V
AGGIES CONDEMNED
DIE
18,436
READERS
THE
BATTALION
3 More
Class Days
'tii Christmas
Number 206: Volume 55
Two Aggies
To Help State
Death Figures
A&M will cast its votes in
the death poll as two Aggies
will join the parade of trag
edy in holiday deaths.
State figures point toward
at least two Aggies dying as a
result of traffic accidents.
Fred Hickman, chief of campus
security, said he couldn’t give a
concrete estimate but added “we
have never yet gone through the
holidays without an Aggie being
killed.”
Figuring on deaths per mile
traveled, state statistics show that
6.4 persons are killed for every
100 million miles traveled.
Using the conservative rate of
each Aggie travelling only 500
miles during the holidays gives the
total Aggie mileage at 36 million
which figures at least two students
being sentenced to die on the high
ways.
Hickman said estimation of traf
fic fatalities, usually too low, was
made difficult because of the many
multiple deaths arising from one
1 wreck.
The State Public Safety De-
pai'tment has predicted 155 per
sons will die on Texas highways
during the Christmas-New Year’s
holidays.
Col. Homer Garrison Jr., direc-
lor, said that in an effort to slice
down this prediction, he would put
into service all available units of
Highway Patrol.
Speed too great for traffic and
road conditions were the leading
contributing factors in holiday fa
talities.
COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 14, 1956
Price Five Cents
Britain Saves
S. From
World War III
British Vice Consul Admits
No Advantage to Suez Move
In the midst of a SCONA II panel discussion last night
James A. MacLeod, British vice consul from Denver, Colo.,
came out of the audience to defend Britain’s position in the
Suez crisis.
He admitted that “no advantage was gained by Brit
ain’s attack on the Suez Canal, but if they had failed to go
into the Suez, the US would have had to go to the aid of
Israel and full scale war might have resulted.”
MacLeod made his statement before a panel made up
of Henry Tanner, Houston Post correspondent; William G.
Avirett, assistant to the president of the Carnegie Endow
ment for International Peace; J. R. Aston, chairman of the
World Trade Committee of*-
the Houston Chamber of
Installment Due
Fourth and last installment fees
are due before Monday, Dec. 17.
Total this time is $54.55. Room
Tent is $16.65; board is $35.10 and
laundry is $2.80. For each day
late, $1 will be charged.
' Jpp Jg 4^gj
jflr Jr*® m
FOR
GIFT
Drawn Especially for The Battalion Safety Campaign by
f - m:
Don Collins, Sophomore Veterinary Medicine Student
5 Aggies Sidestep
Death Last Night
Five members of A Battery AAA
miraculously escaped serious in
jury or death last night as their
car overturned near Hempstead.
The quintet involved in the ac
cident were:
Jerry C. Parr, sophomore me
chanical engineering major from
San Antonio;
Glen Koym, junior agricultural
economics major from East
Bernard;
Floyd O. Hardimon, junior
geology major from Roswell, N.
M.;
Gary W. Hipps, sophomore build
ing products marketing major from
Dallas;
Jay B, Bisbey, sophomore me-
Christmas Festival
Set Monday Night
Immediately following the
Christmas dinner Monday night,
the College Christmas Festival will
be held at 77:45 in G. Rollie White
Coliseum.
The program begins with an or
gan prelude by Mrs. Ross Strader
followed by a Christmas prayer
given by Corps Chaplain Dwayne
(Dub) Bailey.
Next comes a medley of Christ
mas carols by the Aggie Band and
the singing of carols by the aud
ience accompanied by the Band.
With Toby Hughes as narrator,
the Singing Cadets will present
“The Story of Christmas.”
Robert Bacher, Civilian Chaplain,
will end the program with the
benediction.
chanical engineering major from
Houston.
The group attended a Battery
party in Shiloh Hall l^ist night
which ended about 11:30. A mem
ber of the battery said the boys
involved left the party about 10:30
p. m. in Koym’s 1955 Mercury
reportedly headed for Sealy.
As the car was rounding a curve
about 3 miles west of Hempstead
on the Belleville highway lights
from another car blinded the driver
and they swerved off the highway
overturning into a ditch, victims
reported.
All were hospitalized but were
released with only superficial cuts
and bruises.
Amount of damage to the car
was undetermined at pitess time.
Prexy Loses
Chair Seat
To Veep
Sam Zuckero, Civilian Coun
cil president, lost his seat last
night in the Council’s regular
meeting.
During the Council meeting
discussion of a subject on the
agenda was going slow.
To speed up matters Zuck
ero turned the chair over to
the vice president, Freddie
Ryan, and proceeded to make
a motion on the issue.
The motion was seconded
and passed. But when an at
tempt was made to turn the
chair back to the president,
the Council objected.
So the embarrassed Zuckero
sat and watched as Ryan
continued leading discussion
on the issue.
Senate Insurance
Vote Called Off
Commerce and Philip L. Gra
ham, publisher of the Wash
ington Post.
Under the joint auspices of the
SCONA Committee and the Great
Issues Committee, the panel’s top
ic of discussion was “The World—
Dec. 13, 1956.”
Tanner, speaking on his topic,
“The Middle East Crisis,” said
according to the Arabs “the Suez
crisis was created by the West as
a spring-board in case of'trouble.”
; ‘We haven’t paid for a war since
the Boer War and when the US
took its moral standpoint, Prime
Minister Eden agreed to begin
cease fire negotiations,” said
MacLeod.
Most of MacLeod’s remarks were
made in rebuttal to Tanner’s
statements in his talk.
