European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 15, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 16 the stars and stripes Money matters tuesday february 15, 1994 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 German Mark 1.70 British Pound 1.51 dutch Guilder. 1.90 greek drachma 245.4377 note the rates above apply within 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 Curren cies " italian lira 1,688.55 turkish lira 17,696.00 Spanish peseta. 142.58 portuguese escudo. 176.35 austrian Schilling 12.2875 saudi Royal. 3.75 Bahrain a Dinar 0.37675 kuwaiti Dinar. 0.2968 norwegian Krone 7.585 danish Krone 6.823 British Pound 1.4664 German Mark. 1.7475 Swiss franc 1.4710 French franc. 5.9450dutch Guilder 1.9593 belgian franc .36.20 Canadian Dollar 1.3443 note figures Are expressed in dollars to the British Pound other currencies to the Dollar Gold quote $383.15 an ounce Silver quote $5.26 an ounce . Gasoline prices continue to Edge up los Angeles a Gas Price Rose just More than a Penny per gallon on average during the last three weeks a National Survey showed sunday. The average Price of Gas Friday was $1.1086 per gallon including All grades and taxes according to the Lundberg Survey of 10,000 stations nationwide Survey publisher Trilby Lundberg said the upward trend started in january. The last Survey taken Jan. 21, showed an average Price of $1.0985 cents per gallon up from the Jan. 7 figure of $1.0951. The Rise should be looked at As a Par tial correction of extraordinarily Low prices that prevailed from a fall oversupply of Gas and a Winter drop in crude Oil prices Lundberg said. Chicken firm sets move Naperville Iii. Up Boston Chicken inc. Said it will move operations from four of its facilities in the Chicago area to Denver by the end of september. We have simply outgrown our current facility said the president j. Bruc Harreld. Boston Chicken currently operates the largest Chain in the United states special izing primarily in rotisserie roasted Chick in with 221 stores operating in 19 states. Postal service s right to Fine nonusers May be curtailed by the new York time Washington Over the last three years the . Postal service has collected More than $500,000 in fines from companies that sent no urgent mail by private couriers like Federal express or Del. Now private couriers and their custom ers outraged that the postal service could abuse its monopoly position in an Effort to win Back some of the express mail business Are fighting Back. Legislation has been introduced in Congress that stops the postal service from being Able to investigate and intimidate companies into using the postal service instead of private couriers. This is a classic Case of a government Agency that is 30 years behind the curve said sen Paul Coverdell r-ga., who introduced the legislation in the Senate. The entire subject should be moot. Are you going to Fine people for using the fax machine the legislation which also has been introduced into the House states that a nongovernmental person May use a Pri vate express service for the private Carriage of certain letters and packets with out being penalized by the postal service. Coverdell is optimistic that the legis lation now at the committee stage in both houses will pass that stage by the end of the Spring. The postal service has fined 21 Compa Nies for violating the 1872 Law that established the postal service monopoly on mail delivery. A 1979 amendment to the Law broke the monopoly on urgent mail establishing As the definition of urgent mail that must arrive by noon the next Day or lose its value. The postal service has the right to decide what is urgent and what is not. Postal officials say they lose millions to private companies and without the ability to collect this Revenue they might have to raise first class rates. The fines collected equal the amount the postal serv ice would have earned if it had delivered the mail. Rico Rafios Baa launches discount store in n. Carolina Morrisville . A the ism factory outlet store that s right. The computer Industry Power Over the weekend launched its first Effort to sell discounted goods through a company owned operation. My salespeople Haven t even had time to sell said Boyd Turner the store s manager. It s just been a matter of who s next " fifty shoppers were waiting outside before the store opened saturday. Lines filled the store All Day. Ism in the mid-1980s opened a regular priced retail Chain of one Stop centers meant to offer a Range of computer products and services. The Chain eventually was deemed a failure and was sold. At the time critics said computers were not retail items. Analysts think the company May have More than one outlet store in mind. If you hit the right formula in North Carolina you d take it elsewhere said Jay Stevens an analyst with Dean Witter discover & co. In new York. These Days computers Are consumer goods. And for ism which has done a marvelous Job with its personal com Puter business this is another Channel for that Busi Ness it s in the cards Mayumi Seto of Job International credit card co. Works with a Cus Tomer at the company s Rockefeller Center Branch in new York. Job is teaming with household International to Issue a new card targeted to Ward wealthy International travellers. Fruits vegetables gather for san Diego Trade show san Diego up the latest ways to get Ameri cans to eat their vegetables were on display sunday when the United fresh fruit & vegetable association opened its Trade show. Buyers for the nation s major supermarket chains were the elite members of the crowd of some 7,000 who wandered the produce packed aisles of the san Diego convention Center. Onion Flavoured ice creams and slices of apples As Sweet As Ambrosia were handed out. When in Rome go shopping even on sunday Rome a romans were carrying something new sunday shopping bags. The first Day of a City code allowing seven Day a week Commerce brought grimaces from traditionalists and grins from Many Consumers relieved that Rome was finally joining other european capitals in relaxing Day of rest rules. What a difference Giorgio Fonda said As he left a department store with a Valentine s Day gift for his wife. I have news for those against sunday shopping people work during the week. Sunday is the Only Day we can  but opponents of sunday shopping see problem ahead. Many owners of Small shops who make up a Large share of Rome s business Community say they will be forced to work every Day to compete and argue that Only Large retailers have enough employees to staff the extra Day. Some people also complain that consumption is being elevated Over religion and tradition. After the measure became Law feb. 2, the Vatican newspaper l Osse Vatore Romano carried a commentary saying that the tradition of sunday As a Day of rest and reflection should be observed. Sunday is for Church and family not trying on clothes said Maria Crinini walking along a main shop Ping thoroughfare. It appeared that few merchants decided to take advantage of the first Legal sunday of business. A group that pushed for sunday shop hours estimated about 10 percent of businesses opened. The shopping ordinance is an exception to the nationwide ban on sunday shopping and is being watched closely by other italian cities considering similar Mea sures. Mayor Francesco Rutelli said he believed that Sun Day business hours will help promote tourism which has been on a slight decline. For those who come to Rome it s important to know that the monuments Are not the Only things open on sunday he said. Many other european countries have come under pressure to loosen traditional sunday closing Laws. Brit Ain and Sweden have eased the regulations while France and Germany have resisted major reforms. Spain is going the other Way. Under pressure from Small merchants parliament passed a Law this month allowing regions to override National Laws requiring that stores be open at least eight sundays or holidays year. I