ALLIANCE BOND FUND INC
497, 1996-03-14
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<PAGE>


This is filed pursuant to Rule 497(c).
File Nos. 2-48227 and 811-02383





<PAGE>




                          THE ALLIANCE BOND FUNDS
_______________________________________________________________________________

               P.O. BOX 1520, SECAUCUS, NEW JERSEY 07096-1520
                          TOLL FREE (800) 221-5672
                  FOR LITERATURE: TOLL FREE (800) 227-4618


                         PROSPECTUS AND APPLICATION

                               MARCH 1, 1996


U.S. GOVERNMENT FUNDS              GLOBAL BOND FUNDS
- -ALLIANCE SHORT-TERM U.S.          -ALLIANCE NORTH AMERICAN 
  GOVERNMENT FUND                    GOVERNMENT INCOME TRUST
- -U.S. GOVERNMENT                   -ALLIANCE GLOBAL DOLLAR
  PORTFOLIO                          GOVERNMENT FUND
- -ALLIANCE LIMITED MATURITY
  GOVERNMENT FUND



MORTGAGE FUND                      CORPORATE BOND FUND
- -ALLIANCE MORTGAGE                 -CORPORATE BOND PORTFOLIO
  SECURITIES INCOME FUND


MULTI-MARKET FUNDS
- -ALLIANCE WORLD INCOME TRUST
- -ALLIANCE SHORT-TERM
  MULTI-MARKET TRUST
- -ALLIANCE MULTI-MARKET 
  STRATEGY TRUST

 
TABLE OF CONTENTS                              PAGE
The Funds at a Glance                            2
Expense Information                              4
Financial Highlights                             7
Glossary                                        13
Description of the Funds                        14
  Investment Objectives and Policies            14
  Additional Investment Practices               20
  Certain Fundamental Investment Policies       31
  Risk Considerations                           32
Purchase and Sale of Shares                     37
Management of the Funds                         39
Dividends, Distributions and Taxes              41
General Information.                            42
Appendix A: Bond Ratings                       A-1
Appendix B: General Information About Canada, 
  Mexico and Argentina                         B-1


ADVISER
ALLIANCE CAPITAL MANAGEMENT L.P.
1345 AVENUE OF THE AMERICAS
NEW YORK, NEW YORK 10105



The Alliance Bond Funds provide a broad selection of investment alternatives to 
investors seeking high current income. The U.S. Government Funds invest mainly 
in U.S. Government securities and the Mortgage Fund invests in mortgage-related 
securities, while the Multi-Market Funds diversify their investments among debt 
markets around the world and the Global Bond Funds invest primarily in foreign 
government securities. The Corporate Bond Fund invests primarily in corporate 
debt securities.



Each fund or portfolio (each a 'Fund') is, or is a series of, an open-end 
management investment company. This Prospectus sets forth concisely the 
information which a prospective investor should know about each Fund before 
investing. A 'Statement of Additional Information' for each Fund that provides 
further information regarding certain matters discussed in this Prospectus and 
other matters that may be of interest to some investors has been filed with the 
Securities and Exchange Commission and is incorporated herein by reference. For 
a free copy, write Alliance Fund Services, Inc. at the indicated address or 
call the 'For Literature' telephone number shown above.


Each Fund offers three classes of shares that may be purchased at the 
investor's choice at a price equal to their net asset value (i) plus an initial 
sales charge imposed at the time of purchase (the 'Class A shares'), (ii) with 
a contingent deferred sales charge imposed on most redemptions made within 
three years of purchase (the 'Class B shares'), or (iii) without any initial or 
contingent deferred sales charge (the 'Class C shares'), except that Alliance 
World Income Trust offers only one class of shares which may be purchased at a 
price equal to its net asset value without any initial or contingent deferred 
sales charge. See 'Purchase and Sale of Shares.' 

AN INVESTMENT IN THESE SECURITIES IS NOT A DEPOSIT OR OBLIGATION OF, OR 
GUARANTEED OR ENDORSED BY, ANY BANK AND IS NOT FEDERALLY INSURED BY THE FEDERAL 
DEPOSIT INSURANCE CORPORATION, THE FEDERAL RESERVE BOARD OR ANY OTHER AGENCY.

INVESTORS ARE ADVISED TO READ THIS PROSPECTUS CAREFULLY AND TO RETAIN IT FOR 
FUTURE REFERENCE.

THESE SECURITIES HAVE NOT BEEN APPROVED OR DISAPPROVED BY THE SECURITIES AND 
EXCHANGE COMMISSION OR ANY STATE SECURITIES COMMISSION NOR HAS THE SECURITIES 
AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION OR ANY STATE SECURITIES COMMISSION PASSED UPON THE 
ACCURACY OR ADEQUACY OF THIS PROSPECTUS. ANY REPRESENTATION TO THE CONTRARY 
IS A CRIMINAL OFFENSE.


ALLIANCE
MUTUAL FUNDS WITHOUT THE MYSTERY.

R/SM These are registered marks used under licenses from the owner, Alliance 
Capital Management L.P.


1



THE FUNDS AT A GLANCE

The following summary is qualified in its entirety by the more detailed 
information contained in this Prospectus.


THE FUNDS' INVESTMENT ADVISER IS . . . 
Alliance Capital Management L.P. ('Alliance'), a global investment manager 
providing diversified services to institutions and individuals through a broad 
line of investments including 107 mutual funds. Since 1971, Alliance has earned 
a reputation as a leader in the investment world with over $146 billion in 
assets under management as of December 31, 1995. Alliance provides investment 
management services to 29 of the FORTUNE 100 companies.



U.S. GOVERNMENT FUNDS

SHORT-TERM U.S. GOVERNMENT FUND 
SEEKS . . . High current income consistent with preservation of capital. 

INVESTS PRIMARILY IN . . . A diversified portfolio of U.S. Government 
securities.

U.S. GOVERNMENT PORTFOLIO 
SEEKS . . . As high a level of current income as is consistent with safety of 
principal.

INVESTS SOLELY IN . . . A diversified portfolio of U.S. Government securities 
backed by the full faith and credit of the United States.


LIMITED MATURITY GOVERNMENT FUND 
SEEKS . . . The highest level of current income, consistent with low volatility 
of net asset value.

INVESTS PRIMARILY IN . . . U.S. Government securities, including 
mortgage-related securities, and repurchase agreements relating to U.S. 
Government securities.



MORTGAGE FUND


MORTGAGE SECURITIES INCOME FUND 
SEEKS . . . A high level of current income consistent with prudent investment 
risk.

INVESTS PRIMARILY IN . . . A diversified portfolio of mortgage-related 
securities.



MULTI-MARKET FUNDS 

WORLD INCOME TRUST 
SEEKS . . . The highest level of current income that is available from a 
portfolio of high-quality debt securities having remaining maturities of not 
more than one year.

INVESTS PRIMARILY IN . . . A non-diversified portfolio of debt securities 
denominated in the U.S. Dollar and selected foreign currencies. The Fund 
maintains at least 35% of its net assets in U.S. Dollar-denominated securities.

SHORT-TERM MULTI-MARKET TRUST 
SEEKS . . . The highest level of current income through investment in a 
portfolio of high-quality debt securities having remaining maturities of not 
more than three years.

INVESTS PRIMARILY IN . . . A non-diversified portfolio of debt securities 
denominated in the U.S. Dollar and selected foreign currencies. While the Fund 
normally will maintain a substantial portion of its assets in debt securities 
denominated in foreign currencies, the Fund will invest at least 25% of its net 
assets in U.S. Dollar-denominated securities.

MULTI-MARKET STRATEGY TRUST 
SEEKS . . . The highest level of current income that is available from a 
portfolio of high-quality debt securities having remaining maturities of not 
more than five years.

INVESTS PRIMARILY IN . . . A non-diversified portfolio of debt securities 
denominated in the U.S. Dollar and selected foreign currencies. The Fund 
expects to maintain at least 70% of its assets in debt securities denominated 
in foreign currencies, but not more than 25% of the Fund's total assets may be 
invested in debt securities denominated in a single currency other than the 
U.S. Dollar.


GLOBAL BOND FUNDS

NORTH AMERICAN GOVERNMENT INCOME TRUST 
SEEKS . . . The highest level of current income that is available from a 
portfolio of investment grade debt securities issued or guaranteed by the 
governments of the United States, Canada and Mexico.

INVESTS PRIMARILY IN . . . A non-diversified portfolio of government securities 
denominated in the U.S. Dollar, the Canadian Dollar and the Mexican Peso, and 
expects to maintain at least 25% of its assets in securities denominated in the 
U.S. Dollar. In addition, the Fund may invest up to 25% of its total assets in 
debt securities issued by governmental entities in Argentina.


2


GLOBAL DOLLAR GOVERNMENT FUND 
SEEKS . . . Primarily a high level of current income and, secondarily, capital 
appreciation.

INVESTS PRIMARILY IN . . . A non-diversified portfolio of sovereign debt 
obligations and in U.S. and non-U.S. corporate fixed-income securities. 
Substantially all of the Fund's assets are invested in lower-rated securities.


CORPORATE BOND FUND

CORPORATE BOND PORTFOLIO 
SEEKS . . . Primarily to maximize income over the long term; secondarily, the 
Fund will attempt to increase its capital through appreciation of its 
investments. 

INVESTS PRIMARILY IN . . . A diversified portfolio of U.S. Dollar-denominated 
corporate bonds issued by domestic and foreign issuers that give promise of 
relatively attractive yields.



A WORD ABOUT RISK . . . 
The prices of the shares of the Alliance Bond Funds will fluctuate as the daily 
prices of the individual bonds in which they invest fluctuate, so that your 
shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. 
Price fluctuations may be caused by changes in the general level of interest 
rates or changes in bond credit quality ratings. Changes in interest rates have 
a greater effect on bonds with longer maturities than those with shorter 
maturities. Some of the Funds invest in high-yield, high-risk bonds that are 
rated below investment grade and are considered to have predominantly 
speculative characteristics. The prices of non-U.S. Dollar denominated bonds 
also fluctuate with changes in foreign exchange rates. Investment in the Global 
Bond Funds, the Multi-Market Funds and any other Fund that may invest a 
significant amount of its assets in non-U.S. securities involves risks not 
associated with Funds that invest primarily in securities of U.S. issuers. 
While the Funds invest principally in fixed-income securities, in order to 
achieve their investment objectives, the Funds may at times use certain types 
of derivative instruments, such as options, futures, forwards and swaps. These 
instruments involve risks different from, and, in certain cases, greater than, 
the risks presented by more traditional investments. These risks are fully 
discussed in this Prospectus. See 'Description of the Funds-Additional 
Investment Practices' and '-Risk Considerations.'


GETTING STARTED . . . 
Shares of the Funds are available through your financial representative and 
most banks, insurance companies and brokerage firms nationwide. Shares of each 
Fund (except WORLD INCOME) can be purchased for a minimum initial investment of 
$250, and subsequent investments can be made for as little as $50. For detailed 
information about purchasing and selling shares, see 'Purchase and Sale of 
Shares.' In addition, the Funds offer several time and money saving services to 
investors. Be sure to ask your financial representative about:

AUTOMATIC REINVESTMENT
AUTOMATIC INVESTMENT PROGRAM
RETIREMENT PLANS
SHAREHOLDER COMMUNICATIONS
DIVIDEND DIRECTION PLANS
AUTO EXCHANGE 
SYSTEMATIC WITHDRAWALS
CHECK-WRITING
A CHOICE OF PURCHASE PLANS
TELEPHONE TRANSACTIONS
24 HOUR INFORMATION


ALLIANCE
MUTUAL FUNDS WITHOUT THE MYSTERY.

R/SM These are registered marks used under licenses from the owner, Alliance 
Capital Management L.P.


3



                             EXPENSE INFORMATION
_______________________________________________________________________________

SHAREHOLDER TRANSACTION EXPENSES are one of several factors to consider when 
you invest in a Fund. The following tables summarize your maximum transaction 
costs from investing in a Fund, other than WORLD INCOME, and annual operating 
expenses for each class of shares of each Fund. WORLD INCOME, which has only 
one class of shares, has no sales charge on purchases or reinvested dividends, 
deferred sales charge, redemption fee or exchange fee. For each Fund, the 
'Examples' below show the cumulative expenses attributable to a hypothetical 
$1,000 investment, assuming a 5% annual return, in each class for the periods 
specified.


                                 CLASS A SHARES  CLASS B SHARES  CLASS C SHARES
                                 --------------  --------------  --------------
Maximum sales charge imposed on 
  purchases (as a percentage of 
  offering price)                      4.25%(a)         None            None
Sales charge imposed on dividend 
  reinvestments                         None            None            None
Deferred sales charge (as a 
  percentage of original 
  purchase price or redemption 
  proceeds, whichever is lower)         None             3.0%           None
                                                     during the
                                                     first year,
                                                   decreasing 1.0%
                                                    annually to 0%
                                                      after the
                                                    third year (b)
Exchange fee                            None            None            None



(A) REDUCED FOR LARGER PURCHASES. PURCHASES OF $1,000,000 OR MORE ARE NOT 
SUBJECT TO AN INITIAL SALES CHARGE BUT MAY BE SUBJECT TO A 1% DEFERRED SALES 
CHARGE ON REDEMPTIONS WITHIN ONE YEAR OF PURCHASE. SEE 'PURCHASE AND SALE OF 
SHARES-HOW TO BUY SHARES' -PAGE 37. 

(B) CLASS B SHARES OF EACH FUND AUTOMATICALLY CONVERT TO CLASS A SHARES AFTER 
SIX YEARS. SEE 'PURCHASE AND SALE OF SHARES-HOW TO BUY SHARES' -PAGE 37.



<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                   ANNUAL OPERATING EXPENSES                                        EXAMPLES
- ----------------------------------------------------------    ----------------------------------------------------
SHORT-TERM U.S. GOVERNMENT       CLASS A  CLASS B  CLASS C                   CLASS A  CLASS B+  CLASS B++  CLASS C
- -------------------------------  -------  -------  -------                   -------  --------  ---------  -------
<S>                              <C>      <C>      <C>        <C>            <C>      <C>       <C>        <C>
  Management fees(b)(after
    waiver)                       None     None     None      After 1 year     $ 56     $ 51      $ 21      $ 21
  12b-1 fees                       .30%    1.00%    1.00%     After 3 years    $ 85     $ 76      $ 66      $ 66
  Other expenses(a)(b)(after                                  After 5 years    $116     $113      $113      $113
    reimbursement)                1.10%    1.10%    1.10%     After 10 years   $203     $209      $209      $243
  Total fund operating    
    expenses(b)                   1.40%    2.10%    2.10%
 
U.S. GOVERNMENT                  CLASS A  CLASS B  CLASS C                   CLASS A  CLASS B+  CLASS B++  CLASS C
- -------------------------------  -------  -------  -------                   -------  --------  ---------  -------
  Management fees                  .53%     .53%     .53%     After 1 year     $ 52     $ 47      $ 17      $ 17
  12b-1 fees                       .30%    1.00%    1.00%     After 3 years    $ 73     $ 64      $ 54      $ 54
  Other expenses(a)                .18%     .19%     .18%     After 5 years    $ 96     $ 93      $ 93      $ 93
  Total fund operating                                        After 10 years   $161     $167      $167      $202
    expenses                      1.01%    1.72%    1.71%
       
LIMITED MATURITY GOVERNMENT      CLASS A  CLASS B  CLASS C                   CLASS A  CLASS B+  CLASS B++  CLASS C
- -------------------------------  -------  -------  -------                   -------  --------  ---------  -------
  Management fees                  .65%     .65%     .65%     After 1 year     $ 63     $ 59      $ 29      $ 29
  12b-1 fees                       .30%    1.00%    1.00%     After 3 years    $107     $ 98      $ 88      $ 88
  Other expenses                                              After 5 years    $153     $150      $150      $150
    Interest expense               .73%     .74%     .75%     After 10 years   $279     $285      $285      $318
    Other operating expenses(a)    .46%     .46%     .45%
  Total other expenses            1.19%    1.20%    1.20%
  Total fund operating expense(h) 2.14%    2.85%    2.85%

MORTGAGE SECURITIES INCOME       CLASS A  CLASS B  CLASS C                   CLASS A  CLASS B+  CLASS B++  CLASS C
- -------------------------------  -------  -------  -------                   -------  --------  ---------  -------
  Management fees                  .51%     .51%     .51%     After 1 year     $ 59     $ 54      $ 24      $ 24
  12b-1 fees                       .30%    1.00%    1.00%     After 3 years    $ 93     $ 84      $ 74      $ 73
  Other expenses                                              After 5 years    $129     $127      $127      $126
    Interest expense               .63%     .63%     .62%     After 10 years   $231     $237      $237      $269
    Other operating expenses(a)    .22%     .23%     .22%
Total other expenses               .85%     .86%     .84%
Total fund operating expenses(g)  1.66%    2.37%    2.35%
</TABLE>
       
       
PLEASE REFER TO THE FOOTNOTES ON PAGE 5.



4




<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                ANNUAL OPERATING EXPENSES                                          EXAMPLES
- ----------------------------------------------------------    ----------------------------------------------------
<S>                              <C>      <C>      <C>        <C>            <C>      <C>       <C>        <C>
WORLD INCOME
  Management fees(c)(after waiver)          .49%               After 1 year             $ 20
  12b-1 fees(c)(after waiver)               .68%               After 3 years            $ 62
  Other expenses(a)                         .80%               After 5 years            $106
  Total fund operating                                         After 10 years           $230
    expenses(c)                            1.97%
       
SHORT-TERM MULTI-MARKET          CLASS A  CLASS B  CLASS C                   CLASS A  CLASS B+  CLASS B++  CLASS C
- -------------------------------  -------  -------  -------                   -------  --------  ---------  -------
  Management fees                  .55%     .55%     .55%      After 1 year    $ 54     $ 50       $ 20     $ 19
  12b-1 fees                       .30%    1.00%    1.00%      After 3 years   $ 80     $ 71       $ 61     $ 60
  Other expenses(a)                .38%     .40%     .37%      After 5 years   $107     $105       $105     $104
  Total fund operating expenses   1.23%    1.95%    1.92%      After 10 years  $185     $192       $192     $224

MULTI-MARKET STRATEGY            CLASS A  CLASS B  CLASS C                   CLASS A  CLASS B+  CLASS B++  CLASS C
- -------------------------------  -------  -------  -------                   -------  --------  ---------  -------
  Management fees                  .60%     .60%     .60%      After 1 year    $ 58     $ 53       $ 23     $ 23
  12b-1 fees                       .30%    1.00%    1.00%      After 3 years   $ 91     $ 82       $ 72     $ 72
  Other expenses                                               After 5 years   $126     $123       $123     $123
    Interest expense               .05%     .07%     .05%      After 10 years  $224     $229       $229     $263
    Other operating expenses(a)    .65%     .62%     .64%
  Total other expenses             .70%     .69%     .69%
  Total fund operating
    expenses(d)                   1.60%    2.29%    2.29%
       
NORTH AMERICAN GOVERNMENT 
  INCOME                         CLASS A  CLASS B  CLASS C                   CLASS A  CLASS B+  CLASS B++  CLASS C
- -------------------------------  -------  -------  -------                   -------  --------  ---------  -------
  Management fees(e)               .65%     .65%     .65%      After 1 year    $ 68     $ 64       $ 34     $ 34
  12b-1 fees                       .30%    1.00%    1.00%      After 3 years   $120     $112       $102     $102
  Other expenses                                               After 5 years   $176     $174       $174     $174
    Interest expense              1.11%    1.11%    1.12%      After 10 years  $325     $331       $331     $362
    Other operating expenses(a)    .56%     .57%     .56%
  Total other expenses            1.67%    1.68%    1.68%
  Total fund operating
    expenses(f)                   2.62%    3.33%    3.33%
       
GLOBAL DOLLAR GOVERNMENT         CLASS A  CLASS B  CLASS C                   CLASS A  CLASS B+  CLASS B++  CLASS C
- -------------------------------  -------  -------  -------                   -------  --------  ---------  -------
  Management fees                  .75%     .75%     .75%      After 1 year    $ 61     $ 57       $ 27     $ 27
  12b-1 fees                       .30%    1.00%    1.00%      After 3 years   $101     $ 92       $ 82     $ 82
  Other expenses(a)                .88%     .89%     .88%      After 5 years   $142     $140       $140     $140
  Total fund operating expenses   1.93%    2.64%    2.63%      After 10 years  $258     $264       $264     $296

CORPORATE BOND                   CLASS A  CLASS B  CLASS C                   CLASS A  CLASS B+  CLASS B++  CLASS C
- -------------------------------  -------  -------  -------                   -------  --------  ---------  -------
  Management fees                  .63%     .63%     .63%      After 1 year    $ 55     $ 50       $ 20     $ 20
  12b-1 fees                       .30%    1.00%    1.00%      After 3 years   $ 80     $ 72       $ 62     $ 61
  Other expenses(a)                .32%     .36%     .32%      After 5 years   $108     $107       $107     $105
  Total fund operating expenses   1.25%    1.99%    1.95%      After 10 years  $187     $195       $195     $227
</TABLE>

       


+   ASSUMES REDEMPTION AT END OF PERIOD AND, WITH RESPECT TO SHARES HELD TEN 
YEARS, CONVERSION OF CLASS B SHARES TO CLASS A SHARES AFTER SIX YEARS.

++  ASSUMES NO REDEMPTION AT END OF PERIOD AND, WITH RESPECT TO SHARES HELD TEN 
YEARS, CONVERSION OF CLASS B SHARES TO CLASS A SHARES AFTER SIX YEARS. 

(A) THESE EXPENSES INCLUDE A TRANSFER AGENCY FEE PAYABLE TO ALLIANCE FUND 
SERVICES, INC., AN AFFILIATE OF ALLIANCE, BASED ON A FIXED DOLLAR AMOUNT 
CHARGED TO THE FUND FOR EACH SHAREHOLDER'S ACCOUNT. 

(B) NET OF VOLUNTARY FEE WAIVERS AND EXPENSE REIMBURSEMENTS. ABSENT SUCH 
WAIVERS AND REIMBURSEMENTS, MANAGEMENT FEES WOULD HAVE BEEN .55%, OTHER 
EXPENSES WOULD HAVE BEEN 2.86% FOR CLASS A, 2.78% FOR CLASS B AND 2.68% FOR 
CLASS C AND TOTAL FUND OPERATING EXPENSES WOULD HAVE BEEN 3.71% FOR CLASS A, 
4.33% FOR CLASS B AND 4.23% FOR CLASS C. 

(C) NET OF VOLUNTARY FEE WAIVERS. ABSENT SUCH WAIVERS, ANNUALIZED MANAGEMENT 
FEES WOULD HAVE BEEN .65%, ANNUALIZED RULE 12B-1 FEES WOULD HAVE BEEN .90% AND 
ANNUALIZED TOTAL FUND OPERATING EXPENSES WOULD HAVE BEEN 2.35%. 

(D) EXCLUDING INTEREST EXPENSE, TOTAL FUND OPERATING EXPENSES WOULD HAVE BEEN 
FOR CLASS A, 1.55%, FOR CLASS B, 2.22% AND FOR CLASS C, 2.24%.

(E) REPRESENTS .65 OF 1% OF THE AVERAGE DAILY VALUE OF THE FUND'S ADJUSTED 
TOTAL NET ASSETS. 

(F) EXCLUDING INTEREST EXPENSE, TOTAL FUND OPERATING EXPENSES WOULD HAVE BEEN 
FOR CLASS A, 1.51%, FOR CLASS B, 2.22% AND FOR CLASS C, 2.21%. 

(G) EXCLUDING INTEREST EXPENSE, TOTAL FUND OPERATING EXPENSES WOULD HAVE BEEN 
FOR CLASS A, 1.03%, FOR CLASS B, 1.74%, FOR CLASS C, 1.73%.

(H) EXCLUDING INTEREST EXPENSE, TOTAL FUND OPERATING EXPENSES WOULD HAVE BEEN 
FOR CLASS A, 1.41%, FOR CLASS B, 2.11%, FOR CLASS C, 2.10%.



5



The purpose of the tables on pages 4 and 5 is to assist the investor in 
understanding the various costs and expenses that an investor in a Fund will 
bear directly or indirectly. Long-term shareholders of a Fund may pay aggregate 
sales charges totaling more than the economic equivalent of the maximum initial 
sales charges permitted by the Rules of Fair Practice of the National 
Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. See 'Management of the 
Funds-Distribution Services Agreements.' The Rule 12b-1 fee for each class 
comprises a service fee not exceeding .25% of the aggregate average daily net 
assets of the Fund attributable to the class and an asset-based sales charge 
equal to the remaining portion of the Rule 12b-1 fee. With respect to each of 
MULTI-MARKET STRATEGY, NORTH AMERICAN GOVERNMENT INCOME, 
MORTGAGE SECURITIES INCOME and LIMITED MATURITY GOVERNMENT 'interest expense' 
represents interest paid by the Fund on borrowings for the purpose of making 
additional portfolio investments. Such borrowings are intended to enable each 
of those Funds to produce higher net yields to shareholders than the Funds 
could pay without such borrowings. See 'Risk Considerations-Effects of 
Borrowing.' Excluding interest expense, total fund operating expenses of each 
of MULTI-MARKET STRATEGY, NORTH AMERICAN GOVERNMENT INCOME, MORTGAGE SECURITIES 
INCOME and LIMITED MATURITY GOVERNMENT would be lower (see notes (d), (f), (g) 
and (h) above) and the cumulative expenses shown in the Examples above with 
respect to those Funds would be lower. The management fee rate of GLOBAL DOLLAR 
GOVERNMENT is higher than that paid by most other investment companies, but 
Alliance believes the fee is comparable to those paid by investment companies 
of similar investment orientation. The expense ratios for Class B and Class C 
shares of MULTI-MARKET STRATEGY and NORTH AMERICAN GOVERNMENT INCOME are higher 
than the expense ratios of most other mutual funds, but are comparable to the 
expense ratios of mutual funds whose shares are similarly priced. The Examples 
set forth above assume reinvestment of all dividends and distributions and 
utilize a 5% annual rate of return as mandated by Commission regulations. THE 
EXAMPLES SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED REPRESENTATIVE OF PAST OR FUTURE EXPENSES; 
ACTUAL EXPENSES MAY BE GREATER OR LESS THAN THOSE SHOWN.


6



                            FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
_______________________________________________________________________________

The tables on the following pages present, for each Fund, per share income and 
capital changes for a share outstanding throughout each period indicated. The 
information in the tables for SHORT-TERM U.S. GOVERNMENT has been audited by 
Price Waterhouse LLP, the independent accountants for the Fund, and for U.S. 
GOVERNMENT, LIMITED MATURITY GOVERNMENT, MORTGAGE SECURITIES INCOME, WORLD 
INCOME, SHORT-TERM MULTI-MARKET, MULTI-MARKET STRATEGY, NORTH AMERICAN 
GOVERNMENT INCOME, GLOBAL DOLLAR GOVERNMENT and CORPORATE BOND has been audited 
by Ernst & Young LLP, the independent auditors for each Fund. A report of Price 
Waterhouse LLP or Ernst & Young LLP, as the case may be, on the information 
with respect to each Fund appears in the Fund's Statement of Additional 
Information. The following information for each Fund should be read in 
conjunction with the financial statements and related notes which are included 
in the Fund's Statement of Additional Information.

Further information about a Fund's performance is contained in the Fund's 
annual report to shareholders, which may be obtained without charge by 
contacting Alliance Fund Services, Inc. at the address or the 'Literature' 
telephone number shown on the cover of this Prospectus.



7



<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                    NET                             NET             NET
                                   ASSET                       REALIZED AND       INCREASE
                                   VALUE                        UNREALIZED     (DECREASE) IN   DIVIDENDS FROM  DISTRIBUTIONS
                               BEGINNING OF  NET INVESTMENT   GAIN (LOSS) ON  NET ASSET VALUE  NET INVESTMENT     FROM NET
  FISCAL YEAR OR PERIOD           PERIOD      INCOME (LOSS)     INVESTMENTS   FROM OPERATIONS      INCOME      REALIZED GAINS
- -----------------------------  ------------  --------------   --------------  ---------------  --------------  --------------
<S>                            <C>           <C>              <C>             <C>              <C>             <C>
SHORT-TERM U.S. GOVERNMENT+
CLASS A
Year Ended 8/31/95                $ 9.67           $ .42           $ .05            $ .47          $ (.41)          $0.00
Period Ended 8/31/94**              9.77             .14            (.09)             .05            (.12)           0.00
Year Ended 4/30/94                 10.22             .35            (.29)             .06            (.42)           0.00
5/4/92+ to 4/30/93                 10.00             .46             .34              .80            (.46)           (.12)
CLASS B
Year Ended 8/31/95                $ 9.78           $ .36           $ .04            $ .40          $ (.34)          $0.00
Period Ended 8/31/94**              9.88             .10            (.07)             .03            (.11)           0.00
Year Ended 4/30/94                 10.31             .40            (.39)             .01            (.35)           0.00
5/4/92+ to 4/30/93                 10.00             .38             .33              .71            (.38)           (.02)
CLASS C
Year Ended 8/31/95                $ 9.77           $ .34           $ .06            $ .40          $ (.34)          $0.00
Period Ended 8/31/94**              9.87             .10            (.07)             .03            (.11)           0.00
8/2/93++ to 4/30/94                10.34             .26            (.42)            (.16)           (.25)           0.00

U.S. GOVERNMENT
CLASS A
Year Ended 6/30/95                $ 7.84           $ .64           $ .13            $ .77          $ (.65)          $0.00
Year Ended 6/30/94                  8.64             .65            (.80)            (.15)           (.65)           0.00
Year Ended 6/30/93                  8.34             .69             .29              .98            (.68)           0.00
Year Ended 6/30/92                  8.01             .70             .35             1.05            (.72)           0.00
Year Ended 6/30/91                  8.14             .81            (.11)             .70            (.83)           0.00
Year Ended 6/30/90                  8.49             .86            (.38)             .48            (.83)           0.00
Year Ended 6/30/89                  8.51             .89            (.03)             .86            (.88)           0.00
Year Ended 6/30/88                  8.90             .93            (.39)             .54            (.93)           0.00
Year Ended 6/30/87                  9.24             .98            (.34)             .64            (.98)           0.00
12/1/85+ to 6/30/86                 9.45             .63            (.21)             .42            (.63)           0.00
CLASS B
Year Ended 6/30/95                $ 7.84           $ .58           $ .13            $ .71           $(.59)          $0.00
Year Ended 6/30/94                  8.64             .59            (.80)            (.21)           (.59)           0.00
Year Ended 6/30/93                  8.34             .62             .30              .92            (.62)           0.00
9/30/91++ to 6/30/92                8.25             .49             .09              .58            (.49)           0.00
CLASS C
Year Ended 6/30/95                $ 7.83           $ .58           $ .14            $ .72           $(.59)          $0.00
Year Ended 6/30/94                  8.64             .59            (.81)            (.22)           (.59)           0.00
4/30/93++ to 6/30/93                8.56             .10             .08              .18            (.10)           0.00


LIMITED MATURITY GOVERNMENT
CLASS A
Year Ended 11/30/95               $ 9.51           $ .52(h)        $ .02            $ .54           $(.50)          $0.00
Year Ended 11/30/94                 9.94             .42            (.32)             .10            (.48)           (.01)
Year Ended 11/30/93                 9.84             .57             .11              .68            (.58)           0.00
6/1/92+ to 11/30/92                10.00             .35            (.17)             .18            (.34)           0.00
CLASS B
Year Ended 11/30/95               $ 9.52           $ .46(h)        $ .01            $ .47           $(.44)          $0.00
Year Ended 11/30/94                 9.94             .39            (.35)             .04            (.42)           (.01)
Year Ended 11/30/93                 9.84             .49             .12              .61            (.51)           0.00
6/1/92+ to 11/30/92                10.00             .31            (.17)             .14            (.30)           0.00
CLASS C
Year Ended 11/30/95               $ 9.52           $ .46(h)         $.01            $ .47           $(.44)          $0.00
Year Ended 11/30/94                 9.94             .37            (.33)             .04            (.42)           (.01)
5/3/93++ to 11/30/93                9.98             .27            (.03)             .24            (.28)           0.00

MORTGAGE SECURITIES INCOME
CLASS A
Year Ended 12/31/95               $ 8.13           $ .57(h)        $ .64            $1.21           $(.57)          $0.00
Year Ended 12/31/94                 9.29             .57           (1.13)            (.56)           (.58)           0.00
Year Ended 12/31/93                 9.08             .67             .23              .90            (.67)           0.00
Year Ended 12/31/92                 9.21             .77            (.09)             .68            (.81)           0.00
Year Ended 12/31/91                 8.79             .88             .41             1.29            (.87)           0.00
Year Ended 12/31/90                 8.76             .87             .03              .90            (.87)           0.00
Year Ended 12/31/89                 8.81             .97            (.05)             .92            (.97)           0.00
Year Ended 12/31/88                 9.03             .99            (.23)             .76            (.98)           0.00
Year Ended 12/31/87                 9.74            1.00            (.68)             .32           (1.00)           (.03)
Year Ended 12/31/86                 9.97            1.06            (.02)            1.04           (1.06)           (.21)
CLASS B
Year Ended 12/31/95               $ 8.13           $ .51(h)        $ .64            $1.15           $(.51)          $0.00
Year Ended 12/31/94                 9.29             .51           (1.14)            (.63)           (.51)           0.00
Year Ended 12/31/93                 9.08             .61             .22              .83            (.60)           0.00
1/30/92++ to 12/31/92               9.16             .68            (.08)             .60            (.68)           0.00
CLASS C
Year Ended 12/31/95               $ 8.13           $ .51(h)        $ .64            $1.15           $(.51)          $0.00
Year Ended 12/31/94                 9.29             .51           (1.14)            (.63)           (.51)           0.00
5/3/93++ to 12/31/93                9.30             .40            0.00              .40            (.40)           0.00

WORLD INCOME
Year Ended 10/31/95               $ 1.88           $ .11(h)        $(.23)           $(.12)          $0.00           $0.00
Year Ended 10/31/94                 1.90             .18            (.12)             .06            (.05)           0.00
Year Ended 10/31/93                 1.91             .22            (.16)             .06            (.07)           0.00
Year Ended 10/31/92                 1.98             .19            (.17)             .02            (.09)           0.00
12/3/90+ to 10/31/91                2.00             .14            (.03)             .11            (.13)           0.00

</TABLE>


PLEASE REFER TO THE FOOTNOTES ON PAGE 12.


