European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 16, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 8 the stars and Stripe saturday february 16,1991pan am offer starts overseas airfare War new York up a pan american world airways thursday kicked off another airfare War by offering a new discount fare to overseas and Domestic destinations. The move was quickly approved by the department of transportation. Dot on wednesday had rejected an earlier round of fare cuts Between . Cities and Europe. United airlines immediately waded into the foray and matched some of pan am new european fares. Northwest airlines and american airlines also followed the Lead of pan am announcing Steep reductions on regular discount tickets to Europe. A one Day after the Dot rejected a different slate of discount fares to Britain initiated by British airways and adopted by several . Carriers pan am offered a roundtrip fare of $238 to All its Continental . And Many overseas destinations for passengers who take a previous trip Worth at least $250. The offer which includes travel to Britain is for flights Between april 8 and May 20. All tickets must be purchased by March l and Are available immediately. Chicago based United airlines a the nations largest Carrier a said it was Matching pan am a fares to Paris and Frankfurt from Chicago and Washington Dulles Only and would not follow pan am a Lead in offering discount fares to passengers who previously had bought a regular ticket. The  to those european cities would be $318 roundtrip from the East coast and $358 from the Midwest said a United spokeswoman. Northwest based in St. Paul minn., said its new roundtrip fares Between Boston and London or Glasgow will sell for As Little As $318, or 56 percent off its regular discount Price. The same $318 fare would represent a 64 percent savings on flights Between Minneapolis St. Paul and Frankfurt. In Dallas american said it is offering roundtrip fares a a a a As Low As $318 Between the United states and Europe. American also announced discount fares of As much As 60 percent off current ticket prices in selected latin american Caribbean and transcontinental us. Markets. Continental and us air said they were studying the  qualify for the latest offer passengers must travel on pan am pan am express or the pan am shuttle Between now and March 1, and then submit their original boarding pass and remainder of the ticket to a pan am ticket office or travel agent. The original one Way or roundtrip ticket must Cost at least $250 to qualify for the $238 fare. A buoy with nothing to do a buoy which normally floats 20 to 30 feet off the Lake bed lies on the dry bed of Lake Oroville a key California Reservoir. The Reservoir normally holds about 3.5 million acre feet of water. This year californians fifth year of drought it has Only Only 940,000 acre feet. An acre foot is approximately 3.26 million Gallons. Wholesale prices in . Edge Down 0.1% in january Washington a  prices at the whole Safe level edged Down 0.1 percent in january As a big drop in Energy costs helped provide a Bright spot for an Economy beset by War and recession. The labor department reported that the decline in its producer Price Index last month occurred in spite of other financial news Page 17 a record jump in the Cost of alcoholic beverages As producers used higher Federal taxes As an excuse for boosting their prices. Increases in the producer Price Index normally show up with Only a Short lag in the consumer Price Index which measures Price changes at the retail level. The january decline in wholesale prices followed a 016 percent drop in december. Both months were heavily influenced by falling gasoline prices. Oil costs which. Had jumped sharply following iraqis aug. 2 invasion of Kuwait Nave been coming Down in recent months. The 0.1. Percent drop in wholesale prices translated into an annual rate of decline of 1 percent the labor department said. Wholesale prices increased 5.6 percent in 1990, the biggest ump in nine years. In other . Economic reports Friday of losses since the 10-month period from March through december 1982. A the Commerce department said the . Merchandise Trade deficit narrowed sharply in december to $6.3 billion but the 1990 imbalance totalled More than $100 billion for the seventh straight year the government said the 1990 deficit totalled $101 billion Down 7.7 percent from 1989 and the Slimmest me a $52.4 billion Gap in 1983. The january decline in wholesale prices was led by a 10 percent drop in gasoline costs which followed an 8.6 percent drop in december. The labor departments Price Survey was taken be fore the Jan. 17 Start of the persian Gulf War. Since that time Oil traders have pushed world Energy prices Down even further reflecting an opinion that iraqi president Saddam Hussein no longer has the capability to damage 011 Fields in saudi Arabia. Because of the Price drops since the wars outbreak analysts said that Energy prices should fall even further in february. The Overall Energy Index was Down 2.5 percent after a drop of 4.7 percent in december. Also holding Down prices was a surprising 0.3 percent drop in food costs. Many economists had been expecting food prices to Rise in january because of a freeze that damaged fruit slipped 0.4 percent in january in a fourth straight monthly decline making the longest string of losses since the last recession nine . The january decline followed declines of 1,1 percent in december 1.6 percent in november and 0.6 percent in october. The manufacturing sector has not seen a longer stretch Tutti the  Ariun 11 a. While vegetable prices did jump 12.7 percent fruit prices actually fell by 17.6 percent As ample supplies in Florida offset the effects of the California freeze. Wholesale prices Rose at their fastest Pace in nine years in 1990. But analysts Are looking for a significant easing of inflationary pressures this year healthy Start geared to help babies children Dallas apr the nations top health official is proposing a program aimed at reducing infant mortality by up to 50 percent partly by improving family life. Secretary of health and human services Louis Sullivan on thursday proposed a program he called healthy Start to Deal with the health problems of Low birthrate babies and dysfunctional families. Quot. A tragically it is our babies and children who Are slipping through the weakened threads of our cultural fabric a Sullivan said at a leadership conference of the March of dimes birth defects foundation. Sullivan blamed the nations High infant death rates on some parents ignorance of proper health a methods poor child raising skills addiction to drugs or alcohol and weak family structures. Each year 4 000 babies die in this country before their first birthday Sullivan said. Xuy. _ a Tsai ivc wiil focus Speirl Luiey t6i.i"lt7.ltotf�?o bled cities but Sullivan did not identity them. Healthy Start is expected to reduce infant mortality rates by 50 percent within five years in those communities he said. About $171 million will be designated for the program in 1992