstein a West Germany a a lest of an experimental personnel system that cuts the red tape in hiring non appropriated fund workers will expand to most air Force bases in Europe by late March. The first Safe lest of the new system known As project expo Short for experimental personnel office began at Sembach a in june 1988. Officials there say it has been a a howling  the test went so Welt that a we wanted to expand it Quot said Allen Kalishman chief of employment entitlements and career management for . Air forces Europe. The air Force granted the commands request to extend the test beginning last september. Nineteen bases have been converted so far with eight still to  traders Chicago apr a a dozen traders from the soybean futures pit at the Chicago Board of Trade pleaded innocent thursday in a new Federal indictment totalling More than 751 charges. . District judge George Maro Vich. Who also heard the innocent Pica of a 13th soybean trader wednesday rescheduled the trial for sept. 10 to allow lawyers More Lime to prepare their cases. The defendants had originally been indicted in August on 539 charges involving fraudulent trading practices but a grand jury last week returned a superseding indictment against the 13. A total of 47 traders and a clerk have been charged in an Fri probe of alleged fraudulent activities at the Board of Trade and Chicago mercantile exchange.2nd Cairo hotel fire Cairo. Egypt apr fire broke out thursday in a Kitchen at the luxury Nile Side Shepheard hotel in downtown Cairo but was extinguished in less than an hour officials and witnesses said. Police on the scene said the Only casualty was a hotel worker treated for smoke inhalation. A week ago another five Star Cairo hotel was devastated by an accidental fire. Safe officials have yet to decide if bases that Are scheduled to close such As Raf Fairford England should bother with the program. Defense department officials will decide in april whether the program will be permanent. Quot and if it does go we re All set a Kalishman said. Turnover in Simbach Abs non appropriated fund work Force dropped from 74 percent before the new system started to 55 percent in the 1989 fiscal year. The time needed to fill non appropriated fund jobs decreased from up to 14 Days to up to five Days. Sembach officials said they also have been Able to save $10,000, or half a full time position in Naf personnel administration costs. Officials say the program uses a business oriented approach to allow supervisors to make More decisions that affect daily operations and in turn profits. It streamlines Job applications and hiring procedures. It also offers a revised grievance system and gives supervisors More flexibility in giving awards and raises to employees. One of expos key features a modified pay Structure will not be introduced to the rest of Safe during the lest however. Under expo s pay Structure employees Are grouped in pay bands that cover several of the old system s pay grades. Wages Are tied to performance except for pay increases that Congress approves annually. Employers also can Cut pay or hours and fire workers based on the operations ability to pay or not pay. Capt. Paula Kougeas a Safe spokeswoman said that the defense department recommended that the pay bands be introduced Only at All the initial test Sites such As Sembach because it represents such a Large change. The army in Europe also has initial test Sites for the expo concept in Heidelberg and Stuttgart West Germany. Frank Flinn the expo project officer said that since the program offered so Many Good features leaving out the Pav bands would not seriously detract from its benefits. Quot i see it As a gradual process a said june Tunna chief of the human resources office at Raf upper Heyford. England. The base introduced the system in december. A when pay banding comes in it will round off the whole project a a Tunna said. Since december when expo was put into effect at Raf upper Helford. Tunna has seen a slight decrease in the number of employees who leave their jobs. She attributed the drop in turnover in pan to employees interest in seeing How the program will work and How expos benefits such As awards will affect them. European Maneu vers still needed say commanders in Allied exercise by John Millar w Wurzburg Bureau Ober Schefflen West Germany a political changes in Europe should not negate military Maneu vers or Lessen their importance said Allied commanders who participated in a command Post exercise this week. The five Day exercise dubbed Iron express was designed to test How Well the armies of France West Germany and the United states could work together on the Battlefield. It ended Friday and involved More than 3,000 officers and soldiers from the French 5th army div the German 12th Panzer div and the . 