  A Cherry Hill man pleaded guilty yesterday to defrauding state and Federal governments of more than $100 million in gasoline taxes, prosecutors said.

A Guilty Plea in a Tax Case

The Microsoft Corporation proved the naysayers wrong yesterday with a jump in earnings of nearly 58 percent for the quarter, comfortably exceeding the consensus estimate on Wall Street.         Microsoft said it sold 7 million copies of its Windows 95 operating system since its release on Aug. 23, far more than software industry analysts had predicted as recently as last week.   

COMPANY REPORTS;Earnings Up 58% in Quarter For Microsoft

Seeking to build on the momentum generated by Monday's rally of hundreds of thousands of black men in Washington, six members of Congress today asked President Clinton to appoint a national commission on race relations, while Louis Farrakhan, who organized the gathering, suggested that the event had made  him a force on the national scene.         "I know you do not know me," Mr. Farrakhan, the leader of the Nation of Islam, said at a news conference, "but I know you will get to know me. And you're going to have to live with me. To some, I am a nightmare. But to others,  I am a dream come true."   

After March, Lawmakers Seek Commission on Race Relations

The stack of boxed Atlantic salmon swayed on a forklift as two workers scrambled to steady the load. But the men were as fresh to the ways of the Fulton Fish Market as the fish they handled, and the boxes came crashing down.         The instant the fish hit the cobblestones of Peck Slip, a fist of men standing nearby cut yesterday's early-morning air with a throaty roar. It seemed to be a roar of contempt for the outsiders who had disrupted a way of life. As ice water gushed from crumpled boxes to drench the fish handlers, the two dozen  onlookers yelled obscenities from behind the police barricades.   

At the Fulton Fish Market, Tradition Gives Way to Tension

  Four people described as leaders of a sports betting ring with links to organized crime have been arrested, and up to 15 more will be charged, prosecutors said yesterday. The ring, which operated in Ocean County and in Brooklyn, took in $1 million a month and had ties to several established mob groups, said Daniel Carluccio, the Ocean County Prosecutor.

Four Charged in Betting Ring

  The Clinton Administration moved to insure that the budget battle does not force a default on Government payments this month. But Republicans said the White House was manipulating finances to force Congress into raising the debt limit.    Article, page A20.

Clinton Acts to Keep U.S. From a Default

INSIDE

With their ornate neo-Gothic towers, gated courtyards and oak-paneled dining  halls, the dormitories here at Yale have come to epitomize a certain ideal of what college life should be like: "A stage set made in Hollywood for a musical about Oxford," the British magazine Punch wrote of the campus.         For more than a half-century, the residential colleges, as Yale refers to its undergraduate living quarters, have been viewed as much more than dormitories. These intimate communities of 400 to 500 students, who dine, study and party together, is touted by university officials as the centerpiece of the Yale experience.   

Yale Degree, Minus the Fabled Dorms

  Jose Nunez owns a restaurant at one end of a block and a grocery store at the other. Yesterday, he "adopted" an abandoned duplex in the middle of that block by agreeing to keep a close eye on it over the days around Halloween.

Halloween Watch Continues

A mayoral commission recommended yesterday that the annual salaries of New York City's elected officials, including the Mayor and the 51 members of the City Council, be raised by as much as 28 percent -- despite the city's nagging fiscal difficulties and the risks of populist voter outrage.   

Panel Urges Pay Increases For Officials

FOR most of this century, the City of New York has been fighting food vendors. The war has moved steadily uptown.         In the 1920's, the city and the vendors argued over possession of lower Broadway. By the Depression, Times Square had become the issue, and in the early 70's, the squabble moved to midtown.   

Movable Feasting: The Best Street Food

  The Clinton Administration and members of both parties clashed today at a Senate hearing on plans to send 20,000 American troops to help enforce the tenuous peace in Bosnia.  Republicans and Democrats alike said the Administration had failed to make its case.    But three of Mr. Clinton's top national security advisers said that the mission was crucial to the stability of Europe and United States credibility in NATO, even if it meant American casualties.

SENATORS QUERY U.S. ROLE IN BOSNIA

  With his hundreds piled in tidy stacks and his red hotels and green houses scattered indulgently on the streets of Atlantic City, Roger Craig, a commercial tire salesman from Illinois, became the United States Monopoly champion, an honor that brings him an expenses-paid trip to Monte Carlo next year for the world championship.

Go Directly To Page B6

  It is more than six years since two dozen I.R.S. agents stormed into the Irvine, Calif., headquarters of the Amcor Capital Corporation, armed with guns, a search warrant and a firm belief that they had uncovered a vast criminal conspiracy responsible for up to $1 billion in fraudulent deductions.   But if there ever was a huge conspiracy at Amcor, once the nation's biggest seller of agricultural tax shelters, the Internal Revenue Service gave up trying to find it a long time ago, and no indictments ever resulted.

