European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 11, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Pages the stars and stripes i . I Friday february 11.1 Perry to Zero in on costly buying rules i Washington a a military Hospital pays $107,000 too much for Aspi Rin. A contract for ant bait takes nearly eight months to write. A $1 computer Chip involves $9 in paperwork. These Are some of the hoops through which the Pentagon must jump to follow its own procurement regulations on everything from chocolate Chip cookies to battleships. Getting rid of those hoops is a top priority for newly installed defense Secretary William j. Perry. Success will re quire overcoming a culture that has been instilled Over decades at the pen mailers group ready to take postage hike Washington a a coalition of the nation s largest mailers says it won t fight an upcoming postal rate in crease As Long 3s the Cost of a first class stamp in t pushed any higher than 32 cents. That would mean a 10.3 percent in crease probably starting next january. No one wants a rate increase but the fact is 3 cents on a first class stamp is not too hard to take said Marianne Mcdermott of the greeting card association. Stamp prices went from a Quarter to 29 cents on feb. 3, 1991, and another in crease is inevitable conceded Art Sackler of the mailers Council. The Complex process of raising stamp prices can take 10 months or More and the lengthy Legal Battles involved Cost the Post office and interested parties As Muchas $100 million Sackler said. Much of that could be saved if a for Mula can be found that most participants can agree to in Advance he said. The mailing groups which represent the organizations most affected by Post age increases said they would agree to a10.3 percent increase that affected every one equally. There was no immediate reaction to their proposal from the . Postal serv ice. But postmaster general Marvin  has said a 10.3 percent increase is one of the possibilities being studied when prices Rise next year. The Post office governing Board is expected to Start the process late this month or Early in March. Suggested stamp prices have ranged from 31 cents to 35 cents. The coalition of groups ranging from advertising mailers to mag Azine publishers to banking groups and greeting card manufacturers has agreed that each could live with a 10.3 percent rate increase . Recognizes a free Macedonia Washington a the unite states recognized the Independence of the former yugoslav Republic of Macedo Nia on wednesday after More than two years of sidestepping the Issue in defer ence to nato ally Greece. A White House statement said the people of the former Republic had chose Independence by democratic Means and that recognition could help resolve differences with Athens. Trying not to offend either Side the Linton administration chose to refer to the country As the former yugoslav Republic of  Greece which has a province named Macedonia had argued against establish ment of . Diplomatic ties unless the name was changed. One option was to use the name of the capital Skopje. Wagon he told the House armed services committee on wednesday. In some instances the problem is Sim ply one of inconvenience or delay. In others it costs Money. The Pentagon buys hundreds of Mil Lions of dollars Worth of integrated Cir Cuits for example. Although they Are available cheaply on the open Market procurement rules drive up the Price ten fold. Perry said he Hopes reforms will Gener ate $10 billion in savings Over the next five years. The beneficiaries will be the taxpayers he said. Sonic defense contractors Are concerned about losing their exclusive hold on Pentagon contracts if the government allows Over the counter purchases. But the horror stories of purchasing rules appear to be convincing lawmakers of both parties. Perry ticked off several examples a military Hospital got a Low bid of $3.98 per bottle for aspirin. But the hos Pital was forced to pay $4.40 per unit be cause the Low bidder failed to meet Pentagon requirements that a certain percentage of its subcontractors be Small investigator c. Lee Redd Peers through a Hole in the Windshield of a car in Jer sey City nj., on tuesday. A teen Ager was accused of dropping a Bowling Ball from a Highway overpass killing a baby in the car. Baby s Bowling Ball death charged to teen Ager by the new York times Jersey City . A teen Ager enrolled in a residential program for people with emotional problems was charged wednesday with drop Ping a Bowling Ball off an overpass that crashed through the Windshield of a car killing a baby. The suspect Calvin j. Settle 18,was arrested Early wednesday on a homicide charge. He was accused of pushing the 16 Pound Ball Over a Concrete