European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 13, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 14 the stars and stripes f Money matters thursday january 13,1994 today s rates following Are fixed rates a which Community banking and credit Union facilities will sell for eign currencies to . Personnel for personal use German Mark. 1.70 British Pound 1.54 dutch Guilder. 1.89 greek drachma. 243.6706 note the rates above apply within who hos country. Figures Are expressed in dollars to the British Pound other currencies to the Dollar following Are Interbank Fate that fluctuate and should be regarded As the approximate value of the . Dollar to foreign Curren cies italian lira. 1,695.53 turkish lira. 14,746.10 Spanish peseta. 144.00 portuguese escudo. 176.05 austrian Schilling. 12.22 saudi Royal 3.7498 Bahrain a Dinar 0.37675 kuwaiti Dinar 0.2981 norwegian Krone 7.503 danish Krone 6.736 Boltl Spound. 1.4964 German Mark 1.7392 Swiss franc 1.4723 French franc 5.9095 dutch Guilder. 1.9467 belgian franc 36.16 Canadian Dollar. 1.319 note figures Are expressed in dollars to the British Pound other currencies to Tho Dollar Gold quote $386.80 an ounce Silver quote $5.11 an ounce new York Exchange new York up Yolk Slock Exchange Stock Tel Clonos de my Amer express co blockbuster ent Maxis Energy Natl steel b general motors Westinghouse Elway Mart stores Ford motor co Rwjr Nabisco hid Merck & co inc get corp Bethlehem steel at to company Walt Disney co 30vi28 / 25v4- the 15 most Active stocks in new composite trading on tuesday. Sales last net chg. 5,711,600 " 5,227,500 4,827,000 3,638,900 3,795,000 3,711,000 3,455,300 3,384,200 3,023,800 2,720,100 2,508,100 2,377,700 2,322,900 2.305,600 59v Viacom inc b 565,600 38% putt Usbie science 523,900 10w up 1 Amdahl corp 517,000 6vs off w Viacom inc 496,400 42tt up % Hanover direct 493,400 7 i up i Cheyenne Sotter 382,600 29 /. Unch Dow Jones new York up Dow Jones closing Range of averages on tuesday  High Low Closa change 3885.2130 industrials 20 transport 15 utilities 65 stocks to 3823.02 3850.31 Oft 15.20. 183009 1803.49 1812.29 off 7.29 224,23 220.74 222.19 of 2.04 1419 93 1397.98 1406.80 off 6.57 Westinghouse plans to slash 3,400 jobs new York a after a tumultuous year in which angry investors forced out its chairman Westinghouse electric corp. Said tuesday it will Lay off 3,400 employees and lop off $651 million from profits As part of a turnaround Effort. In addition the company said it would Lay Oft 210 employees at its electro mechanical division because of cuts in . Defense spending. Michael h. Jordan the Nev chairman said Westinghouse May spin off More businesses Ami will slash its to cent annual dividend in half. And it will Pikr joi0 million in or Claired Gore offers to Cut red tape for communication initiatives los Angeles a vice presi Dent Al Gore has offered executives thigh technology and Hollywood Compa Nies Relief from burdensome regulation Sas they develop new communications technologies provided their products Are available to everyone. Gore made the offer in a speech tues Day at an information superhighway Summit a gathering held to examine the future for business and Consumers As television Telephone and computer technologies merge. Gore said the Clinton administration would pursue new More flexible communications Laws. Cable phone and wireless companies could choose to follow the new Laws rather than those under which they Are currently regulated. Having a Choice however would de Pend on the companies making sure that their future services would not be Avail Able to just a privileged few. The nation would thus be assure that these companies would provide open Access to information providers and con Sumers and the benefits of Competition including lower prices and higher Quality services he said. The new Laws would be added to the communications act of1934, Gore said. They would Demon Strate More flexibility in the government As it adjusts with Industry to rapid technological change he added. He said however that new rules alone won t assure fairness in the High tech future. He challenged executives to link up the nation s classrooms libraries Hospi tals and clinics by january 2000. Gore also expressed support for Bills already proposed to end the monopoly held by i Cal phone companies and trans Fer the oversight of the regional Bell operating companies from the courts to the Federal communications commission. Gore s speech at the University of California los Angeles was generally Well received by the executives. I like what i heard said Tom Norris vice president of government affairs for at to. The local Bell