January 4, 1978

dollar plunges to record lows on Eur currency mkts on Jan 3 as dealers await US intervention to bolster currency; Swiss franc, for 1st time, is worth more than 50c; decline places further strains on Eur joint float, forcing W Ger to support Norwegian krone; some prices on Eur and NY mkts cited; gold jumps $4.25 per ounce, to $169.50--highest point in more than 2 yrs (M)

Mayor Koch will round out his team of 7 deputies by apptg Herbert J Sturz as Deputy Mayor for Criminal Justice; por (S)

Article on Energy Dept's efforts to demonstrate feasibility of geothermal hot-water elec plant; Union Oil exec Carel Otte says that if US can devise ways to use hot water to generate elec, it could generate about 20,000 megawatts of geothermal power in next 2 decades; James C Bresee (Energy Dept) and Fred Terry (Phillips Petroleum) comment; illus (M)

Pres Carter arrives in Riyadh on Jan 3 and discusses Middle East peace efforts and oil with King Khalid and Prince Fahd; Sec of State Vance and Saudi Foreign Min Saud al-Faisal also confer; Carter and Mrs Carter are honored at separate banquets; Carter illus with Khalid (M)

Pres Carter to send proposed legis to Cong that would abolish Civil Service Comm and replace it with 2 agencies, 1 of them independent of White House; legis is intended to end kind of abuse of Civil Service system that Carter Adm believes took place in Nixon Adm; legis would create office of personnel mgt and merit system protection bd which would not be subject to Pres direction; bd's members would be apptd for fixed term, without possibility of reapptmt; Sen Jim Sasser is optimistic about legis's prospects; Andrew Feinstein, atty with Ralph Nader orgn, supports legis; Carter also plans to send Cong Civil Service reform act which would curb automatic pay increases for some Fed employees, create plan for merit increases and protect 'whistleblowers,' govt employees who expose irregularities in their agencies (M)