GATT-FLY SENATOR DELAYS VOTE

Congressional action on an international trade agreement will be postponed till after the November elections. President Clinton had hoped for quick approval of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade pact, calling it a measure that will boost the U.S. economy. But Democratic Senator Ernest Hollings, of South Carolina, stalled the treaty, saying it will ship thousands of American jobs overseas, notably many in the textile industry in his state. Using a trump card, Hollings insisted on exercising his right to hold the bill in his Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee for 45 days. Despite lobbying by the Clinton Administration, which hoped treaty passage would give it a boost in the polls, fellow Democrat Hollings stuck to his guns. Today he emerged victorious, when the vote was delayed until Dec. 1.