Barrier near the Holland Tunnel leading from new Jersey to new York on sunday night. The attack turned a routine Ridehome for a Brooklyn . Family into a violent ordeal of shattered Glass and sudden death. Prosecutors would not discuss a motive but the police report on Settle arrest indicated the incident might have stemmed from a Impromptu prank. Settle told the arresting officers who picked him up at his apart ment in Jerse City that the Epi Sode began when his friends found the Bowling Ball in the trash an ended minutes later when he took it to the Highway Barrier the report and Settle prosecutors said. The Ball fell 15 to 20 feet. It travelled so fast that it ricocheted off the bumper of an 18-wheel truck driving Weston route 139. It then went into the eastbound Lane and smashed through the wind shield of a station Wagon hitting the8-month-Oid baby Natalia Rivera in the Back seat in the head. Santos and Donna Rivera the baby s parents were sitting in the front seat and were not injured. Or disadvantaged businesses. The additional Cost came to $107,000. The air Force wanted Boeing co. To Supply spare parts for a military version of a commercial aircraft. Because Boe ing s spare parts division did not meet requirements for doing business with the government it took nearly four years to resolve the problem. The Pentagon sought bids for $25,595 Worth of ant bait. The solicitation was 29 pages Long and it took 227 Days to award the contract because of a Rule imposing Complex procedures for contracts of More than $25,000., copter tests on vibration noise by United press International ten years of Nasa and army flight tests end this month having produced massive data for developing quieter bet Ter and cheaper helicopters space Agency officials announced wednesday. During hundreds of hours in the air since 1984, researchers at the National aeronautics and space administration s Ames research Center studied helicopter Rotor vibration noise motion and air flows. The $6 million "uh-60 air loads pro Gram gives engineers information needed to develop new helicopters an improve existing designs More quickly and economically scientists said. We be gathered a huge data base for the helicopter Industry and the academic world to help refine the ability to design helicopters and predict their performance said project manager Paul Loschke. The Transfer of data will be extremely useful to the Rotor Craft Community said Rhett Plater executive director of the american helicopter society in Alexan Dria va., noting Nasa supported re search is the wave of the  reducing helicopter Rotor noise and vibration Are crucial to improving Passen Ger Comfort and maintenance said Prin Cipal investigator Bill Bousman. The real excitement in designing Heli copters is How to make them quieter bet Ter and cheaper to build and operate he said. The big payoff is in reducing risk and  the researchers used a $5 Mil lion army uh-60 Black Hawk the Type of helicopter that transported .troops during operation desert storm and in Somalia. Engineers designed two special Rotor Blades to measure air loads the Force imparted by the upward push As the Blades turn along the Blade and Aero dynamic conditions affecting the rotors. Researchers studied How those forces and pressures affect a helicopter s performance efficiency and noise. When the Blade spins around for example it Gener ates lift and produces noises like the pop Ping heard when a helicopter hovers. The data will help us better under stand that phenomenon said Loschke. Judge suspended for scrapping child rape Case Columbus Ohio a a judge who dismissed a child rape Case because a prosecution witness was 20 minutes late was ordered suspended wednesday for six months without pay. Common pleas judge William Millard will forfeit about $50,000 in salary an benefits. He will remain on probation until his term ends in three years. The sanctions were imposed by the five member commission of judges which is appointed by the state supreme court to handle disciplinary proceeding against Ohio judges. Millard could not be reached for com ment. His Secretary said he was in court. The supreme court ordered a review after Millard dismissed charges in sep tember against a Man accused of raping an 11-year-old girl. Millard dismissed the charges because a prosecution witness was late to court. Millard later said he meant Only to de Clare a mistrial not to dismiss the Case. He apologized for what he called his unacceptable  the six count complaint against Mil lard also accused him of violating rules of judicial conduct in unrelated cases dating to 1990. Millard can Appeal the sanctions within 20 Days. He also can apply to have the suspension removed 90 Days after it begins March 5