Image provided by: Texas A&M University
About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 20, 1974)
THE RHINO puts quite a threat behind parking regulations. W. O. Walker of the University Police demonstrates the fine art of trapping a parking violator with the “Rhino" immobili zer, a clamp which locks the rear wheel of a car in place. The clamps will be used on illegal parkers found in spaces for the handicapped or reserved spaces. (Photos by Alan Killings- worth) Che Battalion College Station, Texas Wednesday, February 20, 1974 Parking tickets given new teeth Beginning next Wednesday, unauthorized cars found in handicapped parking lots will be paralyzed, by University Police. They have acquired four “Rhino” immobilizers which will be placed on any car found illegally parked in lots for handicapped or reserved spaces. The immobilizer is a device which is clamped onto the rear wheel of a vehicle and locked in place. A notice which explains the reason why the car was locked will be put on the windshield. When an immobilizer is placed on a car, its owner must report to the University Police with notice in hand. Upon paying the parking ticket and all possible delinquent tickets, the immobilizer will be removed. The idea for the new program was developed at a meeting between Dr. John Koldus, vice-president for student services, and zoning administrators, on January 29. According to Chief O. L. Luther, “the program is an effort to halt continual violations, made particularly by unregistered vehicles. Henceforth, cars will be immobilized instead of being towed away. Hopefully it will never be necessary to use the immobilizers.” The police have a list of over 500 unregistered vehicles which have collected between six and 13 unpaid tickets apiece. An immobilizer system used in Washington, D. C. netted one violator with 300 unpaid tickets. He reportedly abandoned his car rather than pay the accumulated fines. all fech’s Gi Red Raided Ray Robert) itchell, Stans lury picking begins NEW YORK <*»>—Despite their mewed protest, former Atty. en. John N. Mitchell and ex- mmerce Secretary Maurice H. Stans went on trial Tuesday, ac- ised of exerting corrupt influ- in exchange for a secret 00,000 contribution to President Hixon's re-election campaign. ey. A4M, Mitchell, 60, and Stans, 65, are M. i :56.7 ; 5i barged w ith accepting an under- B.7. B >LES — 1) he-table cash donation from fu- M 2 cC.nn 8i fu«, J tive financier Robert Vesco with 56.1; 5) 8 ; the understanding they would try sidetrack a Securities and Ex- ce, >.4. Ken Stadel, igberty, Rice, i change Commission probe of his ice, 161-5. ■ . , i) Sunrwancial empire. ) Zoe Simpson, iP W, 23.2. 1) Brad Blnir, j Frequently in pretrial motions, 1 1 em, Rice, itA e defense had argued before M, 14.6; 4) * Uce and Don ( Judge Lee P. Gagliardi that a fair s ... wial was impossible in New York. John Lodwick, fThey cited the widespread publi- xy engendered not only by the ]esco case but also by the Wa- irgate scandal in Washington, (here both Mitchell and Stans ve been interrogated. Hums, Rice, H:li 14 :52.9 ; 5| |Tie)| Charles Cottle, if — 1) Texas I, Greald D'Atnl f, 4 2) F Rice real 7.3, Dorn ce (San 49.3 ; Herb _ 47.9), 3:13.6. STANDINGS: EY’S IVVELRY > The Aggie (/> Store j'The prejudicial and massive publicity in this case has contin- right up to the present time,” a Stans attorney, John Diuguid, rgued, in renewing a motion to jsraiss the case, move the trial lit of New York or delay the pro- ledings indefinitely. Gagliardi told Duiguid that he ould handle the motion as he id its predecessors — putting to ist whether a fair jury could be ilected by examining prospective lembers of the panel. The first 80 prospective jurors ibsequently were brought in to agliardi’s federal courtroom for uestioning. Thus the first case of its kind half a century of American story came to trial. Not) since the Teapot Dome landal of 1923 have any former abinet officers faced a criminal idictment. Vesco, 37, is a defendant in the ise, but fled the country and North Galt College Station University National Bank "On the side of Texaa A&M.” Adv. never answered the indictment. Attempts to extradite him proved fruitless. The trial recessed for the night before any actual jury selection got under way. Instead, some three hours were devoted to elim inating prospects who said it would be an undue hardship to be sequestered for the four to five weeks the trial is expected to last. Mozart’s opera ‘Figaro’ set for Wednesday A clever, young barber named Figaro will marry the maid Su sanna when “The Marriage of Figaro” is performed here on February 27 at 8 p.m. in Rudder Center Auditorium. The