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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (March 20, 1969)
LION il feel ib make ii ime." Icindort tastic it Che Battalion VOLUME 64 Number 86 COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS THURSDAY, MARCH 20, 1969 Telephone 846-2226 it twoi at it'o e game * m’t I m ’ Smith Recommends Tax Hikes On Cigarettes, Chemical Goods OIL SPRAYS IN GULF I sprays from an offshore drilling rig into the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Louisiana ifter the control valve broke in rough seas. The Coast Guard said the oil was causing Wor pollution but the wind was pushing the oil out to sea. Twenty men were evacuated the rig located 65 miles southeast of Morgan City. (AP Wirephoto) INTIRE mm ROLLS EEKLl Inn Before Sparse Attendance Panel Explains Autareg By TOM CURL Battalion Staff Writer An explanation of the recently- ompleted automated registration ind some suggestions for chang- s were made to a disappointing- y small audience in the Me- norial Student Center Wednes- Jay. The program was a Great Is- ues presentation titled “The Student Body vs. Automated Reg- stration,” but only about 15 stu- lents were present. The seven-member panel was composed of two students and ive administrative officials con- lerned with the program used or the first time in registering or this spring semester. THE SYSTEM’S planners ex- ilained their respective roles; mm’s hen Student Senator A1 Reinert, uwfiead of a joint committee to tudy the new system, and Stu- lent Senate Vice President David addox expressed the students’ iewpoint. Reinert explained that students rere generally in favor of the utomated system, as evidenced >y a recent poll conducted by the student Senate. “As a technological achieve- nent, the system is great; it’s an idministrative tool to help run he university,” he said. “A LOT of students, in fact 10 per cent, said they were satis- ied with the system,” he re- arked in referring to the Stu- lent Senate poll. He added, however, that many itudents were alienated by the ipeed at which the new system was “sprung” on them last fall. “There were student senators last September just waiting for lomputerized registration so they DAY 5P.il University National Bank “On the side of Texas A&M. —Adv. could introduce resolutions con demning it,” Reinert commented. “From the sparse turnout we haye tonight, apparently those who were down on it at the be ginning of the semester are satis fied now,” he concluded. Maddox then said that many students still have the idea that it does no good to air their com plaints because they think they will be ignored. MADDOX SAID that in his study of the system and his dis cussions with members of the student body, there seems to be three major complaints concern ing the automated procedure. The first two are selection of professor, something the students did not have even under the old system, and selection of course times, a possibility under the old method. Both are not possible under the automated system. He pointed out that the pro fessor evaluation system current ly being formed by the Student Senate would be useless if stu dents have no choice of instruc tors. Maddox then offered several suggestions for improvement of the system, including changing the criteria used to determine priority used for pre-registration. He suggested basing a student’s place in the pre-registration pro cedure on his cumulative grade point ratio, with the higher stu dents being given the first op portunity to get their desired courses. UNDER THE present system of pre-registration, a student who is failing a course at mid-term may sign up for an advanced course the following semester in the hopes he can raise his mid term grade. In the case of cer tain courses, the available sec tions are closed before preregis tration is completed and some the even students must register in week between semesters, though they passed the prerequi site course. “The man who is going to fail the course can get a seat and the man who passes sometimes dan’t,” Maddox said. He also suggested adopting the method of automated registration used by Miami University of Ohio where the computer tries to give the student the schedule he has requested, if at all possible. Mad dox admitted, however, that this would not allow complete balanc ing of sections in multiple-sec tion courses, as is possible under the existing A&M system. AUSTIN (A 1 ) — Gov. Preston Smith waited today for public reaction to his latest new tax recommendations and legislators got ready to write their own tax bill. There were indications the first major move toward producing $261 million in new revenue for 1970-71 will come next Wednes day. Meanwhile both houses met to day to consider a long list of com mittee-approved bills, then were expected to quit until Monday. The governor told a joint ses sion of senators and representa tives Wednesday afternoon that he thought $71 million in new tax money should be raised from cig arette smokers and chemical man ufacturers. Smith recommended raising the state cigarette tax from 11 to 15 cents a pack, which also carries eight cents federal tax. The gov ernor predicted most cigarette sellers would up prices five cents a pack, giving them another cent profit along with the four cents for new state tax money. Smith estimated the four cents increase would produce $71 million for 1970-71. THE GOVERNOR said another $45 million could be raised in the next biennium by a .5 per cent gross receipts tax on chemical products manufactured in Texas. Motor and special fuels would be exempted, as would natural sul phur, natural gas and cement. The tax would hit manufacture of or ganic