A Poster Child for I.R.S. Foes

  The food impresario Warner LeRoy and the chef David Bouley plan to further each other's multimillion-dollar schemes. They will tear down and rebuild the Russian Tea Room and construct a TriBeCa restaurant and culinary center.   The deal had been rumored for some time but was just signed on Friday. Mr. Bouley is to become executive chef of Mr. LeRoy's Russian Tea Room and will create a new Russian menu for the restaurant.

2 Top Restaurant Stars Concoct a Merger

Senator Phil Gramm's money-raising machine, on which his campaign for the Republican Presidential nomination was founded, has stumbled in recent months. And Mr. Gramm has continued to outspend his rivals without making much headway with voters in the two early-decision states, New Hampshire and Iowa.         Mr. Gramm raised about $2.1 million in July, August and September, less than  the $3.3 million he raised in the previous quarter and far less than the $5.6 million raised by the campaign of Senator Bob Dole, whose fund raising has accelerated significantly in recent months. Even Patrick J. Buchanan, the conservative political commentator, has raised more money than Mr. Gramm in recent months.   

Shift in Republican Fund Raising Helps Dole

When international bankers have nightmares these days, they have nothing to do with ghosts or goblins, but with the liquidity of the Japanese banking system.         Bankers here say that plans by Federal Reserve authorities in the United States to pour emergency funds into the Japanese banking system in the event of  a crisis will help bankers sleep better. They say that the plan will ease concerns about a lack of liquidity -- the ability to settle debts when they come due -- but they add that the underlying problems remain as a long-term challenge.   

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS;Some Try to Insure Against a Japan Bank Failure

  Profit Surprises for Wall St.   General Motors and Microsoft pleasantly surprised Wall Street with strong gains in their quarterly earnings that exceeded analysts' estimates. But I.B.M.'s profits came in below expectations. Page D1. Raises Urged Despite Cuts   A mayoral commission's call for higher salaries for top New York City officials has put Mayor Giuliani and others on the spot as the city tries to balance its budget. Page B1. Drug Case at Annapolis   Officials at the Naval Academy said that after two midshipmen were caught buying LSD, all 4,000 students at the college were tested for drug use. Page A18.  Worries Over Quebec Vote    Many of Ontario's French-speakers are warily watching the latest news on an Oct. 30 referendum, the second in 15 years, on whether Quebec should split from Canada. Page A4. Clash at Fish Market Tips Toward Giuliani    On the second day of New York City's latest effort to end what it says is the Mafia's control of the Fulton Fish Market, veteran unloaders jeered but were unable to halt the delivery of seafood. Page B1. 'Phantom' of the Box Office   How to explain the spectacular success of "The Phantom of the Opera," the nine-year-old Andrew Lloyd Webber musical that has grossed $1.5 billion, outearning even "Jurassic Park"? The Arts, page C15. Indians Win a Date With Braves in Series    For the first time in 41 years, the Cleavland Indians are in the World Series. They Beat Seattle, 4-0, last night to win the American League championships. Next up: The Atlants Braves, who are in the Series for the third time in five years, but have not won it since 1957. Play begins Saturday night.   SportsWednesday, page B13.

  The United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission said yesterday that it would fine the Public Service Electric and Gas Company, the operator of the Salem I and Salem II nuclear plants, $600,000 for six violations over a six-month period that ended June 23.

Nuclear Operator Draws a Fine

    I.B.M. Stock Soars Despite a Big Loss I.B.M. reported a disappointing third-quarter loss of $538 million, but its stock surged anyway, gaining $2.875 to close at $96.875. It was aided by a rally in technology stocks and by remarks by G. Richard Thoman, I.B.M.'s new chief financial officer, who told analysts that investors misunderstood the company.   

BUSINESS DIGEST

AND for 10 bonus points, the question is: What is Francesca's Regret? If you  guessed it was the moment she decided to stay with her dull yet well-meaning farmer husband instead of fleeing with the dashing, romantic National Geographic photographer Robert Kincaid, you were wrong.         Francesca's Regret is an apple dumpling topped with frozen yogurt, caramel sauce and nuts, served here at the fountain of the Montross Pharmacy. Although the pharmacy's co-owner Jim Nelson admitted that you'd have to read between the  lines of the "The Bridges of Madison County" "to find that Francesca ever shopped at Montross," his wife, Pat, decided that "after Robert left, this was how Francesca drowned her sorrows."   

