European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 18, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 18 the stars and stripes wednesday March 18,1992 Money matters health rules could make workers sick office rules by Jeff Nesmith Cox news service Washington a imposing stricter health standards in the workplace could make workers poorer and therefore sicker the White House has ruled. The ruling by the White House office of management and budget rejected a labor department Effort to protect workers from air pollution on the Job. The bomb told the labor department s occupational safety and health administration that the proposed regulation could cause employers to Lay off workers and Stop Hazard pay. That would Lead to lower payrolls bomb said and studies show that people without jobs or with Low paying jobs have poorer health than their More highly paid counterparts. A this is nonsense a Charles Levenstein a University of Massachusetts professor of worker and environmental policy said monday. Jim Macrae head of the Ombis office of information and regulatory affairs ordered Osha to make a study of the Impact of the proposed Rule on those people it is intended to protect. The Rule would set maximum limits on several Hundred different contaminants in air breathed by workers in agriculture construction and maritime industries. Workers in other industries already enjoy most of the protections in the proposed regulation. Osha had estimated that the Cost of complying with the new workplace standards on Industry was justified. But Macrae said a to Shaw a regulatory Impact Analy Sis omits consideration of the effect of the rules compliance on  he cited studies concluding that workers who make More Money Are better off. Quot Richer workers on average buy More Leisure time More nutritious food More protective health care and smoke and drink less a he said. Osha had estimated that the Rule would save from eight to 13 lives annually. However Macrae said that if the new Rule led to layoffs and loss of special pay bonuses for hazardous work it could Lead to the death of More than 22 workers a year. A the thought that farm workers who Are primarily migrant labourers Are in a position to negotiate for Hazard pay is ridiculous a Levenstein said. A it s a perverse use of the effect of unemployment on worker health to avoid regulation. A we have a fairly High rate of unemployment now that does no to seem to be of much concern to the Bush administration a Levenstein added. A perhaps this Means the administration thinks those workers who Are covered by these standards would like to have them removed in the Hopes that their pay would  he said the letter represented a a a bizarre new twist in White House anti regulator policy and said Osha scientists told him they had initially thought it was a joke of some kind. Sen. Edward m. Kennedy d-mass., chairman of the Senate labor and human resources committee called the ruling a deregulation ideology run  the bomb Kennedy said a is saying that healthy working conditions Are bad for workers  nikkei rebounds As investors stand Pat avoid panic Selling Tokyo a the Tokyo Stock exchanges leading Index edged up tuesday a Day after it plunged More than 600 Points to close below the psychologically important 20,000 level for the first time in More than five years. Traders said there were no signs of the panic Selling that some analysts had predicted. Much of the decline in the 225-Issue nikkei Stock average was attributed to year end Selling by investment trusts. Monday was the last trading Day for trusts for the fiscal year that ends March 31. Finance minister Tsutomu Hata said signs of improvement in the stagnant japanese Economy were setting the stage for the markets recovery. The nikkei Stock average gained 80.47 Points or 0.41 percent on tuesday closing at 19,917.63, on monday the average plunged 618.90 Points or 3,03 percent to 19,837.16, its lowest close since 19,531.52 on feb. 16, 1987. On Jan. 5 of this year the average closed at 38,274.80. The Tokyo Stock Price Index of All issues listed on the first Section was Down 19.14 Points monday. It shed 10.99 Points or 0.76 percent to 1,433.87 on tuesday. On Friday the Price Index fell 8.21 Points or 0.56 percent. Meanwhile on tuesday the Dollar closed at 133.32 yen Down 0.98 yen from mondays close and also lower than its overnight finish at 133.90 yen in new York. On Friday Selling by investors pessimistic about Japan a economic Outlook pushed the Market to a 17-month Low of 20,168.15, Down 393.73 Points but prices rebounded to 20,248.52 As financial institutions stepped in to support the Market. The nikkei Stock average already has lost almost half its value since an economic Boom sent the Market soaring to a Peak of 38,915.87 at the end of 1989. Most