8



<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
DISTRIBUTIONS                                               TOTAL        NET ASSETS                    RATIO OF NET
  IN EXCESS                    TOTAL                      INVESTMENT      AT END OF          RATIO      INVESTMENT
   OF NET       RETURN       DIVIDENDS      NET ASSET       RETURN         PERIOD         OF EXPENSES  INCOME (LOSS)    PORTFOLIO
 INVESTMENT       OF            AND         VALUE END    BASED ON NET      (000'S          TO AVERAGE    TO AVERAGE     TURNOVER
   INCOME      CAPITAL      DISTRIBUTIONS   OF PERIOD   ASSET VALUE (B)    OMITTED)        NET ASSETS    NET ASSETS        RATE
- ------------  --------      -------------   ---------   ---------------  ------------     -----------  ---------------  ---------
<S>           <C>           <C>             <C>         <C>              <C>              <C>          <C>              <C>
 $(.03)         $0.00          $(.44)        $ 9.70            5.14%       $  2,997        1.40%(d)        4.56%             15%
  (.03)(a)       0.00           (.15)(c)       9.67             .53           2,272        1.40(d)         3.98             144
  (.09)(a)       0.00           (.51)(c)       9.77             .52           2,003        1.27(d)         4.41              55
  0.00           0.00           (.58)(c)      10.22            8.20           6,081        1.00*(d)        4.38*            294

 $(.03)         $0.00          $(.37)        $ 9.81            4.32%       $  6,380        2.10%(d)        3.82%             15%
  (.02)(a)       0.00           (.13)(c)       9.78             .28           6,281        2.10(d)         3.22             144
  (.09)(a)       0.00           (.44)(c)       9.88             .03           7,184        2.05(d)         3.12              55
  0.00           0.00           (.40)(c)      10.31            7.22           1,292        1.75*(d)        3.36*            294

 $(.03)         $0.00          $(.37)        $ 9.80            4.33%       $  5,180        2.10%(d)        3.80%             15%
  (.02)(a)       0.00           (.13)(c)       9.77             .28           7,128        2.10(d)         3.26             144
  (.06)(a)       0.00           (.31)(c)       9.87           (1.56)          8,763        2.10*(d)        2.60*             55
 

 $0.00          $0.00          $(.65)        $ 7.96           10.37%       $463,660        1.01%           8.27%            190%
  0.00           0.00           (.65)          7.84           (1.93)        482,595        1.02            7.76             188
  0.00           0.00           (.68)          8.64           12.23         527,968        1.10            8.04             386
  0.00           0.00           (.72)          8.34           13.52         492,448        1.12            8.43             418
  0.00           0.00           (.83)          8.01            8.97         491,910        1.07           10.02             402
  0.00           0.00           (.83)          8.14            5.99         510,675        1.09           10.35             455
  0.00           0.00           (.88)          8.49           10.87         532,525        1.11           10.70             148
  0.00           0.00           (.93)          8.51            6.41         529,909        1.14           10.70             149
  0.00           0.00           (.98)          8.90            7.00         496,600        1.07(d)        10.36             255
  0.00           0.00           (.63)          9.24            4.53         128,870        1.01*(d)        9.30*            193

 $0.00          $0.00          $(.59)        $ 7.96            9.52%       $774,097        1.72%           7.57%            190%
  0.00           0.00           (.59)          7.84           (2.63)        756,282        1.72            7.04             188
  0.00            .00           (.62)          8.64           11.45         552,471        1.81            7.25             386
  0.00            .00           (.49)          8.34            6.95          32,227        1.80*           7.40*            418

 $0.00          $0.00          $(.59)        $ 7.96            9.67%       $181,948        1.71%           7.59%            190%
  0.00           0.00           (.59)          7.83           (2.75)        231,859        1.70            6.97             188
  0.00            .00           (.10)          8.64            2.12          67,757        1.80*           6.00*            386
 

 $0.00          $(.03)         $(.53)        $ 9.52            5.91%       $ 27,887        2.14%(e)        5.53%            293%
  0.00           (.04)          (.53)          9.51            1.03          43,173        1.34(e)         4.78             375
  0.00           0.00           (.58)          9.94            7.02          59,215        1.54(e)         5.66             499
  0.00           0.00           (.34)          9.84            1.84          24,186        1.44*(d)(e)     6.58*(d)         101

 $0.00          $(.03)         $(.47)        $ 9.52            5.05%        $84,362        2.85%(e)        4.83%            293%
  0.00           (.03)          (.46)          9.52             .42         136,458        2.08(e)         4.12             375
  0.00           0.00           (.51)          9.94            6.27         168,157        2.26(e)         4.98             499
  0.00           0.00           (.30)          9.84            1.50         149,188        2.13*(d)(e)     6.01*(d)         101

 $0.00          $(.03)         $(.47)        $ 9.52            5.06%        $68,459        2.85%(e)        4.84%            293%
  0.00           (.03)          (.46)          9.52             .42         141,838        2.04(e)         4.10             375
  0.00           0.00           (.28)          9.94            2.40         228,703        1.58*(e)        3.70*            499
 

 $0.00          $(.02)         $(.59)        $ 8.75           15.34%       $502,390        1.66%(e)        6.77%            285%
  0.00           (.02)          (.60)          8.13           (6.14)        553,889        1.29(e)         6.77             438
  (.02)          0.00           (.69)          9.29           10.14         848,069        1.00            7.20             622
  0.00           0.00           (.81)          9.08            7.73         789,898        1.18            8.56             555
  0.00           0.00           (.87)          9.21           15.44         544,171        1.16            9.92             439
  0.00           0.00           (.87)          8.79           11.01         495,353        1.12           10.09             393
  0.00           0.00           (.97)          8.76           10.98         556,077        1.13           11.03             328
  0.00           0.00           (.98)          8.81            8.64         619,572        1.11           10.80             239
  0.00           0.00          (1.03)          9.03            3.49         682,650        1.15           10.79             211
  0.00           0.00          (1.27)          9.74           11.18         756,730        1.00           10.86             190

 $0.00          $(.02)         $(.53)        $ 8.75           14.48%       $737,593        2.37%(e)        6.06%            285%
  0.00           (.02)          (.53)          8.13           (6.84)        921,418        2.00(e)         6.05             438
  (.02)          0.00           (.62)          9.29            9.38       1,454,303        1.70            6.47             622
  0.00           0.00           (.68)          9.08            7.81       1,153,957        1.67*           5.92*            555

 $0.00          $(.02)         $(.53)        $ 8.75           14.46%       $ 45,558        2.35%(e)        6.07%            285%
  0.00           (.02)          (.53)          8.13           (6.84)         58,338        1.97(e)         6.06             438
  (.01)          0.00           (.41)          9.29            4.34          91,724        1.67*           5.92*            622

 $0.00          $(.10)         $(.10)        $ 1.66           (6.35)%       $55,778        1.97%(d)        6.46%            N/A
  0.00           (.03)          (.08)          1.88            3.27         103,310        1.70(d)         3.96             N/A
  0.00           0.00           (.07)          1.90            3.51         149,623        1.54(d)         5.14             N/A
  0.00           0.00           (.09)          1.91            1.26         318,716        1.59(d)         7.21             N/A
  0.00           0.00           (.13)          1.98            6.08       1,059,222        1.85*(d)        7.29*            N/A

</TABLE>


PLEASE REFER TO THE FOOTNOTES ON PAGE 12. 


9



<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                    NET                             NET             NET
                                   ASSET                       REALIZED AND       INCREASE
                                   VALUE                        UNREALIZED     (DECREASE) IN   DIVIDENDS FROM  DISTRIBUTIONS
                               BEGINNING OF  NET INVESTMENT   GAIN (LOSS) ON  NET ASSET VALUE  NET INVESTMENT     FROM NET
  FISCAL YEAR OR PERIOD           PERIOD      INCOME (LOSS)     INVESTMENTS   FROM OPERATIONS      INCOME      REALIZED GAINS
- -----------------------------  ------------  --------------   --------------  ---------------  --------------  --------------
<S>                            <C>           <C>              <C>             <C>              <C>             <C>

SHORT-TERM MULTI-MARKET
CLASS A
Year Ended 10/31/95               $ 8.71           $ .46(h)       $ (.98)         $ (.52)         $ 0.00            $0.00
Year Ended 10/31/94                 9.25             .93            (.86)             .07            0.00            0.00
Year Ended 10/31/93                 9.25             .92            (.32)             .60            (.60)           0.00
Year Ended 10/31/92                 9.94             .91            (.86)             .05            (.72)           (.02)
Year Ended 10/31/91                 9.89             .97             .06             1.03            (.97)           (.01)
Year Ended 10/31/90                 9.69            1.09             .19             1.28           (1.08)           0.00
5/5/89+ to 10/31/89                 9.70             .53            (.01)             .52            (.53)           0.00
CLASS B
Year Ended 10/31/95               $ 8.71           $ .41(h)       $ (.99)         $ (.58)         $ 0.00            $0.00
Year Ended 10/31/94                 9.25             .94            (.93)             .01            0.00            0.00
Year Ended 10/31/93                 9.25             .87            (.34)             .53            (.53)           0.00
Year Ended 10/31/92                 9.94             .84            (.86)            (.02)           (.65)           (.02)
Year Ended 10/31/91                 9.89             .89             .07              .96            (.90)           (.01)
2/5/90++ to 10/31/90                9.77             .74             .12              .86            (.74)           0.00
CLASS C
Year Ended 10/31/95               $ 8.71           $ .39(h)       $ (.97)         $ (.58)         $ 0.00            $0.00
Year Ended 10/31/94                 9.25             .58            (.57)             .01            0.00            0.00
5/3/93++ to 10/31/93                9.18             .28             .05              .33            (.26)           0.00

MULTI-MARKET STRATEGY
CLASS A
Year Ended 10/31/95               $ 8.04           $ .77(h)       $(1.31)         $ (.54)         $ 0.00            $0.00
Year Ended 10/31/94                 8.94             .85           (1.08)            (.23)           (.09)           0.00
Year Ended 10/31/93                 8.85            1.02            (.26)             .76            (.67)           0.00
Year Ended 10/31/92                 9.91            1.00           (1.23)            (.23)           (.81)           (.02)
5/29/91+ to 10/28/91               10.00             .42            (.09)             .33            (.42)           0.00
CLASS B
Year Ended 10/31/95               $ 8.04           $ .44(h)       $(1.05)         $ (.61)         $ 0.00            $0.00
Year Ended 10/31/94                 8.94             .88           (1.18)            (.30)           (.08)           0.00
Year Ended 10/31/93                 8.85             .92            (.22)             .70            (.61)           0.00
Year Ended 10/31/92                 9.91            1.04           (1.34)            (.30)           (.74)           (.02)
5/29/91+ to 10/28/91               10.00             .39            (.09)             .30            (.39)           0.00
CLASS C
Year Ended 10/31/95               $ 8.04           $ .44(h)       $(1.04)         $ (.60)         $ 0.00            $0.00
Year Ended 10/31/94                 8.94             .46            (.75)            (.29)           (.09)           0.00
5/3/93++ to 10/31/93                8.76             .32             .16              .48            (.30)           0.00

NORTH AMERICAN GOVERNMENT INCOME
CLASS A
Year Ended 11/30/95               $ 8.13           $1.18(h)       $(1.59)         $ (.41)         $ 0.00            $0.00
Year Ended 11/30/94                10.35            1.02           (2.12)           (1.10)           (.91)           0.00
Year Ended 11/30/93                 9.70            1.09             .66             1.75           (1.09)           (.01)
3/27/92+ to 11/30/92               10.00             .69            (.31)             .38            (.68)           0.00
CLASS B
Year Ended 11/30/95               $ 8.13           $1.13(h)       $(1.61)         $ (.48)         $ 0.00            $0.00
Year Ended 11/30/94                10.35             .96           (2.13)           (1.17)           (.84)           0.00
Year Ended 11/30/93                 9.70            1.01             .67             1.68           (1.02)           (.01)
3/27/92+ to 11/30/92               10.00             .64            (.31)             .33            (.63)           0.00
CLASS C
Year Ended 11/30/95               $ 8.13           $1.13(h)       $(1.61)         $ (.48)         $ 0.00            $0.00
Year Ended 11/30/94                10.34             .96           (2.12)           (1.16)           (.84)           0.00
5/3/93++ to 11/30/93               10.04             .58             .30              .88            (.58)           0.00


GLOBAL DOLLAR GOVERNMENT
CLASS A
Year Ended 8/31/95                $ 9.14           $ .86          $(1.10)          $ (.24)         $ (.88)          $0.00
2/25/94+ to 8/31/94                10.00             .45            (.86)            (.41)           (.45)           0.00
CLASS B
Year Ended 8/31/95                $ 9.14           $ .80          $(1.11)          $ (.31)         $ (.81)          $0.00
2/25/94+ to 8/31/94                10.00             .42            (.86)            (.44)           (.42)           0.00
CLASS C
Year Ended 8/31/95                $ 9.14           $ .79          $(1.10)          $ (.31)         $ (.81)          $0.00
2/25/94+ to 8/31/94                10.00             .42            (.86)            (.44)           (.42)           0.00

CORPORATE BOND
CLASS A
Year Ended 6/30/95                $12.51           $1.19           $ .36            $1.55          $(1.14)          $0.00
Year Ended 6/30/94                 14.15            1.11           (1.36)            (.25)          (1.11)           (.25)
Year Ended 6/30/93                 12.01            1.25            2.13             3.38           (1.24)           0.00
Year Ended 6/30/92                 11.21            1.06             .82             1.88           (1.08)           0.00
Year Ended 6/30/91                 11.39            1.11            (.06)            1.05           (1.23)           0.00
Year Ended 6/30/90                 12.15            1.24            (.86)             .38           (1.14)           0.00
Year Ended 6/30/89                 11.82            1.12             .32             1.44           (1.11)           0.00
Year Ended 6/30/88                 12.24            1.10            (.38)             .72           (1.14)           0.00
Nine Months Ended 6/30/87          12.25             .86            (.06)             .80            (.81)           0.00
Year Ended 9/30/86                 11.52            1.20             .73             1.93           (1.20)           0.00
Year Ended 9/30/85                 10.50            1.24            1.04             2.28           (1.26)           0.00
CLASS B
Year Ended 6/30/95                $12.50           $1.11           $ .36            $1.47          $(1.05)          $0.00
Year Ended 6/30/94                 14.15            1.02           (1.37)            (.35)          (1.04)           (.25)
1/8/93++ to 6/30/93                12.47             .49            1.69             2.18            (.50)           0.00
CLASS C
Year Ended 6/30/95                $12.50           $1.10           $ .38            $1.48          $(1.05)          $0.00
Year Ended 6/30/94                 14.15            1.02           (1.37)            (.35)          (1.05)           (.25)
5/30/93++ to 6/30/93               13.63             .16             .53              .69            (.17)           0.00
</TABLE>


PLEASE REFER TO THE FOOTNOTES ON PAGE 12.


10



<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
DISTRIBUTIONS                                               TOTAL        NET ASSETS                    RATIO OF NET
  IN EXCESS                    TOTAL                      INVESTMENT      AT END OF          RATIO      INVESTMENT
   OF NET       RETURN       DIVIDENDS      NET ASSET       RETURN         PERIOD         OF EXPENSES  INCOME (LOSS)    PORTFOLIO
 INVESTMENT       OF            AND         VALUE END    BASED ON NET      (000'S          TO AVERAGE    TO AVERAGE     TURNOVER
   INCOME      CAPITAL      DISTRIBUTIONS   OF PERIOD   ASSET VALUE (B)    OMITTED)        NET ASSETS    NET ASSETS        RATE
- ------------  --------      -------------   ---------   ---------------  ------------     -----------  ---------------  ---------
<S>           <C>           <C>             <C>         <C>              <C>              <C>          <C>              <C>

 $0.00          $(.72)        $ (.72)        $ 7.47           (5.74)%    $  320,333        1.23%           7.39%            230%
  0.00           (.61)          (.61)          8.71             .84         593,677        1.13            7.28             109
  0.00           0.00           (.60)          9.25            6.67         953,571        1.16            8.26             182
  0.00           0.00           (.74)          9.25             .49       1,596,903        1.10            9.00             133
  0.00           0.00           (.98)          9.94           10.91       2,199,393        1.09            9.64             146
  0.00           0.00          (1.08)          9.89           13.86       1,346,035        1.18           10.81             152
  0.00           0.00           (.53)          9.69            5.57         210,294        1.14*          10.83*             10

 $0.00          $(.66)        $ (.66)        $ 7.47           (6.50)%    $  523,530        1.95%           6.69%            230%
  0.00           (.55)          (.55)          8.71             .12       1,003,633        1.85            6.58             109
  0.00           0.00           (.53)          9.25            5.91       1,742,703        1.87            7.57             182
  0.00           0.00           (.67)          9.25            (.24)      2,966,071        1.81            8.28             133
  0.00           0.00           (.91)          9.94           10.11       3,754,003        1.81            8.87             146
  0.00           0.00           (.74)          9.89            9.07       1,950,330        1.86*           9.90*            152

 $0.00          $(.66)        $ (.66)        $ 7.47           (6.49)%        $3,416        1.92%           6.66%            230%
  0.00           (.55)          (.55)          8.71             .12           8,136        1.83            6.50             109
  0.00           0.00           (.26)          9.25            3.66           5,538        1.82*           7.19*            182
 

 $0.00          $(.67)        $ (.67)        $ 6.83           (6.47)%    $   76,837        1.60%(f)        8.56%            400%
  0.00           (.58)          (.67)          8.04           (2.64)         52,385        1.41(f)         7.17             605
  0.00           0.00           (.67)          8.94            9.01          82,977        1.94(f)         9.17(g)          200
  0.00           0.00           (.83)          8.85           (2.80)        141,526        2.53(f)        10.58(g)          239
  0.00           0.00           (.42)          9.91            3.68         143,594        2.81*(f)       10.17*(g)         121

 $0.00          $(.60)        $ (.60)        $ 6.83           (7.31)%    $  116,551        2.29%(f)        7.53%            400%
  0.00           (.52)          (.60)          8.04           (3.35)        233,896        2.11(f)         6.44             605
  0.00           0.00           (.61)          8.94            8.25         431,186        2.64(f)         8.46(g)          200
  0.00           0.00           (.76)          8.85           (3.51)        701,465        3.24(f)         9.83(g)          239
  0.00           0.00           (.39)          9.91            3.36         662,981        3.53*(f)        9.40*(g)         121

 $0.00          $(.61)        $ (.61)        $ 6.83           (7.29)%    $      786        2.29%(f)        7.55%            400%
  0.00           (.52)          (.61)          8.04           (3.34)          1,252        2.08(f)         6.10%            605%
  0.00           0.00           (.30)          8.94            5.54             718        2.44*(f)        7.17*(g)         200

 
 $0.00          $(.97)        $ (.97)        $ 6.75           (3.59)%    $  252,608        2.62%(f)       18.09%            180%
  0.00           (.21)         (1.12)          8.13          (11.32)        303,538        1.70(f)        11.22             131
  0.00           0.00          (1.10)         10.35           18.99         268,233        1.61(f)        10.77             254
  0.00           0.00           (.68)          9.70            3.49          61,702        2.45*(d)(f)    10.93*             86

 $0.00          $(.90)        $ (.90)        $ 6.75           (4.63)%    $1,123,074        3.33%(f)       17.31%            180%
  0.00           (.21)         (1.05)          8.13          (11.89)      1,639,602        2.41(f)        10.53             131
  0.00           0.00          (1.03)         10.35           18.15       1,313,591        2.31(f)        10.01             254
  0.00           0.00           (.63)          9.70            3.30         216,317        3.13*(d)(f)    10.16*             86

 $0.00          $(.90)        $ (.90)        $ 6.75           (4.63)%    $  219,009        3.33%(f)       17.32%            180%
  0.00           (.21)         (1.05)          8.13          (11.89)        369,714        2.39(f)        10.46             131
  0.00           0.00           (.58)         10.34            9.00         310,230        2.21*(f)        9.74*            254


 $0.00          $0.00         $ (.88)        $ 8.02           (1.48)%    $   12,020        1.93%          11.25%            301%
  0.00           0.00           (.45)          9.14           (3.77)         10,995         .75*(d)        9.82*            100

 $0.00          $0.00         $ (.81)        $ 8.02           (2.40)%    $   62,406        2.64%          10.52%            301%
  0.00           0.00           (.42)          9.14           (4.17)         47,030        1.45*(d)        9.11*            100

 $0.00          $0.00         $ (.81)        $ 8.02           (2.36)%    $    9,330        2.63%          10.46%            301%
  0.00           0.00           (.42)          9.14           (4.16)         10,404        1.45*(d)        9.05*            100
 

 $0.00          $0.00         $(1.14)        $12.92           13.26%     $  230,750        1.24%           9.70%            387%
  (.03)          0.00          (1.39)         12.51           (2.58)        219,182        1.30            7.76             372
  0.00           0.00          (1.24)         14.15           29.62         216,171        1.39            9.29             579
  0.00           0.00          (1.08)         12.01           17.43          60,356        1.48            8.98             610
  0.00           0.00          (1.23)         11.21            9.71          62,268        1.44            9.84             357
  0.00           0.00          (1.14)         11.39            3.27          68,049        1.51           10.70             480
  0.00           0.00          (1.11)         12.15           12.99          52,381        1.84            9.53             104
  0.00           0.00          (1.14)         11.82            6.24          37,587        1.81            9.24              98
  0.00           0.00           (.81)         12.24            7.32          41,072        1.27            9.17              95
  0.00           0.00          (1.20)         12.25           17.19          45,178        1.08            9.80             240
  0.00           0.00          (1.26)         11.52           22.66          40,631        1.15           11.00             142
 
$0.00          $0.00         $(1.05)        $12.92           12.54%      $  241,393        1.99%           9.07%            387%
  (.01)          0.00          (1.30)         12.50           (3.27)        184,129        2.00            7.03             372
  0.00           0.00           (.50)         14.15           17.75          55,508        2.10*           7.18*            579

 $0.00          $0.00         $(1.05)        $12.93           12.62%     $   51,028        1.84%           8.95%            387%
  0.00           0.00          (1.30)         12.50           (3.27)         50,860        1.99            6.98             372
  0.00           0.00           (.17)         14.15            5.08           5,115        2.05*           5.51*            579
</TABLE>


PLEASE REFER TO THE FOOTNOTES ON PAGE 12.


11




+   PRIOR TO JULY 22, 1993, EQUITABLE CAPITAL MANAGEMENT CORPORATION 
('EQUITABLE') SERVED AS THE INVESTMENT ADVISER TO THE ALLIANCE PORTFOLIOS (THE 
'TRUST'), OF WHICH SHORT-TERM U.S. GOVERNMENT IS A SERIES. ON JULY 22, 1993, 
ALLIANCE ACQUIRED THE BUSINESS AND SUBSTANTIALLY ALL OF THE ASSETS OF EQUITABLE 
AND BECAME INVESTMENT ADVISER OF THE TRUST.

+   COMMENCEMENT OF OPERATIONS. 

++  COMMENCEMENT OF DISTRIBUTION. 

*   ANNUALIZED.

**  REFLECTS NEWLY ADOPTED FISCAL YEAR END. 

(A) INCLUDES WITH RESPECT TO SHORT-TERM U.S. GOVERNMENT A RETURN OF CAPITAL FOR 
THE YEAR ENDED APRIL 30, 1994 OF $(0.08) FOR CLASS A, $(0.08) FOR CLASS B AND 
$(0.05) FOR CLASS C AND FOR THE PERIOD ENDED AUGUST 31, 1994 OF $(0.03) FOR 
CLASS A AND $(0.02) FOR CLASS B AND CLASS C. 

(B) TOTAL INVESTMENT RETURN IS CALCULATED ASSUMING AN INITIAL INVESTMENT MADE 
AT THE NET ASSET VALUE AT THE BEGINNING OF THE PERIOD, REINVESTMENT OF ALL 
DIVIDENDS AND DISTRIBUTIONS AT THE NET ASSET VALUE DURING THE PERIOD, AND A 
REDEMPTION ON THE LAST DAY OF THE PERIOD. INITIAL SALES CHARGE OR CONTINGENT 
DEFERRED SALES CHARGE IS NOT REFLECTED IN THE CALCULATION OF TOTAL INVESTMENT 
RETURN. TOTAL INVESTMENT RETURNS CALCULATED FOR PERIODS OF LESS THAN ONE YEAR 
ARE NOT ANNUALIZED. 

(C) 'TOTAL DIVIDENDS AND DISTRIBUTIONS' INCLUDES DIVIDENDS IN EXCESS OF NET 
INVESTMENT INCOME AND RETURN OF CAPITAL. SHORT-TERM U.S. GOVERNMENT HAD 
DIVIDENDS IN EXCESS OF NET INVESTMENT INCOME WITH RESPECT TO CLASS A SHARES, 
FOR THE YEAR ENDED APRIL 30, 1994, OF $(.01); WITH RESPECT TO CLASS B SHARES, 
$(.01); AND WITH RESPECT TO CLASS C SHARES, $(.01). 

(D) NET OF EXPENSES ASSUMED AND/OR WAIVED/REIMBURSED. IF SHORT-TERM U.S. 
GOVERNMENT HAD BORNE ALL EXPENSES, THE EXPENSE RATIOS WOULD HAVE BEEN WITH 
RESPECT TO CLASS A SHARES, 2.20% (ANNUALIZED) FOR 1993, 2.17% FOR THE YEAR 
ENDED APRIL 30, 1994, 2.95% (ANNUALIZED) FOR THE PERIOD ENDED AUGUST 31, 1994, 
3.71% FOR THE YEAR ENDED AUGUST 31, 1995; WITH RESPECT TO CLASS B SHARES, 4.81% 
(ANNUALIZED) FOR 1993, 3.21% FOR THE YEAR ENDED APRIL 30, 1994, 3.60% 
(ANNUALIZED) FOR THE PERIOD ENDED AUGUST 31, 1994, 4.33% FOR THE YEAR ENDED 
AUGUST 31, 1995; AND WITH RESPECT TO CLASS C SHARES, 3.10% (ANNUALIZED) FOR THE 
YEAR ENDED APRIL 30, 1994, 3.64% (ANNUALIZED) FOR THE PERIOD ENDED AUGUST 31, 
1994, 4.23% FOR THE YEAR ENDED AUGUST 31, 1995. IF U.S. GOVERNMENT HAD BORNE 
ALL EXPENSES, THE EXPENSE RATIOS WOULD HAVE BEEN 1.22% FOR 1986 AND 1.09% FOR 
1987. IF LIMITED MATURITY GOVERNMENT HAD BORNE ALL EXPENSES, THE EXPENSE RATIOS 
WOULD HAVE BEEN WITH RESPECT TO CLASS A SHARES, 1.55% (ANNUALIZED) FOR 1992; 
AND WITH RESPECT TO CLASS B SHARES, 2.28% (ANNUALIZED) FOR 1992. THE RATIO OF 
NET INVESTMENT INCOME TO AVERAGE NET ASSETS FOR LIMITED MATURITY GOVERNMENT 
WOULD HAVE BEEN WITH RESPECT TO CLASS A SHARES, 6.47% (ANNUALIZED) FOR 1992; 
AND WITH RESPECT TO CLASS B SHARES, 5.86% (ANNUALIZED) FOR 1992. IF WORLD 
INCOME HAD BORNE ALL EXPENSES, THE EXPENSE RATIOS WOULD HAVE BEEN 1.87% FOR 
1992, 1.92% FOR 1993, 2.08% FOR 1994, AND 2.35% FOR 1995. IF NORTH AMERICAN 
GOVERNMENT INCOME HAD BORNE ALL EXPENSES, THE EXPENSE RATIOS WOULD HAVE BEEN 
WITH RESPECT TO CLASS A SHARES, 2.49% (ANNUALIZED) FOR 1992; AND WITH RESPECT 
TO CLASS B SHARES, 3.16% (ANNUALIZED) FOR 1992. IF GLOBAL DOLLAR GOVERNMENT HAD 
BORNE ALL EXPENSES FOR THE PERIOD FEBRUARY 25, 1994 TO AUGUST 31, 1994, THE 
EXPENSE RATIOS WOULD HAVE BEEN WITH RESPECT TO CLASS A SHARES, 1.91% 
(ANNUALIZED); WITH RESPECT TO CLASS B SHARES, 2.63% (ANNUALIZED); AND WITH 
RESPECT TO CLASS C SHARES, 2.59% (ANNUALIZED). 

(E) INCLUDES INTEREST EXPENSES. IF LIMITED MATURITY GOVERNMENT HAD NOT BORNE 
INTEREST EXPENSES, THE RATIO OF EXPENSES TO AVERAGE NET ASSETS WOULD HAVE BEEN 
WITH RESPECT TO CLASS A SHARES, 1.42% (ANNUALIZED) FOR 1992, 1.33% FOR 1993, 
1.20% FOR 1994, AND 1.41% FOR 1995; WITH RESPECT TO CLASS B SHARES, 2.10% 
(ANNUALIZED) FOR 1992, 2.07% FOR 1993, 1.91% FOR 1994, AND 2.11% FOR 1995; AND 
WITH RESPECT TO CLASS C SHARES, 1.74% (ANNUALIZED), FOR 1993, 1.89% FOR 1994, 
2.10% FOR 1995. IF MORTGAGE SECURITIES INCOME FUND HAD NOT BORNE INTEREST 
EXPENSE THE RATIO OF EXPENSES TO AVERAGE NET ASSETS WOULD HAVE BEEN WITH 
RESPECT TO CLASS A SHARES .97% FOR 1994, AND 1.03% FOR 1995; WITH RESPECT TO 
CLASS B SHARES, 1.68% FOR 1994, AND 1.74% FOR 1995; AND WITH RESPECT TO CLASS C 
SHARES 1.69% FOR 1994, AND 1.73% FOR 1995.

(F) INCLUDES INTEREST EXPENSES. IF MULTI-MARKET STRATEGY HAD NOT BORNE INTEREST 
EXPENSES OR LOAN FEES, THE RATIO OF EXPENSES TO AVERAGE NET ASSETS WOULD HAVE 
BEEN WITH RESPECT TO CLASS A SHARES, 1.33% (ANNUALIZED) FOR 1991, 1.33% FOR 
1992, 1.40% FOR 1993 AND 1.30% FOR 1994, 1.55% FOR 1995; WITH RESPECT TO CLASS 
B SHARES, 2.05% (ANNUALIZED) FOR 1991, 2.05% FOR 1992, 2.11% FOR 1993 AND 2.01% 
FOR 1994, 2.22% FOR 1995; AND WITH RESPECT TO CLASS C SHARES, 2.11% 
(ANNUALIZED) FOR 1993 AND 1.99% FOR 1994, 2.24% FOR 1995. IF NORTH AMERICAN 
GOVERNMENT INCOME HAD NOT BORNE INTEREST EXPENSES, THE RATIO OF EXPENSES (NET 
OF INTEREST EXPENSES) TO AVERAGE NET ASSETS WOULD HAVE BEEN WITH RESPECT TO 
CLASS A SHARES, 1.66% (ANNUALIZED) FOR 1992, 1.33% FOR 1993 AND 1.37% FOR 1994, 
1.51% FOR 1995; WITH RESPECT TO CLASS B SHARES, 2.35% (ANNUALIZED) FOR 1992, 
2.04% FOR 1993 AND 2.07% FOR 1994, 2.22% FOR 1995; AND WITH RESPECT TO CLASS C 
SHARES, 2.04% (ANNUALIZED) FOR 1993 AND 2.06% FOR 1994, 2.21% FOR 1995. 

(G) INCLUDES LOAN FEES. IF MULTI-MARKET STRATEGY HAD NOT INCURRED LOAN FEES, 
THE RATIO OF NET INVESTMENT INCOME TO AVERAGE NET ASSETS WOULD HAVE BEEN WITH 
RESPECT TO CLASS A SHARES, 11.65% (ANNUALIZED) FOR 1991, 11.78% FOR 1992 AND 
9.73% FOR 1993; WITH RESPECT TO CLASS B SHARES, 10.88% (ANNUALIZED) FOR 1991, 
11.02% FOR 1992 AND 8.99% FOR 1993; AND WITH RESPECT TO CLASS C SHARES, 7.50% 
(ANNUALIZED) FOR 1993.

(H)BASED ON AVERAGE SHARES OUTSTANDING.



12



                                  GLOSSARY
_______________________________________________________________________________

The following terms are frequently used in this Prospectus. Many of these terms 
are explained in greater detail under 'Description of the Funds-Additional 
Investment Practices' and in Appendix A.

BONDS are fixed, floating and variable rate debt obligations.

DEBT SECURITIES are bonds, debentures, notes, bills and repurchase agreements.

