European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 2, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Monday March 2, 1992 the stars and stripes b Page 17money matter today s tip worldwide airline traffic by . Carriers declined for the first time Ever in 1991, . Aviation officials reported. The continued softness in the world and . Economies and the effects of the persian Gulf War gave airlines a a particularly bad year a the Federal aviation administration said in its annual report. Total International traffic by . Airlines declined by 1.4 percent last year with North Atlantic traffic off 12.3 percent the report said. Pacific traffic increased by 5.9 percent compared with increases of 20 percent or More each year from 1986 through 1990, the Faa  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 $353.25 an ounce Silver at $4.13. Feb. 27 feb. 28 British Pound. 1.7544 1.7589 German mark.1.6440 1.6365 French franc.5.5575 5.5737 dutch guilder.1.8497 1.8435 belgian franc.33.72 33.62 italian lira.1,227.25 1,229.45 Swiss franc.1.4680 1.4825 greek drachma.189.65 1 88.70 turkish lira.5,852.10 5,846.20 saudi arabian rtyal.3.7502 3.7502 Spanish peseta.103.21 102.80 portuguese escudo.141.38 140.55 Canadian Dollar.1.1789 1.1784 austrian schilling.11.580 11.5050 norwegian krone.6.447 6.4005 danish krone.6.381 6.3385 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. This will be 1.60 through monday based on fridays noontime  phase opens in suit Between Buchwald studio los Angeles up the final and most important round of humorist Art Buchwald a suit against Paramount pictures for stealing the idea of the movie coming to America was to open today. Los Angeles Superior court judge Harvey Schneider is expected to hear evidence for about a week on How much Buchwald and producer Alain Bernheim should be paid for the movie which grossed More than $275 million worldwide. Paramount has argued that Buchwald should get $65,000 and Bernheim should receive $200,000. The Buchwald Bernheim attorneys have argued that they should be paid Between $5.1 million and $29.5 million. Schneider is expected to reach a decision on the exact amount by Early Spring. He has already ruled that the film starring Eddie Murphy was based on a Story first brought to Paramount by Buchwald and that the studios Standard contract to pay Buchwald and Bernheim was unfair. The studio has argued that it lost $18 million on the film while Buchwald a Side has claimed it made profits of close to $40 million. Schneider a decision is expected to have a substantial Impact on the Way studios make their deals and calculate their profits. Quality of american products worries . Citizens poll says new York apr americans overwhelmingly reject the assertion by some japanese politicians that . Workers Are Lazy but Many Harbor doubts about the Quality of american made products especially cars a poll shows. A third of those polled for the associated press said Japan makes better cars than . Companies do. Another sign of doubt is the extent of acceptance of an old saw Given new life recently by a japanese legislator who said american autoworkers slacked off on mondays As Well As fridays. Of 1,009 americans polled 4 percent called the claim of Friday carelessness absolutely True and 37 percent said it was somewhat True. A Quarter called it somewhat false and 28 percent said it was absolutely false. Auto companies say cars and their components Are manufactured Over Many hours and there is no evidence that Assembly suffers on certain Days. But after record losses last year the Industry cannot afford even groundless feelings that interfere with its ability to capitalize on resurgent a a buy american sentiments. The higher Quality rating for japanese cars Over .-made models was 32 percent to 29 percent. It compared with a higher rating for american made Over japanese made products in general 28 percent to 23 percent. Products of both countries seemed about the same Quality to 43 percent of those polled with cars about the same to 32 percent. Others done to know. Gordon Richards an economist with the National association of manufacturers said Quality usually takes a Back seat to Price in determining How Many imports penetrate the american Market. But cars have been different with demand for such makes As Toyota and Honda persisting even when the falling Dollar made them More expensive relative to american models. The poll was conducted by ice Survey research group of Media a. Results have a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage Points. The poll was taken on feb. 12-16. The previous week Japan apologized for prime minister Kiichi Miyazawa a comment to his parliament that americans Are losing their work ethic. Two weeks before that Yoshio Sakurauchi speaker of the parliaments lower House called american workers Lazy. Time Magazine and can subsequently reported on a poll of 500 japanese on Jan. 28-29 that found just 15 percent would describe americans As hard working. In Light of the controversy 72 percent of americans in the a poll said they would describe most american workers As hard working and 17 percent would Call them Lazy. About one in 10 volunteered an answer such As a a average or a in  however just 16 percent said workers in the United states Are More productive than the japanese 38 percent said japanese workers Are More productive. More than a third considered productivity Levels about the same. The less Money people make the less frequently they rate japanese products and worker productivity better than americans. That could be because there arc a More Industrial workers in the