European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 1, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Sunday december 1, 1991 the stars and stripes c Page 3russia to guarantee soviet salaries from wire reports Moscow a russian Republic president Boris Yeltsin and soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev agreed saturday on a consolidated Republic National budget to Avert a funding crisis that threatened to shut Down the huge Central government apparatus. Yeltsin after meeting with Gorbachev and other officials in the Kremlin on saturday told the soviet news Agency Tass that the russian Republic would guarantee the salaries of people whose jobs Are paid from the National budget. Tass said Yeltsin who had been helping to Block an emergency National spending plan had agreed to make unspecified concessions to allow the state sector to continue functioning. A this is a rather Tough budget and Tough obligations for All republics a Yeltsin said. Gorbachev and Yeltsin met with state Bank chairman Viktor Graschenko who told the soviet parliament last week that the government would be out of Cash by monday unless the legislators authorized More deficit spending. As part of Yeltsin a plans for the russian government to take More control of Central government functions russian members of parliament helped Block adoption of the emergency package. Earlier this month Yeltsin issued a decree ordering the russian government to take control of the soviet finance ministry As of today. He has said Russia which contributes the largest share to the soviet budget would refuse to fund Many National ministries without More control Over expenditures. Despite the disintegration of the soviet Union and the decline of the Central governments Power most jobs and pensions in the nation Are still funded by the Central budget. Many workers went Home for the weekend facing the Prospect of returning to agencies that would have no Cash to operate monday. Prices Are rising daily in Moscow and elsewhere As Many stores and factories independently convert to the free Market and As the state Bank keeps printing new and larger denominations of the Ruble. Gos Banc the state Bank recently began printing 200-Ruble notes and announced last week plans to introduce a 1,000-Ruble note. Meanwhile with the rubles value plummeting daily on Moscow a Black Market the Central Bank has decided to let the Long protected currency float for the first time a move that is Likely to produce a rapid drop in its value. Oleg Moz Hriskov head of gos Bank a currency department said that starting monday soviet Banks will be Able to set their own rates As the Market dictates for tourist transactions. The soviet Union has Many set rates for the Ruble but the one most americans come into Contact with is the tourist rate. That has been set officially at 47 rubles to the Dollar. On the Black Market a Dollar now fetches More than 65 rubles while at the latest currency auction in Moscow last week the Ruble traded at 110 to the Dollar. Less than a year ago the tourist rate was 6 rubles to the Dollar. Christmas crush Early morning shoppers crowd through the doorways of a department store in Columbus Ohio. The store opened at 8 . Friday morning for the busiest shopping Day of the year. Many service members stationed in Europe Are feeling the Pinch of a weak Dollar and Are having to curtail their Christmas shopping. See stories on Page 15. Snow fort collapses killing boy Chippewa Falls wis. A a 12-year-old boy suffocated after the Snow fort in which he was playing collapsed when a plow pushed More Snow onto it from a nearby Road authorities said Friday. Eric James Jensen of Cadott had been missing for nearly 18 hours before his father and a family Friend found his body thanksgiving morning. A the awful part is that he was in sight of the House a said the boys Mother Bessie Jensen. A i could have looked out the window and seen where he had  Eric left his Rural Northwestern Wisconsin Home about 2 . Wednesday to play in the Yard and his family became worried when he failed to return a couple of hours later. A search was launched. A Chippewa county Highway department Snow grader operator told authorities he had slowed the Road near the Jensensr House about 4 . Wednesday. There was no Way the plow operator could have seen the boy who had tunnelled into a Snowbank at the Side of the Road to make his fort said Douglas Ellis a Chippewa county sheriff s department , charities kicking off world aids Day Berlin apr events marking world aids Day started saturday with a Benefit Rock concert in Berlin a gala Charity event in Paris and the release of new figures by chinese officials who once considered the disease a foreign problem. The worldwide Day is today with thousands of observances taking place across the Globe. In Paris american actress Faye Dunaway headed a gala Charity event saturday night to Benefit aids research and victims. The gala took place at the palais de Chaillot a Complex of museums and a theater directly across the Seine River from the Eiffel Tower. In Britain Princess Diana opened a conference on thursday called living for the future Young people and aids in Britain. Tonight Diana will be the guest of Honor at a dance to Benefit the aids Charity Cru said. In Beijing the chinese government on saturday announced higher figures for the number of chinese infected with the aids virus illustrating China a growing vulnerability to the disease. Health minister Chen Jinzhang said 615 people including chinese and foreigners Irving in China have tested positive for the aids virus since 19s5. The figure is up More than 20  Early this year when the government said 493 such cases had been found. Of those 493,410 were chinese. For several years the German government in Bonn government has concentrated on aids awareness sponsoring television commercials in prime time to Foster a Safe  there Are now Between 60,000 and 90,000 people living in Germany with his the virus that causes aids. In addition there Are about 7,200 people suffering from the deadly disease the government says.74% unhappy with Bush economic policies poll says Washington a Only 18 percent of americans interviewed believe president Bush is doing a Good Job of handling the Economy according to a time Magazine can poll released saturday. The poll of 500 adults conducted last week found that 74 percent considered the presidents economic performance As a a poor while 18 percent gave him a a a Good rating. The figures compared with the nearly 50 percent who gave Bush a positive Mark in managing the Economy in March when Bush a popularity was soaring be cause of the Victory in the Gulf War and economists were predicting a Quick end to the recession. The Survey also found that Only 46 percent approved of the Overall Way Bush was handling his Job As president Down from 86 percent in March. The poll conducted by Yankelovich Clancy Shulman for time can has a sampling error of plus or minus 4.5 percentage Points. There was no immediate response from the White House on the poll one of several in recent weeks to show a precipitous drop in the president s popularity. However asked monday about a lbs new Yolk times poll showing that Only half of those questioned approved of hts Job As president and one fourth backed  handling of the Economy Bush said you can Tihe or die by polls. Quot i did no to live euphoric ally at b6 percent nor am i wringing my hands now a a Bush told an Ohio television station. Still Bush h said to be under pressure Stop the drop in pub he Confidence by ring immediately to come up with a .   growth package to to jump Start the Economy. The president has said he wants to wait until his state of the Union address in late january before announcing new measures to end the economic stagnation. Senate minority Leader Bob Dole of Kansas said that instead of waiting for the state of the Union address Bush should a Start right now. I think this is building time for the president to get a  a with Congress out of town its All his a Dole said. A i think he a got about six weeks now to demonstrate leadership. 1 think the president is in rough shape right