FIXED-INCOME SECURITIES are debt securities, convertible securities and 
preferred stocks and include floating rate and variable rate instruments. 
Fixed-income securities may be rated (or if unrated, for purposes of the Funds' 
investment policies may be determined by Alliance to be of equivalent quality 
to those rated) TRIPLE-A (Aaa or AAA), HIGH QUALITY (Aa or AA or above), HIGH 
GRADE (A or above) or INVESTMENT GRADE (Baa or BBB or above) by, as the case 
may be, Moody's, S&P, Duff & Phelps or Fitch, or may be lower-rated securities, 
as defined below. In the case of 'split-rated' fixed-income securities (i.e., 
securities assigned non-equivalent credit quality ratings, such as Baa by 
Moody's but BB by S&P, or, to take another example, Ba by Moody's and BB by S&P 
but B by Fitch), a Fund will use the rating deemed by Alliance to be the most 
appropriate under the circumstances.

LOWER-RATED SECURITIES are fixed-income securities rated Ba and BB or below, or 
determined by Alliance to be of equivalent quality, and are commonly referred 
to as 'junk bonds.'

EQUITY SECURITIES are common and preferred stocks, securities convertible into 
common and preferred stocks and rights and warrants to subscribe for the 
purchase of common and preferred stocks.

CONVERTIBLE SECURITIES are bonds, debentures, corporate notes and preferred 
stocks that are convertible into common and preferred stock.

U.S. GOVERNMENT SECURITIES are securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. 
Government, its agencies or instrumentalities. These securities include 
securities backed by the full faith and credit of the United States, those 
supported by the right of the issuer to borrow from the U.S. Treasury and those 
backed only by the credit of the issuing agency itself. The first category 
includes U.S. TREASURY SECURITIES (which are U.S. Treasury bills, notes and 
bonds) and certificates issued by GNMA (see below). U.S. Government securities 
not backed by the full faith and credit of the United States include 
certificates issued by FNMA and FHLMC (see below).

MORTGAGE-RELATED SECURITIES are pools of mortgage loans that are assembled for 
sale to investors (such as mutual funds) by various governmental, 
government-related and private organizations. These securities include:

  ARMS, which are adjustable-rate mortgage securities,
  SMRS, which are stripped mortgage-related securities,
  CMOS, which are collateralized mortgage obligations,
  GNMA CERTIFICATES, which are securities issued by the Government National 
    Mortgage Association,
  FNMA CERTIFICATES, which are securities issued by the Federal National 
    Mortgage Association, and
  FHLMC CERTIFICATES, which are securities issued by the Federal Home Loan 
    Mortgage Corporation.

INTEREST-ONLY or IO securities are debt securities that receive only the 
interest payments on an underlying debt that has been structured to have two 
classes, one of which is the IO class and another of which is the 
PRINCIPAL-ONLY or PO class, which class receives only the principal payments on 
the underlying debt obligation. POs are similar to, and are sometimes referred 
to as, ZERO COUPON SECURITIES, which are debt securities issued without 
interest coupons.

FOREIGN GOVERNMENT SECURITIES are securities issued or guaranteed, as to 
payment of principal and interest, by a foreign government or any of its 
political subdivisions, authorities, agencies or instrumentalities.

SOVEREIGN DEBT OBLIGATIONS are foreign government debt securities, loan 
participations between foreign governments and financial institutions and 
interests in entities organized and operated for the purpose of restructuring 
the investment characteristics of foreign government securities.

WORLD BANK is the commonly used name for the International Bank for 
Reconstruction and Development.

LIBOR is the London Interbank Offered Rate.

MOODY'S is Moody's Investors Service, Inc.

S&P is Standard & Poor's Ratings Services.

DUFF & PHELPS is Duff & Phelps Credit Rating Co.

FITCH is Fitch Investors Service, Inc.


PRIME COMMERCIAL PAPER is commercial paper rated Prime-1 or higher by Moody's, 
A-1 or higher by S&P, Fitch-1 by Fitch or Duff 1 by Duff & Phelps. HIGHER 
QUALITY COMMERCIAL PAPER is commercial paper rated at least Prime-2 by Moody's, 
A-2 by S&P, Fitch-2 by Fitch or Duff 2 by Duff & Phelps.


QUALIFYING BANK DEPOSITS are certificates of deposit, bankers' acceptances and 
interest-bearing savings deposits of banks having total assets of more than $1 
billion and which are members of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.

RULE 144A SECURITIES are securities that may be resold pursuant to Rule 144A 
under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the 'SECURITIES ACT').

1940 ACT is the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.

CODE is the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.

COMMISSION is the Securities and Exchange Commission.


13



                         DESCRIPTION OF THE FUNDS
_______________________________________________________________________________

Except as noted, (i) the Funds' investment objectives are 'fundamental' and 
cannot be changed without a shareholder vote, and (ii) the Funds' investment 
policies are not fundamental and thus can be changed without a shareholder 
vote. No Fund will change a non-fundamental objective or policy without 
notifying its shareholders. There is no guarantee that any Fund will achieve 
its investment objective.

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVES AND POLICIES

U.S. GOVERNMENT FUNDS
The U.S. Government Funds are diversified investment companies that have been 
designed to offer investors high current income consistent with preservation of 
capital by investing primarily in U.S. Government securities.

ALLIANCE SHORT-TERM U.S. GOVERNMENT FUND
Alliance Short-Term U.S. Government Fund ('Short-Term U.S. Government') seeks 
high current income consistent with preservation of capital by investing 
primarily in a portfolio of U.S. Government securities. Under normal 
circumstances, the Fund maintains an average dollar-weighted portfolio maturity 
of not more than three years and invests at least 65% of its total assets in 
U.S. Government securities and repurchase agreements and forward commitments 
relating to U.S. Government securities. The Fund's investment objective is not 
fundamental.

In addition to investing in U.S. Government securities, the 
Fund may invest a portion of its assets in securities of non-governmental 
issuers. Although these investments will be of high quality at the time of 
purchase, they generally involve higher levels of credit risk than do U.S. 
Government securities, as well as the risk (present with all fixed-income 
securities) of fluctuations in value as interest rates change. The Fund will 
not be obligated to dispose of any security whose credit quality falls below 
high quality.

The Fund may also (i) invest in certain SMRS, (ii) invest in variable, floating 
and inverse floating rate instruments, (iii) make short sales 'against the 
box,' (iv) enter into various hedging transactions, such as interest rate 
swaps, caps and floors, (v) enter into reverse repurchase agreements, 
(vi) purchase and sell futures contracts for hedging purposes, (vii) purchase 
and sell call and put options on futures contracts or on securities, for 
hedging purposes or to earn additional income, (viii) make secured loans of 
portfolio securities, (ix) enter into repurchase agreements, and (x) purchase 
securities for future delivery. The Fund may not invest more than 5% of its 
total assets in securities the disposition of which is restricted under Federal 
securities laws (excluding, to the extent permitted by applicable law, Rule 
144A securities). For additional information on the use, risks and costs of 
these practices, see 'Additional Investment Practices.'

U.S. GOVERNMENT PORTFOLIO
U.S. Government Portfolio ('U.S. Government') seeks as high a level of current 
income as is consistent with safety of principal. As a matter of fundamental 
policy, the Fund pursues its objective by investing solely in U.S. Government 
securities that are backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government. 
These include U.S. Treasury securities, including zero coupon Treasury 
securities, and GNMA certificates, including certain SMRS and variable and 
floating rate instruments. The average weighted maturity of the Fund's 
portfolio of U.S. Government securities is expected to vary between one year or 
less and 30 years. For additional information on the use, risks and cost of 
these practices, see 'Additional Investment Practices.' The Fund's investment 
objective is not fundamental.

Counsel to the Fund has advised the Fund that, in their view, shares of the 
Fund are a legal investment for, among other investors, (i) savings and loan 
associations and commercial banks chartered under the laws of the United 
States, (ii) savings and loan associations chartered under the laws of Arizona, 
Arkansas, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, 
Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New 
Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, 
Texas, Utah and Washington, (iii) credit unions chartered under the laws of 
California, Florida*, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland*, Minnesota, Nevada, New York, 
Ohio*, Pennsylvania*, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Utah and West Virginia, and (iv) 
commercial banks chartered under the laws of Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, 
California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii*, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, 
Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, 
Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, 
North Carolina*, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, 
Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia and Wyoming. Institutions 
in the asterisked(*) states should obtain prior state regulatory approval 
before investing in shares of the Fund. In addition, the Fund believes that it 
is currently a legal investment for savings and loan associations, credit 
unions and commercial banks chartered under the laws of certain other states.


ALLIANCE LIMITED MATURITY GOVERNMENT FUND 
Alliance Limited Maturity Government Fund, Inc. ('Limited Maturity Government') 
seeks the highest level of current income, consistent with low volatility of 
net asset value. As a matter of fundamental policy, the Fund normally has at 
least 65% of the value of its total assets invested in U.S. Government 
securities, including mortgage-related securities, and repurchase agreements 
relating to U.S. Government securities. For a description of these securities, 
see 'Additional Investment Practices.'



In pursuing its investment objective and policies, the Fund takes advantage of 
a wide range of maturities of debt securities and adjusts the dollar-weighted 
average maturity of its portfolio from time to time, depending on its 
assessment of 


14



relative yields on securities of different maturities and the expected effect 
of future changes in interest rates on the market value of the Fund's 
portfolio. At all times, however, each security held by the Fund has either a 
final maturity of not more than 10 years or a duration not exceeding that of a 
10-year Treasury note. Duration is a measure that relates the price volatility 
of a security to changes in interest rates. The duration of a debt security is 
the weighted average term to maturity, expressed in years, of the present value 
of all future cash flows, including coupon payments and principal repayments. 
Thus, by definition, duration is always less than or equal to full maturity.



The Fund believes that because of the nature of its assets, it is not exposed 
to any material risk of loss as a result of default on its portfolio 
securities. The Fund is, however, exposed to the risk that the prices of such 
securities will fluctuate, in some cases significantly, as interest rates 
change.



The Fund may invest up to 35% of its total assets in (i) high quality 
asset-backed securities, including mortgage-related securities that are not 
U.S. Government securities, (ii) Treasury securities issued by private 
corporate issuers, (iii) certificates of deposit, bankers' acceptances and 
interest-bearing savings deposits of domestic and foreign banks having total 
assets of more than $1 billion, (iv) higher quality commercial paper or, if not 
rated, issued by companies that have outstanding high quality debt issues and 
(v) high quality debt securities of corporate issuers.



The Fund may also (i) enter into futures contracts and purchase and write 
options on futures contracts, (ii) enter into forward commitments for the 
purchase or sale of securities, (iii) enter into interest rate swaps, caps and 
floors, (iv) invest in Eurodollar instruments, (v) purchase and write put and 
call options on foreign currencies, (vi) invest in variable, floating and 
inverse floating rate instruments, (vii) enter into repurchase agreements 
pertaining to the types of securities in which it invests, (viii) use reverse 
repurchase agreements and dollar rolls and (ix) make secured loans of its 
portfolio securities. For additional information on the use, risks and costs of 
these investment practices, see 'Additional Investment Practices.'




The Fund may invest up to 15% of the value of its total assets in debt 
securities denominated in U.S. Dollars or in foreign currencies and issued or 
guaranteed by foreign governments or issued by foreign non-governmental 
issuers, provided that such foreign debt securities are of high quality. The 
percentage of the Fund's assets invested in foreign debt securities will vary 
and its portfolio of foreign debt securities may include those of a number of 
foreign countries or, depending upon market conditions, those of a single 
country. See 'Risk Considerations-Foreign Investment.'




MORTGAGE FUND

ALLIANCE MORTGAGE SECURITIES INCOME FUND
Alliance Mortgage Securities Income Fund, Inc. ('Mortgage Securities Income') 
is a diversified investment company that seeks a high level of current income 
to the extent consistent with prudent investment risk. The Fund invests 
primarily in a diversified portfolio of mortgage-related securities, including 
CMOs, and, as a matter of fundamental policy, maintains at least 65% of its 
total assets in mortgage-related securities.


The Fund expects that governmental, government-related or private entities may 
create mortgage loan pools offering pass-through investments in addition to 
those described in this Prospectus. The mortgages underlying these securities 
may be instruments whose principal or interest payments may vary or whose terms 
to maturity may differ from customary long-term fixed-rate mortgages. As new 
types of mortgage-related securities are developed and offered to investors, 
the Fund will consider making investments in such new types of securities. The 
Fund may invest up to 20% of its total assets in lower-rated mortgage-related 
securities. See 'Risk Considerations-Securities Ratings' and '-Investment in 
Lower-Rated Fixed-Income Securities.' The average weighted maturity of the 
Fund's portfolio of fixed-income securities is expected to vary between two and 
ten years.

The Fund may invest up to 35% of the value of its total assets in (i) U.S. 
Government securities, (ii) qualifying bank deposits, (iii) prime commercial 
paper or, if not rated, issued by companies which have an outstanding high 
quality debt issue, (iv) high grade debt securities secured by mortgages on 
commercial real estate or residential rental properties, and (v) high grade 
asset-backed securities.

The Fund may also (i) invest in repurchase agreements pertaining to the types 
of securities in which it invests, (ii) enter into forward commitments for the 
purchase or sale of securities, (iii) purchase put and call options written by 
others and write covered put and call options on the types of securities in 
which the Fund may invest for hedging purposes, (iv) enter into interest rate 
swaps, caps and floors, (v) enter into interest rate futures contracts, (vi) 
invest in variable floating and inverse floating rate instruments, and (vii) 
lend portfolio securities. The Fund will not invest in illiquid securities if, 
as a result, more than 10% of its total assets would be illiquid. For 
additional information on the use, risk and costs of these practices, see 
'Additional Investment Practices.'


MULTI-MARKET FUNDS

The Multi-Market Funds are non-diversified investment companies that have been 
designed to offer investors a higher yield than a money market fund and less 
fluctuation in net asset value than a longer-term bond fund.

ALLIANCE WORLD INCOME TRUST 

ALLIANCE SHORT-TERM MULTI-MARKET TRUST 

ALLIANCE MULTI-MARKET STRATEGY TRUST
Alliance World Income Trust, Inc. ('World Income'), Alliance Short-Term Multi- 
Market Trust, Inc. ('Short-Term Multi-Market') and Alliance Multi-Market 
Strategy Trust, Inc. ('Multi-Market Strategy') each seek the highest level of 
current income, consistent with what Alliance considers to be prudent 
investment risk, that is available from a portfolio of high quality debt 
securities having remaining maturities of not more than, 


15



with respect to WORLD INCOME, one year, with respect to SHORT-TERM 
MULTI-MARKET, three years, and with respect to MULTI-MARKET STRATEGY, five 
years. Each Fund seeks high current yields by investing in a portfolio of debt 
securities denominated in the U.S. Dollar and selected foreign currencies. The 
Multi-Market Funds seek investment opportunities in foreign, as well as 
domestic, securities markets. WORLD INCOME, which is not a money market fund, 
will maintain at least 35% of its net assets in U.S. Dollar-denominated 
securities. SHORT-TERM MULTI-MARKET will normally maintain a substantial 
portion of its assets in debt securities denominated in foreign currencies but 
will invest at least 25% of its net assets in U.S. Dollar-denominated 
securities. MULTI-MARKET STRATEGY normally expects to maintain at least 70% of 
its assets in debt securities denominated in foreign currencies.

In pursuing their investment objectives, the Multi-Market Funds seek to 
minimize credit risk and fluctuations in net asset value by investing only in 
short-term debt securities. Normally, a high proportion of these Funds' 
portfolios consists of money market instruments. Alliance actively manages the 
Multi-Market Funds' portfolios in accordance with a multi-market investment 
strategy, allocating a Fund's investments among securities denominated in the 
U.S. Dollar and the currencies of a number of foreign countries and, within 
each such country, among different types of debt securities. Alliance adjusts 
each Multi-Market Fund's exposure to each currency such that the percentage of 
assets invested in securities of a particular country or denominated in a 
particular currency varies in accordance with Alliance's assessment of the 
relative yield and appreciation potential of such securities and the relative 
strength of a country's currency. Fundamental economic strength, credit quality 
and interest rate trends are the principal factors considered by Alliance in 
determining whether to increase or decrease the emphasis placed upon a 
particular type of security or industry sector within the Fund's investment 
portfolio. None of the Multi-Market Funds invests more than 25% of its net 
assets in debt securities denominated in a single currency other than the U.S. 
Dollar.

The returns available from short-term foreign currency-denominated debt 
instruments can be adversely affected by changes in exchange rates. Alliance 
believes that the use of foreign currency hedging techniques, including 
'cross-hedges' (see 'Additional Investment Practices-Forward Foreign Currency 
Exchange Contracts'), can help protect against declines in the U.S. Dollar 
value of income available for distribution to shareholders and declines in the 
net asset value of a Fund's shares resulting from adverse changes in currency 
exchange rates. For example, the return available from securities denominated 
in a particular foreign currency would diminish in the event the value of the 
U.S. Dollar increased against such currency. Such a decline could be partially 
or completely offset by an increase in value of a cross-hedge involving a 
forward exchange contract to sell a different foreign currency, where such 
contract is available on terms more advantageous to a Fund than a contract to 
sell the currency in which the position being hedged is denominated. It is 
Alliance's belief that cross-hedges can therefore provide significant 
protection of net asset value in the event of a general rise in the U.S. Dollar 
against foreign currencies. However, a cross-hedge cannot protect against 
exchange rate risks perfectly, and if Alliance is incorrect in its judgment of 
future exchange rate relationships, a Fund could be in a less advantageous 
position than if such a hedge had not been established.

Each Multi-Market Fund invests in debt securities denominated in the currencies 
of countries whose governments are considered stable by Alliance. In addition 
to the U.S. Dollar, such currencies include, among others, the Australian 
Dollar, Austrian Schilling, British Pound Sterling, Canadian Dollar, Danish 
Krone, Dutch Guilder, European Currency Unit ('ECU'), French Franc, Irish 
Pound, Italian Lira, Japanese Yen, Mexican Peso, New Zealand Dollar, Norwegian 
Krone, Spanish Peseta, Swedish Krona, Swiss Franc and German Mark.

An issuer of debt securities purchased by a Multi-Market Fund may be domiciled 
in a country other than the country in whose currency the instrument is 
denominated. In addition, the Funds may purchase debt securities (sometimes 
referred to as 'linked' securities) that are denominated in one currency while 
the principal amounts of, and value of interest payments on, such securities 
are determined with reference to another currency. In this regard, as of the 
date of this Prospectus each Fund has invested in U.S. Dollar denominated 
securities issued by Mexican issuers and/or Peso-linked securities. The value 
of these investments may fluctuate inversely in correlation with changes in the 
Peso-Dollar exchange rate and with the general level of interest rates in 
Mexico. For a general description of Mexico, see Appendix B and each 
Multi-Market Fund's Statement of Additional Information.


Each Multi-Market Fund may invest in debt securities denominated in the ECU, 
which is a 'basket' consisting of specified amounts of the currencies of 
certain of the member states of the European Union, a fifteen-nation 
organization engaged in cooperative economic activities. The specific amounts 
of currencies comprising the ECU may be adjusted by the Council of Ministers of 
the European Union to reflect changes in relative values of the underlying 
currencies.


Each Multi-Market Fund may invest in debt securities issued by supranational 
organizations including the World Bank, which was chartered to finance 
development projects in developing member countries; the European Union; the 
European Coal and Steel Community, which is an economic union of various 
European nations' steel and coal industries; and the Asian Development Bank, 
which is an international development bank established to lend funds, promote 
investment and provide technical assistance to member nations in the Asian and 
Pacific regions.

Each Multi-Market Fund seeks to minimize investment risk by limiting its 
portfolio investments to debt securities of high quality, and WORLD INCOME will 
invest 65% (and normally substantially all) of its total assets in high quality 
income-producing debt securities. Accordingly, the Multi-Market Funds' 
portfolio securities will consist of (i) U.S. Government securities, (ii) high 
quality foreign government securities, (iii) 


16



obligations issued by supranational entities and corporate debt securities 
having a triple-A rating, with respect to WORLD INCOME, or a high quality 
rating, with respect to SHORT-TERM MULTI-MARKET and MULTI-MARKET STRATEGY, (iv) 
certificates of deposit and bankers' acceptances issued or guaranteed by, or 
time deposits maintained at, banks (including foreign branches of foreign 
banks) having total assets of more than $1 billion, with respect to WORLD 
INCOME, or $500 million, with respect to SHORT-TERM MULTI-MARKET and 
MULTI-MARKET STRATEGY, and determined by Alliance to be of high quality, and 
(v) prime commercial paper or, if not rated, determined by Alliance to be of 
equivalent quality and issued by U.S. or foreign companies having outstanding: 
in the case of WORLD INCOME, triple-A debt securities; in the case of 
MULTI-MARKET STRATEGY, high quality debt securities; and in the case of 
SHORT-TERM MULTI-MARKET, high grade debt securities.

As a matter of fundamental policy, each Multi-Market Fund concentrates at least 
25% of its total assets in debt instruments issued by domestic and foreign 
companies engaged in the banking industry, including bank holding companies. 
Such investments may include certificates of deposit, time deposits, bankers' 
acceptances, and obligations issued by bank holding companies, as well as 
repurchase agreements entered into with banks (as distinct from non-banks) in 
accordance with the policies set forth with respect to the Funds in 'Additional 
Investment Practices-Repurchase Agreements.' See 'Risk 
Considerations-Investment in the Banking Industry.'


Each Multi-Market Fund may also (i) invest in indexed commercial paper, (ii) 
enter into futures contracts and purchase and write options on futures 
contracts, (iii) purchase and write put and call options on foreign currencies, 
(iv) purchase or sell forward foreign currency exchange contracts, (v) with 
respect to SHORT-TERM MULTI-MARKET and MULTI-MARKET STRATEGY, enter into 
interest rate swaps, caps and floors, (vi) invest in variable, floating and 
inverse floating rate instruments, (vii) make secured loans of its portfolio 
securities, and (viii) enter into repurchase agreements. A Multi-Market Fund 
will not invest in illiquid securities if, as a result, more than 10% of its 
assets would be so invested. For additional information on the use, risks and 
costs of these practices, see 'Additional Investment Practices.' MULTI-MARKET 
STRATEGY maintains borrowings of approximately 25% of its total assets less 
liabilities (other than the amount borrowed). See 'Risk Considerations-Effects 
of Borrowing.'


GLOBAL BOND FUNDS
The Global Bond Funds are non-diversified investment companies that have been 
designed to offer investors a high level of current income through investments 
primarily in foreign government securities.

ALLIANCE NORTH AMERICAN GOVERNMENT INCOME TRUST
Alliance North American Government Income Trust, Inc. ('North American 
Government Income') seeks the highest level of current income, consistent with 
what Alliance considers to be prudent investment risk, that is available from a 
portfolio of debt securities issued or guaranteed by the United States, Canada 
and Mexico, their political subdivisions (including Canadian provinces but 
excluding states of the United States), agencies, instrumentalities or 
authorities ('Government securities'). The Fund invests in investment grade 
securities denominated in the U.S. Dollar, the Canadian Dollar and the Mexican 
Peso and expects to maintain at least 25% of its assets in securities 
denominated in the U.S. Dollar. In addition, the Fund may invest up to 25% of 
its total assets in debt securities issued by governmental entities of 
Argentina ('Argentine Government securities'). The Fund expects that it will 
not retain a debt security which is down-graded below BBB or Baa, or, if 
unrated, determined by Alliance to have undergone similar credit quality 
deterioration, subsequent to purchase by the Fund. There may be circumstances, 
however, such as the downgrading to below investment grade of all of the 
securities of a governmental issuer in one of the countries in which the Fund 
has substantial investments, under which the Fund, after considering all the 
circumstances, would conclude that it is in the best interests of the 
shareholders to retain its holdings in securities of that issuer. The average 
weighted maturity of the Fund's portfolio of fixed-income securities is 
expected to vary between one year or less and 30 years.


Alliance believes that the increasingly integrated economic relationship among 
the United States, Canada and Mexico, characterized by the reduction and 
projected elimination of most barriers to free trade among the three nations 
and the growing coordination of their fiscal and monetary policies, will over 
the long term benefit the economic performance of all three countries and 
promote greater correlation of currency fluctuation among the U.S. and Canadian 
Dollars and the Mexican Peso. See, however, Appendix B and the Fund's Statement 
of Additional Information with respect to the current state of the Mexican 
economy.


Alliance will actively manage the Fund's assets in relation to market 
conditions and general economic conditions and adjust the Fund's investments in 
an effort to best enable the Fund to achieve its investment objective. Thus, 
the percentage of the Fund's assets invested in a particular country or 
denominated in a particular currency will vary in accordance with Alliance's 
assessment of the relative yield and appreciation potential of such securities 
and the relationship of the country's currency to the U.S. Dollar. The Fund 
invests at least, and normally substantially more than, 65% of its total assets 
in Government securities. To the extent that its assets are not invested in 
Government securities, however, the Fund may invest the balance of its total 
assets in investment grade debt securities issued by the governments of 
countries located in Central and South America or any of their political 
subdivisions, agencies, instrumentalities or authorities, provided that such 
securities are denominated in their local currencies. The Fund will not invest 
more than 10% of its total assets in debt securities issued by the governmental 
entities of any one such country, except that the Fund may invest up to 25% of 
its total assets in Argentine Government securities. The Fund will normally 
invest at least 65% of its total assets in income-producing securities. 


17



For a general description of Canada, Mexico and Argentina, see Appendix B and 
the Fund's Statement of Additional Information.

Canadian Government securities include the sovereign debt of Canada or any of 
its provinces and Government of Canada bonds and Government of Canada Treasury 
bills. Canada Treasury bills are debt obligations with maturities of less than 
one year. A new issue of Government of Canada bonds frequently consists of 
several different bonds with maturities ranging from one to 25 years.

All Canadian provinces have outstanding bond issues and several provinces also 
guarantee bond issues of provincial authorities, agents and Crown corporations. 
Each new issue yield is based upon a spread from an outstanding Government of 
Canada issue of comparable term and coupon. Many Canadian municipalities, 
municipal financial authorities and Crown corporations raise funds through the 
bond market in order to finance capital expenditures. Unlike U.S. municipal 
securities, which have special tax status, Canadian municipal securities have 
the same tax status as other Canadian Government securities and trade similarly 
to such securities. The Canadian municipal market may be less liquid than the 
provincial bond market.

Canadian Government securities in which the Fund may invest include a modified 
pass-through vehicle issued pursuant to the program established under the 
National Housing Act of Canada. Certificates issued pursuant to this program 
benefit from the guarantee of the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, a 
federal Crown corporation that is (except for certain limited purposes) an 
agency of the Government of Canada whose guarantee is an unconditional 
obligation of the Government of Canada in most circumstances (similar to that 
of GNMA in the United States).

Mexican Government securities denominated and payable in the Mexican Peso 
include (i) Cetes, which are book-entry securities sold directly by the Mexican 
Government on a discount basis and with maturities that range from seven to 364 
days, (ii) Bonds, which are long-term development bonds issued directly by the 
Mexican Government with a minimum term of 364 days, and (iii) Ajustabonos, 
which are adjustable-rate bonds with a minimum three-year term issued directly 
by the Mexican Government with the face amount adjusted each quarter by the 
quarterly inflation rate.

The Fund may invest up to 25% of its total assets in Argentine Government 
securities that are denominated and payable in the Argentine Peso. Argentine 
Government securities include (i) Bono de Inversion y Crecimiento ('BIC'), 
which are investment and growth bonds issued directly by the Argentine 
Government with maturities of up to ten years, (ii) Bono de Consolidacion 
Economica ('BOCON'), which are economic consolidation bonds issued directly by 
the Argentine Government with maturities of up to ten years and (iii) Bono de 
Credito a la Exportacion ('BOCREX'), which are export credit bonds issued 
directly by the Argentine government with maturities of up to four years. To 
date, Argentine Government securities are not rated by either S&P, Moody's, 
Duff & Phelps or Fitch. Alliance, however, believes, that there are Argentine 
Government securities that are of investment grade quality.


The Fund may also (i) enter into futures contracts and purchase and write 
options on futures contracts for hedging purposes, (ii) purchase and write put 
and call options on foreign currencies, (iii) purchase or sell forward foreign 
currency exchange contracts, (iv) write covered put and call options and 
purchase put and call options on U.S. Government and foreign government 
securities traded on U.S. and foreign securities exchanges, and write put and 
call options for cross-hedging purposes, (v) enter into interest rate swaps, 
caps and floors, (vi) enter into forward commitments for the purchase or sale 
of securities, (vii) invest in variable, floating and inverse floating rate 
instruments, (viii) make secured loans of its portfolio securities, and (ix) 
enter into repurchase agreements. The Fund will not invest in illiquid 
securities if, as a result, 10% of its net assets would be so invested. For 
additional information on the use, risks and costs of these practices, see 
'Additional Investment Practices.' The Fund also maintains borrowings of 
approximately one-third of the Fund's total assets less liabilities (other than 
the amount borrowed). See 'Risk Considerations-Effects of Borrowing.'


ALLIANCE GLOBAL DOLLAR GOVERNMENT FUND
Alliance Global Dollar Government Fund, Inc. ('Global Dollar Government') seeks 
primarily a high level of current income, and secondarily capital appreciation. 
In seeking to achieve these objectives, the Fund invests at least 65% of its 
total assets in sovereign debt obligations. The Fund's investments in sovereign 
debt obligations will emphasize obligations of a type customarily referred to 
as 'Brady Bonds' that are issued as part of debt restructurings and that are 
collateralized in full as to principal due at maturity by zero coupon U.S. 
Government securities ('collateralized Brady Bonds'). See 'Additional 
Investment Practices-Brady Bonds.' The Fund may also invest up to 35% of its 
total assets in U.S. and non-U.S. corporate fixed-income securities. See 'Risk 
Considerations-U.S. Corporate Fixed-Income Securities.' The Fund will limit its 
investments in sovereign debt obligations and U.S. and non-U.S. corporate 
fixed-income securities to U.S. Dollar-denominated securities. Alliance expects 
that, based upon current market conditions, the Fund's portfolio of U.S. 
fixed-income securities will have an average maturity range of approximately 
nine to 15 years and the Fund's portfolio of non-U.S. fixed-income securities 
will have an average maturity range of approximately 15 to 25 years. Alliance 
anticipates that the Fund's portfolio of sovereign debt obligations will have a 
longer average maturity.


Substantially all of the Fund's assets will be invested in lower-rated 
securities, which may include securities having the lowest rating for 
non-subordinated debt instruments (i.e., rated C by Moody's or CCC or lower by 
S&P, Duff & Phelps and Fitch) and unrated securities of comparable investment 
quality. These securities are considered to have extremely poor prospects of 
ever attaining any real investment standing, to have a current identifiable 
vulnerability to default, to be unlikely to have the capacity to pay interest 
and repay principal when due in the 


18



event of adverse business, financial or economic conditions, and/or to be in 
default or not current in the payment of interest or principal. For a 
description of bond ratings, see Appendix A. The Fund may also invest in 
investment grade securities. Unrated securities will be considered for 
investment by the Fund when Alliance believes that the financial condition of 
the issuers of such obligations and the protection afforded by the terms of the 
obligations themselves limit the risk to the Fund to a degree comparable to 
that of rated securities which are consistent with the Fund's investment 
objectives and policies. As of August 31, 1995, the percentages of the Fund's 
assets invested in securities rated (or considered by Alliance to be of 
equivalent quality to securities rated) in particular rating categories were 3% 
in A and above, 57% in Ba or BB, 34% in B, 4% in Caa or CCC, and 2% in 
non-rated. See 'Risk Considerations-Securities Ratings,' '-Investment in 
Fixed-Income Securities Rated Baa and BBB,' '-Investment in Lower-Rated 
Fixed-Income Securities' and Appendix A.


With respect to its investments in sovereign debt obligations and non-U.S. 
corporate fixed-income securities, the Fund will emphasize investments in 
countries that are considered at the time of purchase to be emerging or 
developing countries by the World Bank. A substantial part of the Fund's 
initial investment focus is expected to be in securities or obligations of 
Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Morocco, the Philippines and Venezuela because these 
countries are now, or are expected by Alliance at a future date to be, the 
principal participants in debt restructuring programs (including, in the case 
of Argentina, Mexico, the Philippines and Venezuela, issuers of currently 
outstanding Brady Bonds) that, in Alliance's opinion, will provide the most 
attractive investment opportunities for the Fund. See Appendix A to the Fund's 
Statement of Additional Information for information about those six countries. 
Alliance anticipates that other countries that will provide initial investment 
opportunities for the Fund include, among others, Bolivia, Costa Rica, the 
Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Jordan, Nigeria, Panama, Peru, Poland, Thailand, 
Turkey and Uruguay. See 'Additional Investment Practices-Brady Bonds.'

The Fund may invest up to 30% of its total assets in the sovereign debt 
obligations and corporate fixed-income securities of issuers in any one of 
Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Morocco, the Philippines or Venezuela, each of which 
is an emerging market country, and the Fund will limit investments in the 
sovereign debt obligations of each such country (or of any other single foreign 
country) to less than 25% of its total assets. The Fund expects that it will 
not invest more than 10% of its total assets in the sovereign debt obligations 
and corporate fixed-income securities of issuers in any other single foreign 
country and is not required to invest any minimum amount of its assets in the 
securities or obligations of issuers located in any particular country.

A substantial portion of the Fund's investments will be in (i) securities which 
were initially issued at discounts from their face values ('Discount 
Obligations') and (ii) securities purchased by the Fund at a price less than 
their stated face amount or, in the case of Discount Obligations, at a price 
less than their issue price plus the portion of 'original issue discount' 
previously accrued thereon, i.e., purchased at a 'market discount.'