damage was done in a spectacular bust in Early 1990. But since then prices have drifted lower and the average has hovered close to 20,000 for the past two months. The 20,000 Mark was seen As psychologically important by analysts some of whom believed a panic would set in once the nikkei fell below that Milestone. But analysts said monday that most investors were waiting for prices to Bottom out before they began Hunting for bargains. A a in a be a lot More worried if id seen massive Selling a said Adrian e. Tschoegl chief economist at Sci securities. A those people who want to sell had to offer a pretty Good Price to induce people to buy. No ones very enthused right  some analysts said the weakness of the Price Index suggested that the nikkei May have to fall even further before bargain Hunters really begin buying. A the Market obviously wants to get Down lower a said Paul Muller manager of International equity sales with Schroder securities. A the sooner you let the Market Down the sooner you can get it Back  Japan a finance minister urged brokers and corporations to work to instill Trust in the japanese Market after recent scandals such As disclosures last year that some brokerages were compensating major clients for investment losses leaving Small investors unprotected. Hata also urged efforts to raise dividend payouts to make stocks More attractive. Business Atlantic City s 12 casinos report profitable rebound from wire reports Atlantic City . A Atlantic City a 12 casinos reported a $205.5 million profit for 1991, compared with a loss of $266.2 million the year before the Industry a Trade association said monday. F the Casino association of new Jersey said the figures for both years Are skewed because one of the casinos filed for Protection under chapter 11 of the . Bankruptcy code. Because of the financial restructuring the association said the gaming Halls really lost $54.3 million last year. The association said the profit was largely because the Trump Taj mahal Casino resort reported an extraordinary gain of $259.6 million. During 1991, the Taj restructured its finances including a reduction in its  oldies Given boost new York a Emi music is making old music sweeter for fats Domino and hundreds of other artists who have not Cut new recordings on its labels for More than two decades. The company said monday that it is boosting Royalty rates to 10 percent of sales for hundreds of artists from the 1940s, �?T50s and �?T60s. Royalty rates for some artists Are said to be As Low As 1 percent. Beneficiaries Are expected to include Domino Peggy Lee the Andrews Sisters the Kingston Trio and Ella Fitzgerald. A it seemed like the right thing to do a said Jim Fifield head of the British owned record company. He estimated that several Hundred artists would be affected by the decision and that Emi music would pay several million dollars in higher Royalty payments to the artists each  Riding High again Washington a Roy Rogers is Back in the Saddle. Only two years after buying the Roy Rogers fast food Chain and changing the outlets into Hardeep a restaurants Hardeep a food systems inc. Has turned the tables again. On monday the North Carolina based company said it plans to convert 225 Hardeep a restaurants in the Washington Baltimore area Back into roys. For Hardeep a the Hasty Retreat amounts to an admission that it underestimated the loyalties of local fast food customers to roys a 24-year-old Chain founded in Fairfax a and named after the singing Cowboy. Wall Street in Clover new York a Wall Street posted record profits last year thanks to booming Stock and underwriting markets and controls on expenses Industry estimates released monday showed. The securities Industry association said investment and brokerage firms made $300 million to $400 million More in the last three months of 1991 than earlier projections of $1.5 billion in quarterly pretax profits. That would push fourth Quarter pretax profits to at least $1.8 billion and annual profits to about $5.8 billion. The previous record was $5.5 billion in 1986.airline Deal cooking Houston a an investors group led by Houston financier Charles Hurwitz is negotiating a Deal to buy a controlling interest in Continental airlines according to the Houston Post. In a copyright Story monday the Post quoted sources who said the investors were a very close to an agreement with the beleaguered Houston based  eyes Circle k Phoenix a an investor group that includes the owner of Saks fifth Avenue agreed to buy Circle k corp. In a $425 million Deal that would end the convenience store chains bankruptcy Case. However the attorney for unsecured bondholders said his clients would Likely oppose the Sale. The agreement reached monday was part of the reorganization plan submitted by Circle k to a . Bankruptcy judge