“Britain and France sought a
showdown for the control of the
Suez Canal because they consider
it a life line,” said Tanner. “We
have underestimated the feelings
of the European Powers about the
Suez.”
He continued and said Russia
upset the delicate balance of pow
er between Israel and the Arab
nations in the Middle East and
‘Britain and France moved in to
offset this balance.”
The program is open to the pub-
lie.
Traffic Deaths So Identical
Story Is Already Written
Fill In The Blanks;
A fiery three-car crash at dusk Wednesday near
took the lives of persons and injured
others.
Highway patrolmen said a north-bound car trying to
pass, plowed head-on into a south-bound car driven by
of .
Driver of the passing car was of
. No one in the car being passed was in
jured but the car was demolished as it left the road and
turned over six times.
All occupants of the car driven by
were pronounced dead on arrival at hospital.
Passengers names were of ;
of and of
Silver Taps will be held Thursday night.
By LELAND BOYD
A student vote to decide the Stu
dent Senate’s compulsory blanket
insurance fate has been called off.
Election committee member Don
Weber who Wednesday night an
nounced the election said the Sen
ate had postponed the election to
get more time to let the students
know what it was all about.
The action postponing the vote
was taken last night after anti-
compulsory insurance public opin
ion began building up.
In explaining why the election,
was called off Weber said:
“We feel that we will not have
enough time to present the com
plete picture, both pro and con, if
the election is held Monday.”
Weber is also publicity director
for the joint senate committee in
charge of working out details for
the plan.
Student Senate President Larry
Piper said he felt that “We did not
get adequate information out to
students.”
He said that SCONA was giv
ing too much competition for at
tention and that both the good
points and the bad points had not
been presented to students.
Piper and Weber said the plan
would probably be put to a gen
eral election after Christmas.
Tommie Hennard, election com
mittee chairman, said the “Senate
didn’t pass a motion like that,”
calling for a student election.
He said the hospital committee
and the publicity committee were
supposed to woi’k on it and report
back to the Senate.
Piper and Weber didn’t under
stand it that way.
They said they went ahead wit h
it because they thought it was sup
posed to be hurried through so the
policy could be put in effect next
semester.
In facing the wave of confusion
they switched and said there would
be plenty of time after Chirstmas.
Malcolm A. “Buddy” Maedgen,
Senate corresponding secretary
told the Battalion 'he understood
the committee were to report back
to the senate before any election
Battalion News Editor Jim
Neighbors, who was present at the
Dec. 6 session of the senate re
ported that the senate passed by a
majority vote a motion “To ac
cept a $1,00 coverage for accidents
and loss of life and compulsory
service insurance policy and put it
to a vote by the student body.”
He said another motion passed
at the same meeting “moved that
the publicity committee and hos
pital committee work together on
the insurance deal and report back
to senate.”
Piper and Weber said they
thought students would accept the
policy if they got all the facts
about it.
An insurance salesman said he
did not want to get “mixed up in.
it.”
Piper* admitted he did not like
the compulsory phase of the pol
icy. But he said that is the way
it will have to be in order to get
(See INSURANCE, Page 5)
His impressions of US foreign
policy included the feeling that
“we will never strike first but in
stead will strike back in case of
attack.” Tanner said the troops
of the Arab nations will fill the
vacuum of the withdrawn British
and French troops in the areas
where they are now situated.
25 Students
Volunteer
To Give Blood
Twenty - five students in
dorms. 10, 11 and 12 have vol
unteered to give blood to help
a fellow Aggie, Norman Joel
Smith.
They were to leave this after
noon for Temple to donate blood
to, replace transfusion blood used
to treat Smith.
Smith, sophomore of Squadron
12, of Temple, received severe in
juries in an auto accident after
Thanksgiving. Smith has been
taken off the hospital critical list.
During Smith’s stay in Scott and
White Hospital of Temple he re
ceived at least ten pints of blood.
Realizing the cost involved, a call
for blood donors went out in his
dormitory area.
The group had planned to go
there Saturday but found that the
hospital facilities for taking blood
were not open on Saturday.
“Although Smith is better he
probably won’t be back until after
the first of the year, if then,” says
John Euler, a friend of Smith’s
in Squadron 12.
Euler said Smith may be able
to leave the hospital Sunday.
Weather Today
Generally improving weather
conditions till this evening are
forecast for the area, with lower
ing “ceilings” predicted for to-
night. Maximum temperature
yesterday was 57 degrees, and last
night’s low, ~ 9. At 10:30 this
morning the thermometer stood at
49 degrees.
EDITORIAL
The Christmas holidays are almost here and
the air is full of joyful anticipation.
Yet in considering what lies ahead, this anti
cipation quickly turns into apprehension.
Every student has to drive at least a few
blocks and most have many miles to travel before
reaching home. It doesn’t even take a block to
turn this apprehension into realization. A few
feet, a flick of the eye and tragedy can strike.
Think about it as you speed down the high
way, meeting cars going just as fast, with only
a few feet to separate you. The tearing of metal
and the tinkling of glass and the holiday season
no longer means anything. It is filled with the
emptiness of grief.
Will it be your place that is empty at the
Christmas table? Will you be able to enjoy your
self and your family if you know elsewhere a fam
ily has been torn apart by your carelessness and
thoughtlessness ?
These thoughts are horrible yet they too many
times come true. Usually because of lack of
thought.
A little time given in consideration of others
and realization of the ease with which tragedy
strikes can easily mean the difference between
life and death.
None of us want to take these horrors home
with us. Let us be sure we don’t give them to
someone else.