The Wichita Eagle from Wichita, Kansas • 17

Dream Trip to Europe Turns Into Nightmare By TAD BART1MUS Associated Press LONDON For 20 years John Stewart and his wife dreamed of coming back to Europe When they finally made it they found strikes junk food shoddy service and universal disdain for their dollars "This trip has really brought home to me that we are no longer king of the mountain said Steward a tax accountant in Shawnee Kan "The way to travel the world these days is to lose a war All we saw were Japanese and German tourists I think they're the only ones who can afford it "1 came to Europe to see the Eiffel Tower and Westminister Abbey I got to do that but I also spent a lot of time watching my wallet shrink as the dollar's value declined more and more every day THE STEWARTS in their mid-ftls were startled by the prosperity and high cost of living in Europe When they were here in the 1950s it was just beginning to recover from the devastation of World War II "Twenty years ago everybody in Europe rode a said Eugenia Stewart "Today everybody's pit cars and they drive them all at once We couldn't afford to eat in their restaurants or buy their clothes or pay a dollar every time we wanted a glass of milk" Stewart his schoolteacher wife and lS-year-old daughter Karen arrived in London July 21 for a three-week vacation "I had never really paid much attention to the dollar's exchange rate with other currencies until we started getting ready for this trip" said Stewart 1 did I began to get worried "THE TRAVEL AGENT in Kansas City said 1 should go to Mexico this A trip to the Scottish Highlands was foiled by a wildcat strike of railway signalmen They spent 12 hours sitting on dirty platforms in the rain waiting for late trains "FOR THE PAST year I've been telling Karen about the great British train service how they always ran spot on time" said Stewart His wife complained of the buffet (See DREAM IB Cal 31 year that I should have gone to Europe last year The way the dollar's going down glad we came this summer We probably won't ever be able to afford to come back" They slept in cheap bed-and-breakfast boarding houses or sat up all night chugging through towns and villages They spent the first week touring England Scotland and Wales by train on prepaid British Railway passes They ate "very bad hamburgers and a kit of fruit" Credit Union Crunch May Limit Loans By DAN BEARTH Staff Writer Some Kansas credit unions are facing a credit crunch that could make it more difficult for members to get loans in the months ahead Demand for loans and higher interest rates on savings at banks and savings and loan associations are squeezing the lending ability of some of the 238 credit unions in the state The pinch appears to have affected those credit unions that have borrowed heavily from Kansas Central Credit Union a Wichita-based organization that acts like a central banker for Body of in car after crash on West 2-Car Crash Kills 1 Injures 3 Staff Photo by John Avery Maple The occupants of the cars apparently knew each other he said Simmons added that none of the five persons in the second vehicle was injured and the car had only minor damage Police at the scene said no charges were pending in the accident Police LI Larry Simmons said the car was traveling west on Maple when it apparently attempted to pass another car also traveling west Simmons said the other vehicle apparently was making a left turn at the time Kansas credit unions Credit Union of America whose members include school employees in Wichita and several surrounding counties is one credit union feeling the pinch according to Herb Stucky president "We've slowed down our second mortgage lending" he said we are still in a position of taking care of personal loan needs of members" Stucky said demand for loans is typically highest in the spring and summer but this year seems to be worse because of "hedge buying" by inflation-conscious consumers THE TIGHT CREDIT conditions haven't had an impact on interest rates for consumers which at most credit unions is 12 percent a year for personal loans Interest rates on savings also have not been affected However if the pinch continues interest charges to the consumer might increase as the cost of borrowing money from the Kansas Central Credit Union increases Credit unions also appear to be faced with increased competition for savers' deposits because of new money-market certificates offered by banks and thrift institutions Dennis Hofts Kansas Central Credit Union vice president said credit unions generally offer certificates comparable to what is being offered on the market but if trends continue upward some credit unions may have to evaluate their savings programs In a recent letter to credit unions the Kansas Central Credit Union urged members to make every effort to encourage more savings while discouraging lending beyond a level that can be supported by the individual credit union's savings level RUNNING low on loanable funds" said Jim Holt a Kansas Central Credit Union assistant vice president "We're saying to credit unions that demand may not slacken off until October They had better not count on money from KGCU to make (See HIGH 3B Col 1) County Ban On Fireworks Challenged By MIKE L1MON Staff Writer The Sedgwick County Commission's effort to ban the retail sale and use of fireworks in unincorporated parts of the county was stalled for at least a month Wednesday by challenges from an attorney for a Wichita fireworks manufacturer The three commissioners initially approved a resolution imposing the ban effective today However attorney Jack Turner representing Astro Fireworks Inc challenged several portions of the resolution on what