opera, which will be sung in English, is presented by the Opera and Performing Arts So ciety. Norman Treigle, famous bass- baritone of the New York City Opera will sing the title role. “Figaro” is one of the best known operas ever written. Mo zart’s music characterizes a story that includes mistaken identities and romantic intrigues. “Figaro” is a production of the Symphony Society of San Anto nio. A grant from the Corbett Foundation of Cincinnati made the opera possible for Fort Worth, San Antonio and Bryan- College Station. A grant from the Texas Commission on the Arts and Humanities will also as sist the local presentation. Admission will be by OPAS season ticket or single admission. Tickets are on sale at Rudder Center Box Office, from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m., Monday through Fri day. Call 845-2916 for more in formation. TAMU hourly employes contacted by union reps By LATONYA PERRIN Staff Writer Labor organizers are on campus in an attempt to unionize TAMU hourly employes. “W r e have approximately 65 per cent of the university employes (in the job categories the union is seeking) signed up on cards agreeing for us to be their Battalion Exclusive collective bargaining agent,” said James Middleton Jr., industrial organizer and assistant secretary-treasurer of Local No. 18, Laborers’ International Union of North America. The union is recruiting wage earners such as electricians, custodians and food service employes. The Houston-based local union is holding meetings for these employes of TAMU and has sent a letter to TAMU President Jack Williams by registered mail explaining the grievances voiced by some employes. The union has been working wtih the employes since last October. Grievances mentioned in the letter include prejudice and substandard pay and working conditions. Williams says he has not yet re ceived the letter, and has never had any correspondence or communications with labor organizers. He has heard periodically that or ganizers are on campus, however. “It is not a case of racial or sexual discrimination so much as a discrimi nation between different people,” said Middleton. “One person working at a job has only one week of vacation while another working at the same job for less time has two or three—and that is an actual case.” Ray Smith, TAMU personnel direc tor, said “This is impossible.” Under the current system, he said, all employes with less than 15 years service receive the same vacation—seven hours per month worked. Various employes have verified that they are not always paid by the work that they do but rather the work they were hired to do. These employes have asked to remain nameless. One employe said he was doing work another man was hired and paid to do, but he himself gets no extra pay. “When you have 70, 80, 90 people in a hall saying the same things, you don’t believe it’s a lie,” said Keith McDaniel, local organizer for the union. If Williams does not recognize the union as the employes’ collective bar gaining agent within two weeks, the union will appeal to the National Labor Relations Board. The NLRB will then have 30 days to call a referendum to see if the employes want the union as their bargaining agent. “I don’t think that the union can win an election now,” said Olemuel Davis, employe relations coordinator. “It just isn’t the time for that right now.” Davis went on to explain he felt the administration is taking the necessary steps to remedy the situation which exists. “There are inequities and I regret it, but the situation is getting better,” said Davis. Davis said that next year a 3.4 per cent salary boost is scheduled to take effect and that the administration is asking for more input from the employes as evidenced by his new job. If the hourly employes do designate a collective bargaining agent, they would not be able to go on strike. Ver non’s Annotated Civil Statutes, 5154c, says employes of state agencies are for bidden to strike, but they do have all other collective bargaining rights avail able to anyone else. “We wouldn’t be trying to organize, if it were at all illegal,” said McDaniel. Today Watergate committee votes to end public investigations Volksplane | Inside caving i| Week’s films Senate meeting jij: Aggies take Rice Weather :jj: Increasing cloudi- ness Wednesday after- noon with accompanying widely scattered showers throughout the area. I High Wednesday 76°. g: Partly cloudy and cooler % Thursday following jij: Wednesday evening cold i$ front. High Thursday ty M University ugging evidence admissible; )arty not named in warrant WASHINGTON <A»)—The Senate Watergate committee has voted to end public hearings