European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 14, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse 3age 8 a a a the stars and stripes wednesday March 14,1990 e. German reforms May Cut 100,000 car Industry jobs Berlin apr an East German official predicted monday that 100,000 people will lose their jobs in the automobile and related industries in the most Concrete sign to Date that economic reforms will also mean widespread unemployment. Drastic restructuring of the nations crippled Economy could come As a Shock to East germans accustomed to four decades of nearly full employment under the now disgraced communist party. In East Berlin the head of East Germany a communist party Gregor Gysi complained of intolerance against party members while the social democrats claimed privatization of state businesses should be slowed Down. At the we Klong Leipzig International Trade fair that opened sunday the general manager of East Germany a automobile works Ifa in Zwickau warned of layoffs of Between 60 percent to 70 percent in the East German automobile Industry and related production facilities. The West German Auto producers Volkswagen and opel have signed joint venture agreements with the East germans which will mean huge investments in modernizing car production facilities in East Germany. Daimler Benz says it has agreed to a similar venture to build trucks. But introduction of modern production equipment could also bring huge reductions in employees. Volkswagen West Germany a largest car maker has signed a joint venture agreement with the trabant Plant in Zwickau headed by Dieter Voigt. Voigt disclosed the projected layoffs after Volkswagen chief Carl Hahn said officials had changed their minds about designing and manufacturing a new Model of trabant cars. According to Voigt Ifa plants in East Germany currently employ 65,000 people with another 150,000 people employed in related electronics and Supply industries. Quot of those the jobs of Between 90,000 and 105,000 arc in danger a Voigt predicted. However Voigt predicted that the cuts in jobs would eventually be overcome. A the venture with Volkswagen Means that the people can go to work with new motivation and Hope a Voigt said. During the initial phase of the joint venture switch from two stroke trabant models to conventional four stroke engines plans Call for the new engines to be installed in the trabant starting in May Voigt said. Later the trabant will be phased out As the production of Volkswagen begins. Volkswagen chief Hahn said plans for first production of about 50 Polo models per Day to begin by visitors to the Leipzig International Trade fair look Over a new trabant fitted with a Volkswagen engine. The end of the year at the Zwickau Plant with steady increases to 1,000 cars per Day by 1994. Volkswagen a total joint venture investment will reach about 5 billion Marks $2.94 billion by 1994, Hahn said. The official news Agency adn said the Institute for sociology and social politics published a study in which 52 state businesses were queried on their Opin a i Ion of what effects new economic reforms would have. Adn said the businesses that responded foresaw personnel reductions of Between 3 percent and 60 percent. At mondays session of the so called a around table talks Gysi charged there had recently been a dangerous trend toward intolerance toward party members. A already qualified students who belong to the party Are not admitted to universities a Gysi said. A a let a not replace our old intolerance with new during the 40 years of hard line communist Rule communist party members were often Given preference in Pursuit of higher studies and Job opportunities in East Germany. Gysi made the comments at the 16th and last session of the talks that have been held in East Berlin weekly since december Between the communist led caretaker government and Reform groups. Also at the talks the spa said it was asking for communist Premier Hans Modrow a government to Stop what it called the a Over Hasty privatization of state businesses and property. The party said it was calling for a Cartel office to be formed As a watchdog Agency to oversee privatization of the businesses As the country rapidly moves to a free Market Economy. Military round pit la Cost More to Register vehicle in Germany Berlin Heidelberg West Germany a vehicle registration fees for american personnel stationed in West Germany and Berlin Are going up by $5 on april 1, the first increase in the fees since 1986. The increase will bring the registration fee to $15, according to . Army Europe officials Drivers License and weapons registration fees Are not affected by the increase. Usa eur officials said the higher fee is designed to generate More funds for morale and recreation activities. Additional Revenue generated by the move will be shared by the and air . Morales club gains 16 soldiers from Vii corps Stuttgart West Germany a sixteen Vii corps soldiers were inducted into the sgt. Morales club this month. The organization named after a mythical sergeant recognizes leadership qualities. The inductees from the 3rd inf div were sgt. 1st class Eddie r. Grimes sgt. 1st class Jerrold d. Travis staff sgt. Jose a. Arroyo and staff sgt. Donald w. Clough. The Vii corps arty inductees were sgt. 1st class Frederick Rauschenbach staff sgt. John d. Smith staff sgt. . Starling and sgt. Willie e. Brooks or. Inductees from the 7th engr brigade were staff sgt. Hilbert t. Potter staff sgt. Deryl l. Wingate and sgt. Gilberto Miranda. From the 2nd Cav regt were staff sgt. Cowart c. Magee and sgt. Peter p. Fahrenkrug. Other new members were staff sgt. William w. Chandler of the 1st div staff sgt. Timothy j. Gray of the 1st inf div fwd and staff sgt. Mark s. Kravis of the 14th my brigade. It. Gen. Frederick m. Franks jr., commander of Vii corps presented each Soldier with an commendation medal for outstanding achievement. The inductees also received a sgt. Morales club medallion a club jacket provided by the non commissioned officers association an cafes Coupon Book and a $100 savings Bond. Tokyo commuters get standing room Only trains to Neon i a or it a Quot Tokyo apr commuters in Japan Long accustomed to the crush of humanity and shoves and sneezes of fellow passengers began suffering another indignity monday trains without seats. The Yam note line one of Tokyo a most heavily travelled routes introduced new cars with scats that can be lowered or folded Back into the Wall at the touch of a Button. The seats will stay folded to ease crowding until the end of the morning Rush hour at 10 a.m., creating what one japanese to announcer called a a freight train feeling aboard the cars. A a we re being treated like baggage a complained a Man Riding one of the four new cars introduced on just two trains As an Experiment. But a woman said the standing room Only cars a looked neater and less crowded Quot than regular trains which sometimes Are so packed that riders have Only enough space to place one foot on the floor and can let go of a bag without it falling to the ground. A a it san attempt to ease the overcrowding. Well see what the reaction is and then make a decision on whether to expand their use a a Railroad official said. Train officials say there Are very few ways left to ease the crush of the growing crowds that press their Way a sometimes with the Aid of train employees who push from behind a onto Early Bird travellers await the Rush hour crush monday on a no seating Tokyo train. Tokyo a Rush hour trains. Of the 32 million people who live in and around the capital about half reportedly use mass transit for commuting. An estimated 5 million people each Day ride the Yam note line which loops around Central Tokyo the railway official said. During Rush hour Many lines in the City Are at full capacity meaning that no More trains can be squeezed into the schedule. On the Yam note line 10-car trains run every vhf minutes during Rush hour while trains on slower moving subway lines arrive every two minutes. An attempt two years ago to revise safety rules to narrow the Gap Between trains on the Sou line was abandoned after one train slammed into another at a station killing two people. A we can to run any More trains because we be reached the maximum capacity a a said the Railroad official who spoke on condition of anonymity. A fall we can do is try to ease the current the new cars have six doors on each Side compared with the Normal four to allow passengers on and off trains More easily. They officially Are supposed to carry a maximum of 162 people a 18 More than the regular cars. During Rush hour however Many More people Jam into the cars. A i usually can to sit Down anyway so 1 think the new arrangement is said one Young woman. A male rider expressed concern about older people who Are unable to sit on the new trains. A your Hope is to improve service Lor the largest number of another railway official said. A we Hope the Public will the Japan broadcasting corp. Timed passengers getting on and off trains at a station monday and found that the new design was about 10 seconds faster. However despite the seamless design at least one of the new cars was so crowded monday that train employees had to resort to the old technique o pushing passengers into the doors to allow the train to depart on time
