European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 01, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 16 b the stars and stripes Money matters monday february 1.1993 today s rates following arc fixed rates at which Community banking and credit Union facilities will sell for eign currencies to . Personnel for personal use go run a Mark 1.55british Pound 1i53 dutch Guilder 1.74greek drachma 205.0981 note the rates above apply within the Host country. Figures Are expressed in dollars to the British Pound other currencies to the Dollar. Following ate Interbank rates that fluctuate and should be regarded As the approximate value of the . Dollar to foreign Curren cies italian lira 1,482.52 turkish lira 8,733.90spanish peseta 113.50 portuguese escudo 144.33 austrian Schilling 11.1675 saudi rial 3.7495bahrain Dinar 0.37675 Kuwait Dinar 0.3043 norwegian Krone 6.768 danish Krone 6.134 British Pound 1.4885 German Mark 1.6115 Swiss franc 1.4865 French franc 5.34 dutch Guilder 1.8105 belgian franc 33.08canadian Dollar. 1.2705 note figures Are expressed in dollars to the British Pound other currencies to the Dollar Gold quote $330.50 an ounce Silver quote $3.70 an ounce. Canadians Levy tariffs in steel War Ottawa up Canada returned fire in inc brewing steel War Friday accusing the United states and five other nations of dumping and imposing tariffs of up to 124.2 percent on certain Sheet steel imports Ottawa levied tariffs on $96 million of steel imports including $72 million of . Products. The ruling also affects imports from Britain Germany France Italy and new zealand. However a Canadian government spokesman claimed the timing of the announcement had not been connected to wednesday s ruling by the . Com Merce department accusing Canada and 18 of Haj nations of dumping steel in the United states. The spokesman said the Canadian Rul ing came after Ottawa reviewed complaints filed last August by Canadian steel producers Ste co inc. And Algoma steel inc. The Revenue department said in a statement that a preliminary investigation found that some foreign steel is entering the Canadian Market at 0.04 per cent to 55.4 recent below fair Market value with an Overall weighted average of 36.1 percent. S4s Chuck Roberts Sally Snyder of the consumer affairs financial assistance program discusses checking accounts during a class in bad Munach. Keeping problems in Check army program offers classes on managing finances by Chuck Roberts staff writer dad Kreuz Nach Germany pfc. Stephanie Loveland has Learned that when it comes to personal finances even honest mistakes can Hurt you. Do cause checks she had written to the army and air Force Exchange service bounced love and recently had to attend a Check Book balancing class offered in bad or Cugnach by the army s consumer affairs financial assistance program. Loveland said she was a victim of the overseas postal system which caused de lays in allotments going to her stateside banking account. I knew How much Money i had said the Cook with the 141st signal in. It just was t getting  still the mistake could land Loveland on the cafes bad Check list for As Long As a year. Bad checks whatever the reason behind them arc one of the most common Finan Cial problems among soldiers said Sally Snyder a Counselor with the consumer affairs financial assistance program. Snyder and her counterparts in military communities across Europe offer regular classes on such financial topics As Check ing accounts buying Homes insurance credit management budget and record keeping and saving and investment Strate Gies. They also meet with individuals or Here Are a few tips for handling your Money offered by Sally Snyder a Counselor with the army s consumer affairs financial assistance program take your savings off the top before paying your Bills. In other words pay yourself first. The key to financial Success is to begin some form of regular monthly savings. Keep accurate financial records and know How to budget your Money. Units in the Field. Is Susan hams the Bank tells you How to write checks but not How to balance the statement Snyder said. She noted that the information is available from Banks but that not Many soldiers think to ask for it. One common mistake is forgetting to deduct Money withdrawn through an a. Somatic Teller machine Snyder said. Atm can kill you she said Sug Gesting people deduct the amount from their Check Book before taking Money from the machine. When writing a Check people need to fill out the required information properly. And it never hurts to be aware of local Cus Toms Snyder said. For example in Korea a name written in red Ink Means that person is dead. Although not required it helps to write on the Check s lower left hand Side what it was written for Snyder said. Also some people assume they still have Money in their account if they have checks in their Check Book she  Good Way to protect against writing bad checks is to set up an overdraft account where Money is taken out of a Sav Ings account to cover a bad Check she  Days bad checks can mean bad news for a service member s career an pocket Book. Cafes charges a $26 fee for checks from accounts with insufficient funds. And Banks often charge As much As $20 per bad Check she said. Also service members can be court Martiale for writ ing bad checks if criminal intent is suspected. Cafes policy is to notify the writer of Abad Check and give the person 30 Days to resolve the problem Snyder said. However Loveland said she never received a no  beginning a checking account people should ask about the Price of the checks Snyder advised. Banks can charge Steep prices for some of those checks with pretty pictures on them. Telephone company urges customers to heed Call on social issues Washington a general motors corp. Received so Many Calls from people demanding greater fuel efficiency in cars that extra operators were As signed to help Field them. Who instigated the onslaught a Telephone company. The same company is urging customer this month to Cal Congress ail voice support fur president Clinton s plans to end the military s ban on homosexuals. Working assets Long distance uses each month s Bill to prod subscribers into joining toll free Call in campaigns on selected issues. On free speech Day the first monday of every month the phone company swallows the charges. Other Days they Are discounted 20percent. Call your senators. Urge them to support the presi Dent says the Bill going out this month urging Calls March i. Stop the Witch Hunts and acknowledge that Gays can be Fine soldiers is the message. � pm s chief executive John f. Smith jr., was january s target. For the most part the callers were polite and Artic ulate said pm spokesman Jim Crellin. But he said our Fleet is the most fuel efficient Fleet of cars of any full line manufacturer in the  we Don to always attack cos said Peter Barnes president of the san Francisco based Long distance com Pany. This month we have a positive Call to de Rensi of Mcdonald surging him to bang his Veggie Burger to the United states. They Are test marketing a no beef Burger in  working assets is one of hundreds of customized Long distance companies that have Arisen since american Tele phone & Telegraph co. Broke up under an agreement reached in 1982. These smaller Affinity business do not try to compete with at to sprint or Sci but they can find a profitable Niche. Last year about 200 billion minutes of interstate Calls r Farenc in plated earning Long distance companies about $40 billion said analyst Peyton Wynns of the Federal communications commission. The actual phone service working assets provides is like any Long distance service with rates based on time of Day and discounted calling options fashioned to individual calling patterns. The company is a  it pays wholesale prices Tor use of the lines owned by one of the major Long Dis Tance companies and then Sells the service at retail to Resi dents throughout the country