European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 6, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 18 the stars and stripes Money matters monday december 6,1993 Nodars rates following Are fixed rates at which Community banking and credit Union facilities Wilt sell for High currencies to . Personnel for personal use German Mark 1.68 British Pound 1.52 dutch Guilder 1.88 greek drachma 240.3122 not to rates above apply wet bin the Host country. Figures Are expressed in dollars 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 currencies italian lira .1,723.80 turkish lira 13,839.60 Spanish peseta 141.85 p0ftuqii6s6 9icu to 178.05 austrian Schilling. 12.1165 saudi Royal. 3.7495 bahraini Dinar. 0.3767 kuwaiti Dinar. 0.29865 norwegian Krons. 7.473 Danalah Krone �.6.788 British Pound. 1.486 German Mark. 1.7235 Swiss franc. 1.497 French franc5.921 dutch Guilder 1.9312 belgian franc .36.32 Canadian Dollar .1.3283 note figures Are expressed in dollars to the British Pound other currencies to the Dollar Gold quote $372,75 an ounce Silver quote $4.62 an ounce vow considers plan to put workers on unemployment Bonn Germany apr Volkswagen .g., the first big German company to negotiate a four Day workweek wants some employees to on unemployment part of the year so the state can pay part of its labor Tab. The company claims it will save $986 million per year through 1995 with a four Day week negotiated last month with its 100,000 employees in Germany. But the company needs to save about $174 million More per year company spokesman Ferdinand Otto Wachs said in a Telephone interview saturday. Volkswagen is talking with unions on ways to reach this goal. One. Furlough plan would have some employees on unemployment three. Months of the year allowing them to collect 63 percent of their average $2,100 monthly wage. Another plan would give graduated Early retirement to some workers he said. Volkswagen needs the savings to return to the Black the company lost More than $900 million in the first nine months of 1993. Its Spanish affiliate seat is bleeding Mil Lions vow chairman Ferdinand Piech said in an interview saturday in Hannover a Alt Gemeiner Zeitung. Sachs denied a report in last weeks focus Magazine that characterized the Layoff plan As taxpayer subsidization of Volkswagen losses. With its plan for a four Day week vow is saving the jobs of 30,000 workers who would Cost the government millions if they went on unemployment he said. A it s a one in the kind arrangement for German Industry in these difficult times a he said. The Union and vow agreed nov. 25 to Cut the workweek starting in january from 37 to 28.8 hours. Workers Overfi payment will be Cut 10 percent with further cuts in benefits. German automakers have devised a variety of ways of keeping afloat in one of the worst Industry recessions. Mercedes Benz . Is slashing 29,000 jobs from its worldwide work Force of 220,500. Opel the general motors corp. Subsidiary is reducing wage increases but will save All its 50,000 jobs in Germany. Ford of Germany is planning Shorter shifts. Volkswagen a production has tumbled 30 percent this year. Its plants in Germany ave been Idle an average of 50 workdays Wachs said. During downtime employees get jobless compensation with the company making up an additional 22 percent of their wage packets. Ions to Disney theme Park near Battlefield Parent firms dropped from implant suits Birmingham Ala. A a Federal judge dismissed Dow chemical co. And Corning inc. From More than 3,000 lawsuits filed by women with silicone breast implants but left their jointly owned Dow Corning As a defendant. . District judge Sam Pointer ruled that there is no evidence to indicate that Dow chemical or Corning a had any special knowledge about the alleged risks and hazards of silicone a or that either company acted improperly. The judge said the women who brought the lawsuits will be Able to Chal Lenic his ruling later if new facts emerge in the Case or if interpretations of the applicable Laws change. Until the ruling wednesday Dow chemical and Corning had been defendants in 3,301 lawsuits brought in Federal court. Ralph Knowles an Atlanta attorney representing Many of the women who sued said the ruling will have no significant Impact because Dow Corning remains As the primary defendant and should have ample assets to cover claims. A it does no to affect anybody a remedies at this Point a he said. He said the women a lawyers included Dow chemical and Corning inc. As defendants in Case Dow Corning could not pay a Large judgment. But he said a Dow Corning is a viable company with lots of assets a Dow Corning based in Midland mich., was the largest maker of silicone breast implants until it stopped making them last year. Wayne m. Hancock vice president and general counsel of Dow chemical