The Fund may also (i) invest in structured securities, (ii) invest in fixed and 
floating rate loans that are arranged through private negotiations between an 
issuer of sovereign debt obligations and one or more financial institutions and 
in participations in and assignments of these types of loans, (iii) invest in 
other investment companies, (iv) invest in warrants, (v) enter into interest 
rate swaps, caps and floors, (vi) enter into forward commitments for the 
purchase or sale of securities, (vii) make secured loans of its portfolio 
securities, (viii) enter into repurchase agreements pertaining to the types of 
securities in which it invests, (ix) use reverse repurchase agreements and 
dollar rolls, (x) enter into standby commitment agreements, (xi) make short 
sales of securities or maintain a short position, (xii) write put and call 
options on securities of the types in which it is permitted to invest and write 
call options for cross-hedging purposes, (xiii) purchase and sell 
exchange-traded options on any securities index composed of the types of 
securities in which it may invest, and (xiv) invest in variable, floating and 
inverse floating rate instruments. The Fund may also at any time, with respect 
to up to 35% of its total assets, temporarily invest funds awaiting 
reinvestment or held for reserves for dividends and other distributions to 
shareholders in U.S. Dollar-denominated money market instruments. For 
additional information on the use, risks and costs of these practices, see 
'Additional Investment Practices.' While the Fund does not currently intend to 
do so, it reserves the right to borrow an amount not to exceed one-third of the 
Fund's assets less liabilities (other than the amount borrowed). See 'Risk 
Considerations-Effects of Borrowing.'


CORPORATE BOND FUND

CORPORATE BOND PORTFOLIO
Corporate Bond Portfolio ('Corporate Bond') is a diversified investment company 
that seeks primarily to maximize income over the long term consistent with 
providing reasonable safety in the value of each shareholder's investment, and 
secondarily to increase its capital through appreciation of its investments in 
order to preserve and, if possible, increase the purchasing power of each 
shareholder's investment. In pursuing these objectives, the Fund's policy is to 
invest in readily marketable securities which give promise of relatively 
attractive yields, but which do not involve substantial risk of loss of 
capital. The Fund follows a policy of maintaining at least 65% of its net 
assets invested in debt securities. Such objectives and policies cannot be 
changed without the approval of the shareholders. Although the Fund also 
follows a policy of maintaining at least 65% of its total assets invested in 
corporate bonds, it is permitted to invest in securities of non-corporate 
issuers.

The Fund follows an investment strategy which in certain respects can be 
regarded as somewhat more aggressive than the strategies of many other funds 
investing primarily in corporate bonds. In this regard, the Fund's investment 
portfolio normally tends to have a relatively long average maturity and 
duration, and to place significant emphasis on both foreign 


19


corporate and sovereign debt obligations and corporate bonds that are expected 
to benefit from improvement in their issuers' credit fundamentals. 
Consequently, in recent years the Fund frequently has experienced greater net 
asset value volatility than most other corporate bond funds. Prospective 
investors in the Fund should therefore be prepared to accept the degree of 
volatility associated with its investment strategy. See 'Risk Considerations'.

There is no minimum rating requirement applicable to the Fund's investments in 
fixed-income securities, except the Fund expects that it will not retain a 
security that is downgraded below B, or if unrated, determined by Alliance to 
have undergone similar credit quality deterioration subsequent to purchase. 
Currently, the Fund believes its objectives and policies may best be 
implemented by investing at least 65% of its total assets in fixed-income 
securities considered investment grade or higher. The remainder of the Fund's 
assets may be invested in lower-rated fixed-income securities. See 'Risk 
Considerations-Securities Ratings,' '-Investment in Fixed-Income Securities 
Rated Baa and BBB,' '-Investment in Lower-Rated Fixed-Income Securities' and 
Appendix A. During the fiscal year ended June 30, 1995, on a weighted average 
basis, the percentages of the Fund's assets invested in securities rated (or 
considered by Alliance to be of equivalent quality to 
securities rated) in particular rating categories were 23% in A and above, 44% 
in Baa or BBB, 25% in Ba or BB, and 8% in B. The Fund did not invest in 
securities rated below B by each of Moody's, S&P, Duff & Phelps and Fitch or, 
if not rated, considered by Alliance to be of equivalent quality to securities 
so rated.

The Fund may invest up to 50% of the value of its total assets in foreign debt 
securities which will consist primarily of corporate fixed-income securities 
and sovereign debt obligations. Not more than 15% of the Fund's total assets 
may be invested in these other sovereign debt obligations, which may be lower 
rated and considered to be predominantly speculative as regards the issuer's 
capacity to pay interest and repay principal. All of the Fund's investments, 
whether foreign or domestic, are U.S. Dollar-denominated.

Within the foregoing limitations, the Fund has complete flexibility as to the 
types of securities in which it will invest and the relative proportions 
thereof, and the Fund plans to vary the proportions of its holdings of long- 
and short-term fixed-income securities and of equity securities in order to 
reflect its assessment of prospective cyclical changes even if such action 
may adversely affect current income. However, substantially all of the Fund's 
investments will be income producing. The average weighted maturity of the 
Fund's portfolio of fixed-income securities is expected to vary between one 
year or less and 30 years.

The Fund may also (i) invest in structured securities, (ii) invest in fixed and 
floating rate loans that are arranged through private negotiations between an 
issuer of sovereign debt obligations and one or more financial institutions and 
in participations in and assignments of these type of loans, (iii) for hedging 
purposes, purchase put and call options written by others and write covered put 
and call options on the types of securities in which the Fund may invest, (iv) 
for hedging purposes, enter into various hedging transactions, such as interest 
rate swaps, caps and floors, (v) invest in variable, floating and inverse 
floating rate instruments, (vi) invest in zero coupon and pay-in-kind 
securities, and (vii) invest in CMOs and multi-class pass-through. As a matter 
of fundamental policy, the Fund will not purchase illiquid securities. For 
additional information on the use, risks and costs of these practices, see 
'Additional Investment Practices.'


ADDITIONAL INVESTMENT PRACTICES

Some or all of the Funds may engage in the following investment practices to 
the extent described in this Prospectus. See the Statement of Additional 
Information of each Fund for a further discussion of the uses, risks and costs 
of engaging in these practices.

DERIVATIVES. The Funds may use derivatives in furtherance of their investment 
objectives. Derivatives are financial contracts whose value depends on, or is 
derived from, the value of an underlying asset, reference rate or index. These 
assets, rates, and indices may include bonds, stocks, mortgages, commodities, 
interest rates, currency exchange rates, bond indices and stock indices. 
Derivatives can be used to earn income or protect against risk, or both. For 
example, one party with unwanted risk may agree to pass that risk to another 
party who is willing to accept the risk, the second party being motivated, for 
example, by the desire either to earn income in the form of a fee or premium 
from the first party, or to reduce its own unwanted risk by attempting to pass 
all or part of that risk to the first party.

Derivatives can be used by investors such as the Funds to earn income and 
enhance returns, to hedge or adjust the risk profile of a portfolio, and either 
in place of more traditional direct investments or to obtain exposure to 
otherwise inaccessible markets. Each of the Funds is permitted to use 
derivatives for one or more of these purposes, although most of the Funds 
generally use derivatives primarily as direct investments in order to enhance 
yields and broaden portfolio diversification. Each of these uses entails 
greater risk than if derivatives were used solely for hedging purposes. 
Derivatives are a valuable tool which, when used properly, can provide 
significant benefit to Fund shareholders. Alliance is not an aggressive user of 
derivatives with respect to any of the Funds. However, a Fund may take a 
significant position in those derivatives that are within its investment 
policies if, in Alliance's judgement, this represents the most effective 
response to current or anticipated market conditions. The MULTI-MARKET FUNDS in 
particular generally make extensive use of carefully selected forwards and 
other derivatives to achieve the currency hedging that is an integral part of 
their investment strategy. Alliance's use of derivatives is subject to 
continuous risk assessment and control from the standpoint of each Fund's 
investment objectives and policies.

Derivatives may be (i) standardized, exchange-traded contracts or (ii) 
customized, privately negotiated contracts. Exchange-traded derivatives tend to 
be more liquid and subject to less credit risk than those that are privately 
negotiated.


20



There are four principal types of derivative instruments-options, futures, 
forwards and swaps-from which virtually any type of derivative transaction can 
be created.

 .  OPTIONS-An option, which may be standardized and exchange-traded, or 
customized and privately negotiated, is an agreement that, for a premium 
payment or fee, gives the option holder (the buyer) the right but not the 
obligation to buy or sell the underlying asset (or settle for cash an amount 
based on an underlying asset, rate or index) at a specified price (the exercise 
price) during a period of time or on a specified date. A call option entitles 
the holder to purchase, while a put option entitles the holder to sell, the 
underlying asset (or settle for cash an amount based on an underlying asset, 
rate or index). Likewise, when an option is exercised the writer of the option 
would be obligated to sell (in the case 

of a call option) or to purchase (in the case of a put option) the underlying 
asset (or settle for cash an amount based on an underlying asset, rate or 
index).

 .  FUTURES-A futures contract is an agreement that obligates the buyer to buy 
and the seller to sell a specified quantity of an underlying asset (or settle 
for cash the value of a contract based on an underlying asset, rate or index) 
at a specific price on the contract maturity date. Futures contracts are 
standardized, exchange-traded instruments and are fungible (i.e., considered to 
be perfect substitutes for each other). This fungibility allows futures 
contracts to be readily offset or cancelled through the acquisition of equal 
but opposite positions, which is the primary method in which futures contracts 
are liquidated. A cash-settled futures contract does not require physical 
delivery of the underlying asset but instead is settled for cash equal to the 
difference between the values of the contract on the date it is entered into 
and its maturity date.

 .  FORWARDS-A forward contract is an obligation by one party to buy, and the 
other party to sell, a specific quantity of an underlying commodity or other 
tangible asset for an agreed upon price at a future date. Forward contracts are 
customized, privately negotiated agreements designed to satisfy the objectives 
of each party. A forward contract usually results in the delivery of the 
underlying asset upon maturity of the contract in return for the agreed upon 
payment.

 .  SWAPS-A swap is a customized, privately negotiated agreement that obligates 
two parties to exchange a series of cash flows at specified intervals (payment 
dates) based upon or calculated by reference to changes in specified prices or 
rates (interest rates in the case of interest rate swaps, currency exchange 
rates in the case of currency swaps) for a specified amount of an underlying 
asset (the 'notional' principal amount). The payment flows are netted against 
each other, with the difference being paid by one party to the other. Except 
for currency swaps, the notional principal amount is used solely to calculate 
the payment streams but is not exchanged. With respect to currency swaps, 
actual principal amounts of currencies may be exchanged by the counterparties 
at the initiation, and again upon the termination, of the transaction.

Debt instruments that incorporate one or more of these building blocks for the 
purpose of determining the principal amount of and/or rate of interest payable 
on the debt instruments are often referred to as 'structured securities.' An 
example of this type of structured security is indexed commercial paper. The 
term is also used to describe certain securities issued in connection with the 
restructuring of certain foreign obligations. See 'Indexed Commercial Paper' 
and 'Structured Securities' below. The term 'derivative' is also sometimes used 
to describe securities involving rights to a portion of the cash flows from an 
underlying pool of mortgages or other assets from which payments are passed 
through to the owner of, or that collateralize, the securities. These 
securities are described below under 'Mortgage-Related Securities' and 'Other 
Asset-Backed Securities.'

While the judicious use of derivatives by highly experienced investment 
managers such as Alliance can be quite beneficial, derivatives also involve 
risks different from, and, in certain cases, greater than, the risks presented 
by more traditional investments. Following is a general discussion of important 
risk factors and issues concerning the use of derivatives that investors should 
understand before investing in a Fund.

 .  MARKET RISK-This is the general risk attendant to all investments that the 
value of a particular investment will change in a way detrimental to the Fund's 
interest.

 .  MANAGEMENT RISK-Derivative products are highly specialized instruments that 
require investment techniques and risk analyses different from those associated 
with stocks and bonds. The use of a derivative requires an understanding not 
only of the underlying instrument but also of the derivative itself, without 
the benefit of observing the performance of the derivative under all possible 
market conditions. In particular, the use and complexity of derivatives require 
the maintenance of adequate controls to monitor the transactions entered into, 
the ability to assess the risk that a derivative adds to a Fund's portfolio and 
the ability to forecast price, interest rate or currency exchange rate 
movements correctly.

 .  CREDIT RISK-This is the risk that a loss may be sustained by a Fund as a 
result of the failure of another party to a derivative (usually referred to as 
a 'counterparty') to comply with the terms of the derivative contract. The 
credit risk for exchange-traded derivatives is generally less than for 
privately negotiated derivatives, since the clearing house, which is the issuer 
or counterparty to each exchange-traded derivative, provides a guarantee of 
performance. This guarantee is supported by a daily payment  system (i.e., 
margin requirements) operated by the clearing house in order to reduce overall 
credit risk. For privately negotiated derivatives, there is no similar clearing 
agency guarantee. Therefore, the Funds consider the creditworthiness of each 
counterparty to a privately negotiated derivative in evaluating potential 
credit risk.

 .  LIQUIDITY RISK-Liquidity risk exists when a particular instrument is 
difficult to purchase or sell. If a derivative transaction is particularly 
large or if the relevant market is 


21



illiquid (as is the case with many privately negotiated derivatives), it may 
not be possible to initiate a transaction or liquidate a position at an 
advantageous price.

 .  LEVERAGE RISK-Since many derivatives have a leverage component, adverse 
changes in the value or level of the underlying asset, rate or index can result 
in a loss substantially greater than the amount invested in the derivative 
itself. In the case of swaps, the risk of loss generally is related to a 
notional principal amount, even if the parties have not made any initial 
investment. Certain derivatives have the potential for unlimited loss, 
regardless of the size of the initial investment.

 .  OTHER RISKS-Other risks in using derivatives include the risk of mispricing 
or improper valuation of derivatives and the 

inability of derivatives to correlate perfectly with underlying assets, rates 
and indices. Many derivatives, in particular privately negotiated derivatives, 
are complex and often valued subjectively. Improper valuations can result in 
increased cash payment requirements to counterparties or a loss of value to a 
Fund. Derivatives do not always perfectly or even highly correlate or track the 
value of the assets, rates or indices they are designed to closely track. 
Consequently, a Fund's use of derivatives may not always be an effective means 
of, and sometimes could be counterproductive to, furthering the Fund's 
investment objective.

DERIVATIVES USED BY THE FUNDS. Following is a description of specific 
derivatives currently used by one or more of the Funds.

OPTIONS ON SECURITIES. In purchasing an option on securities, a Fund would be 
in a position to realize a gain if, during the option period, the price of the 
underlying securities increased (in the case of a call) or decreased (in the 
case of a put) by an amount in excess of the premium paid; otherwise the Fund 
would experience a loss not greater than the premium paid for the option. Thus, 
a Fund would realize a loss if the price of the underlying security declined or 
remained the same (in the case of a call) or increased or remained the same (in 
the case of a put) or otherwise did not increase (in the case of a put) or 
decrease (in the case of a call) by more than the amount of the premium. If a 
put or call option purchased by a Fund were permitted to expire without being 
sold or exercised, its premium would represent a loss to the Fund.

A Fund may write a put or call option in return for a premium, which is 
retained by the Fund whether or not the option is exercised. Except with 
respect to uncovered call options written for cross-hedging purposes, none of 
the Funds will write uncovered call or put options on securities. A call option 
written by a Fund is 'covered' if the Fund owns the underlying security, has an 
absolute and immediate right to acquire that security upon conversion or 
exchange of another security it holds, or holds a call option on the underlying 
security with an exercise price equal to or less than that of the call option 
it has written. A put option written by a Fund is covered if the Fund holds a 
put option on the underlying securities with an exercise price equal to or 
greater than that of the put option it has written.

The risk involved in writing an uncovered put option is that there could be a 
decrease in the market value of the underlying securities. If this occurred, a 
Fund could be obligated to purchase the underlying security at a higher price 
than its current market value. Conversely, the risk involved in writing an 
uncovered call option is that there could be an increase in the market value of 
the underlying security, and a Fund could be obligated to acquire the 
underlying security at its current price and sell it at a lower price. The risk 
of loss from writing an uncovered put option is limited to the exercise price 
of the option, whereas the risk of loss from writing an uncovered call option 
is potentially unlimited.

A Fund may write a call option on a security that it does not own in order to 
hedge against a decline in the value of a security that it owns or has the 
right to acquire, a technique referred to as 'cross-hedging.' A Fund would 
write a call option for cross-hedging purposes, instead of writing a covered 
call option, when the premium to be received from the cross-hedge transaction 
exceeds that to be received from writing a covered call option, while at the 
same time achieving the desired hedge. The correlation risk involved in 
cross-hedging may be greater than the correlation risk involved with other 
hedging strategies.

SHORT-TERM U.S. GOVERNMENT, MORTGAGE SECURITIES INCOME, NORTH AMERICAN 
GOVERNMENT INCOME, GLOBAL DOLLAR GOVERNMENT and CORPORATE BOND generally 
purchase or write privately negotiated options on securities. A Fund that 
purchases or writes privately negotiated options on securities will effect such 
transactions only with investment dealers and other financial institutions 
(such as commercial banks or savings and loan institutions) deemed creditworthy 
by Alliance, and Alliance has adopted procedures for monitoring the 
creditworthiness of such counterparties. Privately negotiated options purchased 
or written by a Fund may be illiquid, and it may not be possible for the Fund 
to effect a closing transaction at an advantageous time. See 'Illiquid 
Securities' below. Neither MORTGAGE SECURITIES INCOME nor CORPORATE BOND will 
purchase an option on a security if, immediately thereafter, the aggregate cost 
of all outstanding options purchased by such Fund would exceed 2% of the Fund's 
total assets. Nor will either such Fund write an option if, immediately 
thereafter, the aggregate value of the Fund's portfolio securities subject to 
outstanding options would exceed 15% of the Fund's total assets.

OPTIONS ON SECURITIES INDICES. An option on a securities index is similar to an 
option on a security except that, rather than taking or making delivery of a 
security at a specified price, an option on a securities index gives the holder 
the right to receive, upon exercise of the option, an amount of cash if the 
closing level of the chosen index is greater than (in the case of a call) or 
less than (in the case of a put) the exercise price of the option.

OPTIONS ON FOREIGN CURRENCIES. A Fund invests in options on foreign currencies 
that are privately negotiated or traded on U.S. or foreign exchanges for the 
purpose of protecting against 


22



declines in the U.S. Dollar value of foreign currency denominated portfolio 
securities and against increases in the U.S. Dollar cost of securities to be 
acquired. The purchase of an option on a foreign currency may constitute an 
effective hedge against fluctuations in exchange rates, although if rates move 
adversely, a Fund may forfeit the entire amount of the premium plus related 
transaction costs.

WARRANTS. GLOBAL DOLLAR GOVERNMENT may invest in warrants, which are option 
securities permitting their holders to subscribe for other securities. GLOBAL 
DOLLAR GOVERNMENT may invest in warrants for debt securities or for equity 
securities that are acquired in connection with debt instruments. Warrants do 
not carry with them dividend or voting rights with respect to the underlying 
securities, or any rights in the assets of the issuer. As a result, an 
investment in warrants may be 

considered more speculative than certain other types of investments. In 
addition, the value of a warrant does not necessarily change with the value of 
the underlying securities, and a warrant ceases to have value if it is not 
exercised prior to its expiration date.

FUTURES CONTRACTS AND OPTIONS ON FUTURES CONTRACTS. Futures contracts that a 
Fund may buy and sell may include futures contracts on fixed-income or other 
securities or foreign currencies, and contracts based on interest rates or 
financial indices, including any index of U.S. Government securities, foreign 
government securities or corporate debt securities.

Options on futures contracts are options that call for the delivery upon 
exercise of futures contracts. Options on futures contracts written or 
purchased by a Fund will be traded on U.S. or foreign exchanges and, except 
with respect to SHORT-TERM U.S. GOVERNMENT, will be used only for hedging 
purposes.


LIMITED MATURITY GOVERNMENT, WORLD INCOME, SHORT-TERM MULTI-MARKET, 
MULTI-MARKET STRATEGY and NORTH AMERICAN GOVERNMENT INCOME will not enter into 
a futures contract or option on a futures contract if immediately thereafter 
the market values of the outstanding futures contracts of the Fund and the 
currencies and futures contracts subject to outstanding options written by the 
Fund would exceed 50% of its total assets. Nor will LIMITED MATURITY 
GOVERNMENT, MORTGAGE SECURITIES INCOME, WORLD INCOME, SHORT-TERM MULTI-MARKET, 
MULTI-MARKET STRATEGY or NORTH AMERICAN GOVERNMENT INCOME do so if immediately 
thereafter the aggregate of initial margin deposits on all the outstanding 
futures contracts of the Fund and premiums paid on outstanding options on 
futures contracts would exceed 5% of the market value of the total assets of 
the Fund. In addition, MORTGAGE SECURITIES INCOME will not enter into (i) any 
futures contract other than one on fixed-income securities or based on interest 
rates, (ii) any futures contract if immediately thereafter the sum of the then 
aggregate futures market prices of financial instruments required to be 
delivered under open futures contract sales and the aggregate futures market 
prices of instruments required to be delivered under open futures contract 
purchases would exceed 30% of the value of the Fund's total assets, or (iii) 
options on futures contracts.



EURODOLLAR INSTRUMENTS. Eurodollar instruments are essentially U.S. 
Dollar-denominated futures contracts or options thereon that are linked to 
LIBOR. Eurodollar futures contracts enable purchasers to obtain a fixed rate 
for the lending of funds and sellers to obtain a fixed rate for borrowings. 
LIMITED MATURITY GOVERNMENT intends to use Eurodollar futures contracts and 
options thereon to hedge against changes in LIBOR (to which many short-term 
borrowings and floating rate securities in which the Fund invests are linked).


FORWARD FOREIGN CURRENCY EXCHANGE CONTRACTS. Each Fund that purchases or sells 
forward contracts on foreign currencies ('forward contracts') attempts to 
minimize the risk to it from adverse changes in the relationship between the 
U.S. Dollar and other currencies. A Fund may enter into a forward contract, for 
example, when it enters into a contract for the purchase or sale of a security 
denominated in a foreign currency in order to 'lock in' the U.S. Dollar price 
of the security ('transaction hedge'). When a Fund believes that a foreign 
currency may suffer a substantial decline against the U.S. Dollar, it may enter 
into a forward sale contract to sell an amount of that foreign currency 
approximating the value of some or all of the Fund's portfolio securities 
denominated in such foreign currency, or when the Fund believes that the U.S. 
Dollar may suffer a substantial decline against a foreign currency, it may 
enter into a forward purchase contract to buy that foreign currency for a fixed 
dollar amount ('position hedge'). Instead of entering into a position hedge, a 
Fund may, in the alternative, enter into a forward contract to sell a different 
foreign currency for a fixed U.S. Dollar amount where the Fund believes that 
the U.S. Dollar value of the currency to be sold pursuant to the forward 
contract will fall whenever there is a decline in the U.S. Dollar value of the 
currency in which portfolio securities of the Fund are denominated 
('cross-hedge').

FORWARD COMMITMENTS. Forward commitments are forward contracts for the purchase 
or sale of securities, including purchases on a 'when-issued' basis or 
purchases or sales on a 'delayed delivery' basis. In some cases, a forward 
commitment may be conditioned upon the occurrence of a subsequent event, such 
as approval and consummation of a merger, corporate reorganization or debt 
restructuring or approval of a proposed financing by appropriate authorities 
(i.e., a 'when, as and if issued' trade).

When forward commitments with respect to fixed-income securities are 
negotiated, the price, which is generally expressed in yield terms, is fixed at 
the time the commitment is made, but payment for and delivery of the securities 
take place at a later date. Normally, the settlement date occurs within two 
months after the transaction, but settlements beyond two months may be 
negotiated. Securities purchased or sold under a forward commitment are subject 
to market fluctuation, and no interest or dividends accrues to the purchaser 
prior to the settlement date. At the time a Fund enters into a forward 
commitment, it records the transaction and thereafter reflects the value of the 
security purchased or, if a sale, the proceeds to be received, in determining 
its net asset value. Any unrealized appreciation or 


23



depreciation reflected in such valuation would be canceled if the required 
conditions did not occur and the trade were canceled.


The use of forward commitments helps a Fund to protect against anticipated 
changes in interest rates and prices. For instance, in periods of rising 
interest rates and falling bond prices, a Fund might sell securities in its 
portfolio on a forward commitment basis to limit its exposure to falling bond 
prices. In periods of falling interest rates and rising bond prices, a Fund 
might sell a security in its portfolio and purchase the same or a similar 
security on a when-issued or forward commitment basis, thereby obtaining the 
benefit of currently higher cash yields. No forward commitments will be made by 
LIMITED MATURITY GOVERNMENT, NORTH AMERICAN GOVERNMENT INCOME or GLOBAL DOLLAR 
GOVERNMENT if, as a result, the Fund's aggregate forward commitments under such 
transactions would be more than 30% of its total assets.


A Fund's right to receive or deliver a security under a forward commitment may 
be sold prior to the settlement date. The Funds enter into forward commitments, 
however, only with the intention of actually receiving securities or delivering 
them, as the case may be. If a Fund, however, chooses to dispose of the right 
to acquire a when-issued security prior to its acquisition or dispose of its 
right to deliver or receive against a forward commitment, it may incur a gain 
or loss.

INTEREST RATE TRANSACTIONS (SWAPS, CAPS AND FLOORS). Each Fund that may enter 
into interest rate swap, cap or floor transactions expects to do so primarily 
for hedging purposes, which may include preserving a return or spread on a 
particular investment or portion of its portfolio or protecting against an 
increase in the price of securities the Fund anticipates purchasing at a later 
date. The Funds do not intend to use these transactions in a speculative manner.

Interest rate swaps involve the exchange by a Fund with another party of their 
respective commitments to pay or receive interest (e.g., an exchange of 
floating rate payments for fixed rate payments) computed based on a 
contractually-based principal (or 'notional') amount. Interest rate swaps are 
entered into on a net basis (i.e., the two payment streams are netted out, with 
the Fund receiving or paying, as the case may be, only the net amount of the 
two payments). Interest rate caps and floors are similar to options in that the 
purchase of an interest rate cap or floor entitles the purchaser, to the extent 
that a specified index exceeds (in the case of a cap) or falls below (in the 
case of a floor) a predetermined interest rate, to receive payments of interest 
on a notional amount from the party selling the interest rate cap or floor. A 
Fund may enter into interest rate swaps, caps and floors on either an 
asset-based or liability-based basis, depending upon whether it is hedging its 
assets or liabilities.


There is no limit on the amount of interest rate transactions that may be 
entered into by a Fund that is permitted to enter into such transactions. 
SHORT-TERM MULTI-MARKET, MULTI-MARKET STRATEGY and NORTH AMERICAN GOVERNMENT 
INCOME may enter into interest rate swaps involving payments to the same 
currency or in different currencies. SHORT-TERM U.S. GOVERNMENT, LIMITED 
MATURITY GOVERNMENT, MORTGAGE SECURITIES INCOME, GLOBAL DOLLAR GOVERNMENT and 
CORPORATE BOND will not enter into an interest rate swap, cap or floor 
transaction unless the unsecured senior debt or the claims-paying ability of 
the other party thereto is then rated in the highest rating category of at 
least one nationally recognized rating organization. Each of SHORT-TERM 
MULTI-MARKET, MULTI-MARKET STRATEGY and NORTH AMERICAN GOVERNMENT INCOME will 
enter into interest rate swap, cap or floor transactions with its respective 
custodian, and with other counterparties, but only if: (i) for transactions 
with maturities under one year, such other counterparty has outstanding prime 
commercial paper; or (ii) for transactions with maturities greater than one 
year, the counterparty has outstanding high quality debt securities.

The swap market has grown substantially in recent years, with a large number of 
banks and investment banking firms acting both as principals and as agents 
utilizing standardized swap documentation. As a result, the swap market has 
become well established and relatively liquid. Caps and floors are less liquid 
than swaps. These transactions do not involve the delivery of securities or 
other underlying assets or principal. Accordingly, unless there is a 
counterparty default, the risk of loss to a Fund from interest rate 
transactions is limited to the net amount of interest payments that the Fund is 
contractually obligated to make.



STANDBY COMMITMENT AGREEMENTS. Standby commitment agreements are similar to put 
options that commit a Fund, for a stated period of time, to purchase a stated 
amount of a security that may be issued and sold to the Fund at the option of 
the issuer. The price and coupon of the security are fixed at the time of the 
commitment. At the time of entering into the agreement, the Fund is paid a 
commitment fee regardless of whether the security ultimately is issued. The 
Funds will enter into such agreements only for the purpose of investing in the 
security underlying the commitment at a yield and price considered advantageous 
and unavailable on a firm commitment basis. No Fund will enter into a standby 
commitment with a remaining term in excess of 45 days. The Funds will limit 
their investments in standby commitments so that the aggregate purchase price 
of the securities subject to the commitments does not exceed 20% of their 
respective assets.


There is no guarantee that the security subject to a standby commitment will be 
issued. In addition, the value of the security, if issued, on the delivery date 
may be more or less than its purchase price. Since the issuance of the security 
is at the option of the issuer, a Fund will bear the risk of capital loss in 
the event the value of the security declines and may not benefit from an 
appreciation in the value of the security during the commitment period if the 
issuer decides not to issue and sell the security to the Fund.

INDEXED COMMERCIAL PAPER. Indexed commercial paper may have its principal 
linked to changes in foreign currency 


24



exchange rates whereby its principal amount is adjusted upwards or downwards 
(but not below zero) at maturity to reflect changes in the referenced exchange 
rate. Each Fund that invests in such commercial paper may do so without 
limitation. A Fund will receive interest and principal payments on such 
commercial paper in the currency in which such commercial paper is denominated, 
but the amount of principal payable by the issuer at maturity will change in 
proportion to the change (if any) in the exchange rate between the two 
specified currencies between the date the instrument is issued and the date 
the instrument matures. While such commercial paper entails the risk of loss 
of principal, the potential for realizing gains as a result of changes in 
foreign currency exchange rates enables a Fund to hedge (or cross-hedge) 
against a decline in the U.S. Dollar value of investments denominated in 
foreign currencies while providing an attractive money market rate of return. 
A Fund will purchase such commercial paper for hedging purposes only, not for 
speculation.

U.S. GOVERNMENT SECURITIES. U.S. Government securities may be backed by the 
full faith and credit of the United States, supported only by the right of the 
issuer to borrow from the U.S. Treasury or backed only by the credit of the 
issuing agency itself. These securities include:



(I)  the following U.S. Treasury securities, which are backed 
by the full faith and credit of the United States and differ only in their 
interest rates, maturities and times of issuance: U.S. Treasury bills 
(maturities of one year or less with no interest paid and hence issued at a 
discount and repaid at full face value upon maturity), U.S. Treasury notes 
(maturities of one to ten years with interest payable every six months) and 
U.S. Treasury bonds (generally maturities of greater than ten years with 
interest payable every six months);



(ii)  obligations issued or guaranteed by U.S. Government agencies and 
instrumentalities that are supported by the full faith and credit of the U.S. 
Government, such as securities issued by GNMA, the Farmers Home Administration, 
the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Export-Import Bank, the 
General Services Administration and the Small Business Administration; and



(iii)  obligations issued or guaranteed by U.S. Government agencies and 
instrumentalities that are not supported by the full faith and credit of the 
U.S. Government, such as securities issued by FNMA and FHLMC, and governmental 
CMOs.



The maturities of the U.S. Government securities listed in paragraphs (i) and 
(ii) above usually range from three months to 30 years. Such securities, except 
GNMA certificates, normally provide for periodic payments of interest in fixed 
amounts with principal payments at maturity or specified call dates. For 
information regarding GNMA, FNMA and FHLMC certificates and CMOs, see 
'Mortgage-Related Securities' below.



U.S. Government securities also include zero coupon securities and 
principal-only securities and certain SMRS. In addition, other U.S. Government 
agencies and instrumentalities have issued stripped securities that are similar 
to SMRS. Such securities include those that are issued with an IO class and a 
PO class. See 'Mortgage-Related Securities' below and 'Zero Coupon and 
Principal-Only Securities' below. Although these stripped securities are 
purchased and sold by institutional investors through several investment 
banking firms acting as brokers or dealers, these securities were only recently 
developed. As a result, established trading markets have not yet developed and, 
accordingly, these securities may be illiquid.



Guarantees of securities by the U.S. Government or its agencies or 
instrumentalities guarantee only the payment of principal and interest on the 
securities, and do not guarantee the securities' yield or value or the yield or 
value of the shares of a Fund that holds the securities.



U.S. Government securities are considered among the safest of fixed-income 
investments. As a result, however, their yields are generally lower than the 
yields available from other fixed-income securities.


MORTGAGE-RELATED SECURITIES. The mortgage-related securities in which a Fund 
may invest typically are securities representing interests in pools of mortgage 
loans made to home owners. The mortgage loan pools may be assembled for sale to 
investors (such as a Fund) by governmental or private organizations. 
Mortgage-related securities issued by GNMA are backed by the full faith and 
credit of the United States; those issued by FNMA and FHLMC are not so backed. 
Mortgage-related securities bear interest at either a fixed rate or an 
adjustable rate determined by reference to an index rate. Mortgage-related 
securities frequently provide for monthly payments that consist of both 
interest and principal, unlike more traditional debt securities, which normally 
do not provide for periodic repayments of principal.

