European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 4, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Monday november 4, 1991 the stars and stripes b Page 17money matters today s tip visa International has reported a second Quarter card transaction volume of $92.4 billion a 16 percent increase Over the same Quarter a year ago. Visa cards in circulation gained 12 percent on a year to year basis with 269.5 million cards in circulation worldwide As of june 30. A your ongoing worldwide growth during such a challenging economic period is testimony to the importance of the bankcard in Consumers lives a said Charles t. Russell president of visa International. A much of the growth we re seeing is due to the inroads we be made in displacing Cash and checks which continues to hold huge growth potential for  volume in the first Quarter was $85.1 billion compared with $79.9 billion in the same Quarter a year ago. Conversion rates London up fridays rates for the . Dollar to other currencies. Figures Are expressed in dollars to the British Pound other local currencies in dollars Gold was quoted at $357.75 an ounce Silver at $4.11. Oct. 31 nov. 1 British pound.1.7440 1.7490 German mark.1.6735 1.6607 French franc.5.7195 a dutch guilder.1.8820 1.8825 belgian franc.34.43 a italian lira.1,253.95 a Swiss franc.1.4685 1.4625 greek drachma.187.35 187.04 turkish lira.4,914.90 4,913.80. Saudi arabian riyal.3.7501 3.7501 Spanish peseta.105.37 105.18 portuguese escudo.143.88 143.58 Canadian dollar.1.1224 1.1223 austrian schilling.11.7790 11.7450 norwegian krone.6.5620 6.5490 danish Krone .6.4960 6.48 these Are commercial rates and can be related Only to the use of foreign currency by . Forces for official business. The Only official rate concerns the Sale of German Marks to . Personnel for personal use and this will be 1.63 through monday based on fridays noontime Price fixing. Canada seeks Gulf area Trade Dubai United Arab emirates up a Canada is moving to increase its Trade with persian Gulf countries some of which have tripled their purchases of Canadian goods and services Over the past five years a Canadian minister said. Most of the Trade increase should come from the Canadian province of Quebec which already exports telecommunications and engineering services to the Region said John Ciaccia Quebec a minister for International affairs. Ciaccia told United Arab emirates Trade officials and reporters in Dubai that Canadas exports to the United Arab emirates totalled $26.56 million in 1989 and its imports from the emirates reached $29.88 million. A a there a always room for More a the minister said adding that Trade Between the province and the United Arab emirates has almost tripled since 1986. A Quebec has developed an expertise in key areas which could satisfy this regions needs a the minister said. East coast states adopting California s clean car rules by Matthew l. Wald the new York times a new sensation has just hit the East coast from California cleaner cars. Adopting californians clean vehicle program Over the less strict Federal Standard was an option allowed the other 49 states in the clean air act of 1990. In the East where states Are geographically Small the added expense makes sense Only if everyone in the neighbourhood goes along. Now every state from Virginia to Maine has promised to sign on with the exception of Rhode Island and Vermont a which advocates expect will follow soon a and Connecticut whose direction is slightly less certain. The states Are agreeing to new Gaso line powered ears that meet tighter standards and later ears that Emit even less because they run on an alternative fuel or that Emit nothing at All because they Are Battery powered. The California rules require that 2 percent of ears sold in 1998 be Quot Zero emitting vehicles Quot rising to 10 percent in 2003. So far the car makers say they have nothing in that category that performs Well enough to sell. The California air resources Board says its standards will raise the Price of a gasoline powered car by less than $200, but automobile makers that fought the measure in the East have estimated the Cost could be $1,000. Because each state has a different process for adoption it is not Clear when the process will be completed and lawsuits May cause delays. The i99n Model year May be the earliest to be affected according to advocates. The ear companies Are still fighting the move As Are the Oil companies which fear that the Region will next adopt California s stricter regulations on clean was v a a Oline. In Washington. Richard Wilson the head of the environmental Protection Agency s Mobil source air pollution division praised the states move. But he added that it would be years before such new cars substantially displaced current models. Quot those standards Are not a near term Silver Bullet Quot he said and other Steps Are Likely to be needed to reduce smog. Knowledge comes in Small bytes for businesses in Oregon town by Jeff Barnard the associated press Jacksonville Ore. A in a Region known As the Applegate Valley sits a bumper crop of apples but not the red Juicy variety. About 15 months ago Apple computer inc. Chose the town of Jacksonville As a living Laboratory to help gauge consumer preferences for computer products. The Silicon Valley company gave away 39 macintosh personal computers Worth about $300,000 As part of the test. Life since Hasni to been the same for Many of Jacksonville a 2,200 residents. The local tax preparer saw profits Rise by not having to hire a computer company. One woman expanded her bed and breakfast business by launching a reservations service and newspaper. And a jewelry store owner is planning to design jewelry on his macintosh computer. Tom Miller an analyst with the High tech research firm link resources in new York said the project is the kind of creative understanding International business machines corp. Was looking for when it linked up with Apple to devise the next generation of personal computers. The joint venture announced last summer is aimed at developing More powerful pcs and software that would make them easier to use. Apples operation inspiration began in August 1990. The company first did a computer search for geographic names that included the words a a apples or  it came up with the Applegate Valley just Over the Hill from Jacksonville. Despite its name the Region is not known for growing apples a its named for the Applegate River which flows through it. Apple wanted a Small town without a dominant Industry where a mix of Small businesses was the Lifeblood of the Economy. What it got was a town founded in 1860 during the Oregon Gold Rush. One Hundred years later it was practically a ghost town after the Ore played out the Railroad passed it by and the county seat moved to Medford. Apple searched out people who had been too intimidated or too Busy to invest in computers and those who already had taken the plunge and introduced them to newer models of macintosh personal computers. Thirty one businesses were chosen including retail stores restaurants a Law Apple computer representative Stacey Byrnes right assists jewelry store owner Lade a Romero with one of the personal computers the firm has donated. Yer an accountant a real estate agent an architect and a winery. Apple provided training and specialized software. It kept in touch by sending representatives on regular visits to the town. Most recipients of the computers which sell for about ,000, reported satisfaction with the products As Well As improved efficiency according to the Apple study. They computerized an average of 12 tasks once done by hand it said. Apple which plans to continually Monitor Jacksonville said it also Hopes to repeat the Experiment in Japan Sweden and Belgium. A a what a so important about this is the closer you can get to the real customer experience a those things that you normally would do in a research program a the More accurate the information you receive Quot said Bobbie Oglesby apples programs marketing manager. Quot and Here we be got real living growing Small businesses Quot said Oglesby. A a that a better than what you can get in a focus group or what you can get in any kind of quantitative  although personal computers have been around for about a decade they be been embraced by Only about half the Small businesses in the nation according to a Survey. A recent drop in prices though has helped persuade More Small businesses to abandon their old fashioned ways. A a we noticed a real jump in the past 12 months among Small businesses with approximately 9 percent of Small businesses purchasing their first pc Quot Miller said. Quot that s on the order of about 600, my Small businesses that jumped into it in the past 12 months. It is a Market that i would say is gradually