companies issued a statement praising Gore s remarks an again called for the removal of rules that prevent them from competing in Long Dis vice president Al Gore assists comedian Lily Tomlin As Ernestine the operator. Tance and other communication areas. During panel discussions throughout the Day however competing views of the potential that More advanced network sold for Consumers were evident. Several speakers said the most promises in More efficient communication rather than the delivery of More to programs movies music and news. The most important thing of All ingoing to be interactivity said Steve Case president of America online fast growing computer on line service. It s not going to be interacting with to. It s going to be interacting with  we have to support localism said Lucie Salhany chairman of Fox Broad casting co. Such a message is a mixed Blessing in Hollywood however. On one hand it threatens the producers of entertainment by putting More creative Power in the hands of Consumers. At the same time advanced networks could give producers More direct Contact with Consumers Al lowing the development of some Niche projects that Hollywood does t currently risk Money on. The Summit sponsored by the facade my of television arts and sciences had a distinctly Hollywood feel. Gore was joined at one Point during his speech by comedian Lily Tomlin i character As Ernestine the operator. Expressing some doubt about the changes in communications Ernestin complained about already missing the Telephone s Bell. There is no ring Ding anymore she said. Channel car rates to Fop ferry fees London a a drive on train ride under the English Channel will Cost a Carload of travellers Between $330 and $465 for a round trip operators of the Channel Tunnel said wednesday. That is generally More than for most trips by ferry and the company s Stock Price dropped in London and Paris on perceptions that the Tunnel might not be As competitive As expected. The Tunnel is scheduled to open in March for freight customers and in May for passengers. Operators of the Tunnel linking eng land and France Are betting that travellers will be willing to pay More for a High Speed ride with no turbulence or weather delays. On Peak summer weekends and holi Days a Carload of people travelling through the 31-mile Tunnel betwee Folkestone England and Calais France will pay about $465 for a round trip ticket $15 less than the typical car ferry fare said eur Tunnel s commercial director Christopher Garnett. But most other times the Tunnel will Cost More than the ferry. On sundays through thursdays during the summer Peak a car carried through the Tunnel will pay $420, compared with $330 on Fer Ries run by Stena sealing. In november and december the off season fare will be $330 for the Tunnel and $282 on Stena sealing. Elite Trinnel will offer a Cut rate introductory fare in june and july for travel ers who make a two Day round trip through the Tunnel popularly known Ashe Channel. The company says Tunnel travellers can expect to make it from the British High Way to the French Highway in about an hour compared with a Little More than two hours for ferry passengers. The opening of the Tunnel has stirred speculation of a Price War observers say ferries Are in a better position to weather such a War because they have inboard restaurants bars shops and gambling to bring in additional income while Tunnel travellers will have no place to spend Money. Toys r us looks to boost overseas sales Slock o Mone Kaiui  a Trenton . A toys a us inc. Plans to franchise new stores in the Middle East and open 115 More com Pany owned stores in other regions in its most ambitious expansion to Date. The world s largest children s specially retailer also said tuesday that it ill buy Back up to is billion in company Stockover the iut few be a is. The. Slock coed ajoo.7 a Hare i . 1 0 a cents on the new Yolk Stock Exchange. Toys a us recently named new chief executive and chief operating officers moves that Are allowing founder and chairman Charles Lazarus to concentration the company s overseas expansion. We Are really heavily focused on International expansion said Larry d. Bouts president of the. Company s inter \ t ,. L. Usi i so much Opportunity out  bouts said toys a us Aims to boost foreign sales from about 20 percent of its business to 50 percent. The company has signed agreement with a business group in saudi Arabia and with Al fut Taim sons co. Of the United Arab emirates to operate fran Chise stores there and in Qatar Bahrain Oman and Kuwait. Bouts said he could Noi Kiln ily the saudi partner which is still negotiate him real estate dih