un less it uncovers extraordinary new evidence. Chairman Sam J. Ervin Jr., D-N.C., said the move reflects the panel’s awareness that the focus of Watergate has shifted to the courts and to the impeachment inquiry in the House of Representatives. The 6-1 vote cancels two sets of hearings for which witnesses already had been announced. They are an inquiry into the circumstances of a $100,000 payment made by billionaire Howard Hughes to C. G. “Bebe” Rebozo, a close friend of the President, and alleged links between cam paign payments made by the milk industry and a Nixon administration decision increasing dairy price supports. Ervin told newsmen those and other unfinished investigations will be included in the panel’s final report. The dissenting vote to end public hearings was cast by Sen. Edward J. Gurney, R-Fla. The committee’s official position leaves the door open to taking some further testimony in executive sessions. Ervin said Gurney wanted all hearings ended and the final report written immediately. Following Ervin’s announcement, the Senate approved by a voice vote a resolution extending the panel’s life three months until May 28. Ervin said the extension is needed to allow the committee time to complete its report. Publication of that report was delayed at the request of special Watergate prosecutor Leon Jaworski who said its release now might interfere with indictments expected by the end of the month. Two Free University schedule corrections Two errors were made in yesterday’s Bat talion concerning the Memorial Student Center Free University schedule. “Biology and Social Problems” with Dr. van Overbeek meets at 7 p.m. Mondays in Room 504, not 101, of the Rudder Tower. Also, “Death and Dying” was incorrectly re ported as meeting on Thursday. It meets Wednes day at 7 p.m. in Room 204 of the Academic Building. WASHINGTON (A*)—A divided Supreme Court today held that evidence gathered through a court-ordered wiretap can be used against persons not specifically under surveillance. The 6 to 3 decision said that the Federal Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1970 does not require law enforce ment agencies to investigate every possible person a wiretap might incriminate before asking for a warrant. The wiretap issue arose from a tap placed on the telephone of Irving Kahn in search of evidence of illegal gambling. After the wiretap was installed, the government sought to use evidence gather ed against Kahn’s wife, Minnie. The U. S. Circuit Court at Chicago sup pressed the evidence against Mrs. Kahn, saying that the government should have investigated Mrs. Kahn to determine if she might be involved in illegal activities fore asking for a warrant naming only her husband. Writing for the majority. Justice Potter Sewart said it was sufficient that the warrant specified a search for evidence of illegal gambling and that it included a re quest to gather evidence on “others as yet unknown.” The majority found that neither the ap plicable sections of the Crime Control Act nor the wording of the specific court order for the Kahn wiretap required suppressing evidence of legally intercepted conversa tions of persons other thaan Irving Kahn. Stewart said the Appeals Court decision could have had a substantial impact on law enforcement. “A requirement that the government fully investigate the possibility that any likely user of a telephone was engaging in criminal activities before applying for an interception order would greatly subvert the effectiveness of the law enforcement mechanism that Congress constructed,” Stewart said. Stewart maintained that the ruling would not give federal agents unfettered discre tion to wiretap. The court concluded that the act “requires the naming of a person in the application or interception order only when the law en forcement authorities have probable cause to believe that the individual is ‘committing the offense’ for which the wiretap is sought.” At the same time, the court continued, the clear implication of the act is that no person need be named when there is prob able cause that a particular telephone is being used to commit an offense. Justice Thurgood Marshall, William O. Douglas and William J. Brennan Jr. dis sented. “Under today’s decision a wiretap war rant apparently need specify but one name and a national dragnet becomes operative,” said Douglas. IT’S LIKE FLYING a lecturn to try to use the controls in the auditorium classroom of the Phase II of the Harrington Educational Center. The control board for audio-visual aids even has an ignition switch and a cassette tape recorder. Classes began in the building Monday. (Photo by Rodger Mallison)