European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - October 1, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 8 a the stars and stripes tuesday october 1,1991automakers lose ground in fuel efficiency Washington a fuel efficiency in 1992 cars is Down from last years models the sixth consecutive year with Little or no reduction in new automobiles appetite for gasoline the government reported sunday. According to the environmental Protection Agency a annual fuel Economy statistics covering about 1,000 cars the 1992 models a both Domestic and imports a show an Overall average of 27.5 Miles per gallon. That is Down from 27.8 mpg in 1991 and is the Industry a poorest showing since the mid-1980s, when a dec Adelong surge in mileage improvements levelled off. A a it a a slight decrease a a said Eldert Bontekoe manager for certification and fuel Economy for the Epa in Ann Arbor Mich. A i  jump up and Down and say its really big but it does suggest some level of decrease from last year to this  six of the 10 highest ranked 1992 cars get 50 mpg or better but they were rare exceptions. Topping the list was the 1-liter min compact Geo metro Xii which gets 53 mpg in City driving and 58 mpg on the Highway. Bringing up the rear was the luxurious two seater Lamborghini Diablo which gets 9 mpg in town and 14 mpg on the Highway. Automakers Are pushing larger cars because they Are highest mileage Here Are the 10 cars with the Best mileage in the annual fuel Economy statistics announced sunday by the environmental Protection Agency. Mileage City Highway Geo metro Xii 53 a 50 Honda civic he vex 48 55 Geo metro 46 50 Geo metro Psi 46 50 Suzuki Swift 46 50 Honda civic he vex. 44 51 Honda civic 42 48 Geo metro Psi convertible 42 48 Honda civic 40 47 Suzuki Swift 39 43 More profitable said Joan Saybrook president of Public citizen a consumer organization. A a they be put in heavier engines and juiced them up Speed kills and it wastes  As in previous years the 1992 figures showed a wide Range of Gas mileage. Four of the 10 Best performing cars were variations Jack Boehm a Minnesota state lottery official demonstrates How to play the lottery from Home via Nintendo. Director defends Nintendo lottery Minneapolis a the state lottery director under fire for a plan to let residents play the lottery at Home on Nintendo video games says children wont be interested because the gambling games Are Boring. A a there a no Challenge no skill or fantasy involved a director George Andersen said Friday. State sen. Charlie Berg said he plans a special hearing this month during which opponents will try to Zap the plan which would let 10,000 state residents play at Home. Berg is among critics who say the program will encourage children to Gamble. A i done to think we want to bring the lottery into the living room and particularly using what we think of As a kids game Berg said. It is illegal for minors to buy lottery tickets. A six month test is to begin next summer. However legislators could Block it by amending the state s lottery Law. Lottery officials and lottery Vendor control data corp. Of Bloomington say the game will have safeguards to prevent children from gambling including personal passwords for users. And Andersen said children already Are familiar with the lottery because drawings Are televised and parents scratch off tickets in front of their children. Under the plan lottery players would select numbers using the control deck from a video game and a Minnesota state lottery Cartridge to tap in via a Modem which players would buy or lease to the lottery a computer system. Participants would have to Deposit up to $200 in Advance and no credit would be extended. Small winnings would be credited to their account but prizes of $1,000 or More would be claimed through a lottery office. There would be a $50 daily limit for at Home players. Out of state players would not be Able to tap in. Berg threatened to Cut state funds for lottery advertising if Andersen goes ahead with the plan. State Senate majority Leader Roger Moe another powerful opponent requested the hearing tentatively set for oct. 25 in St. Paul. Legalized gambling has increased tenfold in Minnesota since 1985, when Gross receipts were estimated at slightly less than $200 million according to a state report earlier this month. The figure for 1990 was placed at slightly less than $2 billion. Of the Geo a japanese made min compact sold through general motors. Four others were versions of the Honda civic and the remaining two were versions of the Suzuki Swift. All get at least 39 mpg in the City and 43 mpg on the Highway. At the other extreme were the Lamborghini five Rolls Royce models two versions of the Aston Martin Mirage Saloon the Ferrari Testagrossa and the Ferrari f40. None did better than 12 mpg in the City or 17 mpg on the Highway. In another familiar finding fuel efficiency of different cars varied widely even within the same size categories. For example the Volkswagen Jetta diesel got 37 mpg in the City and 43 mpg on the Highway while another compact the Bow m5, got 12 mpg in the City and 23 mpg on the Highway. Light trucks and multipurpose vehicles topped the list of Best performing trucks. It included two versions of the Suzuki Samurai three versions of the Suzuki sidekick three versions of the Geo tracker and two versions of the Subaru loyale. All got at least 24 mpg in the City and 27 mpg on the Highway. Seven of the 10 worst performing trucks were Dodge pickups or Light trucks. The others were Chevrolet c1500 pickup and two versions of Toyota  May face More Federal cuts after new audit by the new York times san Francisco a Stanford University could lose another $20 million in Federal financing for research As a result of a new government audit that questions its practices in Billing for employee benefits the University a chief financial officer said sunday. The audit issued last week by the defense contract audit Agency recommended that Federal payments for benefits such As health insurance social Security taxes and pensions As Well As tuition costs for research assistants be Cut by about one third to $40 million from about $60 million annually. The recommendations represent a new look into Federal financing of research at Stanford and could affect other universities that use such practices. Until now Federal investigators have focused on overhead costs for research. A Cut in Federal financing of such benefits would have a a very significant Impact on Stanford a budget of about $34q million and particularly on its ability to support graduate students said Peter Van Etten the University a chief financial officer. But the audits report contained Only recommendations and the University said it hoped the office of naval research the Federal Agency that supervises government research spending at Stanford will not impose the cuts. The main reason for this Hope Van Etten said is that the chief of naval research rear adm. William c. Miller assured the University in a letter in August that it could continue using its current system of Billing for benefits for another year Stanford is already reeling from charges by Federal auditors that it Over billed the government for what Stanford called Ite Earch related expenses but which included such items As Flowers for receptions and furniture for the University presidents Home. The charges have already led to budget pressures on the University and also contributed to the decision of its president. Donald Kennedy to resign earlier this year. The questions until now have focused on indirect costs such As the charges for buildings electricity roads and administrative services that support research. For each $100 in direct Grants received by a professor for research Stanford had been charging an extra $74 to the government for such indirect costs. But the amount was reduced by the office of naval research earlier this year to $55, resulting in a reduction of about $20 million a year for Stanford. In addition to collecting for indirect costs Stanford has been adding $29 for each $100 in direct research Grants to cover health insurance pensions social Security and other benefits for researchers. The defense contract audit Agency is recommending that that charge be Cut to $19