European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 28, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 12 b the stars and stripes Money matters thursday january 28,1993 today a rates following Are fixed rates at which Community banking and credit Union facilities will sell for eign currencies to . Personnel for personal use German mark1.54 British Pound .1.56 dutch Guilder 1.73 greek drachma 205.1176 note the to above apply  Host country. Figures Are expressed in Dollar to the British Pound other currencies to the Dollar following Are Interbank rates that fluctuate and should be regarded As the approximate value of the . Dollar to foreign Curren cies italian lira 1,461.90 turkish lira 6,694.10 Spanish peseta 111.66 portuguese escudo 141.99 austrian Schilling 11.1080 saudi rials a a a so Pete a Aeed eat a 3.7495 Bahrain Dinar a be Eek a be eee be 0.37675 Kuwait Dinar a i it a Teetee Eese Aee 0.304 norwegian Krona 6.70 danish Krona. 6.07 British Pound 1.5205 German Mark 1.5813 Swiss franc. 1.4595 French franc. 5.3443 dutch Guilder 1.781 belgian franc i44t4t<44�444ll4lt4l4t4 32.55 Canadian Dollar �?�4e<4<l4�tfji4�>4tl4 1.271 not figures Ere expressed in Dollart to the British Pound other currencies to the Dollar Hotd quote $330.60 an ounce Silver quote $3.70 an ounce. New York Exchange new York up a the 15 most Aceve stocks la new York 5tock Exchange composite trading on tuesday Stock Salm lilt Nat chg. Ism corp 7,781,100 49 up it am express co 7,305,300 23 it off 1ft Merck $ co inc 6,040,100 39 it off 1ft Tucson elect or 5.192,900 3ft off it Avistar Tnp 4,501.400 3 unch general motors. 4,005,600 38 it up. It Compaq computer 3,477.600 56 it up 1 it Wall Disney co 3.442,900 46 it up 2 it Boeing co 3,280,100 35 it off 1ft Eastman Kodak 3.002,900 50 it up it off it Glaxo holdings 2.987,200 2t ban America 2,639,300 53 it up 2 it Wal Mart stores 2,425,400 64 off it Sean Roebuck 2,332,300 49vk off 1ft citicorp2,268.000 25 it unch american Exchange new York Lupe the 10 most Active stocks Exchange american Stock Exchange composite trading tuesday stack safes Quot lest Wang Libs inc b 0,534,600 i to Amdahl com. 733,900 7ft Royal Oak mines 632,400 1 9-16 him Wen corp 606,000 4 is Echo Bay mines 598,600 4 5-10 new York Tamesa 493,400 28 it abort to Lustri 466,600 7 Vuk tenders to 456,600 2 it fruit of loom 430,900 44 it charter med cup 402,200 is it not Chi. Up 116 a Uncle unch up 1-16 up 116 up i it up it up it up it up it Dow Jones j new York up a Dow Jones closing Range of averages monday 30 industrials 20 transport 15 utilities 65 stocks High 3331.31 1502.39 225.90 1228.48 Low 327247 1477.61 223.08 1208.12 close change 3293.95 up 6.75 1489.49 up 11.28 224.15 Oil 0.37 1217.25 up 194 More air Force personnel want to make . Home by Nancy  .bureau Raf Lakenheath England a growing interest in leaving the . Mili tary and setting up House in the United kingdom has prompted a Daylong seminar of the topic. Quot in be seen a marked increase in the number of separating personnel who wish to stay in inc United kingdom a said Cathy Fabisch transition assistance manager at Raf Ben Waters. The same is happening at Lakenheath. �?�1 just know that we re getting More and More people requesting this sort of thing information on remaining in the United kingdom a said Diane Rush transition assistance manager at Lakenheath. To help those interested in remaining in great Britain the a staying in the .�?� seminar will be held at Lakenheath a base theater the Pineview on Friday. The pro ram sponsored by the Lakenheath family support Center will feature eight speakers who will provide information on employment Job searches financial con Cerns and veterans benefits. The program is open to the Public and seats can be reserved by calling Dan 2262642/2345, or civilian 0638-5226422345. Setting up House in great Britain Isnit As easy. Robert Farmer who retired in the United kingdom several years ago As a colonel said it took a year to get permission from the British government so that he and his american wife could stay although they owned two Homes Ana his wife had a successful antique business. He said he and his wife didst a easily fit into any categories established by the British government that allows americans to stay. A the British invented the word a bureaucracy a a Farmer said. The British government must approve All stays and requires retirees and others who leave the service and want to remain in the country to have a guaranteed annual income of at least 20,000 pounds or about $31,800, said Charles a. Aldrich a retired chief master sergeant. Aldrich is a member of the . Forces Retiree Cbuncil-. The group has 19 members and is sponsored by the air Force. _ also those who plan to Start businesses in the United kingdom can be required to prove that they have As much As 250,000 pounds or almost $400,000, to pump into the business Aldrich said. Aldrich said the Council and the . Retiree association a private organization with chapters at some air Force bases in the United kingdom can help people decide whether they should retire in great Britain. The association which has More than 560 registered members also helps support military retirees in the country a More numbers Are getting out of the living in the United kingdom . Service members stationed in England enjoy a variety of benefits and privileges As a result of their status. Service members who retire in the United kingdom or leave the service and remain in the United kingdom lose Many of those privileges and benefits. Those who Teave the service before retirement lose even More. Below Are some of the lost or curtailed benefits that retired service members and other sex service members can expect. Retirees must pay an additional 15 percent on purchases at exchanges and commissaries which goes to the British government. Sex