lower income groups people whose jobs Are pressured by foreign imports a Richards said. Lawrence Mishel research director for the economic policy Institute a Liberal think tank in Washington d.c., said the Public May consider productivity to mean Nard work and Long hours but economists measure it differently. A i think the evidence is that . Workers per hour Are More productive than the japanese a he said. A a that son average across All industries. That includes the service sector. In manufacturing we re probably still More productive per hour but there Are some industries where they a be  Mishel cited hard hit general motors As a company where management is to blame for productivity problems since High wages ensure a a pm has the Cream of the working  a a pm is one of those cases where they invested billions in technology Quot he said a but failed to involve the workers or train the workers  japanese seeking to Cool inflamed feelings los Angeles apr an association of 700 japanese businesses plans a Public relations Campaign to counter what it Calls growing anti japanese sentiment among american Consumers and its own . Employees. The Japan business association of Southern California already has collected $1.5 million for the project. The group plans a video that Points out contributions that japanese owned companies make to . Communities such As jobs and charitable activities. Japanese companies plan to show the video to employees. They will also give it investor a guide to schools and Community groups that request it. In addition it will be shown to officials in Tokyo to stress the a positive experiences of japanese companies in the United states said Takasi Kiuchi the associations president. Kiuchi who is also chairman of Mitsubishi electronics America inc., said japanese executives in Southern California Are angered Over recent criticisms of american work habits by japanese officials. In addition Many of his employees have started writing and calling him in the past month asking his opinion about recent statements. The company has 5,000 employees nationwide. A they asked if i thought the same Way a Kiuchi said. A i said those japanese a officials Are out of touch with  in january japanese House speaker Yoshio Sakurauchi angered americans when he said . Workers were Lazy unproductive and illiterate. Japanese prime minister Kiichi Miyazawa fuelled the controversy when he suggested two weeks later that americans Lack a work ethic. The controversy has sparked a Quot buy american push in the United states especially in the automotive Industry. Commodities bad place to put nest egg by Bill Doyle q. I am 42 and will retire from the military with 20 years service in november. After retiring i plan on working in some other career. I am considering diversifying about 15 percent of my individual retirement account. I have been contacted by a financial services firm that wants me to invest in a managed futures account. I know trading in futures and options is very risky especially if one tries to do it alone. But this firms pitch is that my account would be managed by a expert and that trades Are made Only by computer after considering thousands of inputs. The firm gets a minimum fee of $40 on each Trade and the manager takes 25 percent of new profits. Would you advise any part of an investment portfolio be placed in this Type of program a. Not unless you re ready willing and financially Able to speculate a another word for Gamble a and you face up to the Bard fact that you could lose every Dollar you put in. Playing the futures and options game in commodities stocks Stock indexes and other items is far too risky for All but High rollers. Dealing through an outfit such As the one you described might reduce your risk. But it certainly would not eliminate it. The track record of firms handling futures and options accounts for individuals is poor. If you want to turn your Money Over to someone else my suggestion would be to pick a Mutual fund. Most such funds historically have performed far better than managed futures and options accounts. And if you Are determined to Gamble take a trip to Atlantic City or Las vegas. There you can i Joy the Salt or desert air. Q. Last year i bought 175 shares of a Stock at $7 a share. I made the Purchase because a broker said it was a Good investment. Later in the year i told the broker that i wanted to sell those shares and Purchase a different Stock. The broker was against that move. He again said that the Stock i owned would do Well and that i should Trust his and his firms judgment. I kept the 175 shares. Two weeks later. I was notified that the company was no longer in business and that i had lost the $ 1,225 i invested. I wrote to the president of the brokerage firm who replied that his compliance department would investigate. Two weeks later i received another letter stating the firm would defend and protect its representative a my broker. If the broker had done As i asked i would have made Money. The Stock i wanted to buy has gained in value. I feel cheated. Do i have any recourse a. You can try to recoup your loss by starting arbitration proceedings against the broker and his firm. Because the two stocks Vou named in your letter have a record of being traded in the Over the counter Market you can seek arbitration through the National association of securities dealers. If the brokerage is a member of the new York Stock Exchange you can use that exchanges arbitration facilities. The associations arbitration unit is at 33 Whitehall st., new York . 10004 the Stock exchanges is at 11 Wall st., new York . 10006. C King features