European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 24, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 14 the stars and stripes Money matters tuesday May 24, 1994 today a rates following Are fixed rates at which Community banking and credit Union facilities will sell for sign currencies to . Personnel for personal use a a a a a r a a. A. I British Pound 4,55 dutch Guilder .1.80 German Mark 1.61 greek drachma. 240.5608 1 note the rates above apply within the Host country. Figures Aref expressed in dollars to the British Pound other currencies to the Dollar following arc Interbank rates that fluctuate and should be regarded As the approximate value of the . Dollar to foreign currencies austrian Schilling .11.627 Bahrain Dinar. 0.37675. Belg la n franc 33,0 British Pound. 1.5055 Canadian Dollar .1.3789 danish Krone. 6.4602 dutch Guilder. 1.8455 French franc 5.6275 German Mark. 1.6450 italian lira. 1,590.13 Kuwait Dinar 0.29785 norwegian Krone 7.15 portuguese escudo. 170,83 saudi rial 3.75 Spanish peseta. 136.55 Swiss franc. 1.4060 turkish lira. 33,000.00 nets figures Are expressed in dollars to the British Pound other currencies to thy Dollar. Gold quote $397.55 an ounce. Silver quote $5.7150art ounce. A. Sources merchants National Bank amp Trust co., the associated press United press International saudi Leader seeks Accord for costlier Oil Riyadh saudi Arabia apr King fahd called sunday for a new Oil strategy to prop up crude prices whose Sharp decline in recent months has stifled the economies of saudi Arabia and other Petroleum exporting nations. Fahd whose country is the worlds leading Oil exporter with a daily output quota of 8 million bar re is warned that sagging Oil prices would eventually have a drastic Impact on the world Economy. His remarks came in a speech. Differences Over Oil policies have in recent months fuelled a rift Between saudi Arabia and Iran the second largest member of the organization of Petroleum exporting countries. Iran has sought a lower output by the Cartel but saudi Arabia resisted draw Rig accusations from Tehran that the kingdom was conspiring to keep prices Low to Benefit american Consumers. According to a text of the speech fahd called for a Complete understanding among Opecz a 12 members and with Oil countries outside the Cartel. A the time has come to map out a firm policy and a Clear strategy that will guarantee stability for the commodity and protect it from the upheavals caused by political whims and individual circumstances a fahd said. A it is better for All to allow reason logic and the interests of All parties to prevail and agree on a new basis and new measures that Are dictated by Market realities the. Production Levels and the world consumer needs a he added. Oil prices have hovered Over the past year around $14 a barrel $7 less than Opecz a target Price. Polled Consumers tie Trade to rights but a Iso Washington a . Consumers favor cutting off imports from countries that violate human rights but waver when it hits their pocketbooks a. Cording to a new  three percent favored linking foreign policy to human rights with 58 percent for blocking imports from countries that abuse their Peoples rights said the joint Survey by the Gallup organization and the International mass retail association. Tt.-, t a but support declined sharply on More specific questions a to 51 percent if the import cutoff would Lead to higher prices for . Consumers to 40 percent if it forced . Businesses to lose Money and to 28 percent if it Cost american jobs findings of the Survey were released at the weekend convention of the retail association. It is a major to de group of the discount retail Industry representing hundreds of companies and suppliers that operate or sell to 54,000 retailers including off Price department drug and warehouse stores. American made products were strongly favored Over imports by 32 percent of those questioned and moderately favored by 52 percent for a total of 84 percent the Survey said but a a philosophical loyalty to Home products is undermined by questions of Price and Quality it said. In. Fact people often Are unaware where food and household goods Are produced while paying More attention to origins of autos clothing and electronic gear. Only 27 percent said the country of origin was a extremely important Quot when they shop. The poll was limited to adults who do the primary shopping for their households. Those polled could cite More than one characteristic As a extremely  Quality was listed by 82 percent product features by 57 percent and Price and warranty by 53 percent. Only 34 percent said they always try to determine the source of products. Another 44 percent said they sometimes try and 22 percent said they rarely or never try1. A. A a however 54 percent of respondents said they try to learn the country of origin when buying cars and 51 percent said they try to do so when buying clothing . Products were rated of higher Quality than imports in All categories except electronics where Only 21 percent said . Electronics were of better Quality while 61 percent said imports