serve remembers. Who Are not retirees cannot shop at exchanges or commissaries. Neither group May Purchase rationed hems such As liquor and gasoline from a military facilities. A a everyone who separates in the United kingdom must pay local Council taxes which Are based on the value of a person s dwelling. V retirees Are issued military Post office boxes but can mail and receive Only letters that do not exceed 16 ounces. Non retirees have no military Post office privileges. No one who separates in the United kingdom May use the go Bill to buy a House in great Britain. A. A a a a note the above restrictions to not apply to anyone holding a . Civilian government Job that entitles them to a stamped passport indicating they Are members of the . Civilian component. Source air fore military so More people want to stay in the United kingdom said Dave Larson transition manager at Raf Mildenhall a the primary reason of course is that they re married to British  about 10 percent of the approximately 250 people who have retired or separated from Mildenhall during the last year have expressed interest in remaining in England Larson said. He estimated that there Are 700 americans living in the Mildenhall area who no longer Are connected to the military. Other bases Are experiencing similar rates of interest in staying in England. Officials at Raf Ben Waters and Raf Woodbridge both of which will close this ear said that Between sept. 1 and dec. 1, 228 people were either separating or retiring and 52 were interested in staying in the country. Other major . Air Force bases in the United kingdom reported similar findings. Aldrich said some reasons americans give for wanting to remain in the United kingdom Are a the crime rate is lower than in some . Areas. A they own Homes in the United  they enjoy the English Rural lifestyle. A and health care is cheaper. Chief master sgt. Dominic Rafalski at Raf Lakenheath wants to stay when he retires in june 1994. Besides having an English Mother and wife he said the 5 a amps United states has a gotten too maddening for me. I like the lifestyle Over Here. In a in a Village that a almost comatose Rafalski said the last time he visited his Hometown of Milwaukee he was surprised to find crime and drugs were so prevalent. He said he does not want his year old son subjected to those elements and is pleased with the education his son is receiving in British schools. Rafalski Hopes to find a Job on the British Economy after leaving the military. When Donna Joy who is single separated from the air Force a couple of years ago at the rank of Captain she got permission to stay in the country to take a Job with the department of defense at Raf Ben Waters. Now that the base is dosing she must find another government Job in order to stay in the country. A i think that being an american and living in England has Given me the Best of both worlds a Joy said. A i feel 1 have More options for myself not Only in terms of employment but  senior master sgt. Jim Muelchi at Ter sergeant this year. He Hopes to establish a business developing and writing training programs for industries. A a it a amazing How Many american service people Are already retired Here and doing very Well a Muelchi said. A the network is  Confidence dipped in december by the new York times consumer Confidence slipped a bit this month after rising in december the conference Board said tuesday. In its report based on a Sample of 5,000 households nationwide the conference Board s Index of consumer Confidence fell to 77.0 in january from a revised 78.1 in december. Most Wall Street economists had forecast another upward move. Fabian Linden executive director of the consumer research Center at the conference Board said the decline was a of faint  Frankfurt to be merchants Headquarters by Kevin Robinson staff writer citing fewer banking customers As a result of the draw Down merchants National Bank is reorganizing to make Frankfurt Germany its Headquarters for All of Europe the Bank announced wednesday. As a result James w. Overbey merchants general manager for Bank operations in Germany Holland and Greece also will head the Bank a other european operations in England and Iceland. The reorganization effective immediately will mean a loss of 36 jobs from the Frankfurt Headquarters As a result of a consolidation of merchants finance and accounting department Bank officials said. A there has been no discussion yet on the number of jobs lost in the United kingdom a said Jay Chunderlik a spokesman for merchants in Frankfurt. A that discussion Wilt occur in the next 10  sixty seven people Are employed at merchants United kingdom Headquarters at High Wycombe England. Regardless of the cuts the office in England is expected to stay open. The restructuring by merchants is the Bank s second reorganization in the past six months. The first occurred with the August 1992 announcement that the Bank s data processing Center would move to Indianapolis in March affecting 53 positions in Frankfurt. Some of those employees were offered other jobs in the company. The Bank a restructuring was spurred by the continuing draw Down of . Forces from Europe a draw Down that has created a �?ochallenging., operating environment a merchants executive vice president and director of military banking w. Glenn Smith said in a statement a a since 1990,44 merchants Bank branches have closed in Europe according to a company publication the Bank Haa 120 Community Bank branches As of summer 1992. People who lose jobs in Frankfurt will be offered a Severance package that was negotiated Between merchants and its works Council in Frankfurt Chunderlik said. Officials for the works Council which represents the More than 350 merchants employees and managers at the Banks Headquarters in Frankfurt could not be reached for comment