and inorganic chemicals and gases, resin and plastics, drugs, cleaning and toilet goods, explo sives, carbon black, paints, inks and other chemical preparations. Speaker Gus Mutscher was cau tious in comment on the gover nor’s recommendations but the speaker said he would talk with House leaders about a major tax bill hearing next Wednesday. “I can’t help but applaud the governor’s efforts to bring some degree of balance between busi ness and consumer taxes,” Mut scher said. REP. BEN ATWELL, chairman of the House Tax; Committee and co-sponsor of the only House bill introduced that has the chemical tax, said he would need assur ances the tax will not hurt the competitive position of Texas’ fast growing chemical industry. “Ridiculous,” said Sen. Jack Strong, Longview, about the chem icals levy. “It’s a gross receipts tax on a gross receipts tax. Chem icals are produced from oil and gas, which already have a gross receipts tax.” When Budget Doesn’t Balance Legislators Decide: Heatly unity ^ > 1 In RTV 1 ED" Shepard ft .EADER! 1971 1 YELL Lfj gs S0CIAL-$ec # of equat R *iU • pm dOHH i JOHN 8t bobbyc bill sro epres 1 ELECTION TONIGHT Campaign signs between the Memorial Student Center and Guion Hall that have been shouting their slogans to the casual passerby all week will come down tomorrow after the polls close at 7:30 p. m. tonight. Polling places are located in the basements of the MSC and YMCA. (Photo by Bob Palmer) By TONY HUDDLESTON Battalion Staff Writer The Texas Legislature has to decide “whether to fit the hand in a glove or make the glove fit the hand” when the state budget won’t balance, House appropria tions committee chairman W. S. (Bill) Heatly Jr. told the Politi cal Forum audience Wednesday. “If the people support state programs, they must also sup port the means of paying for them,” the seven-term legislator informed a record 75 people at tending a Political Forum noon discussion. He added that he didn’t think a state income tax was justified because of the amount that the federal income tax already took from the Texas citizen. He noted that he had support ed every tax bill that had come before him since he was elected to the legislature in 1954. “I be lieve that my appropriation bill creates the taxes, and that I am obliged to help pass the tax measure to get the money for the appropriation bills.” THE DECISION that the legis lature will most likely make will be to honor a large number of requests, appropriations, and stipulate the need “for blank number of dollars,” the four time appropriations committee chairman added. “Your budget is a good exam ple of how this works,” Heatly told a standing-room crowd. “Every Monday morning you wonder how you’re going to make through the week, because you spent too much Saturday night. And it took a loan from your roommate.” “By constitutional amendment passed during Gov. Coke Steven son’s term, the budget can’t be passed unless the comptroller certifies that the money is com ing in,” Heatly noted. ‘This amendment guarantees that the government of Texas can’t spend more money than they have, and insures that the Texas budget will always be in the black.” THE LEGISLATOR from Pa ducah noted that with the state’s Smith apparently shook some legislators when he suggested they keep “your thinking clear and straight about a corporation profits tax. I frankly do not know how much longer such a tax can be postponed in Texas.” One of Smith’s aides said he came close to recommending such a levy. “I sure don’t want to hear any more talk about a corporate in come tax . . . because a personal income tax comes next,” said Rep. Bill Heatly, chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. Smith also said he wanted leg islators to know that he was se rious about recommending in February a $10 penalty for each moving traffic fine to produce about $38.5 million the next two years. “WHETHER it was a politi cally wise recommendation, or whether it was a good recommen dation, may be questioned, but I assure you it was and is a serious recommendation,” he said. In a session of the House Revenue and Tax Committee after Smith’s speech, Rep. R. H. Cory, Victoria, tried unsuccessfully to get the $10 traffic fine penalty plan sent to the attorney general for a legal test. He said he had letters from a number of attorneys who thought the plan would be uncon stitutional by “using police power to raise taxes.” Cory said he would make a second attempt later. Work Through Set Channels For Change, Luce Advises rapidly increasing population — expected to be 11 million and third largest by the 1970 census — needs in health, education and welfare continue to increase, and cause higher state expenditures, Heatly predicted. He pointed out that 43.5 cents of every dollar is spent on edu cation; 17.5 cents, state welfare; 21 cents, state highways; and 5 cents, public health, totaling 87 cents of every tax dollar. He added that in the future he ex pects the total percentage of tax dollars spent in these four areas to be higher. Heatly said that current spend ing includes $1 billion for the state judiciary, $20 million for departmental requests, $120 mil lion for higher education and $30 million for mental health. HE CITED A&M as an example where the cost of education has increased from $33.5 million in 1963 to $63 million this year. “We have three medical schools in Texas, at a cost of $50 million a year, and it appears the legis lature will create another, or per haps two,” the legislator added. He said that he favored college tuition increases and will support these measures. “In the 1930’s, tuition covered 25 per cent of classroom costs, a percentage that we maintained until 1960,” Heatly remarked. Currently tuition covers 12 per cent of classroom costs.” Heatly said that he would be happy to go along with measures to repeal state tuition, and make the system tuition-free as in California. “If we adopted their free sys tem, we could raise $44 million more annually,” he pointed out. On the question of whether an 18-year-old should vote or not, the Baylor graduate said, “Young Americans should wait until they are 21 before they are allowed to vote because they will be better informed on the issues at hand than 18-year-olds.” Bryan Building & Loan Association. Your Sav ings Center, since 1919. 