Securities representing interests in pools created by private issuers generally 
offer a higher rate of interest than securities representing interests in pools 
created by governmental issuers because there are no direct or indirect 
governmental guarantees of the underlying mortgage payments. However, private 
issuers sometimes obtain committed loan facilities, lines of credit, letters of 
credit, surety bonds or other forms of liquidity and credit enhancement to 
support the timely payment of interest and principal with respect to their 
securities if the borrowers on the underlying mortgages fail to make their 
mortgage payments. The ratings of such non-governmental securities are 
generally dependent upon the ratings of the providers of such liquidity and 
credit support and would be adversely affected if the rating of such an 
enhancer were downgraded. A Fund may buy mortgage-related securities without 
credit enhancement if the securities meet the Fund's investment standards. 
Although the market for mortgage-related securities is becoming increasingly 
liquid, those of certain private organizations may not be readily marketable.


25



One type of mortgage-related security is of the 'pass-through' variety. The 
holder of a pass-through security is considered to own an undivided beneficial 
interest in the underlying pool of mortgage loans and receives a pro rata share 
of the monthly payments made by the borrowers on their mortgage loans, net of 
any fees paid to the issuer or guarantor of the securities. Prepayments of 
mortgages resulting from the sale, refinancing or foreclosure of the underlying 
properties are also paid to the holders of these securities, which, as 
discussed below, frequently causes these securities to experience significantly 
greater price and yield volatility than experienced by traditional fixed-income 
securities. Some mortgage-related securities, such as securities issued by 
GNMA, are referred to as 'modified pass-through' securities. The holders of 
these securities are entitled to the full and timely payment of principal and 
interest, net of certain fees, regardless of 

whether payments are actually made on the underlying mortgages. Another form of 
mortgage-related security is a 'pay-through' security, which is a debt 
obligation of the issuer secured by a pool of mortgage loans pledged as 
collateral that is legally required to be paid by the issuer regardless of 
whether payments are actually made on the underlying mortgages.

Collateralized mortgage obligations (CMOs) are the predominant type of 
'pay-through' mortgage-related security. In a CMO, a series of bonds or 
certificates is issued in multiple classes. Each class of a CMO, often referred 
to as a 'tranche,' is issued at a specific coupon rate and has a stated 
maturity or final distribution date. Principal prepayments on collateral 
underlying a CMO may cause it to be retired substantially earlier than the 
stated maturities or final distribution dates. The principal and interest on 
the underlying mortgages may be allocated among several classes of a series of 
a CMO in many ways. In a common structure, payments of principal, including any 
principal prepayments, on the underlying mortgages are applied to the classes 
of the series of a CMO in the order of their respective stated maturities or 
final distribution dates, so that no payment of principal will be made on any 
class of a CMO until all other classes having an earlier stated maturity or 
final distribution date have been paid in full. One or more tranches of a CMO 
may have coupon rates that reset periodically, or 'float', at a specified 
increment over an index such as LIBOR. Floating-rate CMOs may be backed by 
fixed or adjustable rate mortgages. To date, fixed-rate mortgages have been 
more commonly utilized for this purpose. Floating-rate CMOs are typically 
issued with lifetime caps on the coupon rate thereon. These caps, similar to 
the caps on adjustable-rate mortgages described below, represent a ceiling 
beyond which the coupon rate on a floating-rate CMO may not be increased 
regardless of increases in the interest rate index to which the floating-rate 
CMO is tied. The collateral securing the CMOs may consist of a pool of 
mortgages, but may also consist of mortgage-backed bonds or pass-through 
securities. CMOs may be issued by a U.S. Government instrumentality or agency 
or by a private issuer. Although payment of the principal of, and interest on, 
the underlying collateral securing privately issued CMOs may be guaranteed by 
GNMA, FNMA or FHLMC, these CMOs represent obligations solely of the private 
issuer and are not insured or guaranteed by GNMA, FNMA, FHLMC, any other 
governmental agency or any other person or entity.

Another type of mortgage-related security, known as adjustable-rate mortgage 
securities (ARMS), bears interest at a rate determined by reference to a 
predetermined interest rate or index. There are two main categories of rates or 
indices: (i) rates based on the yield on U.S. Treasury securities and (ii) 
indices derived from a calculated measure such as a cost of funds index or a 
moving average of mortgage rates. Some rates and indices closely mirror changes 
in market interest rate levels, while others tend to lag changes in market rate 
levels and tend to be somewhat less volatile.

ARMS may be secured by adjustable-rate mortgages or fixed-rate mortgages. ARMS 
secured by fixed-rate mortgages generally have lifetime caps on the coupon 
rates of the securities. To the extent that general interest rates increase 
faster than the interest rates on the ARMS, these ARMS will decline in value. 
The adjustable-rate mortgages that secure ARMS will frequently have caps that 
limit the maximum amount by which the interest rate or the monthly principal 
and interest payments on the mortgages may increase. These payment caps can 
result in negative amortization (i.e., an increase in the balance of the 
mortgage loan). Furthermore, since many adjustable-rate mortgages only reset on 
an annual basis, the values of ARMS tend to fluctuate to the extent that 
changes in prevailing interest rates are not immediately reflected in the 
interest rates payable on the underlying adjustable-rate mortgages.

Stripped mortgage-related securities (SMRS) are mortgage-related securities 
that are usually structured with two classes of securities collateralized by a 
pool of mortgages or a pool of mortgaged-backed bonds or pass-through 
securities, with each class receiving different proportions of the principal 
and interest payments from the underlying assets. A common type of SMRS has one 
class of interest-only securities (IOs) receiving all of the interest payments 
from the underlying assets, while the other class of securities, principal-only 
securities (POs), receives all of the principal payments from the underlying 
assets. IOs and POs are extremely sensitive to interest rate changes and are 
more volatile than mortgage-related securities that are not stripped. IOs tend 
to decrease in value as interest rates decrease, while POs generally increase 
in value as interest rates decrease. If prepayments of the underlying mortgages 
are greater than anticipated, the amount of interest earned on the overall pool 
will decrease due to the decreasing principal balance of the assets. Changes in 
the values of IOs and POs can be substantial and occur quickly, such as 
occurred in the first half of 1994 when the value of many POs dropped 
precipitously due to increases in interest rates. For this reason, none of the 
Funds relies on IOs and POs as the principal means of furthering its investment 
objective.

The value of mortgage-related securities is affected by a number of factors. 
Unlike traditional debt securities, which 


26



have fixed maturity dates, mortgage-related securities may be paid earlier 
than expected as a result of prepayment of the underlying mortgages. If 
property owners make unscheduled prepayments of their mortgage loans, these 
prepayments will result in the early payment of the applicable mortgage-related 
securities. In that event a Fund may be unable to invest the proceeds from the 
early payment of the mortgage-related securities in an investment that provides 
as high a yield as the mortgage-related securities. Consequently, early payment 
associated with mortgage-related securities causes these securities to 
experience significantly greater price and yield volatility than experienced by 
traditional fixed-income securities. The occurrence of mortgage prepayments 
is affected by the level of general interest rates, general economic conditions 
and other social and demographic factors. During periods of falling interest 
rates, the rate of mortgage prepayments tends to increase, thereby tending to 
decrease the life of mortgage-related securities. During periods of rising 
interest rates, the rate of mortgage prepayments usually decreases, thereby 
tending to increase the life of mortgage-related securities. If the life of a 
mortgage-related security is inaccurately predicted, a Fund may not be able 
to realize the rate of return it expected.

As with fixed-income securities generally, the value of mortgage-related 
securities can also be adversely affected by increases in general interest 
rates relative to the yield provided by such securities. Such adverse effect is 
especially possible with fixed-rate mortgage securities. If the yield available 
on other investments rises above the yield of the fixed-rate mortgage 
securities as a result of general increases in interest rate levels, the value 
of the mortgage-related securities will decline. Although the negative effect 
could be lessened if the mortgage-related securities were to be paid earlier 
(thus permitting a Fund to reinvest the prepayment proceeds in investments 
yielding the higher current interest rate), as described above the rate of 
mortgage prepayments and early payment of mortgage-related securities generally 
tends to decline during a period of rising interest rates.

Although the value of ARMS may not be affected by rising interest rates as much 
as the value of fixed-rate mortgage securities is affected by rising interest 
rates, ARMS may still decline in value as a result of rising interest rates. 
Although, as described above, the yield on ARMS varies with changes in the 
applicable interest rate or index, there is often a lag between increases in 
general interest rates and increases in the yield on ARMS as a result of 
relatively infrequent interest rate reset dates. In addition, adjustable-rate 
mortgages and ARMS often have interest rate or payment caps that limit the 
ability of the adjustable-rate mortgages or ARMS to fully reflect increases in 
the general level of interest rates.


OTHER ASSET-BACKED SECURITIES. The securitization techniques used to develop 
mortgage-related securities are being applied to a broad range of financial 
assets. Through the use of trusts and special purpose corporations, various 
types of assets, including automobile loans and leases, credit card 
receivables, home equity loans, equipment leases and trade receivables, are 
being securitized in structures similar to the structures used in mortgage 
securitizations. These asset-backed securities are subject to risks associated 
with changes in interest rates and prepayment of underlying obligations similar 
to the risks of investment in mortgage-related securities discussed above.

Each type of asset-backed security also entails unique risks depending on the 
type of assets involved and the legal structure used. For example, credit card 
receivables are generally unsecured obligations of the credit card holder and 
the debtors are entitled to the protection of a number of state and federal 
consumer credit laws, many of which give such debtors the right to set off 
certain amounts owed on the credit cards, thereby reducing the balance due. 
There have also been proposals to cap the interest rate that a credit card 
issuer may charge. In some transactions, the value of the asset-backed security 
is dependent on the performance of a third party acting as credit enhancer or 
servicer. Furthermore, in some transactions (such as those involving the 
securitization of vehicle loans or leases) it may be administratively 
burdensome to perfect the interest of the security issuer in the underlying 
collateral and the underlying collateral may become damaged or stolen.


ZERO COUPON AND PRINCIPAL-ONLY SECURITIES. Zero coupon securities and 
principal-only (PO) securities are debt securities that have been issued 
without interest coupons or stripped of their unmatured interest coupons, and 
include receipts or certificates representing interests in such stripped debt 
obligations and coupons. Such a security pays no interest to its holder during 
its life. Its value to an investor consists of the difference between its face 
value at the time of maturity and the price for which it was acquired, which is 
generally an amount significantly less than its face value. Such securities 
usually trade at a deep discount from their face or par value and are subject 
to greater fluctuations in market value in response to changing interest rates 
than debt obligations of comparable maturities and credit quality that make 
current distributions of interest. On the other hand, because there are no 
periodic interest payments to be reinvested prior to maturity, these securities 
eliminate reinvestment risk and 'lock in' a rate of return to maturity.

Zero coupon Treasury securities are U.S. Treasury bills issued without interest 
coupons. Principal-only Treasury securities are U.S. Treasury notes and bonds 
that have been stripped of their unmatured interest coupons, and receipts or 
certificates representing interests in such stripped debt obligations and 
coupons. Currently the only U.S. Treasury security issued without coupons is 
the Treasury bill. Although the U.S. Treasury does not itself issue Treasury 
notes and bonds without coupons, under the U.S. Treasury STRIPS program 
interest and principal payments on certain long-term Treasury securities may be 
maintained separately in the Federal Reserve book entry system and may be 
separately traded and owned. In addition, in the last few years a number of 
banks and brokerage firms have separated ('stripped') the principal portions 
from the coupon 


27



portions of U.S. Treasury bonds and notes and sold them separately in the form 
of receipts or certificates representing undivided interests in these 
instruments (which instruments are generally held by a bank in a custodial or 
trust account). The staff of the Commission has indicated that, in its view, 
these receipts or certificates should be considered as securities issued by 
the bank or brokerage firm involved and, therefore, should not be included in 
a Fund's categorization of U.S. Government securities. The Funds disagree 
with the staff's position but will not treat such securities as U.S. 
Government securities until final resolution of the issue.

Current federal tax law requires that a holder (such as a Fund) of a zero 
coupon security accrue a portion of the discount at which the security was 
purchased as income each year even though the holder receives no interest 
payment in cash on the security during the year. As a result, in order to make 
the 

distributions necessary for a Fund not to be subject to federal income or 
excise taxes, the Fund might be required to pay out as an income distribution 
each year an amount, obtained by liquidation of portfolio securities or 
borrowings if necessary, greater than the total amount of cash that the Fund 
has actually received as interest during the year. Each Fund believes, however, 
that it is highly unlikely that it would be necessary to liquidate portfolio 
securities or borrow money in order to make such required distributions or to 
meet its investment objective. For a discussion of the tax treatment of zero 
coupon Treasury securities, see 'Dividends, Distributions and Taxes-Zero Coupon 
Treasury Securities' in the Statement of Additional Information of each Fund 
that is permitted to invest in such securities.

CORPORATE BOND may also invest in 'pay-in-kind' debentures (i.e., debt 
obligations the interest on which may be paid in the form of obligations of the 
same type rather than cash), which have characteristics similar to zero coupon 
securities.


VARIABLE, FLOATING AND INVERSE FLOATING RATE INSTRUMENTS. Fixed-income 
securities may have fixed, variable or floating rates of interest. Variable and 
floating rate securities pay interest at rates that are adjusted periodically, 
according to a specified formula. A 'variable' interest rate adjusts at 
predetermined intervals (e.g., daily, weekly or monthly), while a 'floating' 
interest rate adjusts whenever a specified benchmark rate (such as the bank 
prime lending rate) changes.


A Fund may invest in fixed-income securities that pay interest at a coupon rate 
equal to a base rate, plus additional interest for a certain period of time if 
short-term interest rates rise above a predetermined level or 'cap.' The amount 
of such an additional interest payment typically is calculated under a formula 
based on a short-term interest rate index multiplied by a designated factor.

Leveraged inverse floating rate debt instruments are sometimes known as inverse 
floaters. The interest rate on an inverse floater resets in the opposite 
direction from the market rate of interest to which the inverse floater is 
indexed. An inverse floater may be considered to be leveraged to the extent 
that its interest rate varies by a magnitude that exceeds the magnitude of the 
change in the index rate of interest. The higher degree of leverage inherent in 
inverse floaters is associated with greater volatility in market value, such 
that, during periods of rising interest rates, the market values of inverse 
floaters will tend to decrease more rapidly than those of fixed rate securities.

STRUCTURED SECURITIES. Structured securities in which GLOBAL DOLLAR GOVERNMENT 
and CORPORATE BOND may invest represent interests in entities organized and 
operated solely for the purpose of restructuring the investment characteristics 
of sovereign debt obligations, with respect to GLOBAL DOLLAR GOVERNMENT, or 
foreign government securities, with respect to CORPORATE BOND. This type of 
restructuring involves the deposit with or purchase by an entity, such as a 
corporation or trust, of specified instruments (such as commercial bank loans 
or Brady Bonds) and the issuance by that entity of one or more classes of 
structured securities backed by, or representing interests in, the underlying 
instruments. The cash flow on the underlying instruments may be apportioned 
among the newly issued structured securities to create securities with 
different investment characteristics such as varying maturities, payment 
priorities and interest rate provisions, and the extent of the payments made 
with respect to structured securities is dependent on the extent of the cash 
flow on the underlying instruments. Because structured securities typically 
involve no credit enhancement, their credit risk generally will be equivalent 
to that of the underlying instruments. Structured securities of a given class 
may be either subordinated or unsubordinated to the right of payment of another 
class. Subordinated structured securities typically have higher yields and 
present greater risks than unsubordinated structured securities. GLOBAL DOLLAR 
GOVERNMENT may invest up to 25% of its total assets, and CORPORATE BOND may 
invest without limit, in these types of structured securities.

LOAN PARTICIPATIONS AND ASSIGNMENTS. A Fund's investments in loans are expected 
in most instances to be in the form of participations in loans and assignments 
of all or a portion of loans from third parties. A Fund's investment in loan 
participations typically will result in the Fund having a contractual 
relationship only with the lender and not with the borrower. A Fund will 
acquire participations only if the lender interpositioned between the Fund and 
the borrower is a lender having total assets of more than $25 billion and whose 
senior unsecured debt is rated investment grade or higher. When a Fund 
purchases a loan assignment from a lender it will acquire direct rights against 
the borrower on the loan. Because loan assignments are arranged through private 
negotiations between potential assignees and potential assignors, however, the 
rights and obligations acquired by a Fund as the purchaser of an assignment may 
differ from, and be more limited than, those held by the assigning lender. The 
assignability of certain sovereign debt obligations, with respect to GLOBAL 
DOLLAR GOVERNMENT, or foreign government securities, with respect to CORPORATE 
BOND, is restricted by the governing documentation as to the nature of the 
assignee such that the only way in 


28



which the Fund may acquire an interest in a loan is through a participation and 
not an assignment. A Fund may have difficulty disposing of assignments and 
participations because to do so it will have to assign such securities to a 
third party. Because there is no liquid market for such securities, such 
securities can probably be sold only to a limited number of institutional 
investors. The lack of a liquid secondary market may have an adverse effect on 
the value of such securities and a Fund's ability to dispose of particular 
assignments or participations when necessary to meet its liquidity needs in 
response to a specific economic event such as a deterioration in the 
creditworthiness of the borrower. The lack of a liquid secondary market for 
assignments and participations also may make it more difficult for the Fund to 
assign a value to these securities for purposes of valuing the Fund's portfolio 
and calculating its net asset value.

GLOBAL DOLLAR GOVERNMENT may invest up to 25%, and CORPORATE BOND may invest up 
to 15%, of their total assets, in loan participations and assignments. The 
government that is the borrower on the loan will be considered by a Fund to be 
the issuer of a loan participation or assignment for purposes of its 
fundamental investment policy that it may not invest 25% or more of its total 
assets in securities of issuers conducting their principal business activities 
in the same industry (i.e., foreign government).

BRADY BONDS. Brady Bonds are created through the exchange of existing 
commercial bank loans to foreign entities for new obligations in connection 
with debt restructurings under a plan introduced by former U.S. Secretary of 
the Treasury, Nicholas F. Brady (the 'Brady Plan'). Brady Bonds have been 
issued only recently, and, accordingly, do not have a long payment history. 
They may be collateralized or uncollateralized and issued in various currencies 
(although most are U.S. Dollar-denominated) and they are actively traded in the 
over-the-counter secondary market.

U.S. Dollar-denominated, collateralized Brady Bonds, which may be fixed-rate 
par bonds or floating rate discount bonds, are generally collateralized in full 
as to principal due at maturity by U.S. Treasury zero coupon obligations that 
have the same maturity as the Brady Bonds. Interest payments on these Brady 
Bonds generally are collateralized by cash or securities in an amount that, in 
the case of fixed rate bonds, is equal to at least one year of rolling interest 
payments based on the applicable interest rate at that time and is adjusted at 
regular intervals thereafter. Certain Brady Bonds are entitled to 'value 
recovery payments' in certain circumstances, which in effect constitute 
supplemental interest payments but generally are not collateralized. Brady 
Bonds are often viewed as having up to four valuation components: (i) 
collateralized repayment of principal at final maturity, (ii) collateralized 
interest payments, (iii) uncollateralized interest payments, and (iv) any 
uncollateralized repayment of principal at maturity (these uncollateralized 
amounts constitute the 'residual risk'). In the event of a default with respect 
to collateralized Brady Bonds as a result of which the payment obligations of 
the issuer are accelerated, the U.S. Treasury zero coupon obligations held as 
collateral for the payment of principal will not be distributed to investors, 
nor will such obligations be sold and the proceeds distributed. The collateral 
will be held by the collateral agent to the scheduled maturity of the defaulted 
Brady Bonds, which will continue to be outstanding, at which time the face 
amount of the collateral will equal the principal payments that would have then 
been due on the Brady Bonds in the normal course. In addition, in light of the 
residual risk of Brady Bonds and, among other factors, the history of defaults 
with respect to commercial bank loans by public and private entities of 
countries issuing Brady Bonds, investments in Brady Bonds are to be viewed as 
speculative.

CONVERTIBLE SECURITIES. Convertible securities include bonds, debentures, 
corporate notes and preferred stocks that are convertible into common stock. 
Prior to conversion, convertible securities have the same general 
characteristics as non-convertible debt securities, which provide a stable 
stream of income with generally higher yields than those of equity securities 
of the same or similar issuers. The price of a convertible security will 
normally vary with changes in the price of the underlying stock, although the 
higher yield tends to make the convertible security less volatile than the 
underlying common stock. As with debt securities, the market value of 
convertible securities tends to decline as interest rates increase and increase 
as interest rates decline. While convertible securities generally offer lower 
interest or dividend yields than non-convertible debt securities of similar 
quality, they enable investors to benefit from increases in the market price of 
the underlying common stock. Convertible debt securities that are rated Baa or 
lower by Moody's or BBB or lower by S&P, Duff & Phelps or Fitch and comparable 
unrated securities may share some or all of the risks of debt securities with 
those ratings. For a description of these risks, see 'Risk 
Considerations-Investment in Lower-Rated Fixed-Income Securities.'

SHORT SALES. A short sale is effected by selling a security that a Fund does 
not own, or if the Fund owns the security, it is not to be delivered upon 
consummation of the sale. A short sale is 'against the box' if a Fund owns or 
has the right to obtain without payment securities identical to those sold 
short. SHORT-TERM U.S. GOVERNMENT and GLOBAL DOLLAR GOVERNMENT each may make 
short sales only against the box and only for the purpose of deferring 
realization of gain or loss for U.S. federal income tax purposes. In addition, 
each of these Funds may not make a short sale if, as a result, more than 10% of 
net assets (taken at market value), with respect to GLOBAL DOLLAR GOVERNMENT, 
and 10% of total assets, with respect to SHORT-TERM U.S. GOVERNMENT, would be 
held as collateral for short sales. If the price of the security sold short 
increases between the time of the short sale and the time a Fund replaces the 
borrowed security, the Fund will incur a loss; conversely, if the price 
declines, the Fund will realize a capital gain. Certain special federal income 
tax considerations may apply to short sales entered into by a Fund. See 
'Dividends, Distributions and Taxes' in the relevant Fund's Statement of 
Additional Information.


29




REPURCHASE AGREEMENTS. A repurchase agreement arises when a buyer purchases a 
security and simultaneously agrees to resell it to the vendor at an agreed-upon 
future date, normally a day or a few days later. The resale price is greater 
than the purchase price, reflecting an agreed-upon interest rate for the period 
the buyer's money is invested in the security. Such agreements permit a Fund to 
keep all of its assets at work while retaining 'overnight' flexibility in 
pursuit of investments of a longer-term nature. A Fund requires continual 
maintenance of collateral in an amount equal to, or in excess of, the resale 
price. If a vendor defaults on its repurchase obligation, a Fund would suffer a 
loss to the extent that the proceeds from the sale of the collateral were less 
than the repurchase price. If a vendor goes bankrupt, a Fund might be delayed 
in, or prevented from, selling the collateral for its benefit. There is no 
percentage restriction on any Fund's ability to enter into repurchase 
agreements, except that SHORT-TERM U.S. GOVERNMENT may enter into repurchase 
agreements on not more than 25% of its total assets. The Funds may enter into 
repurchase agreements with member banks of the Federal Reserve System or 
'primary dealers' (as designated by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York), 
although LIMITED MATURITY GOVERNMENT, WORLD INCOME, SHORT-TERM MULTI-MARKET, 
MULTI-MARKET STRATEGY, NORTH AMERICAN GOVERNMENT INCOME and GLOBAL DOLLAR 
GOVERNMENT currently enter into repurchase agreements only with their 
custodians and such primary dealers.

REVERSE REPURCHASE AGREEMENTS AND DOLLAR ROLLS. Reverse repurchase agreements 
involve sales by a Fund of portfolio assets concurrently with an agreement by 
the Fund to repurchase the same assets at a later date at a fixed price. During 
the reverse repurchase agreement period, the Fund continues to receive 
principal and interest payments on these securities. Generally, the effect of 
such a transaction is that a Fund can recover all or most of the cash invested 
in the portfolio securities involved during the term of the reverse repurchase 
agreement, while it will be able to keep the interest income associated with 
those portfolio securities. Such transactions are advantageous only if the 
interest cost to a Fund of the reverse repurchase transaction is less than the 
cost of otherwise obtaining the cash.

Dollar rolls involve sales by a Fund of securities for delivery in the current 
month and the Fund's simultaneously contracting to repurchase substantially 
similar (same type and coupon) securities on a specified future date. During 
the roll period, a Fund forgoes principal and interest paid on the securities. 
A Fund is compensated by the difference between the current sales price and the 
lower forward price for the future purchase (often referred to as the 'drop') 
as well as by the interest earned on the cash proceeds of the initial sale.

Reverse repurchase agreements and dollar rolls involve the risk that the market 
value of the securities a Fund is obligated to repurchase under the agreement 
may decline below the repurchase price. In the event the buyer of securities 
under a reverse repurchase agreement or dollar roll files for bankruptcy or 
becomes insolvent, a Fund's use of the proceeds of the agreement may be 
restricted pending a determination by the other party, or its trustee or 
receiver, whether to enforce the Fund's obligation to repurchase the securities.


Reverse repurchase agreements and dollar rolls are speculative techniques and 
are considered borrowings by the Funds. SHORT-TERM U.S. GOVERNMENT may enter 
into reverse repurchase agreements with commercial banks and registered 
broker-dealers in order to increase income, in an amount up to 33-1/3% of its 
total assets. Under normal circumstances, LIMITED MATURITY GOVERNMENT does not 
expect to engage in reverse repurchase agreements and dollar rolls with respect 
to greater than 50% of its total assets. Reverse repurchase agreements and 
dollar rolls together with any borrowings by GLOBAL DOLLAR GOVERNMENT will not 
exceed 33% of its total assets less liabilities (other than amounts borrowed). 
See 'Risk Considerations-Effects of Borrowing.'



LOANS OF PORTFOLIO SECURITIES. A Fund may make secured loans of portfolio 
securities to brokers, dealers and financial institutions, provided that cash, 
liquid high-grade debt securities or bank letters of credit equal to at least 
100% of the market value of the securities loaned is deposited and maintained 
by the borrower with the Fund. The risks in lending portfolio securities, as 
with other extensions of credit, consist of possible loss of rights in the 
collateral should the borrower fail financially. In determining whether to lend 
securities to a particular borrower, Alliance will consider all relevant facts 
and circumstances, including the creditworthiness of the borrower. While 
securities are on loan, the borrower will pay the Fund any income earned 
thereon and the Fund may invest any cash collateral in portfolio securities, 
thereby earning additional income, or receive an agreed upon amount of income 
from a borrower who has delivered equivalent collateral. Each Fund will have 
the right to regain record ownership of loaned securities or equivalent 
securities in order to exercise ownership rights such as voting rights, 
subscription rights and rights to dividends, interest or distributions. A Fund 
may pay reasonable finders', administrative and custodial fees in connection 
with a loan. A Fund will not lend portfolio securities in excess of 25%, with 
respect to SHORT-TERM U.S. GOVERNMENT, and 20%, with respect to each of LIMITED 
MATURITY GOVERNMENT, MORTGAGE SECURITIES INCOME, WORLD INCOME, SHORT-TERM 
MULTI-MARKET, MULTI-MARKET STRATEGY, NORTH AMERICAN GOVERNMENT INCOME and 
GLOBAL DOLLAR GOVERNMENT, of its total assets, nor will a Fund lend portfolio 
securities to any officer, director, employee or affiliate of the Fund or 
Alliance.


ILLIQUID SECURITIES. Subject to any more restrictive applicable investment 
policies, none of the Funds will maintain more than 15% of its net assets in 
illiquid securities. Illiquid securities generally include (i) direct 
placements or other securities that are subject to legal or contractual 
restrictions on resale or for which there is no readily available market (e.g., 
when trading in the security is suspended or, in the case of unlisted 
securities, when market makers do not exist or will not entertain bids or 
offers), including many currency swaps and any assets used to 


30



cover currency swaps, (ii) over-the-counter options and assets used to cover 
over-the-counter options, and (iii) repurchase agreements not terminable within 
seven days. Rule 144A securities that have legal or contractual restrictions on 
resale but have a readily available market are not deemed illiquid. Alliance 
will monitor the liquidity of each Fund's Rule 144A portfolio securities under 
the supervision of the Directors of that Fund. A Fund that invests in illiquid 
securities may not be able to sell such securities and may not be able to 
realize their full value upon sale.

INVESTMENT IN OTHER INVESTMENT COMPANIES. GLOBAL DOLLAR GOVERNMENT may invest 
in other investment companies whose investment objectives and policies are 
consistent with those of the Fund. Under the 1940 Act, the Fund may invest not 
more than 10% of its total assets in securities of other investment 
companies. In addition, under the 1940 Act the Fund may not own more than 3% of 
the total outstanding voting stock of any investment company and not more than 
5% of the value of the Fund's total assets may be invested in the securities of 
any investment company. If the Fund acquired shares in investment companies, 
shareholders would bear both their proportionate share of expenses in the Fund 
(including management and advisory fees) and, indirectly, the expenses of such 
investment companies (including management and advisory fees).

FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS. A Fund may, following written notice to its shareholders, 
take advantage of other investment practices that are not currently 
contemplated for use by the Fund or are not available but may yet be developed, 
to the extent such investment practices are consistent with the Fund's 
investment objective and legally permissible for the Fund. Such investment 
practices, if they arise, may involve risks that exceed those involved in the 
practices described above.

DEFENSIVE POSITION. For temporary defensive purposes, each Fund may invest in 
certain types of short-term, liquid, high grade or high quality (depending on 
the Fund) debt securities. These securities may include U.S. Government 
securities, qualifying bank deposits, money market instruments, prime 
commercial paper and other types of short-term debt securities including notes 
and bonds. For Funds that may invest in foreign countries, such securities may 
also include short-term, foreign-currency denominated securities of the type 
mentioned above issued by foreign governmental entities, companies and 
supranational organizations. For a complete description of the types of 
securities in which a Fund may invest while in a temporary defensive position, 
see the Fund's Statement of Additional Information.

PORTFOLIO TURNOVER. Portfolio turnover rates are set forth under 'Financial 
Highlights.' These rates of portfolio turnover are greater than those of most 
other investment companies. A high rate of portfolio turnover involves 
correspondingly greater brokerage and other expenses than a lower rate, which 
must be borne by the Fund and its shareholders. High portfolio turnover also 
may result in the realization of substantial net short-term capital gains. See 
'Dividends, Distributions and Taxes' in each Fund's Statement of Additional 
Information.

CERTAIN FUNDAMENTAL INVESTMENT POLICIES
Each Fund has adopted certain fundamental investment policies listed below, 
which may not be changed without the approval of its shareholders. Additional 
investment restrictions with respect to a Fund are set forth in its Statement 
of Additional Information.

SHORT-TERM U.S. GOVERNMENT may not (i) invest more than 5% of its total assets 
in the securities of any one issuer (other than U.S. Government securities and 
repurchase agreements relating thereto), although up to 25% of the Fund's total 
assets may be invested without regard to this restriction, or (ii) invest 25% 
or more of its total assets in the securities of any one industry.

U.S. GOVERNMENT may not (i) borrow money except from banks for temporary or 
emergency purposes and then only in an amount not exceeding 5% of the value of 
its total assets at the time the borrowing is made, (ii) make loans to other 
persons, (iii) effect a short sale of any security, (iv) purchase securities on 
margin, but it may obtain such short-term credits as may be necessary for the 
clearance of purchases and sales of securities, or (v) write, purchase or sell 
puts, calls or combinations thereof.

LIMITED MATURITY GOVERNMENT may not (i) invest more than 5% of its total assets 
in the securities of any one issuer or own more than 10% of the outstanding 
voting securities of such issuer (other than U.S. Government securities), 
except that up to 25% of the value of the Fund's total assets may be invested 
without regard to the 5% and 10% limitations, (ii) invest 25% or more of its 
total assets in securities of companies engaged principally in any one 
industry, except that this restriction does not apply to investments in the 
mortgage and mortgage-financed industry (in which more than 25% of the value of 
the Fund's total assets will, except for temporary defensive positions, be 
invested) or U.S. Government securities, (iii) borrow money except from banks 
for emergency or temporary purposes in an amount not exceeding 5% of the value 
of the total assets of the Fund, except that the Fund may engage in reverse 
repurchase agreements and dollar rolls in an amount up to 50% of the Fund's 
total assets, and (iv) pledge, hypothecate, mortgage or otherwise encumber its 
assets, except to secure permitted borrowings.

MORTGAGE SECURITIES INCOME may not (i) invest more than 5% of the value of its 
total assets in the securities of any one issuer (other than U.S. Government 
securities), except that up to 25% of the value of the Fund's total assets may 
be invested without regard to this limitation, (ii) invest more than 25% of the 
value of its total assets in the securities of issuers conducting their 
principal business activities in a single industry, except that this limitation 
shall not apply to investments in the mortgage and mortgage-financed industry 
(in which more than 25% of the value of the Fund's total assets will, except 
for temporary defensive positions, be invested) or U.S. Government securities, 
(iii) borrow money except from banks for temporary or emergency purposes, 
including the meeting of redemption requests which might require the untimely 
disposition of securities, borrowing in the aggregate 


31



may not exceed 15%, and borrowing for purposes other than meeting redemptions 
may not exceed 5% of the value of the Fund's total assets (including the amount 
borrowed) less liabilities (not including the amount borrowed) at the time the 
borrowing is made, outstanding borrowings in excess of 5% of the value of the 
Fund's total assets will be repaid before any subsequent investments are made, 
(iv) pledge, hypothecate, mortgage or otherwise encumber its assets, except in 
an amount of not more than 15% of the value of its total assets to secure 
borrowings for temporary or emergency purposes and except as provided in (vi) 
below, provided, however, that this limitation does not apply to deposits made 
in connection with the entering into and holding of interest rate futures 
contracts, (v) invest more than 10% of the value of its total assets in the 
aggregate in illiquid securities or other illiquid investments and repurchase 
agreements maturing in more than seven days, or (vi) lend its portfolio 
securities if immediately after such a loan more than 20% of the value of the 
Fund's total assets would be subject to such loans.

