European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 16, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Sunday june 16, 1991the stars and stripes Page 15money matters Dollar watch shown below Are the highest Dollar Exchange rates for the week of june 9 june 15 compared with Dollar rates for the same period one year and five years ago. British Pound one Pound would Cost you $1.63 $1.68 1991 1990 $1.50 1986 German Mark one Dollar would buy you 1.76 1991 1.66 1990 2.21 1986 military Exchange rate italian lire one Dollar would buy you 1341 ibb 1991 1243 1990 1986 Spanish peseta one Dollar would buy you 111 104 19911990 142 1986 a amp Dollar hits 1 v2-year High against Mark the Dollar hit a new High for 1991 last week climbing to its highest level since november 1989. The Dollar Rose sharply thursday surpassing 1.80 Marks but fell off slightly with profit taking. The dollars been strengthening All week a said Tim Fox Treasury economist for Midland Bank in London. He attributed the gains to . Retail sales and employment data released thursday. Also pushing the Dollar higher is the unlikelihood of further declines in-. A interest rates. A the feeling is the recession has bottomed out a Fox said. A the next trend developing is one of recovery. We be Only seen a bit of evidence of that so  indicators though Are enough to make financial experts optimistic he said. Fox said the Dollar could Peak at 1.90 Marks before years end. A the markets Are perhaps More optimistic than Many americans a he added. A a there a a lot of people out of work  Gunter Teich of the Bank of America in Frankfurt said he expects the Dollar will get stronger this week. The Mark he said is holding Strong against other currencies. Teich said he too sees the . Emerging from a recession. A a lot of people Are saying the Dollar could go to 2 Marks a Teich said. A at the moment i can to see it but who knows a the stars and stripes still accepting. By the los Angeles times Washington key lawmakers dealing with the savings and loan and banking crises which Are expected to Cost . Taxpayers billions of dollars Are still accepting Money and free trips from those industries according to congressional financial disclosure forms released Friday. A Quot a  despite the controversy surrounding the a Keating five scandal in which five senators were investigated for accepting Campaign contributions from Lincoln savings and loan owner Charles Keating and then intervening on his behalf with Federal regulators congressional leaders dealing with the banking and Thrift industries continue to accept such contributions a. A v Many senior members of the House banking committee collected thousands of dollars in speaking fees and free trips from dozens of thrifts banking groups and other Industry lobbyists according to the reports which cover Honor aria and other personal fees received in 1990. The committee must vote this year on banking Reform and on refinancing the Federal Agency that is dealing with the a amp a cleanup. A rep. Bruce f. Vento d-mirin., a key banking committee member and the chairman of a special task Force to oversee the Resolution Trust corp. That is in charge of Selling properties seized by the government from failed a amp a accepted trips and speaking fees from savings and loan and banking groups the records show a a a. Vento a vocal critic of the Etc and the Bush administrations handling of the Thrift crisis accepted $2,000 in speaking fees and free travel expenses from the Texas savings and loan league and an other $2,000 from the . League of savings institutions. He accepted thousands of dollars More in fees and Honor aria from other financial Industry lobbying organizations. Rep. Paul e. Kanjorski a a another key member of the committee and its financial institutions subcommittee that just voted on Bank Reform legislation accepted speaking fees and extended free trips from thrifts in California. Kanjorski accepted a $2,000 speaking Lee from countrywide Thrift and loan in Pasadena calif., along with free air fare from Washington to los Angeles and three Days Worth of food and lodging for him and his wife. Rep. John j. Alfalee d-n.y., another senior a banking a committee member accepted $93,350 in Honor aria from a Range of Trade groups including Many financial services lobbying organizations. In one instance he accepted $2,000 from the . League of savings institutions an a amp a Trade  also accepted $2,000 in Lees from inc. Financial. Corp., the Parent company of a troubled Bank in maryland.