13 B & L —Adv. By DAVID MIDDLEBROOKE Battalion Staff Writer Young people today should be come involved in the political party structure that exists, and work from the inside for mean ingful change, according to Phil lip Abbott Luce. Luce, a former communist who later defected to the F.B.I. and wrote books and articles on his experiences with the New Left, talked with The Battalion Wed nesday following informal talks in five air science classes. The Young Americans For Freedom (YAF) consultant also spoke Tuesday on “The New Left” in a Great Issues presentation. “I think the party has a lot to offer,” Luce explained. “It needs young' people. I think it recog nizes that, and is seeking them. Young people do have a lot to say and I think they could bring about meaningful reform in this coun try. They have to be given the chance to change it through the democratic process. “A THIRD party is not the answer,” he continued. “It takes more and more money to run for office, and most third parties can not afford it. In a country such as this, I think third parties are doomed to failure. “Wallace, for instance, didn’t receive votes for Wallace so much as he received votes against the other two parties. It is the one kind of vote you can cast that says you’re mad, that says T think you’re both wrong and I’m going to show you you’re wrong by voting for George Wallace.” “The struggle is not one of ease or comfort,” Luce empha sized. “Neither is it one of sit ting in your coffee houses and talking about revolution. It’s one where you go out and you are the one that helps elect an assembly- man and he knows you helped elect him, and he’s a young guy, he’s got the same kind of ideas you’ve got. Then you go on up to Congress. That’s the way to do it.” ‘ THERE ARE a number of big political bosses, like Daley in Chicago, that I think should, and can, be overcome. The young people can do it.” Luce then turned the conver sation to Chicago and the riots there last August. “The Left went to Chicago to create violence,” he said. “Mayor Daley, unfortunately, fell into their trap from the beginning. The left wanted three things; the right to sleep in Lincoln Park, the issuance of a parade permit, and permission to hold a mock convention. Daley should have allowed them. In that way, he would have undercut the left. “THE OVERRIDING conviction of the left,” Luce observed, “is a belief in collectivism, a belief that the more government power you have, the more you can control people’s lives. The more you can do this the more the government can create betterment for the peo ple. This is exactly the opposite of what most young people, of what I, believe. I “The tide is turning; the left is on the way out, I think,” he continued. “This is why they are (See Work, Page 3) Change By Supreme Court Last Lecture Presentation “The Supreme Court as an In strument of Change” will be the final presentation Tuesday for the 1968-69 University Lecture Series. Guest speaker will be Dr. Rob ert Jennings Harris, political sci ence author and professor of history and government at the University of Virginia. Dr. E. B. Doran, series chair man, said the talk will be con ducted at 8 p.m. in the Memorial Student Center Ballroom. The admission-free program is co sponsored by the Great Issues Committee of the MSC Director ate. Dr. Harris joined the Univer sity of Virginia faculty in 1963 as arts and science dean and pro fessor of government. The Ten nessee native previously taught at Louisiana State, Vanderbilt and Columbia. He has been employed by the Library of Congress to assist in the revision of “The Constitution of the United States Annotated.” His books include “The Judicial Power of the United States” and “The Quest for Equality: The Constitution, Congress, and the Supreme Court.” He also col laborated in writing “The Consti tution of the United States: Analysis and Interpretation,” “Continuing Crisis in American Politics” and “Perspective on the South: Agenda for Research.” Dr. Harris holds degrees from Vanderbilt, the University of Illi nois and Princeton. The University Lecture Series, Dr. Doran explained, was launch ed in 1963 to give A&M faculty and students, as well as the gen eral public, an opportunity to hear authorities discuss subjects of broad social, political and in tellectual interest. Sophs May Apply For Town Hall Sophomores interested in applying for positions on next year’s Town Hall Committee should get applications at the Student Program office in the Memorial Student Center be fore March 28, according to Louis Adams, Committee chairman. FIRST BANK & TRUST—Home of the Super CD- 5% interest compounded daily. CHOPPERS IN FIERY EXIT Two troop-carrying helicopters of the U. S. 25th Infantry Division pull out of a landing zone through the smoke of a marsh grass fire in South Vietnam. The fire was started when troops marked a landing zone with smoke grenades and the dry brush went up in flames. The soldiers w’ere being dropped into the area to search for signs of an enemy unit reported to have infiltrated there from across the nearby Cambodian border. (AP Wirephoto)