European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 29, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 14 the stars and stripes Money matters thursday september 29,1994 Topay states following Are fixed rates a which Community banking and credit Union facilities will sell for eign currencies to . Personnel for personal use British Pound. 1.62 dutch Guilder. 1.69 German Mark. 1.51 note the rates above apply within the hos country. Figures Are expressed in dollars o 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 v.,. " ". Austrian Schilling. 10.8675 Bahrain Dinar. 0.3770 belgian franc .31.69 British Pound. 1.5792 Canadian Dollar. 1.3425 danish Krone. 6.0590 dutch Guilder. 1.7275 French franc. 5.2690 German Mark. 1.5440 greek drachma. 236.44 italian lira. 1,549.00 Kuwait Dinar. 0.29688 norwegian Krone. 6.7633 portuguese escudo. 157.30 saudi rial 3.7507 Spanish peseta. 128.05 turkish lira. 34,050.00 note figures Are expressed in dollars to the British Pound other currencies to the Dollar doff quote $394. T5 an ounce Silver quote $5.62 an ounce sources merchants National Bank & Trust  the associated press new York Exchange. New York a sales Ilio 15 most Active new York nationally on tuesday Nim Gap. Merck -. Micron techs go motors Block Bugle for motor s Compaq Chrysler Rocen lands Amba a Rock. By Nix Helmck aos film pm Maytag at to corp4 . Price and net change of Stock Exchange issues trading volume 5,431,300 4,848,600 3,948,200 3,829,900 3,699,900 3,471,800 2.916,000 2.842,500 2,504,500 2,492,300 2,390,000 2,240,600 2,156,200 2,031,800 1,973,400. Lite chg. 31w -1 35/4 1 35h it 47h271/. To 27m in. 33% i .45v, 1h 11. 1h 27 /4 a 38 2 64% 7/4 19. % 54v4 a american Exchange new York a sales closing Poco and net Chang of the 10 most Active american Stock Exchange issues trading nationally on tuesday. Nit volume last eng. Viacom 2.g6b.900 37 h Royal Oak 892,900411/16 v4echobay. 760,300. 14 i Clud 575,200 it 1/16 Usai coh 566,50043/16 5/16 Texas Bitoun 513,9002v i by times. 484.900 22vi a spor 479.500467/64-1/32 Chucy sols 458,700 10 / h Hanoi Dir 447,200 43/16 Dow Jones Yolk a Dow Jones closing Range of aver Ages on tuesday High Low Clou China 30 industrials 3891.63 3828.72 3863.04 13.80 20ttansports 1514.36 1482.39 1498.26 0.2315 utilities179.01. 175.92 177.700.60 65slocks 1298.59 1275.38 1287.70 3.17 Resmen s in Washington a senior democrats say modest tax increases cuts in benefits and an increase in the retire ment age will keep social Security afloat Well into the 21st Century. But under their plans future generations of Aine rican retirees would have to pay the Price of keeping social Security solvent even though the benefits that current retirees receive outstrip their contributions to the system. Reps. Dan Rostenkowski d-ill., and . Pickled Texas have proposed Sepa rate Bills to keep social Security from going broke by 2029, As the baby Boom generation retires. At a  by the House ways and Means subcommittee on social Security Pickle and Rostenkowski said Congress can make modest changes in the system now that will preserve and protect it Well into the 21st Century. I find Reform today preferable to severe Benefit cuts staggering tax increases or Means testing in the future Rostenkowski said. Both his plan and Pickle s would raise the retirement age for full benefits. Under current Law starting in the year 2003, full benefits will be available at 65years and two months. By the year 2027, when people born in 1960 will be retiring the age will be 67 Rostenkowski s proposal accelerates the increase in the retirement age while Pickle s would gradually lift it to 70. Rostenkowski s Bill also relies on tax increases and smaller benefits beginning in the next Century but it includes a one time Cut in 1995 of about $3 a month for current recipients. Given the generosity of the current program where nearly every current beneficiary gets Back much More than he rep. . Pickle or she put in i Don t think that s an unreasonable Burden Rostenkowski Pickle s proposal would reduce Bene fits to the spouses of working americans and award Cost of living increases every other year rather than annually except in years of High inflation. These provisions would be phased in beginning in 2000 and would not be fully effective until after 2022. None would significantly affect retirees and workers nearing retirement Pickle said. Rep. Timothy Penny p-minn., Sai Rostenkowski s proposed sacrifices fall disproportionately on future generations. Rep. Dan