-. Rep Gerald a Kleczka a wish a a critic of Congress and the Bush administration for not successfully handling the a amp a. And banking crises accepted $2,000 in fees from first Republic Thrift and loan and free air fare from Washington to san Francisco and three Days of lodging from the California thrill and loan association. Many committee members j in the mouse said that they gave at least a portion of their fees to Charity. They also defended their willingness to accept contributions from a amp is. A we still have an a amp a Industry and there Are a amp is in the congressman a District a said a spokesman for rep. Chaim ers p. Wylie a Ohio the ranking Republican on the House banking committee who accepted thousands of dollars in fees from lobbying groups representing both the banking and a amp a industries. Quot so. I think it Isi appropriate that they contribute As Long As they done to try to specify what their contributions Are  new York a Lionel corp., former maker of Model trains and owner of the kiddie City to store Chain sought Protection from creditors Friday in bankruptcy court. The nations third largest toy retailer cited a the current distressed retail environment and extremely tight credit conditions for its second dive under the chapter 11 umbrella in a decade. Lionel a move underscores the dominance of toys a re us which has managed to snare a Quarter of the . Toy Market in less than a decade. In court papers Lionel attributed its problems primarily to a competitive pressures from among others a toy super markets some of which Are larger and have greater financial  the company a 97 stores in 15 states arc outnumbered by 700 toys a re us outlets and about 200 child world stores. Lionel said in a statement from its offices in Edison n.j., that an unidentified financial institution agreed to provide $50 million in financing. Under chapter 11, a company gets a reprieve from creditors while devising a Way to pay Bills anti survive. A according to court documents. Lionel and its principal operating subsidiary Lionel Leisure inc., have combined assets totalling $351.5 million and liabilities of $255 million. Lionel which once flirted with the notion of acquiring child world lost $5.9 million on revenues of $42 v Mil lion last fiscal year by comparison toys a re us reported Domestic sales in the $4 billion Range last year. Founded in 1918, Lionel is synonymous with the line of Model trains that were once a Staple of the american toy Industry. Some observers say Lionel a image went out of focus once it lost its Assoc a lion with the famous trains. They Are still made by an unrelated company Lionel trains inc., headquartered in mount Clemens Mich. 1. 1 Lionel operated under chapter 11 Protection from creditors for three years before emerging in 1985 As a smaller entity. Ruling could hinder Plant moves by the new York times the National labor relations Board announced a decision Friday that could make it harder for companies to relocate factories to Tow wage areas. A the decision was the latest twist in a protracted Battle Between Dubuque packing co. Of Omaha and the United food and commercial workers Union in 1981, the company refused to negotiate with the Union when it closed a hog slaughtering operation that employed about 500 workers in Dubuque Iowa and opened a new Plant in Rochelle 111., where wages were lower. Fridays decision which the Board handed Down in Washington would require Dubuque packing to pay those workers one year of Back pay less any earnings they received in that period. Back pay was limited to one year because Dubuque closed the Illinois Plant in 1982., of broader significance the Norb As part of the decision issued guidelines to determine when companies must negotiate with unions before relocating. Labor Union officials said the decision would help unions that have lost members and Power in recent years As companies have relocated factories to lower 1 wage areas or hired subcontractors Tol provide products or services once prov video by their unionized workers the Norb said con ibanies would be required to negotiate about relocation if there was a no Basic change in the nature of the employers operations Ati the new factory. Negotiations would not be mandatory it said if work at a new Plant a varies significantly from the old Plant if the work at the old Plant is a discontinued entirely and not moved to the new i Plant a or if the decision involves Quot a change in the scope and direction of the  nose May Start trading earlier in the morning by the new York times new York the new York Stock Exchange is exploring beginning trading before the traditional opening at 9 30 ., although it is Uncertain what time it would Start an Exchange executive said Friday. Such an exploration was expected. The big Board on thursday began its first after hours trading in what was described As a first step toward 24-hour trading by Early in the next Century. T 1 in an interview Richard a. Grasso the executive vice chairman of the Exchange said the big Board was seeking the views of its members about when would be the Best time to Start. But he added the Exchange was not focusing on any particular time yet for an opening. Published reports said the Exchange was looking at opening at 9  A obviously if we have made changes at the Back end we Are looking at the front end a Grasso said. A but we Haven to fixed our sights on 9  What we will do Over them ext few weeks to months is ask what is the appropriate time  Grasso said the Exchange could continue to open at 9 30, As Well As open at 9, or1 even earlier depending on its Mem Bersy response. I i