he said were constitutional grounds The commissioners agreed that Turner had raised some valid points and voted to reverse their decision on an effective date They deferred setting an effective date until Turner's questions were answered Turner who served as the commission's attorney several years ago specifically questioned a portion of the resolution relating to storage of fireworks by wholesalers THE RESOLUTION which bans all fireworks except those manufactured for wholesale elsewhere and those for licensed displays also requires that ail storage areas be inspected and that the building's owner be issued a permit The owner then would have to wait 10 days before stocking any fireworks Turner said it was unreasonable to make the resolution effective today because the permit requirement is unfair to wholesalers who already have their buildings stocked with fireworks (See COUNTY SB Col 1) By REG FONTENOT Staff Writer One Wichita teen-ager was killed and three other persons were injured Wednesday in an automobile accident in the 6500 block of West Maple Leah Herring whom officials at St Francis Hospital said was about 17 was killed when the car in which she was riding went into a ditch and struck an embankment after apparently attempting to pass another car Andrews Murder Trial Arguments Leah Herring lies covered A spokeswoman at the hospital said no address or age was available for Herring Another passenger in the car Kathy Campbell 18 of 9700 Kenny Lane was in serious condition with head injuries at Osteopathic Hospital Wednesday night Passenger Jim Clare 17 of 9722 Kenny Lane was in serious condition at St Francis with head injuries The driver Steven Moore was at St Francis with head injuries cuts and a possible leg fracture Over Andrews said bitch should be gone by now" BAKER SAID HE waited outside while they went in A little later he testified they ran out of the house threw something in the trunk of the car and got in Later that day Baker said they heard on the radio the news about Babb's beating (See JURY 3B Col 6) Jury Weighs Verdict People Helping People Carrier Came to Aid While trimming a branch from a tree I fell from a step! adder and broke my shoulder and foot I started calling for help Our Eagle-Beacon carrier Tim Fairhurst was going by on his bicycle and ran to my assistance At the same time my wife arrived from the house Tim told her to stay with me while he telephoned for an ambulance Our street is a hard-to-find cul-de-sac so Tim went to the comer to direct the ambulance 1 wish to commend him for his alertness and capability in handling the situation It is nice to know people like Tim Please send the contribution to the Heart Association Howard A Barnes 2150 Rutan Wichita 67218 If you know someone who kas gone out of his or her way to help another tell as about it The Eagle will be happy to tell the story here and will pay 63 to your designated charity Send your letters to: People Helping People The Wichita Eagle PO Box 626 Wichita 67201 You Can Help Decide If Sites Are Historic By LON TETER Staff Writer A jury will resume deliberations thif morning in the first-degree murder trial of Merrill Andrews Wifhita In closing arguments in Sedgwick County District Court Wednesday the prosecutor said the state had proven that Andrews 23 fatally beat 91-year-old Kola Babb during a burglary at her home Oct 12 The defense attorney countered that thestate hadn't even proven that Andrews had been in the house at 3314 14th ft Babb who lived alone was found by a mail carrier who saw her lying in a poel of blood on her living-room floor Babb who had a broken jaw nose and hip and head injuries died Nov 15 without regaining consciousness HER HOUSE HAD been ransacked according to testimony in Andrews' trial idrews took the stand Wednesday ning denying that he had been in b's home He also denied having i with Noyldon Baker a key wit-i against him on the same day or in a stolen car identified by pr as the one Andrews drove it Assistant District Attorney Skinner said Andrews and two entified men burglarized Babb's thinking she would be absent ling her home Skinner said "the of them inside the house pro-ed to commit a vicious savage murder" Skinner pointed to Baker's testimo-iv as proof Andrews was involved laker testified Tuesday that he ac-rompanied the three to the house after crumbling shell A developer restored the outside and converted it to an apartment complex last year Nominations are made by the Kansas Historical Society and final selection is by the US Department of the Interior Criteria include the building's historical role and its resemblance to its original state If the site is listed in the register some federal funds can be made available as well as tax benefits for rehabilitation of structures Comments may be sent to the Keeper of the National Register of Historic Places Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation Heritage Conservation and Recreation Service Department of the Interior Washington 20240 By Our State Staff Kansans can help decide whether two buildings in the state will be in the National Register of Historic Places The buildings Old Linn County Jail Mound City and the Elgin Hotel Marion have been nominated and Kansans have until Aug 18 to help the federal agency decide whether the sites are worthy of national recognition The jail built in 1868 was the county's first jail and probably its first building funded by public money said Richard Pankratz director of the Historic Sites Survey for the Kansas Historical Society The Elgin Hotel considered the slate's finest when it was built in 1885 at a cost of 825000 had become a A developer restored exterior and converted it to apartments.