WORLD INCOME may not (i) invest 25% or more of its total assets in securities 
of companies engaged principally in any one industry other than the banking 
industry except that this restriction does not apply to U.S. Government 
securities, (ii) borrow money except from banks for temporary or emergency 
purposes, including the meeting of redemption requests which might require the 
untimely disposition of securities; borrowing in the aggregate may not exceed 
15%, and borrowing for purposes other than meeting redemptions may not exceed 
5% of the value of the Fund's total assets (including the amount borrowed) less 
liabilities (not including the amount borrowed) at the time the borrowing is 
made; securities will not be purchased while borrowings in excess of 5% of the 
value of the Fund's total assets are outstanding, or (iii) pledge, hypothecate, 
mortgage or otherwise encumber its assets, except to secure permitted 
borrowings.

SHORT-TERM MULTI-MARKET may not (i) invest 25% or more of its total assets in 
securities of companies engaged principally in any one industry other than the 
banking industry, except that this restriction does not apply to U.S. 
Government securities, (ii) borrow money except from banks for temporary or 
emergency purposes, including the meeting of redemption requests which might 
require the untimely disposition of securities; borrowing in the aggregate may 
not exceed 15%, and borrowing for purposes other than meeting redemptions may 
not exceed 5% of the value of the Fund's total assets (including the amount 
borrowed) less liabilities (not including the amount borrowed) at the time the 
borrowing is made; securities will not be purchased while borrowings in excess 
of 5% of the value of the Fund's total assets are outstanding, or (iii) pledge, 
hypothecate, mortgage or otherwise encumber its assets, except to secure 
permitted borrowings.

MULTI-MARKET STRATEGY may not (i) invest 25% or more of its total assets in 
securities of companies engaged principally in any one industry other than the 
banking industry, except that this restriction does not apply to U.S. 
Government securities, (ii) borrow money, except the Fund may, in accordance 
with provisions of the 1940 Act, (a) borrow from a bank, if after such 
borrowing, there is asset coverage of at least 300% as defined in the 1940 Act, 
and (b) borrow for temporary or emergency purposes in an amount not exceeding 
5% of the value of the total assets of the Fund, or (iii) pledge, hypothecate, 
mortgage or otherwise encumber its assets, except to secure permitted 
borrowings.

NORTH AMERICAN GOVERNMENT INCOME may not (i) invest 25% or more of its total 
assets in securities of companies engaged principally in any one industry 
except that this restriction does not apply to U.S. Government securities, (ii) 
borrow money, except that the Fund may, in accordance with provisions of the 
1940 Act, (a) borrow from a bank, if after such borrowing, there is asset 
coverage of at least 300% as defined in the 1940 Act, and (b) borrow for 
temporary or emergency purposes in an amount not exceeding 5% of the value of 
the total assets of the Fund, or (iii) pledge, hypothecate, mortgage or 
otherwise encumber its assets, except to secure permitted borrowings.

GLOBAL DOLLAR GOVERNMENT may not (i) invest 25% or more of its total assets in 
the securities of issuers conducting their principal business activities in any 
one industry, except that this restriction does not apply to U.S. Government 
securities, (ii) purchase more than 10% of any class of the voting securities 
of any one issuer, (iii) borrow money, except the Fund may, in accordance with 
provisions of the 1940 Act, (a) borrow from a bank, if after such borrowing, 
there is asset coverage of at least 300% as defined in the 1940 Act, and (b) 
borrow for temporary or emergency purposes in an amount not exceeding 5% of the 
value of the total assets of the Fund, (iv) pledge, hypothecate, mortgage or 
otherwise encumber its assets, except to secure permitted borrowings, or (v) 
purchase a security if, as a result (unless the security is acquired pursuant 
to a plan of reorganization or an offer of exchange), the Fund would own more 
than 3% of the total outstanding voting stock of any investment company or more 
than 5% of the value of the Fund's net assets would be invested in securities 
of any one or more investment companies.

CORPORATE BOND may not (i) invest more than 5% of its total assets in the 
securities of any one issuer other than U.S. Government securities, or (ii) own 
more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of any issuer.


RISK CONSIDERATIONS

FIXED-INCOME SECURITIES. The value of each Fund's shares will fluctuate with 
the value of its investments. The value of each Fund's investments will change 
as the general level of interest rates fluctuates. During periods of falling 
interest rates, the values of a Fund's securities generally rise. Conversely, 
during periods of rising interest rates, the values of a Fund's securities 
generally decline. Changes in interest rates have a greater effect on 
securities with longer maturities and durations than those with shorter 
maturities and durations.

In seeking to achieve a Fund's investment objective, there will be times, such 
as during periods of rising interest rates, when depreciation and realization 
of capital losses on securities in a 


32



Fund's portfolio will be unavoidable. Moreover, medium-and lower-rated 
securities and non-rated securities of comparable quality may be subject to 
wider fluctuations in yield and market values than higher-rated securities 
under certain market conditions. Such fluctuations after a security is acquired 
do not affect the cash income received from that security but are reflected in 
the net asset value of a Fund.

U.S. CORPORATE FIXED-INCOME SECURITIES. The U.S. corporate fixed-income 
securities in which GLOBAL DOLLAR GOVERNMENT invests may include securities 
issued in connection with corporate restructurings such as takeovers or 
leveraged buyouts, which may pose particular risks. Securities issued to 
finance corporate restructurings may have special credit risks due to the 
highly leveraged conditions of the issuer. In addition, such issuers may lose 
experienced management as a result of the restructuring. Finally, the market 
price of such securities may be more volatile to the extent that expected 
benefits from the restructuring do not materialize. The Fund may also invest 
in U.S. corporate fixed-income securities that are not current in the payment 
of interest or principal or are in default, so long as Alliance believes such 
investment is consistent with the Fund's investment objectives. The Fund's 
rights with respect to defaults on such securities will be subject to 
applicable U.S. bankruptcy, moratorium and other similar laws.

FOREIGN INVESTMENT. The securities markets of many foreign countries are 
relatively small, with the majority of market capitalization and trading volume 
concentrated in a limited number of companies representing a small number of 
industries. Consequently, a Fund whose investment portfolio includes such 
securities may experience greater price volatility and significantly lower 
liquidity than a portfolio invested solely in securities of U.S. companies. 
These markets may be subject to greater influence by adverse events generally 
affecting the market, and by large investors trading significant blocks of 
securities, than is usual in the United States. Securities settlements may in 
some instances be subject to delays and related administrative uncertainties. 
Furthermore, foreign investment in the securities markets of certain foreign 
countries is restricted or controlled to varying degrees. These restrictions or 
controls may at times limit or preclude investment in certain securities and 
may increase the cost and expenses of a Fund. In addition, the repatriation of 
investment income, capital or the proceeds of sales of securities from certain 
of the countries is controlled under regulations, including in some cases the 
need for certain advance government notification or authority, and if a 
deterioration occurs in a country's balance of payments, the country could 
impose temporary restrictions on foreign capital remittances. A Fund could be 
adversely affected by delays in, or a refusal to grant, any required 
governmental approval for repatriation, as well as by the application 
to it of other restrictions on investment. Investing in local markets may 
require a Fund to adopt special procedures or seek local governmental approvals 
or other actions, any of which may involve additional costs to a Fund. The 
liquidity of a Fund's investments in any country in which any of these factors 
exists could be affected and Alliance will monitor the effect of any such 
factor or factors on a Fund's investments. Furthermore, transaction costs 
including brokerage commissions for transactions both on and off the securities 
exchanges in many foreign countries are generally higher than in the U.S.

Issuers of securities in foreign jurisdictions are generally not subject to the 
same degree of regulation as are U.S. issuers with respect to such matters as 
insider trading rules, restrictions on market manipulation, shareholder proxy 
requirements and timely disclosure of information. The reporting, accounting 
and auditing standards of foreign countries may differ, in some cases 
significantly, from U.S. standards in important respects and less information 
may be available to investors in foreign securities than to investors in U.S. 
securities. Substantially less information is publicly available about certain 
non-U.S. issuers than is available about U.S. issuers.

The economies of individual foreign countries may differ favorably or 
unfavorably from the U.S. economy in such respects as growth of gross domestic 
product or gross national product, rate of inflation, capital reinvestment, 
resource self-sufficiency and balance of payments position. Nationalization, 
expropriation or confiscatory taxation, currency blockage, political changes, 
government regulation, political or social instability or diplomatic 
developments could affect adversely the economy of a foreign country or the 
Fund's investments in such country. In the event of expropriation, 
nationalization or other confiscation, a Fund could lose its entire investment 
in the country involved. In addition, laws in foreign countries governing 
business organizations, bankruptcy and insolvency may provide less protection 
to security holders such as the Fund than that provided by U.S. laws.

WORLD INCOME may invest a portion of its net assets in securities denominated 
in the ECU. There are risks associated with concentration of investments in a 
particular region of the world such as Western Europe since the economies and 
markets of the countries in the region tend to be interrelated and may be 
adversely affected by political, economic and other events in a similar manner.

Alliance believes that, except for currency fluctuations between the U.S. 
Dollar and the Canadian Dollar, the matters described above are not likely to 
have a material adverse effect on NORTH AMERICAN GOVERNMENT INCOME'S 
investments in the securities of Canadian issuers or investments denominated in 
Canadian issuers or investments denominated in Canadian Dollars. The factors 
described above are more likely to have a material adverse effect on the Fund's 
investments in the securities of Mexican and other non-Canadian foreign 
issuers, including investments in securities denominated in Mexican Pesos or 
other non-Canadian foreign currencies. If not hedged, however, currency 
fluctuations could affect the unrealized appreciation and depreciation of 
Canadian Government securities as expressed in U.S. Dollars.

CURRENCY CONSIDERATIONS. Those Funds that invest some portion of their assets 
in securities denominated in, and 


33



receive revenues in, foreign currencies will be adversely affected by 
reductions in the value of those currencies relative to the U.S. Dollar. 
These changes will affect a Fund's net assets, distributions and income. If 
the value of the foreign currencies in which a Fund receives income falls 
relative to the U.S. Dollar between receipt of the income and the making of 
Fund distributions, a Fund may be required to liquidate securities in order 
to make distributions if the Fund has insufficient cash in U.S. Dollars to meet 
the distribution requirements that the Fund must satisfy to qualify as a 
regulated investment company for federal income tax purposes. Similarly, if an 
exchange rate declines between the time a Fund incurs expenses in U.S. Dollars 
and the time cash expenses are paid, the amount of the currency required to be 
converted into U.S. Dollars in order to pay expenses in U.S. Dollars could be 
greater than the equivalent amount of such expenses in the currency at the time 
they were incurred. In light of these risks, a Fund may engage in certain 
currency hedging transactions, which themselves, involve certain special risks. 
See 'Additional Investment Practices' above.

SOVEREIGN DEBT OBLIGATIONS. No established secondary markets may exist for many 
of the sovereign debt obligations in which GLOBAL DOLLAR GOVERNMENT will 
invest. Reduced secondary market liquidity may have an adverse effect on the 
market price and the Fund's ability to dispose of particular instruments when 
necessary to meet its liquidity requirements or in response to specific 
economic events such as a deterioration in the creditworthiness of the issuer. 
Reduced secondary market liquidity for certain sovereign debt obligations may 
also make it more difficult for the Fund to obtain accurate market quotations 
for the purpose of valuing its portfolio. Market quotations are generally 
available on many sovereign debt obligations only from a limited number of 
dealers and may not necessarily represent firm bids of those dealers or prices 
for actual sales.

By investing in sovereign debt obligations, the Fund will be exposed to the 
direct or indirect consequences of political, social and economic changes in 
various countries. Political changes in a country may affect the willingness of 
a foreign government to make or provide for timely payments of its obligations. 
The country's economic status, as reflected, among other things, in its 
inflation rate, the amount of its external debt and its gross domestic product, 
will also affect the government's ability to honor its obligations.

The sovereign debt obligations in which the Fund will invest in many cases 
pertain to countries that are among the world's largest debtors to commercial 
banks, foreign governments, international financial organizations and other 
financial institutions. In recent years, the governments of some of these 
countries have encountered difficulties in servicing their external debt 
obligations, which led to defaults on certain obligations and the restructuring 
of certain indebtedness. Restructuring arrangements have included, among other 
things, reducing and rescheduling interest and principal payments by 
negotiating new or amended credit agreements or converting outstanding 
principal and unpaid interest to Brady Bonds, and obtaining new credit to 
finance interest payments. Certain governments have not been able to make 
payments of interest on or principal of sovereign debt obligations as those 
payments have come due. Obligations arising from past restructuring agreements 
may affect the economic performance and political and social stability of those 
issuers.

The ability of governments to make timely payments on their obligations is 
likely to be influenced strongly by the issuer's balance of payments, including 
export performance, and its access to international credits and investments. To 
the extent that a country receives payment for its exports in currencies other 
than dollars, its ability to make debt payments denominated in dollars could be 
adversely affected. To the extent that a country develops a trade deficit, it 
will need to depend on continuing loans from foreign governments, multi-lateral 
organizations or private commercial banks, aid payments from foreign 
governments and on inflows of foreign investment. The access of a country to 
these forms of external funding may not be certain, and a withdrawal of 
external funding could adversely affect the capacity of a government to make 
payments on its obligations. In addition, the cost of servicing debt 
obligations can be affected by a change in international interest rates since 
the majority of these obligations carry interest rates that are adjusted 
periodically based upon international rates.

The Fund is permitted to invest in sovereign debt obligations that are not 
current in the payment of interest or principal or are in default so long as 
Alliance believes it to be consistent with the Fund's investment objectives. 
The Fund may have limited legal recourse in the event of a default with respect 
to certain sovereign debt obligations it holds. For example, remedies from 
defaults on certain sovereign debt obligations, unlike those on private debt, 
must, in some cases, be pursued in the courts of the defaulting party itself. 
Legal recourse therefore may be significantly diminished. Bankruptcy, 
moratorium and other similar laws applicable to issuers of sovereign debt 
obligations may be substantially different from those applicable to issuers of 
private debt obligations. The political context, expressed as the willingness 
of an issuer of sovereign debt obligations to meet the terms of the debt 
obligation, for example, is of considerable importance. In addition, no 
assurance can be given that the holders of commercial bank debt will not 
contest payments to the holders of securities issued by foreign governments in 
the event of default under commercial bank loan agreements.

EFFECTS OF BORROWING. A Fund's loan agreements provide for additional 
borrowings and for repayments and reborrowings from time to time, and each Fund 
that may borrow expects to effect borrowings and repayments at such times and 
in such amounts as will maintain investment leverage in an amount approximately 
equal to its borrowing target. The loan agreements provide for a selection of 
interest rates that are based on the bank's short-term funding costs in the 
U.S. and London markets.

Borrowings by a Fund result in leveraging of the Fund's shares of common stock. 
Utilization of leverage, which is usually 


34



considered speculative, however, involves certain risks to a Fund's 
shareholders. These include a higher volatility of the net asset value of a 
Fund's shares of common stock and the relatively greater effect on the net 
asset value of the shares. So long as a Fund is able to realize a net return on 
its investment portfolio that is higher than the interest expense paid on 
borrowings, the effect of leverage will be to cause the Fund's shareholders to 
realize a higher current net investment income than if the Fund were not 
leveraged. On the other hand, interest rates on U.S. Dollar-denominated and 
foreign currency-denominated obligations change from time to time as does their 
relationship to each other, depending upon such factors as supply and demand 
forces, monetary and tax policies within each country and investor expectations.
Changes in such factors could cause the relationship between such rates to 
change so that rates on U.S. Dollar-denominated obligations may substantially 
increase relative to the foreign currency-denominated obligations in which the 
Fund may be invested. To the extent that the interest expense on borrowings 
approaches the net return on a Fund's investment portfolio, the benefit of 
leverage to the Fund's shareholders will be reduced, and if the interest expense
on borrowings were to exceed the net return to shareholders, a Fund's use of 
leverage would result in a lower rate of return than if a Fund were not 
leveraged. Similarly, the effect of leverage in a declining market could be a 
greater decrease in net asset value per share than if the Fund were not 
leveraged. In an extreme case if a Fund's current investment income were not 
sufficient to meet the interest expense on borrowings, it could be necessary for
the Fund to liquidate certain of its investments, thereby reducing the net asset
value of a Fund's shares.

In the event of an increase in rates on U.S. Government securities or other 
changed market conditions, to the point where leverage by either MULTI-MARKET 
STRATEGY or NORTH AMERICAN GOVERNMENT INCOME could adversely affect the Funds' 
shareholders, as noted above, or in anticipation of such changes, either Fund 
may increase the percentage of its investment portfolio invested in U.S. 
Government securities, which would tend to offset the negative impact of 
leverage on Fund shareholders. Either Fund may also reduce the degree to which 
it is leveraged by repaying amounts borrowed.

Under the 1940 Act, a Fund is not permitted to borrow unless immediately after 
such borrowing there is 'asset coverage,' as that term is defined and used in 
the 1940 Act, of at least 300% for all borrowings of the Fund. In addition, 
under the 1940 Act, in the event asset coverage falls below 300%, a Fund must 
within three days reduce the amount of its borrowing to such an extent that the 
asset coverage of its borrowings is at least 300%. Assuming, for example, 
outstanding borrowings representing not more than one-third of a Fund's total 
assets less liabilities (other than such borrowings), the asset coverage of the 
Fund's portfolio would be 300%; while outstanding borrowings representing 25% 
of the Fund's total assets less liabilities (other than such borrowings), the 
asset coverage of the Fund's portfolio would be 400%. A Fund will maintain 
asset coverage of outstanding borrowings of at least 300% and if necessary 
will, to the extent possible, reduce the amounts borrowed by making repayments 
from time to time in order to do so. Such repayments could require a Fund to 
sell portfolio securities at times considered disadvantageous by Alliance. In 
the event that a Fund is required to sell portfolio securities in order to make 
repayments, such sales of portfolio securities could cause the Fund to incur 
related transaction costs and might cause the Fund to realize gains on 
securities held for less than three months. Because not more than 30% of a 
Fund's gross income may be derived from the sale or disposition of stocks and 
securities held for less than three months to maintain the Fund's tax status as 
a regulated investment company, such gains would limit the ability of a Fund to 
sell other securities held for less than three months that a Fund might wish to 
sell in the ordinary course of its portfolio management and thus might 
adversely affect the Fund's yield. See 'Dividends, Distributions and Taxes.'

Each of MULTI-MARKET STRATEGY, NORTH AMERICAN GOVERNMENT INCOME and GLOBAL 
DOLLAR GOVERNMENT may also borrow to repurchase its shares or to meet 
redemption requests. In addition, each Fund may borrow for temporary purposes 
(including the purposes mentioned in the preceding sentence) in an amount not 
exceeding 5% of the value of the assets of the Fund. Borrowings for temporary 
purposes are not subject to the 300% asset average limit described above. See 
'Certain Fundamental Investment Policies.' SHORT-TERM U.S. GOVERNMENT, 
MULTI-MARKET STRATEGY, NORTH AMERICAN GOVERNMENT INCOME and GLOBAL DOLLAR 
GOVERNMENT may also borrow through the use of reverse repurchase agreements, 
and GLOBAL DOLLAR GOVERNMENT also through the use of dollar rolls to the extent 
permitted by the 1940 Act. See 'Investment Objectives and Policies-Reverse 
Repurchase Agreements and Dollar Rolls.'

INVESTMENT IN THE BANKING INDUSTRY. Due to the investment policies of 
MULTI-MARKET STRATEGY, WORLD INCOME and SHORT-TERM MULTI-MARKET with respect to 
investments in the banking industry, those Funds will have greater exposure to 
the risk factors which are characteristic of such investments. In particular, 
the value of and investment return on each Fund's shares will be affected by 
economic or regulatory developments in or related to the banking industry. 
Sustained increases in interest rates can adversely affect the availability and 
cost of funds for a bank's lending activities, and a deterioration in general 
economic conditions could increase the exposure to credit losses. The banking 
industry is also subject to the effects of: the concentration of loan 
portfolios in particular business such as real estate, energy, agriculture or 
high technology-related companies; national and local regulation; and 
competition within those industries as well as with other types of financial 
institutions. In addition, each Fund's investments in commercial banks located 
in several foreign countries are subject to additional risks due to the 
combination in such banks of commercial banking and diversified securities 
activities. As discussed above, however, the Funds will seek to minimize their 
exposure to such risks by 


35



investing only in debt securities which are determined to be of high quality.

SECURITIES RATINGS. The ratings of fixed-income securities by S&P, Moody's, 
Duff & Phelps and Fitch are a generally accepted barometer of credit risk. They 
are, however, subject to certain limitations from an investor's standpoint. The 
rating of an issuer is heavily weighted by past developments and does not 
necessarily reflect probable future conditions. There is frequently a lag 
between the time a rating is assigned and the time it is updated. In addition, 
there may be varying degrees of difference in credit risk of securities within 
each rating category.

INVESTMENT IN FIXED-INCOME SECURITIES RATED BAA AND BBB. Securities rated Baa 
or BBB are considered to have speculative characteristics and share some of the 
same characteristics as lower-rated securities, as described below. Sustained 
periods of deteriorating economic conditions or of rising interest rates are 
more likely to lead to a weakening in the issuer's capacity to pay interest and
repay principal than in the case of higher-rated securities.

INVESTMENT IN LOWER-RATED FIXED-INCOME SECURITIES. Lower-rated securities are 
subject to greater risk of loss of principal and interest than higher-rated 
securities. They are also generally considered to be subject to greater market 
risk than higher-rated securities, and the capacity of issuers of lower-rated 
securities to pay interest and repay principal is more likely to weaken than is 
that of issuers of higher-rated securities in times of deteriorating economic 
conditions or rising interest rates. In addition, lower-rated securities may be 
more susceptible to real or perceived adverse economic conditions than 
investment grade securities, although the market values of securities rated 
below investment grade and comparable unrated securities tend to react less to 
fluctuations in interest rate levels than do those of higher-rated securities. 
Securities rated Ba or BB are judged to have speculative elements or to be 
predominantly speculative with respect to the issuer's ability to pay interest 
and repay principal. Securities rated B are judged to have highly speculative 
elements or to be predominantly speculative. Such securities may have small 
assurance of interest and principal payments. Securities rated Baa by Moody's 
are also judged to have speculative characteristics.

The market for lower-rated securities may be thinner and less active than that 
for higher-rated securities, which can adversely affect the prices at which 
these securities can be sold. To the extent that there is no established 
secondary market for lower-rated securities, a Fund may experience difficulty 
in valuing such securities and, in turn, the Fund's assets.


Alliance will try to reduce the risk inherent in investment in lower-rated 
securities through credit analysis, diversification and attention to current 
developments and trends in interest rates and economic and political 
conditions. However, there can be no assurance that losses will not occur. 
Since the risk of default is higher for lower-rated securities, Alliance's 
research and credit analysis are a correspondingly more important aspect of its 
program for managing a Fund's securities than would be the case if a Fund did 
not invest in lower-rated securities. In considering investments for the Fund, 
Alliance will attempt to identify those high-yielding securities whose 
financial condition is adequate to meet future obligations, has improved, or is 
expected to improve in the future. Alliance's analysis focuses on relative 
values based on such factors as interest or dividend coverage, asset coverage, 
earnings prospects, and the experience and managerial strength of the issuer.

NON-RATED SECURITIES. Non-rated securities will also be considered for 
investment by NORTH AMERICAN GOVERNMENT INCOME, GLOBAL DOLLAR GOVERNMENT and 
CORPORATE BOND when Alliance believes that the financial condition of the 
issuers of such securities, or the protection afforded by the terms of the 
securities themselves, limits the risk to the Fund to a degree comparable to 
that of rated securities which are consistent with the Fund's objective and 
policies.

NON-DIVERSIFIED STATUS. Each of WORLD INCOME, SHORT-TERM MULTI-MARKET, 
MULTI-MARKET STRATEGY, NORTH AMERICAN GOVERNMENT INCOME and GLOBAL DOLLAR 
GOVERNMENT is a 'non-diversified' investment company, which means the Fund is 
not limited in the proportion of its assets that may be invested in the 
securities of a single issuer. However, each Fund intends to conduct its 
operations so as to qualify to be taxed as a 'regulated investment company' for 
purposes of the Code, which will relieve the Fund of any liability for federal 
income tax to the extent its earnings are distributed to shareholders. See 
'Dividends, Distributions and Taxes' in each Fund's Statement of Additional 
Information. To so qualify, among other requirements, each Fund will limit its 
investments so that, at the close of each quarter of the taxable year, (i) not 
more than 25% of the Fund's total assets will be invested in the securities of 
a single issuer, and (ii) with respect to 50% of its total assets, not more 
than 5% of its total assets will be invested in the securities of a single 
issuer and the Fund will not own more than 10% of the outstanding voting 
securities of a single issuer. A Fund's investments in U.S. Government 
securities are not subject to these limitations. Because each of WORLD INCOME, 
SHORT-TERM MULTI-MARKET, MULTI-MARKET STRATEGY, NORTH AMERICAN GOVERNMENT 
INCOME and GLOBAL DOLLAR GOVERNMENT is a non-diversified investment company, it 
may invest in a smaller number of individual issuers than a diversified 
investment company, and an investment in such Fund may, under certain 
circumstances, present greater risk to an investor than an investment in a 
diversified investment company.

Foreign government securities are not treated like U.S. Government securities 
for purposes of the diversification tests described in the preceding paragraph, 
but instead are subject to these tests in the same manner as the securities of 
non-governmental issuers. In this regard sovereign debt obligations issued by 
different issuers located in the same country are often treated as issued by a 
single issuer for purposes of these diversification tests. Certain issuers of 
structured securities 


36



and loan participations may be treated as separate issuers for the purposes of 
these tests. Accordingly, in order to meet the diversification tests and thereby
maintain its status as a regulated investment company, NORTH AMERICAN GOVERNMENT
INCOME will be required to diversify its portfolio of foreign government 
securities in a manner which would not be necessary if the Fund had made similar
investments in U.S. Government securities.

PURCHASE AND SALE OF SHARES 
_______________________________________________________________________________

HOW TO BUY SHARES
You can purchase shares of any of the Funds through broker-dealers, banks or 
other financial intermediaries, or directly through Alliance Fund Distributors, 
Inc. ('AFD'), each Fund's principal underwriter. The minimum initial investment 
in each Fund (except WORLD INCOME) is $250. The minimum for subsequent 
investments in each Fund is $50. Investments of $25 or more are allowed under 
the automatic investment program of each Fund. Share certificates are issued 
only upon request. See the Subscription Application and Statements of 
Additional Information for more information.


Existing shareholders may make subsequent purchases by electronic funds 
transfer if they have completed the Telephone Transactions section of the 
Subscription Application or the Shareholder Options form obtained from Alliance 
Fund Services, Inc. ('AFS'), each Fund's registrar, transfer agent and dividend 
disbursing agent. Telephone purchase orders can be made by calling (800) 
221-5672, may not exceed $500,000, must be received by the Fund by 3:00 p.m. 
Eastern time on a Fund business day and will be made at the next day's net 
asset value (less any applicable sales charge).


Each Fund offers three classes of shares, Class A, Class B and Class C, except 
that WORLD INCOME offers only one class of shares that you can purchase without 
any initial sales charge or contingent deferred sales charge ('CDSC').

CLASS A SHARES-INITIAL SALES CHARGE ALTERNATIVE
You can purchase Class A shares at net asset value plus an initial sales 
charge, as follows:

                                     Initial Sales Charge
                                     as % of                   Commission to
                                   Net Amount     as % of     Dealer/Agent as %
  Amount Purchased                  Invested  Offering Price  of Offering Price
  -------------------------------- ---------- --------------  -----------------
  Less than $100,000                   4.44%        4.25%           4.00%
  $100,000 to less than $250,000       3.36         3.25            3.00
  $250,000 to less than $500,000       2.30         2.25            2.00
  $500,000 to less than $1,000,000     1.78         1.75            1.50


On purchases of $1,000,000 or more, you pay no initial sales charge but may pay 
a CDSC equal to 1% of the lesser of net asset value at the time of redemption 
or original cost if you redeem within one year; Alliance may pay the dealer or 
agent a fee of up to 1% of the dollar amount purchased. Certain purchases of 
Class A shares may qualify for reduced or eliminated sales charges in 
accordance with a Fund's Combined Purchase Privilege, Cumulative Quantity 
Discount, Statement of Intention, Privilege for Certain Retirement Plans, 
Reinstatement Privilege and Sales at Net Asset Value programs. Consult the 
Subscription Application and Statements of Additional Information.

CLASS B SHARES-DEFERRED SALES CHARGE ALTERNATIVE
You can purchase Class B shares at net asset value without an initial sales 
charge. However, you may pay a CDSC if you redeem shares within three years 
after purchase. Shares obtained from dividend or distribution reinvestment are 
not subject to the CDSC. The amount of the CDSC (expressed as a percentage of 
the lesser of the current net asset value or original cost) will vary according 
to the number of years from the purchase of Class B shares until the redemption 
of those shares. The amount of the CDSC for each Fund is as set forth below. 
Class B shares of a Fund purchased prior to the date of this Prospectus may be 
subject to a different CDSC schedule, which was disclosed in the Fund's 
prospectus in use at the time of purchase and is set forth in the Fund's 
current Statement of Additional Information.


Year Since Purchase        CDSC
- -------------------------------
First                      3.0%
Second                     2.0%
Third                      1.0%
Thereafter                 None


Class B shares are subject to higher distribution fees than Class A shares for 
a period of six years (after which they convert to Class A shares). The higher 
fees mean a higher expense ratio, so Class B shares pay correspondingly lower 
dividends and may have a lower net asset value than Class A shares.

CLASS C SHARES-ASSET-BASED SALES CHARGE ALTERNATIVE 
You can purchase Class C shares without any initial sales charge or a CDSC. A 
Fund will thus receive the full amount of your purchase, and you will receive 
the entire net asset value of your shares upon redemption. Class C shares incur 
higher distribution fees than Class A shares and do not convert to any other 
class of shares of the Fund. The higher fees mean a higher expense ratio, so 
Class C shares pay correspondingly lower dividends and may have a lower net 
asset value than Class A shares.


APPLICATION OF THE CDSC
Shares obtained from dividend or distribution reinvestment are not subject to 
the CDSC on Class A and Class B shares. The CDSC is deducted from the amount of 
the redemption and is paid to AFD. The CDSC will be waived on redemptions of 
shares following the death or disability of a shareholder, to meet the 
requirements of certain qualified retirement plans or pursuant to a monthly, 
bimonthly or quarterly systematic withdrawal plan. See the Statements of 
Additional Information.


HOW THE FUNDS VALUE THEIR SHARES
The net asset value of each class of shares of a Fund is 


37



calculated by dividing the value of the Fund's net assets allocable to that
class by the outstanding shares of that class. Shares are valued each day the
New York Stock Exchange (the 'Exchange') is open as of the close of regular
trading (currently 4:00 p.m. Eastern time). The securities in a Fund are valued
at their current market value determined on the basis of market quotations or, 
if such quotations are not readily available, such other methods as the Fund's 
Directors and Trustees believe would accurately reflect fair market value.

GENERAL
The decision as to which class of shares is more beneficial to you depends on 
the amount and intended length of your investment. If you are making a large 
investment, thus qualifying for a reduced sales charge, you might consider 
Class A shares. If you are making a smaller investment, you might consider 
Class B shares because 100% of your purchase is invested immediately. If you 
are unsure of the length of your investment, you might consider Class C shares 
because there are no initial or contingent deferred sales charges. Consult your 
financial agent. Dealers and agents may receive differing compensation for 
selling Class A, Class B or Class C shares. There is no size limit on purchases 
of Class A shares. The maximum purchase of Class B shares is $250,000. The 
maximum purchase of Class C shares is $5,000,000. The Funds may refuse any 
order to purchase shares.

In addition to the discount or commission paid to dealers or agents, AFD from 
time to time pays additional cash or other incentives to dealers or agents, 
including Equico Securities, Inc., an affiliate of AFD, in connection with the 
sale of shares of the Funds. Such additional amounts may be utilized, in whole 
or in part, in some cases together with other revenues of such dealers or 
agents, to provide additional compensation to registered representatives who 
sell shares of the Funds. On some occasions, such cash or other incentives will 
be conditioned upon the sale of a specified minimum dollar amount of the shares 
of a Fund and/or other Alliance Mutual Funds during a specific period of time. 
Such incentives may take the form of payment for attendance at seminars, meals, 
sporting events or theater performances, or payment for travel, lodging and 
entertainment incurred in connection with travel by persons associated with a 
dealer or agent and their immediate family members to urban or resort locations 
within or outside the United States. Such dealer or agent may elect to receive 
cash incentives of equivalent amount in lieu of such payments.

HOW TO SELL SHARES
You may 'redeem', i.e., sell your shares in a Fund to the Fund on any day the 
Exchange is open, either directly or through your financial intermediary. The 
price you will receive is the net asset value (less any applicable CDSC for 
Class A and Class B shares) next calculated after the Fund receives your 
request in proper form. Proceeds generally will be sent to you within seven 
days. However, for shares recently purchased by check or electronic funds 
transfer, a Fund will not send proceeds until it is reasonably satisfied that 
the check or electronic funds transfer has been collected (which may take up to 
15 days).

SELLING SHARES THROUGH YOUR BROKER

Your broker must receive your request before 4:00 p.m. Eastern time, and your 
broker must transmit your request to the Fund by 5:00 p.m. Eastern time, for 
you to receive that day's net asset value (less any applicable CDSC for Class A 
and Class B shares). Your broker is responsible for furnishing all necessary 
documentation to a Fund and may charge you for this service.