3rd inf div. A from a nato and american perspective the kind of work we re doing Here in my View is exactly the kind of work we will be required to see More of said maj. Gen. Wilson a. Shoftner the 3rd inf commander. He said he viewed the exercise As an Opportunity to train commanders a in such a Way that it is realistic and stressful training but at the same time is being conducted in a Way we feel has minimal Impact on the local environment and local  Only 85 tracked and 493 wheeled vehicles were used during the exercise and Shoftner said none of his command posts was actually in Field Sites. Instead units used sports Halls and parking lots to set up Camp. A fall of us have accepted constraints for the operation a he said. Such exercises May be the Way of the future said maj. Gen. Hartmut Fortsch the 12th Panzer commander. He cautioned however that such exercises should not replace larger Maneu vers. A it is a complementary exercise Quot he said. Quot we need full scale  the changing political and military situation in Europe was a major Factor in cancelling a similar nato command Post exercise earlier this week. Crested Eagle a joint army and air Force exercise scheduled to take place in Central Europe in March was halted because a events have overtaken the  a nato spokeswoman said. Iron express a was planned Long before the Wall came Down a so changes in the East did not affect it Shoftner said. Leaders of the three units have met yearly for the last four years to test plans for working together during War. Shoff Ner said such exercises May change with the times but they will go on. A yes. You la see exercises with fewer troops Quot he said a because Well have fewer troops with which to  fund set up for 2 orphaned by fire irs plans 3 seminars to assist taxpayers Frankfurt West Germany a the internal Revenue service will hold three taxpayer assistance seminars next week at the amerika Haus stauffe Strasse 1. The seminars Are primarily to help american businessmen and government employees. Sessions will be held from 9 . To 11 . Tuesday from 5 . To 7 . Wednesday and from 9 . To 11 . Thursday. In addition to those hours tax adviser Marcia Shelton will be available monday through Friday for several hours a Day to assist . Taxpayers on a walk in  an article yesterday incorrectly stated that the re Cinberg training support division supports 6,933 military personnel at 107 units in Northern West Germany. The figure includes military and civilian personnel and their families. By Gary Pomeroy staff writer two Young children orphaned by a fire at a restaurant in downtown Frankfurt West Germany remained hospitalized Friday As friends of the family established a Bank account for the boy and girl. Among the 11 people killed in wednesdays fire at the koryo chinese korean restaurant were . Army sgt Errol Atkins 33 his wife Marva Atkins 34 a daughter Tanya Atkins 13 a son Errol Atkins jr., 13 months and Margaret Ramsey mar a s Mother. The bodies of the five family members were found in the restaurant but the two surviving children were found outside the my second floor dining place. Police did not know How the youngsters got to the Street. Many survivors jumped out windows. Kesha Atkins 8, was in critical condition at the Frankfurt University Hospital with head and internal injuries broken Bones and bums a Frankfurt military Community spokeswoman said. Brandon Atkins 4, was listed in satisfactory condition with bums. He was moved from the University Hospital to the Frankfurt army regional medical Center on Friday. The spokeswoman said. Police said Friday that the cause of the fire could take weeks to determine. Arson does not appear Likely a police spokesman said. Earlier police officials had raised the possibility of arson along with suspicions that faulty propane Gas line connections caused the blast and  thursday another spokesman said the fire broke out in a storage room underneath wooden stairs leading to the restaurant. Sgt. Atkins was a medic assigned to the military Hospital since 1988. The new York City native joined the army in july 1979 and served two previous Tours at tie Hospital. A memorial service for the family will be held at 4 . Tuesday in the Hospital Chapel. The Errol Atkins family in memo Nam fund has been set up at merchants National Bank for the surviving children. Donations can be Given to any Branch but should refer to the 97th general Hospital Branon and the account number 0371 iq53o. British rename their Berlin Mission berlins amps a the British military government Berlin has a new name. But the switch to Quot British Mission Berlin Quot had nothing to do with the rapidly approaching reunification of the two Germany a spokesman for the Mission said. A the previous name did not reflect the tasks and function of the Mission Quot said Alan Charlton Deputy political adviser. A the timing is not particularly significant. We be been thinking about changing it for some time. The duties we be had for Many Many years Are not  the British army brigade in Berlin which has about 3,000 soldiers was never a part of the British military government. Charlton said. The name change does not affect the responsibilities of the chief of the Mission Michael Burton or of the British military commandant maj Gen. Robert Corbett. Burton is the senior British political representative to the West Berlin City government. Corbett is the commander of the British army unit and also the British representative on the Allied Komma Datura. A Council formed in ,945although West berlins elected go eminent is responsible for most City a ministration the allies have retd some authority on such issues As air Ira Fie weapon licensing Public safety a police operations. These issues Are addressed but. Komma Datura. The senior Mil by member of each of the occupying p ers the United states Britain Fra and the soviet Union is on the Coli a the soviets however have not attn meetings since 1948