Rostenkowski i can t support a solution. That gains nearly half of its savings from increasing the payroll tax on future generations he said. A employees now pay 7,65 percent of their incomes in social Security and medicare taxes and employers pay an other 7.65 percent. Forty two million people collect social Security benefits while 137 million workers Are paying into the system. Soda Security commissioner Shirley hater said that action is needed to keep the system financially sound Over the next 75 years but that the Issue requires careful  in consumer new York a consumer Confidence in the american Economy de creased in september for the third straight month As americans grew More pessimistic about conditions now and in coming months the conference Board reported tuesday. The business funded research group s monthly Survey of . Households also showed fewer respondents planned major purchases in september than in August. An Index derived from Survey results fell to 88.4 in september Down from a revised 90.4 Reading in August 91.3 in july and 92 5 in june. The Survey is closely watched by financial markets As an indicator of con Sumer spending and borrowing behave since consumer spending is the larg est component of the Gross Domestic product forecasters examine Survey re sults to get an indication of where the Economy and interest rates Are headed. A drop in consumer Confidence can be interpreted As a Harbinger of slower economic growth and in turn stable in Terest rates. The conference Board bases us sur vey on questionnaires sent to 5,000 households across the country asking Consumers How they feel about the Economy and their own finances and about their plans to buy cars appliances and houses in the coming months. Fabian Linden a conference Board economist said that while this was the third straight decline in consumer Confidence the drop has been moderate. He said most of the slide stemmed from Consumers lowered expectations about the Economy for the next few months. But in its news release explaining the Survey results the conference Board pointed out on balance optimists continue to outnumber  the conference Board said Consumers buying plans were weaker than in the past with fewer respondents saying they expected to Purchase cars or Homes in the near future. Drugstores to a take shot at flu Chicago a can t get to the doctor s office for a flu shot a new program will make the inoculations available at almost 2,000 drugstores in a move to make influenza prevention More convenient for elderly americans or those suffering from chronic illnesses Walgreen co. Announced the flu shot program tuesday. The shots will be available at each Walgreen drugstore on at least one Day bet Wen oct. 1 and oct. 22, the company said from its Headquarters in suburban Deerfield. The shots will Cost about $10, and no appointment or prescription is necessary. Phil Schneider a spokesman for the National association of Chain drug stores said the offer appears to be a first for National drugstore chains. Walgreen spokesman Michael Polzin said the shots will be administered by nurses through individual Dis Posable syringes. Polzin said the inoculations would be for influenza strains a Texas a Shandong and a Panama. The National centers for disease control and prevention expect those strains to be prevalent this flu season which lasts from november through March. Michelle Bonds a cd spokeswoman in Atlanta said last week that the centers Don t know yet How severe any flu outbreaks Are Likely to be. The cd recommends flu shots for people 65 and older nursing Home residents children with asthma and adults and children suffering from chronic Disord ers. People unsure of their risk status should ask their doctors before getting the shots Bonds said. The shot will take two weeks to become effective and lasts six months said Don Johnson Walgreen s health services manager. The National Institute on aging encourages older people and those with certain chronic diseases to get their flu shots in the Early fall. Side effects such As a Low fever or redness at the injection site sometimes occur. But in most people the dangers of flu and Possi Bly pneumonia Are greater than the shot s Side effects according to the Institute. Among those who should t be vaccinated through Walgreen s program Are children under age 9, pregnant women people allergic to eggs or Chicken people who have received another vaccination in the past weeks and people with Active illnesses. Two