said there Are More than 4,000 lawsuits pending against his company in state courts. The company will use the Federal court ruling to try to get itself dismissed from those state suits he said Friday. All of the Federal court cases were consolidated in pointers court in Birmingham. His ruling wednesday came after efforts to reach a $4.75 billion settlement of the Case broke Down this fall. A Washington a a group trying to halt the opening of a Disney theme Park in Northern Virginia says that opposition to the project is building and that anti Disney phone Calls to a toll free number have reached 1,000 a Day. The Campaign the first Public protest against the project was begun last month when the Walt Disney co. Announced its intentions to open Disney Samerica in Haymarket a. The Piedmont environmental Council a reservation group of 2,500 local Farmers launched a Media Campaign of radio advertising and distribution of fliers last week. Quot from my being in the office every Day id say the Calls Are at about 1,000 a Day a said Christopher Needels the director of the take a second look Campaign. The group was joined at its news conference by the save the Battlefield coalition which works to protect the historic Manassas National Battlefield Park four Miles from the proposed Park site. The Battlefield was the site of two civil War Battles both lost by the North. The 100-acre Park scheduled to open in 1998, would be situated on 3,000 acres about 30 Miles East of Washington and feature traditional thrill rides but it would focus on the use of technologies such As virtual reality to re create historical events according to Disney officials. Disney went Public with its plans nov. 11, and governor elect George f. Allen expressed immediate support of the project. Disney Samerica As seen in this artists rendering is scheduled to open in 1998 about four Miles from Manassas National Battlefield Park in Virginia. Bob Shinn senior vice president of Disney development co., said the company has focused in recent weeks on meeting with local landowners Community groups and government officials to work out concerns a we have tried to be Good neigh Bors Quot Shinn said. A one of our criteria for the locating of the project would be to acquire abundant land so we could adequately separate the Park Quot from residents and the Battlefield he said. Depression found to Cost nation $43.7 billion Washington a a study says mental depression costs $43,7 billion a year in treatment and lost productivity a a toll advocates say proves mental health insure Ante is needed to get people treated Early. Such insurance is not a a luxury a frill an unnecessary expense Quot Tipper Gore told the National mental health association on thursday. �?o1 want americans to think about depression and diabetes the same  they might do better thinking about depression and heart disease the same Way according to a new study that found the economic Cost of depression is slightly higher than the nation s $43 billion Tab for heart disease. Corporate America bears the Brunt of the depression Bill according to the study by the Massachusetts Institute of technology and the analysis group a consulting firm. The study found that clinical depression generates $12.4 billion in medical Bills a year. Depression induced suicides Cost $7.5 billion in lost earnings. But the biggest Bill a $23.8 billion a came from absenteeism and lost productivity the study said. Workers lost 88 million working Days in 1990 because of depression mostly among employees Ages 30 to 44, it said. About 15 million americans suffer clinical depression at some Point in their lives. The potentially disabling illness causes fatigue loss of memory and concentration weight loss and in severe cases suicide. Medication and psychotherapy can cure 80 percent of depression yet fewer than a third of depressed people seek help. With prodding by Gore wife of vice president a1 Gore the Clinton administration included mental health benefits in its health Reform package. But the plan generated furious debate and the National association of manufacturers asked the White House not to include mental health benefits in the initial package because it was too expensive. Tipper Gore criticized the association thursday saying a maybe they think its Fine to operate without the brain but 1 disagree. It makes Good business sense to invest in an employees mental  depression currently costs employers $180 per worker whether they Ever suffer depression or not the study said. Employers spend More than $3,000 on every depressed worker it found. A if you think putting in mental health coverage will reduce All that Dollar for Dollar you re dead wrong a responded Jerry Jasinowski the association president a we support mental health coverage but somebody a got to pay for it a