SELLING SHARES DIRECTLY TO A FUND
Send a signed letter of instruction or stock power form to AFS, along with 
certificates, if any, that represent the shares you want to sell. For your 
protection, signatures must be guaranteed by a bank, a member firm of a 
national stock exchange or other eligible guarantor institution. Stock power 
forms are available from your financial intermediary, AFS, and many commercial 
banks. Additional documentation is required for the sale of shares by 
corporations, intermediaries, fiduciaries and surviving joint owners. For 
details contact:

Alliance Fund Services
P.O. Box 1520
Secaucus, NJ 07096-1520
800-221-5672



Alternatively, a request for redemption of shares for which no stock 
certificates have been issued can also be made by telephone to 800-221-5672. 
Telephone redemption requests must be made by 4 p.m. Eastern time on a Fund 
business day in order to receive that day's net asset value and may be made 
only once in any 30 day period. A shareholder who has completed the Telephone 
Transactions section of the Subscription Application, or the Shareholder 
Options form obtained from AFS, can elect to have the proceeds of their 
redemption sent to their bank via an electronic funds transfer. Proceeds of 
telephone redemptions also may be sent by check to a shareholder's address of 
record. Redemption requests by electronic funds transfer may not exceed 
$100,000 and redemption requests by check may not exceed $50,000. Telephone 
redemption is not available for shares held in nominees or 'street name' 
accounts or retirement plan accounts or shares held by a shareholder who has 
changed his or her address of record within the previous 30 calendar days.


GENERAL
The sale of shares is a taxable transaction for federal tax purposes. Under 
unusual circumstances, a Fund may suspend redemptions or postpone payment for 
up to seven days or longer, as permitted by federal securities law. The Funds 
reserve the right to close an account that through redemption has remained 
below $200 for 90 days. Shareholders will receive 60 days' written notice to 
increase the account value before the account is closed.

During drastic economic or market developments, you might have difficulty 
reaching AFS by telephone, in which event you should issue written instructions 
to AFS. AFS is not responsible for the authenticity of telephonic requests to 
purchase, sell or exchange shares. AFS will employ reasonable procedures to 
verify that telephone requests are genuine, and could be liable 


38



for losses resulting from unauthorized transactions if it failed to do so. 
Dealers and agents may charge a commission for handling telephonic requests. The
telephone service may be suspended or terminated at any time without notice.

SHAREHOLDER SERVICES
AFS offers a variety of shareholder services. For more information about these 
services or your account, call AFS's toll-free number, 800-221-5672. Some 
services are described in the attached Application. A shareholder's manual 
explaining all available services will be provided upon request. To request a 
shareholder manual, call 800-227-4618.


HOW TO EXCHANGE SHARES
You may exchange your shares of WORLD INCOME for Class A shares of other 
Alliance Mutual Funds and shares of most Alliance money market funds. You may 
exchange your shares of any other Fund for shares of the same class of other 
Alliance Mutual Funds (including AFD Exchange Reserves, a money market fund 
managed by Alliance). Exchanges of shares are made at the net asset values next 
determined, without sales or service charges. Exchanges may be made by 
telephone or written request. Telephone exchange requests must be received by 
AFS by 4:00 p.m. Eastern time on a Fund Business day in order to receive that 
day's net asset value.


Class A and Class B shares will continue to age without regard to exchanges for 
the purpose of determining the CDSC, if any, upon redemption and, in the case 
of Class B shares, for the purpose of conversion to Class A shares. After an 
exchange, your Class B shares will automatically convert to Class A shares in 
accordance with the conversion schedule applicable to the Class B shares of the 
Alliance Mutual Fund you originally purchased for cash ('original shares'). 
When redemption occurs, the CDSC applicable to the original shares is applied.

Please read carefully the prospectus of the mutual fund into which you are 
exchanging before submitting the request. Call AFS at 800-221-5672 to exchange 
uncertificated shares. An exchange is a taxable capital transaction for federal 
tax purposes. The exchange service may be changed, suspended, or terminated on 
60 days' written notice.



                             MANAGEMENT OF THE FUNDS
_______________________________________________________________________________


ADVISER
Alliance, which is a Delaware limited partnership with principal offices at 
1345 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10105, has been retained under 
an advisory agreement (the 'Advisory Agreement') to provide investment advice 
and, in general, to conduct the management and investment program of each Fund, 
subject to the general supervision and control of the Directors or Trustees of 
the Fund.



Alliance is a leading international investment manager supervising client 
accounts with assets as of December 31, 1995 totaling more than $146 billion 
(of which more than $48 billion represented the assets of investment 
companies). Alliance's clients are primarily major corporate employee benefit 
funds, public employee retirement systems, investment companies, foundations 
and endowment funds. The 50 registered investment companies managed by Alliance 
comprising 107 separate investment portfolios currently have over two million 
shareholders. As of December 31, 1995, Alliance was retained as an investment 
manager for 29 of the Fortune 100 companies.


Alliance Capital Management Corporation ('ACMC'), the sole general partner of, 
and the owner of a 1% general partnership interest in, Alliance, is an indirect 
wholly-owned subsidiary of The Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United 
States ('Equitable'), one of the largest life insurance companies in the United 
States, which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Equitable Companies 
Incorporated, a holding company controlled by AXA, a French insurance holding 
company. Certain information concerning the ownership and control of Equitable 
by AXA is set forth in each Fund's Statement of Additional Information under 
'Management of the Fund.'

The following table lists the person or persons who are primarily responsible 
for the day-to-day management of each Fund's portfolio, the length of time that 
each person has been primarily responsible, and each person's principal 
occupation during the past five years.


                                                    Principal occupation
                   Employee; time period;           during the past
Fund               title with ACMC                  five years
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Short-Term U.S.    Patricia J. Young since 1995     Associated with Alliance
Government         -Senior Vice President           since March 1992;
                                                    prior thereto, a 
                                                    managing director 
                                                    and portfolio manager for
                                                    Hyperion Capital 
                                                    since March 1991 and a
                                                    managing director 
                                                    with Fischer, Francis, 
                                                    Trees & Watts 

                   Paul A. Ullman                   Associated with 
                   since 1995-Vice President        Alliance since
                                                    March 1992; prior
                                                     thereto, a director and 
                                                    portfolio manager for 
                                                    Hyperion Capital since 
                                                    July 1990 and a 
                                                    Vice President at 
                                                    Salomon Brothers Inc.

U.S. Government    Wayne D. Lyski since 1983        Associated with 
                   -Executive Vice President        Alliance 

                   Paul J. DeNoon since             Associated with Alliance
                   January 1992-                    since January 1992;
                   Vice President                   prior thereto, a 
                                                    Vice President at
                                                    Manufacturers Hanover Trust

Limited Maturity   Patricia J. Young since          (see above)
Government         inception -(see above) 

                   Paul A. Ullman                   (see above)
                   since inception- 
                   (see above) 


39



                                                    Principal occupation
                   Employee; time period;           during the past
Fund               title with ACMC                  five years
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mortgage           Patricia J. Young since          (see above) 
Securities Income  March 1992-(see above)

                   Paul A. Ullman since             (see above)
                   March 1992-(see above)

World Income       Douglas J. Peebles since         Associated with
                   inception-Vice President         Alliance

Short-Term         Douglas J. Peebles since         (see above)
Multi-Market       1995-(see above)

Multi-Market       Douglas J. Peebles since         (see above)
Strategy           inception-(see above)

North American     Wayne D. Lyski since inception   (see above)
Government Income  -(see above)

Global Dollar      Wayne D. Lyski since inception   (see above)
Government         -(see above)

Corporate Bond     Wayne D. Lyski since             (see above)
                   1987-(see above)
                   Paul J. DeNoon since             (see above)
                   January 1992-(see above) 


DISTRIBUTION SERVICES AGREEMENTS
Rule 12b-1 adopted by the Commission under the 1940 Act permits an investment 
company to pay expenses associated with the distribution of its shares in 
accordance with a duly adopted plan. Each Fund has adopted one or more 'Rule 
12b-1 plans' (for each Fund, a 'Plan') and has entered into a Distribution 
Services Agreement (the 'Agreement') with AFD. Pursuant to its Plan, a Fund 
pays to AFD a Rule 12b-1 distribution services fee, which may not exceed for 
each Fund other than WORLD INCOME an annual rate of .30% (.50% with respect to 
SHORT-TERM U.S. GOVERNMENT) of the Fund's aggregate average daily net assets 
attributable to the Class A shares, 1.00% of the Fund's aggregate average daily 
net assets attributable to the Class B shares and 1.00% of the Fund's aggregate 
average daily net assets attributable to the Class C shares, and for WORLD 
INCOME may not exceed an annual rate of .90% of the Fund's aggregate average 
daily net assets, for distribution expenses. The Trustees of SHORT-TERM U.S. 
GOVERNMENT currently limit payments with respect to Class A shares under the 
Plan to .30% of the Fund's aggregate average daily net assets attributable to 
Class A shares. The Plans provide that a portion of the distribution services 
fee in an amount not to exceed .25% of the aggregate average daily net assets 
of each Fund attributable to each class of shares constitutes a service fee 
used for personal service and/or the maintenance of shareholder accounts.

The Plans provide that AFD will use the distribution services fee received from 
a Fund in its entirety for payments (i) to compensate broker-dealers or other 
persons for providing distribution assistance, (ii) to otherwise promote the 
sale of shares of the Fund, and (iii) to compensate broker-dealers, depository 
institutions and other financial intermediaries for providing administrative, 
accounting and other services with respect to the Fund's shareholders. In this 
regard, some payments under the Plans are used to compensate financial 
intermediaries with trail or maintenance commissions in an amount equal to, 
with respect to each Fund other than WORLD INCOME, .25%, annualized, with 
respect to Class A shares and Class B shares, and 1.00%, annualized, with 
respect to Class C shares, and, with respect to WORLD INCOME, .90%, annualized, 
of the assets maintained in a Fund by their customers. Distribution services 
fees received from WORLD INCOME and the other Funds, except SHORT-TERM U.S. 
GOVERNMENT, with respect to Class A shares will not be used to pay any interest 
expenses, carrying charges or other financing costs or allocation of overhead 
of AFD. Distribution services fees received from the Funds, with respect to 
Class B and Class C shares, may be used for these purposes. The Plans also 
provide that Alliance may use its own resources to finance the distribution of 
each Fund's shares. 

The Funds are not obligated under the Plans to pay any distribution services 
fee in excess of the amounts set forth above. Except as noted below for 
SHORT-TERM U.S. GOVERNMENT, with respect to Class A shares of each Fund, 
distribution expenses accrued by AFD in one fiscal year may not be paid from 
distribution services fees received from the Fund in subsequent fiscal years. 
AFD's compensation with respect to Class B and Class C shares under the Plans 
of the other Funds is directly tied to the expenses incurred by AFD. Actual 
distribution expenses for Class B and Class C shares for any given year, 
however, will probably exceed the distribution services fees payable under the 
applicable Plan with respect to the class involved and, in the case of Class B 
shares, payments received from CDSCs. The excess will be carried forward by AFD 
and reimbursed from distribution services fees payable under the Plan with 
respect to the class involved and, in the case of Class B shares, payments 
subsequently received through CDSCs, so long as the Plan is in effect. Since 
AFD's compensation under the Plan of SHORT-TERM U.S. GOVERNMENT is not 
directly tied to its expenses incurred, the amount of compensation received 
by it during any year may be more or less than its actual expenses.

Unreimbursed distribution expenses incurred as of the end of each Fund's most 
recently completed fiscal year, and carried over for reimbursement in future 
years in respect of the Class B and Class C shares for all Funds (except 
SHORT-TERM U.S. GOVERNMENT), were, as of that time, as follows:


                           Amount of Unreimbursed Distribution Expenses
                                   (as % of Net Assets of Class)
                          ----------------------------------------------
                                  Class B                Class C
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------
Short-Term U.S. 
  Government               $   348,789   (5.47%)   $  500,617    (9.67%)
U.S. Government            $13,511,108   (1.75%)   $2,224,264    (1.22%)
Limited Maturity 
  Government               $   785,406    (.93%)   $2,304,343    (3.37%)
Mortgage Securities
  Income                   $15,837,781   (2.15%)   $2,076,306    (4.56%)
Short-Term Multi-Market    $28,259,365   (5.40%)   $1,036,535   (30.35%)
Multi-Market Strategy      $10,014,626   (8.59%)   $  330,171   (42.03%)
North American
  Government Income        $36,368,974   (3.24%)   $2,736,736    (1.25%)
Global Dollar Government   $ 1,832,927   (2.94%)   $  174,111    (1.87%)
Corporate Bond             $ 5,476,418   (2.27%)   $  607,167    (1.19%)



40



The Plans are in compliance with rules of the National Association of 
Securities Dealers, Inc. which effectively limit the annual asset-based sales 
charges and service fees that a mutual fund may pay on a class of shares to .75%
and .25%, respectively, of the average annual net assets attributable to that 
class. The rules also limit the aggregate of all front-end, deferred and 
asset-based sales charges imposed with respect to a class of shares by a mutual 
fund that also charges a service fee to 6.25% of cumulative gross sales of 
shares of that class, plus interest at the prime rate plus 1% per annum.

The Glass-Steagall Act and other applicable laws may limit the ability of a 
bank or other depository institution to become an underwriter or distributor of 
securities. However, in the opinion of the Funds' management, based on the 
advice of counsel, these laws do not prohibit such depository institutions from 
providing services for investment companies such as the administrative, 
accounting and other services referred to in the Agreements. In the event that 
a change in these laws prevented a bank from providing such services, it is 
expected that other service arrangements would be made and that shareholders 
would not be adversely affected. The State of Texas requires that shares of a 
Fund may be sold in that state only by dealers or other financial institutions 
that are registered there as broker-dealers.



                   DIVIDENDS, DISTRIBUTIONS AND TAXES
_______________________________________________________________________________

DIVIDENDS AND DISTRIBUTIONS
Dividends on shares of a Fund will be declared on each Fund business day from 
the Fund's net investment income. Dividends on shares for Saturdays, Sundays 
and holidays will be declared on the previous business day. Each Fund pays 
dividends on its shares after the close of business on the twentieth day of 
each month or, if such day is not a business day, the first business day 
thereafter. At your election (which you may change at least 30 days prior to 
the record date for a particular dividend or distribution), dividends and 
distributions are paid in cash or reinvested without charge in additional 
shares of the same class having an aggregate net asset value as of the payment 
date of the dividend or distribution equal to the cash amount thereof.



If you receive an income dividend or capital gains distribution in cash you 
may, within 120 days following the date of its payment, reinvest the dividend 
or distribution in additional shares of that Fund without charge by returning 
to Alliance, with appropriate instructions, the check representing such 
dividend or distribution. Thereafter, unless you otherwise specify, you will be 
deemed to have elected to reinvest all subsequent dividends and distributions 
in shares of that Fund.


Cash dividends can be paid by check or, if the shareholder so elects, 
electronically via the ACH network. There is no sales or other charge in 
connection with the reinvestment of dividends and capital gains distributions. 
Dividends paid by a Fund, if any, with respect to Class A, Class B and Class C 
shares will be calculated in the same manner at the same time on the same day 
and will be in the same amount, except that the higher distribution services 
fees applicable to Class B and Class C shares, and any incremental transfer 
agency costs relating to Class B shares, will be borne exclusively by the class 
to which they relate.

While it is the intention of each Fund to distribute to its shareholders 
substantially all of each fiscal year's net income and net realized capital 
gains, if any, the amount and time of any such dividend or distribution must 
necessarily depend upon the realization by such Fund of income and capital 
gains from investments. There is no fixed dividend rate, and there can be no 
assurance that a Fund will pay any dividends or realize any capital gains.

If you buy shares just before a Fund deducts a distribution from its net asset 
value, you will pay the full price for the shares and then receive a portion of 
the price back as a taxable distribution.

FOREIGN INCOME TAXES
Investment income received by a Fund from sources within foreign countries may 
be subject to foreign income taxes withheld at the source. To the extent that 
any Fund is liable for foreign income taxes withheld at the source, each Fund 
intends, if possible, to operate so as to meet the requirements of the Code to 
'pass through' to the Fund's shareholders credits for foreign income taxes 
paid, but there can be no assurance that any Fund will be able to do so.

U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAXES
Each Fund intends to qualify to be taxed as a 'regulated investment company' 
under the Code. To the extent that a Fund distributes its taxable income and 
net capital gain to its shareholders, qualification as a regulated investment 
company relieves that Fund of federal income and excise taxes on that part of 
its taxable income including net capital gains which it pays out to its 
shareholders. Dividends out of net ordinary income and distributions of net 
short-term capital gains are taxable to the recipient shareholders as ordinary 
income. In the case of corporate shareholders, such dividends from certain 
Funds may be eligible for the dividends-received deduction, except that the 
amount eligible for the deduction is limited to the amount of qualifying 
dividends received by the Fund. A corporation's dividends-received deduction 
will be disallowed unless the corporation holds shares in the Fund at least 46 
days. Furthermore, the dividends-received deduction will be disallowed to the 
extent a corporation's investment in shares of a Fund is financed with 
indebtedness.

The excess of net long-term capital gains over the net short-term capital 
losses realized and distributed by each Fund to its shareholders as capital 
gains distributions is taxable to the shareholders as long-term capital gains, 
irrespective of the length of time a shareholder may have held his or her 
stock. Long-term capital gains distributions are not eligible for the 
dividends-received deduction referred to above.


41



Under the current federal tax law the amount of an income dividend or capital 
gains distribution declared by a Fund during 

October, November or December of a year to shareholders of record as of a 
specified date in such a month that is paid during January of the following 
year is includable in the prior year's taxable income of shareholders that 
are calendar year taxpayers.

Any dividend or distribution received by a shareholder on shares of a Fund will 
have the effect of reducing the net asset value of such shares by the amount of 
such dividend or distribution. Furthermore, a dividend or distribution made 
shortly after the purchase of such shares by a shareholder, although in effect 
a return of capital to that particular shareholder, would be taxable to him or 
her as described above. If a shareholder held shares six months or less and 
during that period received a distribution taxable to such shareholder as 
long-term capital gain, any loss realized on the sale of such shares during 
such six-month period would be a long-term capital loss to the extent of such 
distribution.

A dividend or capital gains distribution with respect to shares of a Fund held 
by a tax-deferred or qualified plan, such as an individual retirement account, 
403(b)(7) retirement plan or corporate pension or profit-sharing plan, will not 
be taxable to the plan. Distributions from such plans will be taxable to 
individual participants under applicable tax rules without regard to the 
character of the income earned by the qualified plan.


Distributions by a Fund may be subject to state and local taxes. U.S. 
GOVERNMENT, LIMITED MATURITY GOVERNMENT, MORTGAGE SECURITIES INCOME, WORLD 
INCOME, SHORT-TERM MULTI-MARKET, MULTI-MARKET STRATEGY, NORTH AMERICAN 
GOVERNMENT INCOME and CORPORATE BOND are qualified to do business in the 
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and, therefore, are subject to the Pennsylvania 
foreign franchise and corporate net income tax in respect of their business 
activities in Pennsylvania. Accordingly, shares of such Funds are exempt from 
Pennsylvania personal property taxes. These Funds anticipate continuing such 
business activities but reserve the right to suspend them at any time, 
resulting in the termination of the exemptions.


A Fund will be required to withhold 31% of any payments made to a shareholder 
if the shareholder has not provided a certified taxpayer identification number 
to the Fund, or the Secretary of the Treasury notifies a Fund that a 
shareholder has not reported all interest and dividend income required to be 
shown on the shareholder's Federal income tax return. 

Shareholders will be advised annually as to the federal tax status of dividends 
and capital gains distributions made by a Fund for the preceding year. 
Shareholders are urged to consult their tax advisers regarding their own tax 
situation.



                               GENERAL INFORMATION
_______________________________________________________________________________

PORTFOLIO TRANSACTIONS
Consistent with the Rules of Fair Practice of the National Association of 
Securities Dealers, Inc., and subject to seeking best price and execution, a 
Fund may consider sales of its shares as a factor in the selection of dealers 
to enter into portfolio transactions with the Fund.


ORGANIZATION
Each of the following Funds is a Maryland corporation organized in the year 
indicated: U.S. GOVERNMENT PORTFOLIO and CORPORATE BOND PORTFOLIO (each a 
series of Alliance Bond Fund, Inc.) (1973), ALLIANCE LIMITED MATURITY 
GOVERNMENT FUND, INC. (1992), ALLIANCE MORTGAGE SECURITIES INCOME FUND, INC. 
(1983), ALLIANCE WORLD INCOME TRUST, INC. (1990), ALLIANCE SHORT-TERM 
MULTI-MARKET TRUST, INC. (1989), ALLIANCE MULTI-MARKET STRATEGY TRUST, INC. 
(1991), ALLIANCE NORTH AMERICAN GOVERNMENT INCOME TRUST, INC. (1992) and 
ALLIANCE GLOBAL DOLLAR GOVERNMENT FUND, INC. (1993). Prior to March 1, 1996, 
ALLIANCE LIMITED MATURITY GOVERNMENT FUND, INC. was known as Alliance Mortgage 
Strategy Trust, Inc. Prior to January 4, 1993, CORPORATE BOND PORTFOLIO was 
known as Monthly Income Portfolio. ALLIANCE SHORT-TERM U.S. GOVERNMENT FUND is 
a series of The Alliance Portfolios, a Massachusetts business trust that was 
organized in 1987. Prior to August 2, 1993, The Alliance Portfolios was known 
as The Equitable Funds and SHORT-TERM U.S. GOVERNMENT was known as The 
Equitable Short-Term U.S. Government Fund.


It is anticipated that annual shareholder meetings will not be held; 
shareholder meetings will be held only when required by federal, or in the case 
of the Funds organized as Maryland corporations, state law. Shareholders have 
available certain procedures for the removal of Directors or Trustees.

A shareholder in a Fund will be entitled to his or her pro rata share of all 
dividends and distributions arising from the Fund's assets and, upon redeeming 
shares, will receive the then current net asset value of the Fund represented 
by the redeemed shares less any applicable CDSC. The Funds are empowered to 
establish, without shareholder approval, additional portfolios, which may have 
different investment objectives, and additional classes of shares. If an 
additional portfolio or class were established in a Fund, each share of the 
portfolio or class would normally be entitled to one vote for all purposes. 
Generally, shares of each portfolio and class would vote together as a single 
class on matters, such as the election of Directors or Trustees, that affect 
each portfolio and class in substantially the same manner. Class A, Class B and 
Class C shares have identical voting, dividend, liquidation and other rights, 
except that each class bears its own distribution and transfer agency expenses. 
Each class of shares votes separately with respect to a Fund's Rule 12b-1 
distribution plan and other matters for which separate class voting is 
appropriate under applicable law. Shares are freely transferable, are entitled 
to dividends as determined by the Directors and Trustees and, in liquidation of 
a Fund, are entitled to receive the net assets of the Fund. Since this 
Prospectus sets forth information about all the Funds, it is theoretically 
possible that a Fund might be liable for any materially inaccurate or incomplete
disclosure in this Prospectus concerning another Fund. Based on the advice of 
counsel, however, the Funds 


42



believe that the potential liability of each Fund with respect to 
the disclosure in this Prospectus extends only to the disclosure relating to 
that Fund. Certain additional matters relating to a Fund's organization are 
discussed in its Statement of Additional Information.

PENDING LEGAL PROCEEDINGS INVOLVING NORTH AMERICAN GOVERNMENT INCOME
On July 25, 1995, a Consolidated and Supplemental Class Action Complaint 
('Complaint') styled IN RE ALLIANCE NORTH AMERICAN GOVERNMENT INCOME TRUST, 
INC. SECURITIES LITIGATION was filed in the United States District Court for 
the Southern District of New York against the Fund, Alliance, ACMC, AFD, The 
Equitable Companies Incorporated, a parent of Alliance, certain officers of the 
Fund, certain current and former directors of the Fund, certain current and 
former officers of ACMC and certain directors of ACMC, alleging violations of 
federal securities laws, fraud and breach of fiduciary duty in connection with 
the Fund's investments in Mexican and Argentine securities. The Complaint seeks 
certification of a plaintiff class of all persons who purchased or owned Class 
A, B or C shares of the Fund from March 27, 1992 through December 23, 1994. The 
Complaint alleges that as of the date of the Complaint, the Fund's losses 
exceeded $750,000,000. The Complaint seeks as relief unspecified damages, costs 
and attorneys' fees.

The principal allegations of the Complaint are that upon the advice of Alliance 
the Fund purchased debt securities issued by the Mexican and Argentine 
governments in amounts that were not permitted by the Fund's investment 
objective, and that there was no shareholder vote to change the investment 
objective to permit purchases in such amounts. The Complaint further alleges 
that the decline in the value of the Mexican and Argentine securities held by 
the Fund caused the Fund's net asset value to decline to the detriment of the 
Fund's shareholders.

On September 26, 1995, defendants jointly filed a motion to dismiss the 
Complaint in its entirety. The Fund and Alliance believe that the allegations 
in the Complaint are without merit and intend to vigorously defend against 
these claims.

REGISTRAR, TRANSFER AGENT AND DIVIDEND-DISBURSING AGENT
AFS, an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of Alliance, located at 500 Plaza 
Drive, Secaucus, New Jersey 07094, acts as each Fund's registrar, transfer 
agent and dividend-disbursing agent for a fee based upon the number of 
shareholder accounts maintained for the Fund. The transfer agency fee with 
respect to Class B shares will be higher than the transfer agency fee with 
respect to Class A shares or Class C shares.

PRINCIPAL UNDERWRITER
AFD, an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of Alliance, located at 1345 Avenue of 
the Americas, New York, New York 10105, is the principal underwriter of shares 
of the Funds.


PERFORMANCE INFORMATION
From time to time, the Funds advertise their 'yield' and 'total return,' which 
are computed separately for Class A, Class B and Class C shares. A Fund's yield 
for any 30-day (or one-month) period is computed by dividing the net investment 
income per share earned during such period by the maximum public offering price 
per share on the last day of the period, and then annualizing such 30-day (or 
one-month) yield in accordance with a formula prescribed by the Commission 
which provides for compounding on a semi-annual basis. A Fund may also state in 
sales literature an 'actual distribution rate' for each class which is computed 
in the same manner as yield except that actual income dividends declared per 
share during the period in question are substituted for net investment income 
per share. The actual distribution rate is computed separately for Class A, 
Class B and Class C shares. Advertisements of a Fund's total return disclose 
its average annual compounded total return for the periods prescribed by the 
Commission. A Fund's total return for each such period is computed by finding, 
through the use of a formula prescribed by the Commission, the average annual 
compounded rate of return over the period that would equate an assumed initial 
amount invested to the value of the investment at the end of the period. For 
purposes of computing total return, income dividends and capital gains 
distributions paid on shares of a Fund are assumed to have been reinvested when 
paid and the maximum sales charges applicable to purchases and redemptions of a 
Fund's shares are assumed to have been paid. A Fund's advertisements may quote 
performance rankings or ratings of a Fund by financial publications or 
independent organizations such as Lipper Analytical Services, Inc. and 
Morningstar, Inc. or compare a Fund's performance to various indices.


ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
This Prospectus and the Statements of Additional Information, which have been 
incorporated by reference herein, do not contain all the information set forth 
in the Registration Statements filed by the Funds with the Commission under the 
Securities Act. Copies of the Registration Statements may be obtained at a 
reasonable charge from the Commission or may be examined, without charge, at 
the offices of the Commission in Washington, D.C.



THIS PROSPECTUS DOES NOT CONSTITUTE AN OFFERING IN ANY STATE IN WHICH SUCH 
OFFERING MAY NOT LAWFULLY BE MADE.

THIS PROSPECTUS IS INTENDED TO CONSTITUTE AN OFFER BY EACH FUND ONLY OF THE 
SECURITIES OF WHICH IT IS THE ISSUER AND IS NOT INTENDED TO CONSTITUTE AN OFFER 
BY ANY FUND OF THE SECURITIES OF ANY OTHER FUND WHOSE SECURITIES ARE ALSO 
OFFERED BY THIS PROSPECTUS. NO FUND INTENDS TO MAKE ANY REPRESENTATION AS TO 
THE ACCURACY OR COMPLETENESS OF THE DISCLOSURE IN THIS PROSPECTUS RELATING TO 
ANY OTHER FUND. SEE 'GENERAL INFORMATION-ORGANIZATION.'



43



APPENDIX A: 
                               BOND RATINGS
_______________________________________________________________________________


MOODY'S INVESTORS SERVICE, INC.
Aaa-Bonds which are rated Aaa are judged to be of the best quality. They carry 
the smallest degree of investment risk and are generally referred to as 'gilt 
edge.' Interest payments are protected by a large or by an exceptionally stable 
margin and principal is secure. While the various protective elements are 
likely to change, such changes as can be visualized are most unlikely to impair 
the fundamentally strong position of such issues.

Aa-Bonds which are rated Aa are judged to be of high quality by all standards. 
Together with the Aaa group they comprise what are generally known as high 
grade bonds. They are rated lower than the best bonds because margins of 
protection may not be as large as in Aaa securities or fluctuation of 
protective elements may be of greater amplitude or there may be other elements 
present which make the long-term risks appear somewhat larger than the Aaa 
securities.

A-Bonds which are rated A possess many favorable investment attributes and are 
to be considered as upper-medium-grade obligations. Factors giving security to 
principal and interest are considered adequate but elements may be present 
which suggest a susceptibility to impairment some time in the future.

Baa-Bonds which are rated Baa are considered as medium-grade obligations, i.e., 
they are neither highly protected nor poorly secured. Interest payment and 
principal security appear adequate for the present but certain protective 
elements may be lacking or may be characteristically unreliable over any great 
length of time. Such bonds lack outstanding investment characteristics and in 
fact have speculative characteristics as well.

Ba-Bonds which are rated Ba are judged to have speculative elements; their 
future cannot be considered as well-assured. Often the protection of interest 
and principal payments may be very moderate and thereby not well safeguarded 
during both good and bad times over the future. Uncertainty of position 
characterizes bonds in this class.

B-Bonds which are rated B generally lack characteristics of the desirable 
investment. Assurance of interest and principal payments or of maintenance of 
other terms of the contract over any long period of time may be small.

Caa-Bonds which are rated Caa are of poor standing. Such issues may be in 
default or there may be present elements of danger with respect to principal or 
interest.

Ca-Bonds which are rated Ca represent obligations which are speculative in a 
high degree. Such issues are often in default or have other marked shortcomings.

C-Bonds which are rated C are the lowest rated class of bonds and issues so 
rated can be regarded as having extremely poor prospects of ever attaining any 
real investment standing.

Absence of Rating-When no rating has been assigned or where a rating has been 
suspended or withdrawn, it may be for reasons unrelated to the quality of the 
issue.

Should no rating be assigned, the reason may be one of the following:

1.  An application for rating was not received or accepted.

2.  The issue or issuer belongs to a group of securities or companies that are 
not rated as a matter of policy.

3.  There is a lack of essential data pertaining to the issue or issuer.

4.  The issue was privately placed, in which case the rating is not published 
in Moody's publications.

Suspension or withdrawal may occur if new and material circumstances arise, the 
effects of which preclude satisfactory analysis; if there is no longer 
available reasonable up-to-date data to permit a judgment to be formed; if a 
bond is called for redemption; or for other reasons. 

Note-Moody's applies numerical modifiers, 1, 2 and 3 in each generic rating 
classification from Aa through B in its corporate bond rating system. The 
modifier 1 indicates that the security ranks in the higher end of its generic 
rating category; the modifier 2 indicates a mid-range ranking; and the modifier 
3 indicates that the issue ranks in the lower end of its generic rating 
category.

STANDARD & POOR'S RATINGS SERVICES
AAA-Debt rated AAA has the highest rating assigned by S&P. Capacity to pay 
interest and repay principal is extremely strong.

AA-Debt rated AA has a very strong capacity to pay interest and repay principal 
and differs from the highest rated issues only in small degree.

A-Debt rated A has a strong capacity to pay interest and repay principal 
although it is somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in 
circumstances and economic conditions than debt in higher rated categories.

BBB-Debt rated BBB is regarded as having an adequate capacity to pay interest 
and repay principal. Whereas it normally exhibits adequate protection 
parameters, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more 
likely to lead to a weakened capacity to pay interest and repay principal for 
debt in this category than in higher rated categories.


BB, B, CCC, CC, C-Debt rated BB, B, CCC, CC and C is regarded as having 
predominantly speculative characteristics with respect to capacity to pay 
interest and repay principal. BB indicates the least degree of speculation and 
CCC the highest. While such debt will likely have some quality and protective 
characteristics, these are outweighed by large uncertainties or major exposures 
to adverse conditions.


A-1



CI-The rating CI is reserved for income bonds on which no interest is being 
paid.


D-Debt rated D is in payment default. The D rating category is used when 
interest payments or principal payments are not made on the date due even if 
the applicable grace period has not expired, unless S&P believes that such 
payments will be made during such grace period. The D rating also will be used 
upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition if debt service payments are 
jeopardized.

Plus (+) or Minus (-)-The ratings from AA to CCC may be modified by the 
addition of a plus or minus sign to show relative standing within the major 
rating categories. 

NR-Not rated.


DUFF & PHELPS CREDIT RATING CO.
AAA-Highest credit quality. The risk factors are negligible, being only 
slightly more than for risk-free U.S. Treasury debt.



AA+,AA, AA- -High credit quality. Protection factors are strong. Risk is modest 
but may vary slightly from time to time because of economic conditions.



A+, A, A- -Protection factors are average but adequate. However, risk factors 
are more variable and greater in periods of economic stress.



