European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 5, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 14 b the stars and stripes sunday april 5, 1992 germans go to polls two after bitter campaigns ring fevers amps Jim a Trahim Lindsay Mcauley kit6, and her sister Caitlin 5, and brother Matthew 7, take advantage of the sunny Spring weather Friday by having a picnic under a Blooming Cherry tree in the front Yard of their Home in Heidelberg Germany. The children smother Kate had made some Bologna sandwiches with potato chips. Stuttgart Germany apr almost 10 million germans Are eligible to vote today in two state elections after bitter campaigns that dwelt heavily on the nationally divisive Issue of immigrants and Asylum seekers pouring into prosperous Germany. Pollsters predicted a surge by far right parties that campaigned on anti foreigner platforms in the Southern Baden Wurt Temberg state. It is Likely that Chancellor Helmut Kohls Christian democrats will lose their absolute majority a the Only one they hold in the capitals of former West Germany a 11 states polls indicate. The social democrats seem secure in the other state election in Northern Schleswig Holstein where the party a National Leader Bjorn Engholm is the incumbent minister president. His party won the 1988 election with 54.8 percent of the vote after the Christian democrats were discredited by having waged a smear Campaign against Engholm. On the eve of the vote the Bonner Mundschau newspaper reported that the Federal criminal office was counting an average of 200 attacks a month on foreigners. The level is far below the 950 attacks in the Peak month of october but is still an increase of 400 percent Over Early 1991, the paper said in Baden Wiir Temberg the opposition social democrats in addition to criticizing the growing debt Load that has followed German unification accused Kohls conservative party of pandering to the rightist sentiment. But the Christian democrats faction Leader in parliament Wolfgang sch Diuble sought to put the pressure Back on the social democrats. Schauble said in an interview with the Welt am sonntag that the left leaning opposition a continually poured grist in the Mills of Radical forces with a a Campaign of defamation against the Christian democrats the stut Garter a Schrichten newspaper published in the capital of heavily Industrial Baden Wiir Temberg said the electorate appeared volatile with polls finding up to 25 percent of voters undecided. It predicted the Radical right republicans would pass the 5 percent threshold required to win seats in the state parliament and that the Christian democrats would lose their majority. In Germany a Federal system the states Send delegates to the upper House of the National parliament where Kohls Christian democrats already have lost their majority. A further loss in Baden Wurt Temberg would make it More difficult for Kohl to win upper House approval on such issues As immigration deployment of German troops on . Peacekeeping missions and european integration. This year Kohls Christian democrats Are handicapped by two scandals. In Schleswig Holstein their candidate for minister president was forced out of his position in the defense ministry along with defense minister Gerhard Stolten Berg Over unapproved deliveries of tanks to Turkey. And in Baden Wiir Temberg Christian Democrat minister president Erwin Teufel has to Deal with lingering debris left by the resignation last year of his predecessor Lothar Spath whose links to big business were so close that he was treated to free trips on executive jets. Chinese baby Boom blamed on Lucky year Beijing a most of northeastern China is having a baby Boom because tradition says children born in the year of the Monkey Are Clever and Lucky an official news report said saturday. Births were Down significantly last year in Large part because it was the year of the sheep in the chinese Zodiac. A a sheep babies Are said to have bad Luck All their lives. The 1991 birth rate was 19.68 per thou Sand Down from 21.06 per thousand in 1990. The China daily newspaper said there has been a baby Boom throughout Northern and northeastern China since the lunar new year feb. 4, but gave no Overall figures. It said All the major hospitals in Shenyang an Industrial City North of Beijing have had to increase the number of Beds in their maternity wards. It said the number of pregnant women in the City is up 30 percent from the same time last year. Chinese leaders have tried to downplay the Impact of superstition which they believe should have been crushed Long ago through communist education. But they have expressed worry that births might surge this year. Only Beijing couples have not been affected by the superstition the China daily said. It quoted City officials As saying births actually have fallen in Beijing this year. Because it is the capital government policies Are enforced far More thoroughly in Beijing than elsewhere in the country including the policy that says most couples can have Only one child. China a population at the end of 1991 was 1.15 billion. The government projects it will hit 1.2 billion by 1995 and near 1.3 billion by the year 2000. Bonn proposes amendments to East Germany property Laws Bonn Germany up the German government on Friday announced Long awaited changes to Laws dealing with unresolved property ownership in Eastern Germany. Under the agreement for the 1990 German unification former East and West German authorities agreed to return property rather than pay compensation to those who owned it until the former communist East German government confiscated it. One of the proposed changes will extend Protection from eviction for Eastern germans living in Homes reclaimed by Western germans through the end of 1994. The amended Law also sets a claims deadline at the end of 1992 for All applications for the return of Eastern German property including those from jews who lost property in the nazi confiscations during the third Reich. A simplified process for investment and property development in former East Germany will remain under the revised Law unto 1995. Housing and construction minister Imgard Schwatzer said she hoped the property Law Reform package will be approved by parliament before the july summer recess. Observers said passage could prove difficult after the opposition social democratic controlled upper House the bundesrat approved a Resolution Friday that called for a reversal of the principle of property return rather than compensation. Many political and business leaders in Eastern Germany have criticized the lengthy process of returning property to former owners As the biggest deterrent to investment in the Region. They argue that financial compensation should be paid to owners to free up contested property for immediate  jews catholics sign anti semitic decree Bern Switzerland apr in an International first representatives of Swiss jews and roman catholics on Friday signed a joint statement declaring that anti semitism is a crime against god and humanity. Timed to coincide with the 500th anniversary of the expulsion of jews from Spain the declaration said it was meant to increase understanding Between jews and the roman Catholic Church. Michael Kahn president of the Swiss jewish Community said the Church at last recognized its role in fighting anti semitism. He told a news conference that the document was especially important As it did not seek to conceal that the Catholic Church shared historic responsibility for hatred of jews. Joseph Candolfi head of the Swiss Bishops conference said the declaration was also meant to be a joint stance against racism in general