For Sale: Bridges, Souvenirs, Dreams

On Monday, as Saddam Hussein was celebrating his 99.96 percent approval rating in Sunday's referendum on his presidency, 25-year-old Malek was loitering outside a hospital here, looking for a customer for one of his kidneys.         The gaunt young man, who has been out of work for two years and would not give his full name, seemed oblivious to the fanfare surrounding the official celebration, in which the Government-controlled media was lavishing every imaginable praise on President Hussein.   

Vote Leaves Iraqi as Winner and West at a Loss

  I.B.M. Stock Soars Despite a Big Loss  I.B.M. reported a disappointing third-quarter loss of $538 million, but its stock surged anyway, gaining $2.875 to close at $96.875. It was aided by a rally in technology stocks and by remarks by G. Richard Thoman, I.B.M.'s new chief financial officer, who told analysts that investors misunderstood the company.    Excluding a $1.8 billion charge for buying Lotus Development last summer, I.B.M. had income of $1.3 billion, which was below analysts' estimates.  [ Page D2. ]   Technology issues lifted the market. Microsoft rose $4.375, to $91.125, and the Dow Jones industrial average gained 11.56 points.  [ D10. ] Wrangling on Debt Ceiling  The Clinton Administration took steps to insure that the Government can keep paying its bills for a few days into November before reaching the national debt ceiling. But Republican leaders argued that the White House was manipulating Government finances to force Congress to act.  [ A20. ] Citicorp Earnings Slip  Citicorp earnings slipped 2 percent, to $877 million, in the third quarter, because of higher taxes. But its profit before taxes increased 10 percent. Chemical Banking performed better than expectations, with earnings up 9 percent, to $477 million. Bank One and Wells Fargo also posted higher earnings. But there are signs that the good times may be ending.  [ D4. ] Tobacco Ads Found Potent  Tobacco advertising is more important than peer pressure in swaying people under 18 to smoke, a new study by the University of California found.  [ B9. ] Philip Morris's profit jumped 16.5 percent, led by strong sales of Marlboros.  [ D5. ] Better Days at Kodak  Kodak stock jumped on strong earnings and plans to buy back shares. Market Place.  [ D10. ] Barings Management Faulted  A Singapore report said two Barings managers played down and concealed information about the losses linked to Nicholas W. Leeson, which precipitated the merchant bank's downfall. The Singapore investigation found "institutional incompetence."  [ D6. ]   Time Warner Loss Grows  Time Warner had a quarterly loss of $144 million, which was worse than analysts' expectations. It was attributed primarily to lower profit at the music division.  [ D8. ] Industrial Output Stalls  Industrial output fell two-tenths of 1 percent in September, for the first drop in five months as cool weather curbed electricity use.  [ D4. ] Archer Isn't Subject of One Inquiry  The Justice Department said that Archer-Daniels-Midland was not "a target or the subject" of an investigation by its criminal division into a series of financial transactions involving an array of company executives through foreign bank accounts.  [ D10. ] 'Phantom' Stars at the Box Office  "Phantom of the Opera" has grossed $1.5 billion, topping "Jurassic Park," the most successful film ever. And now it is moving up on "Cats," the record holder. The musical, about a lovesick loner in the Paris Opera, "is the king of all shows," its producer says.  [ C15. ] Snyder's Plans Fall Through  Richard E. Snyder's planned comeback fell through. Mr. Snyder, the former chairman of Simon & Schuster, had planned to buy a large part of Western Publishing, the publisher of Golden Books, with a partner.  [ D8. ]

Reversing his position on one of the most criticized decisions of his campaign for the Presidency, Senator Bob Dole said today that it had been a mistake to return a $1,000 donation from a group of gay Republicans.         Taking the issue even further, Mr. Dole offered a defense of the rights of homosexuals.   

Dole, in Shift, Says Refund of Gay Gift Was Staff Mistake

  Another terrorist bomb ripped open an underground commuter train early this morning, wounding 29 people and forcing France to confront a serious and continuing domestic threat from political convulsions in its former colony of Algeria.   French authorities viewed the attack, in which five people were seriously wounded, as the eighth one carried out or attempted in the last three months by Islamic militants who are protesting France's ties to the military Government in Algeria.

October 18, 1995

Headlines from October 18, 1995

A Guilty Plea in a Tax Case

COMPANY REPORTS;Earnings Up 58% in Quarter For Microsoft

After March, Lawmakers Seek Commission on Race Relations

At the Fulton Fish Market, Tradition Gives Way to Tension

Four Charged in Betting Ring

Billboard 200

Daydream

Jagged Little Pill

Dangerous Minds

Cracked Rear View

Starting Over

Historical Context for October 18, 1995