European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 28, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 14 the stars and stripes Money matters monday. November 28,1994 today s rates following Are fixed rates at we Rich Community banking and credit Union facilities will sell for eign currencies to . Personnel for personal use British Pound. 1.60 dutch Guilder 1.70german Mark 1.52 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 austrian Schilling. 10.957 Bahrain Dinar .0.377 belgian franc 32.00british Pound 1.5637 Canadian Dollar. 1.3743 danish Krone 6.0935 dutch Guilder. 1.745 French franc 5.3437german Mark .1.5578 greek drachma 239.80 italian lira 1,614.25 Kuwait Dinar. 0.29895norwegian Krone. 6.8355 portuguese escudo. 159.05saudi rial. 3.7506 Spanish peseta 130.09 Swiss franc 1.3190turkish lira. 36,480.00 note figures Are expressed in dollars to the British Pound other currencies to the Dollar Gold quote $384.53 an ounce Silver quote $5.16 an ounce sources merchants National Bank & Trust co. And the associated press com for Prague czech Republic a with nearly All the available shares sold the czech Republic on Friday ended a privatization program that put about a third of the country s Industry into the hands of 6 million investors. The program unprecedented in the former soviet bloc was aimed at break ing up state monopolies and giving the financially troubled companies new private management. Although Only czech citizens and in vestment funds were eligible the move also opened doors to foreign capital. Shares from the Coupon privatization Are now routinely traded on the country s two Stock markets the Prague Stock Exchange and the computerized pm sys tem. \. Free entry and direct Access were the main priorities Dusan Triska chief architect of the program said in an inter View. When the program began three years ago every adult czech was entitled to buy government issued coupons for a symbolic fee of 1,000 Koruna about $36. These coupons were used to bid either individually or through investment funds on shares in .1,849 state owned companies. On Friday the government declared an end to the bidding program after nearly All the shares of the privatized companies were sold More than 80 per cent of the adult population became shareholders. The same scheme was implemented to a smaller extent in Slovakia before the peaceful breakup of the former Czecho slovak federation and is expected to continue there next year. A news Agency said Friday that ukrainians whose savings were dwindled by inflation would get certificates that allow them to buy shares in privatized state companies. Company Hopes cigarette smoking protests by Philip j. Hilts Newyork times faced with shrinking markets and mounting attacks by anti smoking groups the . Reynolds tobacco co. Plans to Market a cigarette next year that produces Little smoke or odor and no Ash but still contains As much nicotine As regular cigarettes. The company which has spent about $500 million in the last decade devel Oping the Low smoke cigarette is Gam bling that such a product can bring new life to the Industry. , Reynolds Hopes that the new cigarette called eclipse could undercut some of the most Basic arguments made against smoking that cigarettes Are extremely hazardous to smokers and that secondhand smoke is irritating and harm Ful to nonsmokers. The argument on secondhand smoke has led to smoking bans in 700 cities and counties in the last two years prohibiting smoking in Public places As diverse As air planes restaurants and even sports stadiums. /. V the new cigarette does not Burn the tobacco but uses soldering charcoal to extract the flavor cutting the cancer causing tars of other cigarettes by 90 per cent company executives say. But . Reynolds stops Short of making direct health claims for the cigarette because it does not have the scientific evidence. The company introduced a similar after that there is nov a of knowing How big the Market could be because there is no other product like this.1 Thomas c. Griscom . Reynolds tobacco co. No burning cigarette called Premier in 1988, but it was withdrawn because smokers disliked the flavor and critics protested that it was intended to lure new smokers and prevent current smok ers from quitting those criticisms have stopped other tobacco companies from marketing their own versions of the eclipse. But Reynolds thinks it has found a Way to Deal with each of those problems. The objections by smokers have been largely overcome by making the cigarette taste and look More like a regular cigarette. And the company plans to Market eclipse in an unusual manner in town meetings where smokers would be introduced to the cigarette and then the com Pany Hopes spread the word about it. Reynolds says the converts could also be the company s strongest advocates against government regulation. Thomas c. Griscom executive vice president of Reynolds said the company expects eclipse to seize a Small share of the Market in the beginning perhaps 1 percent but Hopes that the share will steadily grow As people try it. After that there is no Way of knowing How big the Market could be because there is no other product like this he said. This is where we Hope the future of the company  because the new cigarette delivers As much nicotine As regular cigarettes it is just As addictive. And nicotine carries some risk of heart disease. The cigarette also delivers about As much Carbon Mon Dlyde which is toxic to the lungs As regular cigarettes. James o Hara the chief spokesman for the food and drug administration said we Haven t seen this new product yet but the scientific data needs to be looked at and we would be pleased to meet with the  rep. Henry a. Waxman a California Democrat and a staunch foe of smoking who will lose his Post As chairman of the House Energy and Cor Merce subcommittee on health and environment in Jan uary said in a Telephone interview Friday that the new cigarette is a positive development but that the Fra should still regulate tobacco. J in one Way it is not that different from other tobacco products he said. It delivers nicotine. It May have the advantage of being safer relatively speak ing. That is impressive and could be a big  Daffy the Ducky train workers Check the test front car of a magnetically levitated shaped like a Duck s Bill to reduce air resistance and noise. Or train at a Mitsubishi heavy industries Plant in Toyama Central Tokai postponed test runs of the train until 1997 because of a Japan on Friday. The car made of an aluminium Alloy is delay in the Purchase of land for the track. Japanese reach new Deal to unload Westin hotels Greenwich Conn. A an in vestment partnership led by Goldman Sachs & co. And Starwood capital group up said it agreed to buy the West in hotel co. From a japanese corporation for $561 million. The Deal expected to close in Early 1995, Marks the second time this year that the Aoki corp. Has tried to unload the Seattle based Westin hotel Chain at Abig loss. Aoki a construction and real estate concern acquired Westin from Alleg Scorp. In 1988 for $1.53 billion. Alleges corp. Was the predecessor of United airlines Parent company Ual corp. Last february dec Ingen Ieria into Bil Iaria a mexican construction and Engi Neering company tentatively agreed to pay $708 million for Westin properties and operations in the United states Mexico latin America and Europe. But dec scuttled that transaction Cit ing rising interest rates and concerns about the Westin Chain s future performance