were. And 72 percent predicted the Quality of . Goods would gain ground m the next few years compared with those from a countries like Japan South Korea Taiwan and Hong  As for autos 46 percent said . Cars have better Quality while 34 percent listed imports. . Clothing was rated of higher Quality by 69 percent toys by 66 percent tools by 76 percent Small appliances by 48 percent and Candy and confections by 67 percent. When asked specifically if they would spend More to get a . Product 64 percent said they would buy american even if it were 10 percent costlier than a comparable import. And 53 percent said imports help hold Down prices of american made goods. The results were based on april 25-May 5 Telephone interviews with a National random Sample of 1,003 people Over 18. Sponsors said the margin for error was plus or minus 3 percentage Points from results of polling All . Adult primary shoppers. Thirty four percent said they were unfamiliar with tariffs and 23 percent said they understood the Issue. The latter were divided equally with 43 percent favouring higher tariffs and 43 percent reductions. Stars reportedly raked in bundle for cigarette cameos in movies Sylvester Stallone a. Got $300,000, paper says los Angeles a a tobacco company gave nearly is million to filmmakers and stars during a four year period to get its cigarette brands into movies a newspaper has reported. It said Sylvester Stallone alone got at least $300,000. Brown amp Williamson tobacco corp. Paid in checks Cash and merchandise for such stars As Paul Newman Sean Connery and Stallone from 1979 to 1983, according to company memos obtained by the los Angeles times. Product placement which involves payments for display of Brand name merchandise in films exists As a longtime Legal source of Revenue Tor filmmakers. In the late 1980s, Congress and health activists criticized tobacco companies for. The practice. Critics charged that the tobacco companies were going  Laws requiring warn ing labels on cigarette ads. A a a. Abrown amp Williamson spokesman Tom Fitzgerald said the company stopped using product placement agreements several years ago. In 1990, cigarette companies wrote a prohibition on placements into the Industry a voluntary advertising code according to the tobacco Institute. The code states that tobacco companies will a not. Engage in paid movie product or cigarette advertising  Brown amp Williamson is the nations no. 3 cigarette maker. In a letter dated april 28, 1983, and signed by Stallone the actor agreed to a use Brown amp Williamson tobacco products in no less than five feature  those included Rocky in. A sum of $100,000 purportedly was paid for product placement in Harry and son including $42,307 for a a car for Paul Newman a the times said citing the documents. Associated films records showed that $20,000. Was paid for placement in the James Bond film never say never again including $12,715 spent on a jewelry for Sean  Chicago a United airlines Parent company and two of its unions ave agreed to modify a $4.9 billion  form the nations largest employee owned company. Ual  sagging Stock Price and growing discontent among members of the pilots and machinists unions reportedly had put the Deal in jeopardy. Tie new agreement disclosed in a company statement sunday would give workers a larger stake in the airline make it easier for their ownership stake to be boosted later on and could increase the amount of Cash paid to existing shareholders. A shareholder vote on the Deal is tentatively scheduled for june 16, a we Are enthusiastic and eager to proceed with closing the transaction promptly a capt. Roger Hall chairman of the air line pilots association said on a tape recorded message sunday evening. Jim Conley chief spokesman for the International association of machinists and aerospace workers Union said he had not seen the agreement and was not ready to comment. Primary concern among the pilots had been the effect of Ualk a declining Stock Price on their ownership stake a Quot Fhy modified Deal raises the employees initial ownership of the airline from 53 percent to 55 percent. I Jsu a k average Market Price of Ual Stock exceeds $136 for the first year after the Deal is closed the employees stake would Rise to As much As 63 percent. Under the original proposal the �i�7n Price vvf0uld have had exceed be boosted in Plogt a is to Ual Stock closed Friday at $119.371/2 a share on the new York Stock Exchange. Union leaders believed it would be Tough to meet the $170 target. The buyout Calls for the pilots and machinists to Trade $4.9 billion in wage and work Rule concessions for their majority stake of Ual. Lower labor costs and the Promise of labor peace would then allow Ual to launch a second airline to compete with Low Cost carriers. The original proposal struck on March 25, called for existing shareholders to receive a combination of common Stock Cash preferred Stock and debt. Under the modified plan Ual w ill attempt to sell the preferred Stock and debt to the Public. If successful the company said the Cash proceeds would be paid to existing shareholders