European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 11, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 16 the stars and stripes Money matters wednesday May 11,1994 today a rates following Are fixed rates at which Community banking and credit Union facilities wifi sell foreign currencies to . Personnel for personal use British Pound .,.1.53 dutch Guilder. 1.81 German mark1.62 greek drachma .238.9052. Nolo Tia Rales above apply  the Host country. Figures Are expressed in Coffars to he 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 a a a. A a. Austrian Schilling 11.6905 Bahrain Dinar 0.37675 belgian franc 34.24. British Pound .1.497 Canadian Dollar. 1.3785 danish Krone 6.503 dutch Guilder 1.8645 French franc 5.6975 German Mark. 1.663 italian lira 1,588.25 Kuwait Dinar 0,2973 norwegian Krone 7.2135 portuguese escudo 171.65 saudi rial .7498 Spanish peseta .136,31 Swiss franc. 1.4205 turkish lira 34,000.00 note figures Are expressed in dollars to the. British Pound other currencies to the Dollar. Gold quote $391.65 an ounce 1 j. A Silver quota $5 41 an ounce sources merchants National Bank amp Trust co the associated press United press International r new York Exchange new York up York Stock Exchange Slock. A syntax corp Rwjr Nabisco hid. Chrysler Carp. Philip Morris. Circus circus Merck 1 co inc coca cola co Fps group inc general motors. A ism corp the Trifonos de my at amp to company. A k Mart corp. A a a a a Gerber products a Motorola inc a a the 15 most Active stocks in new composite trading on monday. Sales 5,287,000 3.104.300 a 2,54a,200 a 2,476,700 2.242.800 2.233.300 2.123,500. 2,035,800 a 1.965,700 �1,880,000 a 1,873,600 1.826.300 1.791.800. 1,763,000 1.735,600 last 23 % 5 min 44 i 50,. A 26% 29 i 39 % 27% 53% 57 54%. 51 % �15% 33% 43% net cup. A up % a off 0 11. Off 2 a off 2 a it off Olf a 0114% a off a up %. Off 1 a a. Off % up unch off i v c american Exchange d new York Lipi a the ten most Active stacks in. American Stock exc Trange composite trading monday. Stock. A a a a a sales. Last net chg. Exp Oral co la860,200. 1 % unch Energy service 654,600. 3 13-16 off 5-16 Iva corp. A 554,500 17 it off % Echo Bay mines a 513,000 a 11 % off is  \ 484,600 .21 % off.1% Viacom . 452300 27 % up Alc  435,7d0 31% off 2 Pegasus Gold 297,300 17 % off % a Weatherford inc. A 294,400, "10% up spi holding b a 287.800 3% off 1 % c Dow Jones new York Dpi a cow Jones closing Range of averages on monday ,. Y High a Low close change  3676.93 3612.39 3629.04 off 40.46 20 transports 1612.90 1578.03 1589 28.oth9 64 15 utilities 186.64 182.11 ts3.36 off 5.47 65 stocks 1293.35 1266,14 1273.37 off 17.68 since 4 hoping to energize electric vehicle efforts los Angeles a four California utilities announced plans monday to put 1,850 electric vehicles on the Road by 1998 Southern California Edison and the los Angeles department of water and Power set a goal of putting 1,000 electric cars vans or trucks in their fleets or in the hands of their customers. Pacific Gas amp electric and the Sacramento municipal Utility District planned to put 850 of them to work in their service districts. Beginning in 1998, at least 2 percent of vehicles sold every year in the state by major manufactures must be emissions free. By Rober Dvorchak the a Ocia cd press lines formed outside gun shops. Cus Tomars called by the thousands. And ammunition vanished from shelves As if it were Well shot out of a barrel a since the House voted thursday to ban assault style weapons and their copycats gun sales have been Boom Boom booming and there a been a corresponding rapid fire increase in prices. A sales have gone through the roof. We be had a run on just about everything that shoots. Its been sort of incredible a said Mike Saporito senior vice president at Rosr wholesale guns of Orlando fla., which supplies thousands of retail shops. A they cleaned out warehouse after warehouse after  the guns on the endangered list Are fetching whatever the Market will Bear. For example an ak-47 that sold for about $200 last week has increased 50 percent. And the Price of Colt made ar-15s a the civilian version of the military a m-16 a has doubled from about $900, said Bob los Meister of the National association of federally licensed firearms dealers. A people Are Rushing to get them while they can. The thinking is if they done to get them nov they re never going to get it that this is their last Chance a Lesmeister a said a / a a a a ,. A a v. Actually