BBB+, BBB, BBB- -Below average protection factors but still considered 
sufficient for prudent investment. Considerable variability in risk during 
economic cycles.



BB+, BB, BB- -Below investment grade but deemed likely to meet obligations when 
due. Present or prospective financial protection factors fluctuate according to 
industry conditions or company fortunes. Overall quality may move up or down 
frequently within this category.



B+, B, B- -Below investment grade and possessing risk that obligations will not 
be met when due. Financial protection factors will fluctutate widely according 
to economic cycles, industry conditions and/or company fortunes. Potential 
exists for frequent changes in the rating within this category or into a higher 
or lower rating grade



CCC-Well below investment grade securities. Considerable uncertainty exists as 
to timely payment of principal or interest. Protection factors are narrow and 
risk can be substantial with unfavorable economic/industry conditions, and/or 
with unfavorable company developments.



DD-Defaulted debt obligations. Issuer failed to meet scheduled principal and/or 
interest payments.


FITCH INVESTORS SERVICE, INC.
AAA-Bonds considered to be investment grade and of the highest credit quality. 
The obligor has an exceptionally strong ability to pay interest and repay 
principal, which is unlikely to be affected by reasonably foreseeable events.

AA-Bonds considered to be investment grade and of very high credit quality. The 
obligor's ability to pay interest and repay principal is very strong, although 
not quite as strong as bonds rated AAA. Because bonds rated in the AAA and AA 
categories are not significantly vulnerable to foreseeable future developments, 
short-term debt of these issuers is generally rated F- 1+.

A-Bonds considered to be investment grade and of high credit quality. The 
obligor's ability to pay interest and repay principal is considered to be 
strong, but may be more vulnerable to adverse changes in economic conditions 
and circumstances than bonds with higher ratings.

BBB-Bonds considered to be investment grade and of satisfactory credit quality. 
The obligor's ability to pay interest and repay principal is considered to be 
adequate. Adverse changes in economic conditions and circumstances, however, 
are more likely to have adverse impact on these bonds, and therefore impair 
timely payment. The likelihood that the ratings of these bonds will fall below 
investment grade is higher than for bonds with higher ratings.

BB-Bonds are considered speculative. The obligor's ability to pay interest and 
repay principal may be affected over time by adverse economic changes. However, 
business and financial alternatives can be identified which could assist the 
obligor in satisfying its debt service requirements.

B-Bonds are considered highly speculative. While bonds in this class are 
currently meeting debt service requirements, the probability of continued 
timely payment of principal and interest reflects the obligor's limited margin 
of safety and the need for reasonable business and economic activity throughout 
the life of the issue.

CCC-Bonds have certain identifiable characteristics which, if not remedied, may 
lead to default. 

The ability to meet obligations requires an advantageous business and economic 
environment.

CC-Bonds are minimally protected. Default in payment of interest and/or 
principal seems probable over time.

C-Bonds are in imminent default in payment of interest or principal.

DDD, DD, D-Bonds are in default on interest and/or principal payments. Such 
bonds are extremely speculative and should be valued on the basis of their 
ultimate recovery value in liquidation or reorganization of the obligor. DDD 
represents the highest potential for recovery on these bonds, and D represents 
the lowest potential for recovery. 

Plus (+) Minus (-)-Plus and minus signs are used with a rating symbol to 
indicate the relative position of a credit within the rating category. Plus and 
minus signs, however, are not used in the AAA, DDD, DD or D categories.

NR-Indicates that Fitch does not rate the specific issue. 


A-2



                                APPENDIX B:
            GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT CANADA, MEXICO AND ARGENTINA
_______________________________________________________________________________

GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT CANADA
Canada consists of a federation of ten Provinces and two federal territories 
(which generally fall under federal authority) with a constitutional division 
of powers between the federal and Provincial governments. The Parliament of 
Canada has jurisdiction over all areas not assigned exclusively to the 
Provincial legislatures, and has jurisdiction over such matters as the federal 
public debt and property, the regulation of trade and commerce, currency and 
coinage, banks and banking, national defense, the postal services, navigation 
and shipping and unemployment insurance.


The Canadian economy is based on the free enterprise system, with business 
organizations ranging from small owner-operated businesses to large 
multinational corporations. Manufacturing and resource industries are large 
contributors to the country's economic output, but as in many other highly 
developed countries, there has been a gradual shift from a largely 
goods-producing economy to a predominantly service-based one. Agriculture and 
other primary production play a small but key role in the economy. Canada is 
also an exporter of energy to the United States in the form of natural gas (of 
which Canada has substantial reserves) and hydroelectric power, and has 
significant mineral resources.



Canadian Dollars are fully exchangeable into U.S. Dollars without foreign 
exchange controls or other legal restriction. Since the major developed-country 
currencies were permitted to float freely against one another, the range of 
fluctuation in the U.S. Dollar/Canadian Dollar exchange rate has been narrower 
than the range of fluctuation between the U.S. Dollar and most other major 
currencies. During the last several years, Canada has experienced a weakening 
of its currency. In January 1995, the Canadian Dollar fell to a nine-year low 
against the U.S. Dollar, decreasing in value compared to the U.S. Dollar by 
approximately 25% from October 1991, but from January 20, 1995, through 
February 15, 1996, the Canadian Dollar increased in value by approximately 3.4% 
against the U.S. Dollar. The range of fluctuation that occurred in the past is 
not necessarily indicative of the range of fluctuation that will occur in the 
future. Future rates of exchange cannot be accurately predicted. 


GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE UNITED MEXICAN STATES
The United Mexican States ('Mexico') is a nation formed by 31 states and a 
Federal District (Mexico City). The Political Constitution of Mexico, which 
took effect on May 1, 1917, established Mexico as a Federal Republic and 
provides for the separation of executive, legislative and judicial branches. 
The President and the members of the General Congress are elected by popular 
vote.


While in recent years the Mexican economy has experienced improvement in a 
number of areas, including seven consecutive years (1987-1994) of growth in 
gross domestic product and a substantial reduction in the rate of inflation and 
in public sector financial deficit, beginning in 1994, Mexico has experienced 
an economic crisis that led to the devaluation of the Peso in December 1994. 
Much of the past improvement in the Mexican economy has been attributable to a 
series of economic policy initiatives initiated by the Mexican government over 
the past decade, which seek to modernize and reform the Mexican economy, 
control inflation, reduce the financial deficit, increase public revenues 
through the reform of the tax system, establish a competitive and stable 
currency exchange rate, liberalize trade restrictions and increase investment 
and productivity, while reducing the government's role in the economy. In this 
regard, the Mexican government has been proceeding with a program for 
privatizing certain state owned enterprises, developing and modernizing the 
securities markets, increasing investment in the private sector and permitting 
increased levels of foreign investment. The recent adoption by Canada, the 
United States and Mexico of the North American Free Trade Agreement could also 
contribute to the growth of the Mexican economy.


In 1994 Mexico faced internal and external conditions that resulted in an 
economic crisis that continues to affect the Mexican economy adversely. Growing 
trade and current account deficits, which could no longer be financed by 
inflows of foreign capital, were factors contributing to the crisis. A 
weakening economy and unsettling political and social developments caused 
investors to lose confidence in the Mexican economy. This resulted in a large 
decline in foreign reserves followed by a sharp and rapid devaluation of the 
Mexican Peso. The ensuing economic and financial crisis resulted in higher 
inflation and domestic interest rates, a contraction in real gross domestic 
product and a liquidity crisis. 

In response to the adverse economic conditions that developed at the end of 
1994, the Mexican government instituted a new economic program; and a new 
social accord among the government, business and labor sectors of the country 
was entered into in an effort to stabilize the economy and the financial 
markets. To help relieve Mexico's liquidity crisis and restore financial 
stability to Mexico's economy, the Mexican government also obtained financial 
assistance from the United States, other countries and certain international 
agencies conditioned upon the implementation and continuation of the economic 
reform program.


While the Mexican economy has stabilized, it is still in a recession and 
suffers from high inflation and high interest rates. In October 1995, the 
Mexican government announced a new accord designed to encourage economic growth 
and reduce inflation. It cannot be accurately predicted whether this accord 
will achieve its purpose. Mexico's economy may also be influenced by 
international economic conditions, particularly those in the United States, and 
by world prices for oil and other commodities. The recovery of the economy will 
require 


B-1


continued economic and fiscal discipline as well as stable political and social 
conditions. There is no assurance that Mexico's economic policy initiatives 
will be successful or that succeeding administrations will continue these 
initiatives.



In August 1976, the Mexican government established a policy of allowing the 
Mexican Peso to float against the U.S. Dollar and other currencies. Under this 
policy, the value of the Mexican Peso consistently declined against the U.S. 
Dollar. Under economic policy initiatives implemented since December 1987, the 
Mexican government introduced a series of schedules allowing for the gradual 
devaluation of the Mexican Peso against the U.S. Dollar. These gradual 
devaluations continued until December 1994. On December 20, 1994, the Mexican 
government announced a new policy that would allow a more substantial yet still 
controlled devaluation of the Mexican Peso. On December 22, 1994, the Mexican 
government announced that it would not continue with the policy announced two 
days earlier and would instead permit the Peso to float against other 
currencies, resulting in a continued decline against the U.S. Dollar. From 
December 22, 1994 through February 15, 1996, the Mexican Peso decreased in 
value compared to the U.S. Dollar by approximately 60%.


In 1982, Mexico imposed strict foreign exchange controls which shortly 
thereafter were relaxed and were eliminated in 1991. There is no assurance that 
future regulatory actions in Mexico would not affect the Fund's ability to 
obtain U.S. Dollars in exchange for Mexican Pesos.]

GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE REPUBLIC OF ARGENTINA
The Republic of Argentina ('Argentina') consists of 23 provinces and the 
federal capital of Buenos Aires. Its federal constitution provides for an 
executive branch headed by a President, a legislative branch and a judicial 
branch. Each province has its own constitution, and elects its own governor, 
legislators and judges, without the intervention of the federal government.

The military has intervened in the political process on several occasions since 
the 1930's and has ruled the country for 22 of the past 62 years. The most 
recent military government ruled the country from 1976 to 1983. Four 
unsuccessful military uprisings have occurred since 1983, the most recent in 
December 1990.

Shortly after taking office in 1989, the country's current President adopted 
market-oriented and reformist policies, including a large privatization 
program, a reduction in the size of the public sector and an opening of the 
economy to international competition.

In the decade prior to the current announcement of a new economic plan in March 
1991, the Argentine economy was characterized by low and erratic growth, 
declining investment rates and rapidly worsening inflation. Despite its 
strengths, which include a well-balanced natural resource base and a high 
literacy rate, the Argentine economy failed to respond to a series of economic 
plans in the 1980's. The Economy Minister's plan represented a pronounced 
departure from its predecessors in calling for raised revenues, reduced 
expenditures and a reduced public deficit. The extensive privatization program 
commenced in 1989 was accelerated, the domestic economy deregulated and opened 
up to foreign trade and the frame-work for foreign investment reformed. As a 
result of the economic stabilization reforms, gross domestic product has 
increased and inflation has decreased.

Significant progress was also made in 1992 in rescheduling Argentina's debt 
with both external and domestic creditors, which improved fiscal cash flows in 
the medium terms and allowed a return to voluntary credit markets. Further 
reforms are currently being implemented in order to sustain and continue the 
progress to date. There is no assurance that Argentina's economic policy 
initiatives will be successful or that succeeding administrations will 
continue these initiatives.


In 1995 economic policy was directed toward the effects of the Mexican currency 
crisis. The Mexican currency crisis led to a run on bank deposits, which was 
brought under control by a series of measures designed to strengthen the 
financial system. The measures included the 'dollarization' of banking 
reserves, the establishment of two trust funds, and the implementation of 
limited deposit insurance.


In 1991 the Argentine government enacted currency reforms, which required the 
domestic currency to be fully backed by foreign exchange reserves, in an effort 
to make the Argentine Peso fully convertible into the U.S. Dollar at a rate of 
one to one.


The Argentine Peso has been the Argentine currency since January 1, 1992. Since 
that date, the rate of exchange from the Argentine Peso to the U.S. Dollar has 
remained approximately one to one. The fixed exchange rate has been 
instrumental in stabilizing the economy, but has not reduced pressures from a 
slow-growth economy and record unemployment. It is not clear that the 
government will be able to resist pressure to devalue the currency. However, 
the historic range is not necessarily indicative of fluctuations that may occur 
in the exchange rate over time and future rates of exchange cannot be 
accurately predicted. The Argentine foreign exchange market was highly 
controlled until December 1989, when a free exchange rate was established for 
all foreign currency transactions. Argentina has eliminated restrictions on 
foreign direct investment and capital repatriation. On September 8, 1993, 
legislation was adopted abolishing previous requirements of a three-year 
waiting period for capital repatriation. Under the new legislation, foreign 
investors will be permitted to remit profits at any time.


B-2



                      ALLIANCE SUBSCRIPTION APPLICATION
_______________________________________________________________________________

                           THE ALLIANCE BOND FUNDS

SHORT-TERM U.S. GOVERNMENT FUND
U.S. GOVERNMENT PORTFOLIO
LIMITED MATURITY GOVERNMENT FUND
MORTGAGE SECURITIES INCOME FUND
WORLD INCOME TRUST
SHORT-TERM MULTI-MARKET TRUST
MULTI-MARKET STRATEGY TRUST
NORTH AMERICAN GOVERNMENT INCOME TRUST
GLOBAL DOLLAR GOVERNMENT FUND
CORPORATE BOND PORTFOLIO



                        INFORMATION AND INSTRUCTIONS
_______________________________________________________________________________

TO OPEN YOUR NEW ALLIANCE ACCOUNT...
Please complete the application and     For certified or overnight deliveries,
mail it to:                             send to:
  ALLIANCE FUND SERVICES, INC.            ALLIANCE FUND SERVICES, INC.
  P.O. BOX 1520                           500 PLAZA DRIVE
  SECAUCUS, NEW JERSEY 07096-1520         SECAUCUS, NEW JERSEY07094


SECTION 1 YOUR ACCOUNT REGISTRATION (REQUIRED)
Complete one of the available choices.To ensure proper tax reporting to the IRS:
Individuals, Joint Tenants and Gift/Transfer to a Minor:
 . Indicate your name(s) exactly as it appears on your social security card.

Trust/Other:
 . Indicate the name of the entity exactly as it appeared on the notice you 
received from the IRS when your Employer Identification number was assigned.


SECTION 2 YOUR ADDRESS (REQUIRED)
Complete in full. 


SECTION 3 YOUR INITIAL INVESTMENT (REQUIRED)
For each fund in which you are investing: 1) Write the dollar amount of your 
initial purchase in the column corresponding to the class of shares you have 
chosen (If you are eligible for a reduced sales charge, you must also complete 
Section 4F) 2) Circle a distribution option for your dividends 3) Circle a 
distribution option for your capital gains.All distributions (dividends and 
capital gains) will be reinvested into your fund account unless you direct 
otherwise. If you want distributions sent directly to your bank account, then 
you must complete Section 4D and attach a voided check for that account. If you 
want your distributions sent to a third party you must complete Section 4E.


SECTION 4 YOUR SHAREHOLDER OPTIONS (COMPLETE ONLY THOSE OPTIONS YOU WANT)
A.  AUTOMATIC INVESTMENT PLANS (AIP) - You can make periodic investments into 
any of your Alliance Funds in one of three ways. First, by a periodic 
withdrawal ($25 minimum) directly from your bank account and invested into an 
Alliance Fund. Second, you can direct your distributions (dividends and capital 
gains) from one Alliance Fund into another Fund. Or third, you can 
automatically exchange monthly ($25 minimum) shares of one Alliance Fund for 
shares of another Fund. To elect one of these options, complete the appropriate 
portion of Section 4A.

B.  SYSTEMATIC WITHDRAWAL PLANS (SWP) - Complete this option if you wish to 
periodically redeem dollars from one of your fund accounts. Payments can be 
made via Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) to your bank account (currently 
Classes A and C only) or by check.

C.  TELEPHONE TRANSACTIONS VIA EFT - Complete this option if you would like to 
be able to transact via telephone between your fund account and your bank 
account. 

D.  BANK INFORMATION - If you have elected any options that involve 
transactions between your bank account and your fund account or have elected 
cash distribution options and would like the payments sent to your bank 
account, please tape a pre-printed voided check of the account you wish to use 
to this section of the application.

E.  THIRD PARTY PAYMENT DETAILS - If you have chosen cash distributions and/or 
a Systematic Withdrawal Plan and would like the payments sent to a person 
and/or address other than those provided in section 1 or 2, complete this 
option.

F.  REDUCED CHARGES (CLASS A ONLY) - Complete if you would like to link fund 
accounts that have combined balances that might exceed $100,000 so that future 
purchases will receive discounts. Complete if you intend to purchase over 
$100,000 within 13 months.


SECTION 5 SHAREHOLDER AUTHORIZATION (REQUIRED)
All owners must sign.If it is a custodial, corporate, or trust account, the 
custodian, an authorized officer, or the trustee respectively must sign.
Investments made by check or EFT will not be made available for up to 15 
CALENDAR DAYS, following the purchase date.

IF WE CAN ASSIST YOU IN ANY WAY, PLEASE DO NOT HESITATE TO CALL US AT:(800) 
221-5672.


1



                          SUBSCRIPTION APPLICATION
_______________________________________________________________________________

                           THE ALLIANCE BOND FUNDS
             (SEE INSTRUCTIONS AT THE FRONT OF THE APPLICATION)



                 1. YOUR ACCOUNT REGISTRATION (PLEASE PRINT)
_______________________________________________________________________________


__ INDIVIDUAL OR JOINT ACCOUNT

_______________________________________________________________________________
Owner's Name (First Name)            (MI)       (Last Name)

____________-________-________________
Social Security Number (Required to open account)

_______________________________________________________________________________
Joint Owner's Name* (First Name )    (MI)      (Last Name)

*JOINT TENANTS WITH RIGHT OF SURVIVORSHIP UNLESS ALLIANCE FUND SERVICES IS 
INFORMED OTHERWISE.


__ GIFT/TRANSFER TO A MINOR

_______________________________________________________________________________
Custodian - One Name Only(First Name)  (MI)    (Last Name)

_______________________________________________________________________________
Minor (First Name)                    (MI)      (Last Name)

____________-________-________________
Minor's Social Security Number (Required to open account)    
Under the State of ____(Minor's Residence)Uniform Gifts/Transfer to Minor's Act


__ TRUST ACCOUNT

_______________________________________________________________________________
Name of Trustee

_______________________________________________________________________________
Name of Trust

_______________________________________________________________________________
Name of Trust (cont'd)

___________________  __________________________________________________________
Trust Dated          Tax ID or Social Security Number (Required to open account)


__ OTHER

_______________________________________________________________________________
Name of Corporation, Partnership or other Entity

____________________
Tax ID Number



                               2. YOUR ADDRESS
_______________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________
Street

_______________________________________________________________________________
City                                      State         Zip Code

_______________________________________________________________________________
If Non-U.S., Specify Country

____-____-_____               _____-____-______
Daytime Phone                 Evening Phone

I am a:  __ U.S. Citizen   __ Non-Resident Alien   __ Resident Alien   __ Other



For Alliance Use Only


2



                         3. YOUR INITIAL INVESTMENT
_______________________________________________________________________________


THE MINIMUM INVESTMENT IS $250 PER FUND.THE MAXIMUM INVESTMENT IN CLASS B IS 
$250,000; CLASS C IS $5,000,000.

I hereby subscribe for shares of the following Alliance Bond Fund(s) and elect 
distribution options as indicated.

DIVIDEND AND CAPITAL GAIN DISTRIBUTION OPTIONS:
R  REINVEST DISTRIBUTIONS into my fund account.

C  SEND MY DISTRIBUTIONS IN CASH to the address I have provided in 
Section 2.(Complete Section 4D for direct deposit to your bank account.Complete 
Section 4E for payment to a third party)

D  DIRECT MY DISTRIBUTIONS TO ANOTHER ALLIANCE FUND.Complete the appropriate 
portion of Section 4A to direct your distributions (dividends and capital 
gains) to another Alliance Fund (the $250 minimum investment requirement 
applies to Funds into which distributions are directed).


BROKER/DEALER USE ONLY
WIRE CONFIRM #


MAKE ALL CHECKS PAYABLE TO:
ALLIANCE FUND SERVICES

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                    CLASS OF SHARES                 DISTRIBUTIONS
                                      CONTINGENT                       OPTIONS
                      INITIAL SALES    DEFERRED    ASSET-BASED         *CIRCLE*
                           CHARGE   SALES CHARGE   SALES CHARGE ------------------------
ALLIANCE FUND NAME            A              B              C   DIVIDENDS  CAPITAL GAINS
- -------------------------- -------  -------------  ------------ ---------  -------------
<S>                        <C>      <C>            <C>          <C>        <C>
Short-Term U.S. Government  $(37)          $(51)         $(337)     RCD        RCD
U.S. Government              (46)           (76)          (346)     RCD        RCD
Limited Maturity Gov't.      (88)           (89)          (388)     RCD        RCD
Mortgage Securities Income   (52)           (63)          (352)     RCD        RCD
World Income                 (54)   not offered    not offered      RCD        RCD
Short-Term Multi-Market      (70)           (68)          (370)     RCD        RCD
Multi-Market Strategy        (22)           (23)          (322)     RCD        RCD
North American Government    (55)           (56)          (355)     RCD        RCD
Global Dollar Government    (166)          (266)          (366)     RCD        RCD
Corporate Bond               (95)          (295)          (395)     RCD        RCD
TOTAL INVESTMENT            $              $              $
</TABLE>

SIGNATURE CARD                                  NAME OF FUND:
CLASS A OR CLASS C ACCOUNT #
(if known)
_______________________________________________________________________________
ACCOUNT NAME(S) AS REGISTERED

_______________________________________________________________________________
SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER

_______________________________________________________________________________
AUTHORIZED SIGNATURE(S) 
- - for joint accounts, all owners, or their legal representatives, must sign 
this card.

1._____________________________________________________________________________

2._____________________________________________________________________________

3._____________________________________________________________________________

Check One Box 
__ All the above signatures are required on checks written against this account.
__ Any one signature is acceptable on checks written against this account.
__ A combination of signatures is required (specify number).

SUBJECT TO CONDITIONS PRINTED ON REVERSE SIDE.STATE STREET BANK AND TRUST 
COMPANY

FOR CLASS A AND CLASS C ONLY:
To apply for checkwriting privileges, please complete the signature card to the 
left. The minimum amount any check can be written for is $500.The checkwriting 
privilege is not transferable to any other fund account.

+ Checkwriting service not offered on Corporate Bond Fund and World Income 
Trust.


3



MY SOCIAL SECURITY (TAX IDENTIFICATION ) NUMBER IS:



                        4. YOUR SHAREHOLDER OPTIONS
_______________________________________________________________________________


A. AUTOMATIC INVESTMENT PLANS (AIP)

__ WITHDRAW FROM MY BANK ACCOUNT

I authorize Alliance to draw on my bank account for investment in my fund 
account(s) as indicated below (Complete Section 4D also for the bank account 
you wish to use and attach a voided check).

             Monthly Dollar
             Amount            Day of Withdrawal*  Circle 'all' or applicable
Fund Name    ($25 minimum)     (1st thru 31st)     months

____________ _________________ ___________________ All J F M A M J J A S O N D 
____________ _________________ ___________________ All J F M A M J J A S O N D
____________ _________________ ___________________ All J F M A M J J A S O N D 
____________ _________________ ___________________ All J F M A M J J A S O N D

*If my bank is not a member of the National Automated Clearing House 
Association (NACHA), I understand that the withdrawal(s) will occur on or about 
the 20th of the month.


__ DIRECT MY DISTRIBUTIONS

As indicated in Section 3, I would like my dividends and/or capital gains 
directed to another Alliance fund within the same class of shares.

             'From' Fund
'From' Fund   Account #
Name         (if existing)    'To' Fund Name  'To' Fund Account # (if existing)
                                               __New
____________ _________________ _______________ __ Existing ____________________
                                               __New
____________ _________________ _______________ __ Existing ____________________
                                               __New
____________ _________________ _______________ __ Existing ____________________
                                               __New
____________ _________________ _______________ __ Existing ____________________


__ EXCHANGE SHARES MONTHLY

I authorize Alliance to transact monthly exchanges between my fund accounts as 
listed below.

<TABLE>
<CAPTION
              'From' Fund
'From' Fund   Account #     Dollar Amount  Day of Exchange**                   'To' Fund Account # 
Name         (if existing)  ($25 minimum)  (1st thru 31st)    'To' Fund Name   (if existing)
<S>          <C>            <C>            <C>                 <C>             <C>
                                                                                __New
____________ ______________ _______________ __________________ ________________ __ Existing ______
                                                                                __New
____________ ______________ _______________ __________________ ________________ __ Existing ______
                                                                                __New
____________ ______________ _______________ __________________ ________________ __ Existing ______
                                                                                __New
____________ ______________ _______________ __________________ ________________ __ Existing ______
</TABLE>

**Shares exchanged will be redeemed at the net asset value on the 'Day of 
Exchange' (If the 'Day of Exchange' is not a fund business day, the exchange 
transaction will be processed on the next fund business day). The exchange 
privilege is not available if stock certificates have been issued. Only 
available within the same class of shares.


B. SYSTEMATIC WITHDRAWAL PLANS (SWP)

In order to establish a SWP, you must reinvest all dividends and capital gains 
and own or purchase shares of the Fund having a current net asset value of at 
least: 

 .$10,000 for monthly payments,  
 .$5,000 for bi-monthly payments,  
 .$4,000 for quarterly or less frequent payments

SWPs on Class B shares of up to approximately 12% (annualized) of the current 
market value of an account will be processed free of a contingent deferred 
sales charge (CDSC). Under this plan, you may withdraw a maximum of 1% monthly, 
2% bi-monthly or 3% quarterly, of the value of your class B shares acquired 
after July 1, 1995, without the imposition of a CDSC. Withdrawals in excess of 
these amounts will continue to be charged the applicable CDSC.Your bank must be 
a member of the National Automated Clearing House Association (NACHA) in order 
for you to receive SWP proceeds directly into your checking account.

__ I authorize Alliance to transact periodic redemptions from my fund account 
and send the proceeds to me as indicated below.

                               Dollar Amount       Circle 'all' or
Fund Name and Class of Shares  ($50 minimum)       applicable months

______________________________ ___________________ All  J F M A M J J A S O N D
______________________________ ___________________ All  J F M A M J J A S O N D
______________________________ ___________________ All  J F M A M J J A S O N D
______________________________ ___________________ All  J F M A M J J A S O N D 


PLEASE SEND MY PROCEEDS TO:
__ MY CHECKING ACCOUNT (VIA EFT) - Currently Class A and Class C only

 I would like to have these payments occur on or about the____(1st-31st) of the 
months circled above.(Complete Section 4D for the bank account you wish to use 
and attach a voided check)

__ MY ADDRESS OF RECORD (VIA CHECK)

__ THE PAYEE AND ADDRESS SPECIFIED IN SECTION 4E (VIA CHECK)


4



C. PURCHASES AND REDEMPTIONS VIA EFT
You can call our toll-free number 1-800-221-5672 and instruct Alliance Fund 
Services, Inc. in a recorded conversation to purchase, redeem or exchange 
shares for your account.Purchase and redemption requests will be processed via 
electronic funds transfer (EFT) to and from your bank account.

Instructions:
 . Review the information in the Prospectus about telephone transaction services.
 . If you select the telephone purchase or redemption privilege, you must write 
'VOID' across the face of a check from the bank account you wish to use and 
attach it to Section 4D of this application.

PURCHASES AND REDEMPTIONS VIA EFT

__ I hereby authorize Alliance Fund Services, Inc. to effect the purchase 
and/or redemption of Fund shares for my account according to my telephone 
instructions or telephone instructions from my Broker/Agent, and to withdraw 
money or credit money for such shares via EFT from the bank account I have 
selected.


D. BANK INFORMATION
This bank account information will be used for:
__ Distributions (Section 3) 
__ Automatic Investments (Section 4A)
__ Systematic Withdrawals (Section 4B)
__ Telephone Transactions (Section 4C)

Please attach a voided check:



                     TAPE PRE-PRINTED VOIDED CHECK HERE.
                We Cannot Establish These Services Without it.
_______________________________________________________________________________


Your bank must be a member of the National Automated Clearing House Association 
(NACHA) in order to have EFT transactions processed to your fund account.
For EFT transactions, the fund requires signatures of bank account owners 
exactly as they appear on bank records.


 E. THIRD PARTY PAYMENT DETAILS
This third party payee information will be used for:
__ Distributions (Section 3) 
__ Systematic Withdrawals (Section 4B)

_________________________________________________
Name 
_________________________________________________
Address - Line 1
_________________________________________________
Address - Line 2
_________________________________________________
Address - Line 3


F. REDUCED CHARGES (CLASS A ONLY)
If you, your spouse or minor children own shares in other Alliance funds, you 
may be eligible for a reduced sales charge.Please complete the Right of 
Accumulation section or the Statement of Intent section.

A. RIGHT OF ACCUMULATION
__ Please link the tax identification numbers or account numbers listed below 
for Right of Accumulation privileges, so that this and future purchases will 
receive any discount for which they are eligible.

B. STATEMENT OF INTENT
__ I want to reduce my sales charge by agreeing to invest the following amount 
over a 13-month period:

__ $100,000     __$250,000     __$500,000     __$1,000,000

If the full amount indicated is not purchased within 13 months, I understand 
that an additional sales charge must be paid from my account.

________________________  ________________________  ___________________________
Tax ID or Account #       Tax ID or Account #       Tax ID or Account #


5



          5. SHAREHOLDER AUTHORIZATION THIS SECTION MUST BE COMPLETED
_______________________________________________________________________________


TELEPHONE EXCHANGES AND REDEMPTIONS BY CHECK
Unless I have checked one or both boxes below, these privileges will 
automatically apply, and by signing this application, I hereby authorize 
Alliance Fund Services, Inc. to act on my telephone instructions, or on 
telephone instructions from any person representing himself to be an authorized 
employee of an investment dealer or agent requesting a redemption or exchange 
on my behalf. (NOTE: Telephone exchanges may only be processed between accounts 
that have identical registrations.) Telephone redemption checks will only be 
mailed to the name and address of record; and the address must have no change 
within the last 30 days. The maximum telephone redemption amount is $50,000. 
This service can be enacted once every 30 days. 

__ I do NOT elect the telephone exchange service. 
__ I do NOT elect the telephone redemption by check service.


I certify under penalty of perjury that the number shown in Section 1 of this 
form is my correct tax identification number or social security number and that 
I have not been notified that this account is subject to backup withholding.

By selecting any of the above telephone privileges, I agree that neither the 
Fund nor Alliance, Alliance Fund Distributors, Inc., Alliance Fund Services, 
Inc. or other Fund Agent will be liable for any loss, injury, damage or expense 
as a result of acting upon telephone instructions purporting to be on my 
behalf, that the Fund reasonably believes to be genuine, and that neither the 
Fund nor any such party will be responsible for the authenticity of such 
telephone instructions. I understand that any or all of these privileges may be 
discontinued by me or the Fund at any time. I understand and agree that the 
Fund reserves the right to refuse any telephone instructions and that my 
investment dealer or agent reserves the right to refuse to issue any telephone 
instructions I may request.

For non-residents only: Under penalties of perjury, I certify that to the best 
of my knowledge and belief, I qualify as a foreign person as indicated in 
Section 2.

I am of legal age and capacity and have received and read the Prospectus and 
agree to its terms.


________________________________________  _________________
Signature                                 Date
________________________________________  _________________  __________________
Signature                                 Date               Acceptance Date



      DEALER/AGENT AUTHORIZATION FOR SELECTED DEALERS OR AGENTS ONLY.
_______________________________________________________________________________


We hereby authorize Alliance Fund Services, Inc. to act as our agent in 
connection with transactions under this authorization form; and we guarantee 
the signature(s) set forth in Section 5, as well as the legal capacity of the 
shareholder.


_____________________________________  ________________________________________
Dealer/Agent Firm                      Authorized Signature
_____________________________________  _____________  _________________________
Representative First Name              MI             Last Name
_______________________________________________________________________________
Representative Number
_______________________________________________________________________________
Branch Office Address
_______________________________________________________________________________
City                                   State         Zip Code
_______________________________________(_____)_________________________________
Branch Number                          Branch Phone 


The payment of funds is authorized by the signature(s) appearing on the reverse 
side.

If this card is signed by more than one person, all checks will require all 
signatures appearing on the reverse side unless a lesser number is indicated.If 
no indication is given, all checks will require all signatures.Each signatory 
guarantees the genuineness of the other signatures.

The Bank is hereby appointed agent by the person(s) signing this card (the 
'Depositor[s]') and, as agent, is authorized and directed to present checks 
drawn on this checking account to Alliance __________________________________ 
('the Fund') or its transfer agent as requests to redeem shares of 'the Fund' 
registered in the name of the Depositor(s) in the amounts of such checks and to 
deposit the proceeds of such redemptions in this checking account. The Bank 
shall be liable only for its own negligence.The Depositor(s) agrees to be 
subject to the rules and regulations of the Bank pertaining to this checking 
account as amended from time to time. The Bank and 'the Fund' reserve the right 
to change, modify or terminate this checking account and authorization at any 
time.

Checks may not be for less than $500 or such other minimum amount as may from 
time to time be established by 'the Fund' upon prior written notice to its 
shareholders. Shares purchased by check (including certified or cashier's 
check) will not be redeemed within 15 calendar days of such purchase by 
checkwriting or any other method of redemption.

No checkwriting available on Alliance World Income and Alliance Corporate Bond.

ENCLOSE THIS CARD WITH THE APPLICATION FORM


6


















































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