retail shops say the buying frenzy was predictable. The run on guns was triggered late last year when con Gross passed the Brady Law requiring a waiting period for handgun buyers. A second Boom came when sen. Dianne a Feinstein d-calif., introduced the ban on assault style weapons. _ the House version approved thursday is similar to the Senate a but a conference committee must work out the differences and its plan must be approved by both House before it gets sent to president Clinton. In addition to 19 weapons and copycat models each version would ban magazines or ammunition clips that hold More than 10 bullets customers say they want the guns for target shooting or As collectors items. The buying spree has prompted some gun paddlers to give mock sales awards to members of the Clinton administration. A j a a a a in my opinion Bill and Hillary Clinton and Janet Reno arc the finest gun salesmen in history a said Jim Hullinger owner of Jim a military collectibles in Plano Texas. The White House pushed for he Bah because the guns on the hit list weren to made for Hunting. But critics such As the National Rifle association say assault style weapons were used in fewer than 1 percent of this country a murders. The Bureau of alcohol tobacco and firearms says there is no accurate figure on How Many people Bill Penney owner of a gun shop in Robbinsdale minn., shows off two of the stars in the current sales Boom a an Uzi left and an a is Rifle. Are killed by assault style weapons. Shop owners like their customers done to believe the ban will put a Dent in crime because lawbreakers will buy guns on the Black Market or switch to other models. A this is just a waste of time. Criminals will just go to the next gun that a available a said de nicely of eds gun Smithing in Southern Pines . In the Short run at least the ban on weapons that Are capable of being fired rapidly has generated heightened interest in them a an irony not lost on gun control advocates. A a it a fuelled by a misunderstanding that this is going to affect legitimate Hunting weapons. The gun lobby is scaring people into thinking the government is going to disarm them a said Susan Whitmore a spokeswoman for handgun control inc. A obviously the greater Good is going to be when these weapons Are off the Street. The legislation will help Stem the tide of violence being done with these  when the House voted last week customers gathered around the to set at Norman Vanwagenenn a gun shop in Provo Utah. Then they rushed to the counters to buy up guns and ammo. A one Guy bought $2,200 Worth of clips a Vanwagenen said a the whipped out his credit card and bought 50 More clips for his  Nancy Nell a gun shop owner in West Valley City Utah said customers a went nuts on clips after the vote. A people bought everything they could get their hands on in every store in town ammo handguns semiautomatic a she said. Employees to sign up now for buyouts later by Mike Causey Washington Post Washington a these Are very Tough times for Federal workers who have trouble making difficult decisions or keeping key commitments. A. Growing number of agencies Are asking workers to sign up for buyouts now but wait until at least october to quit or retire. That stay of execution will be Tough on some employees and their families As they re examine what they be done. It is too late in the fiscal year for Agen cies to save Money by offering workers buyouts of up to $25,000 to leave the payroll. But starting in october thousands of workers will be offered buyouts the lesser of their Severance entitlement a usually based on length of time employed a or $25,000 to leave. Agencies also Are offering Early retirement in combination with buyouts. Although agencies must reduce one Job for each buyout taken they can backfill positions provided an off setting Job Cut is made elsewhere. That is one reason agencies Are pushing the commit now leave later program. Others want to give employees time for retirement counselling and still get them off the payroll Early in fiscal 1995. For example smithsonian institution workers can apply for buyouts Between june 1 and july 15 but they cannot leave until oct. 1. The smithsonian says the buyouts w hich Are open to All employees wont be repeated. The general services administration is taking buyout applications through july 15 for workers who agree to leave Between october and the end of december. Some agriculture department offices Are doing the same thing