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WANTED:
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Today in
the Bait
Picture page .
p- 3
Evaluations .
P- 6
Review
P- 3
Cbe Battalion
Vol. 68 No. 22
College Station, Texas
Weather
Mostly cloudy becoming
partly cloudy Wednesday
afternoon. Continued
partly cloudy Thursday.
Westerly winds 5-10 mph.
High both days mid-80’s.
Low tonight 65°.
Wednesday, October 9, 1974
Briscoe said ready
to move on reform
of school financing
AUSTIN, Tex. (AP) — Gov.
Dolph Briscoe was described Tues
day as being unwilling to delay
school finance reform any longer,
despite the lack of information he
once thought almost essential.
Richard Hooker, head of
Briscoe’s Education Research and
Planning division, said he believes
the governor will ask the 1975 legis
lature to equalize school finance,
based on true market value of real
estate.
Briscoe opposed sweeping
changes in the system of state school
aid during the 1973 legislature and
later rebuffed calls for a special ses
sion on the subject.
He said more information was
needed and asked the Legislative
Property Tax Committee to make a
district-by-district survey of true
market values of real estate. But the
committee, after months of floun
dering, finally decided it could do
no more than a spot check covering
35 districts out of more than 1,000.
Hooker said this lack of informa
tion will not deter Briscoe from re
commending a new stateschool aid
system.
“The governor has indicated to
me he doesn’t feel we can put off
comprehensive reform of public
school finance any longer ... I
think the governor will accept the
basic concept of the true market
value standard,” Hooker said.
State aid is distributed according
to a complex formula designed in
1949 to measure the ability of local
districts to pay for their schools. But
it fails to measure local taxpaying
ability except in terms of county as
sessed valuations, which vary
widely and usually are far below ac
tual market value of taxable real es
tate.
Hooker said the present formula
also fails to allocate funds on the
basis of pupil needs.
He said he would recommend to
Briscoe “weighted pupil approach”
to aid distribution.
“We start with a cost analysis of
programs, survey pupil needs and
then flow funds that will provide the
money to meet those needs.”
BVDC reluctant
to explain actions
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By ROXIE HEARN
Staff Writer
Hostility and “no comment’’
greeted Battalion inquiries concern
ing the selection of an emergency
medical services consultant by the
Brazos Valley Development
Council’s (BVDC) executive com
mittee Thursday.
The BVDC contracted South
West Research Institute of San An
tonio which bid $17,871 for a prop
osed 90 man-day job over a bid of
$9,500 from South/West Planning
Associates of Bryan with a proposed
75-80 man-day work period.
No reasons were given at the
meeting for the selection of the
higher bid.
Questioned Monday, a flat “no
comments’’ came from F. L.
Thompson, vice chairman of the
committee and a supporter of the
San Antonio firm’s selection.
“You heard the presentation,”
said Grimes County Judge H. W.
Haynie, secretary. “I don’t have to
explain why I voted the way I did to
anybody.”
Paul LaRoche, treasurer, exp
lained that he “went with the major
ity.” Since he had missed the origi
nal meeting, he said, “there was ac
tually not much to go on other than
the decision from the previous
vote. ”
The San Antonio firm’s selection
was defended by Burleson County
Judge Charles J. Sebesta Jr. “The
(BVDC’s) Medical Advisory Board
recommended it and our staff also
recommended it. The San Antonio
firm has more experience and better
^ contacts in Washington. ”
He said that since politics are de
finitely involved in receiving con
tinuing grants, the more established
firm would provide a better set-up
for getting federal funding for area
emergency medical services.
Brazos County Judge William R.
Vance and Dolphus N. Jones of
Burleson County voted for accept
ing the local firm’s bid, citing its cost
and proximity.
Hooker talked with reporters
after testifying before a subcommit
tee of the Committee of 24, a game
of the Texas House that is studying
public education needs.
He told the committee that no
matter how well Texas equalizes the
amount of money spent from district
to district, the balance will be upset
to some extent by federal aid.
Large metropolitan districts,
with sophisticated administrators
and large travel budgets, tend to
obtain bigger grants from Washing
ton than the small rural districts that
often need help the most, Hooker
said.
But, he added, it would take con
gressional legislation—which is not
expected any time soon—to permit
the state to apply for and receive
federal aid funds and distribute
them according to need.
The Texas State Teachers Associ
ation also laid out its proposals, in
cluding a reduction in teacher-pupil
ratios from one to 25 now to one to
23 in 1977-78.
Also in the TSTA legislative prog
ram is a teacher pay raise, including
a $105 per month increase in the
salary base for beginning teachers
starting in September 1975. Other
teachers would receive proportion
ate increases plus a 5 percent “ex
perience” increments each year.
The TSTA proposed a new
method for keeping teachers ab
reast of inflation—a state law giving
them automatic raises each year
equal to the rise in the Consumer
Price Index the preceding fiscal
year.
TSTA said Texas ranks 37th
among the states in average teacher
pay.
Utility control urged
Hobby and Moore visit campus
Bill Hobby
A state regulatory body concern
ing public utilities is necessary in
the near future, said Lt. Gov. Bill
Hobby in a Political Forum speech.
Hobby, accompanied by Bryan
State Senator Bill Moore, presented
his views on the current utilities
situation in the state. The current
controversy associated with alterna
tive fuels, such as lignite and nuc
lear power plants was also discus
sed.
“There is a minimum of problems
with an inadequacy of funds to build
new power plants in the South
west,” Hobby said in relation to re-
c'ent problems in power plant con
struction to meet the rising need.
Sen. Moore assisted Hobby in
answering questions from the floor.
Moore is planning to introduce a bill
in the State Senate relating to the
formation of a state regulatory
commission on public utilities.
Concerning the proposed bill,
Moore said, “I would not be in favor
of a bill that did not provide an ade
quate rate of return for the com
panies concerned, but, on the other
hand, the commission would at
tempt to keep the cost increases
down to a necessary minimum.”
Hobby said that the recent in
terest in state utility regulatory
agency has been caused by the in
crease in phone rates in Houston
and an electric rate increase in Dal
las. Both increases were approved
over citizen protest.
Moore’s proposed plan for a reg
ulatory board consists of a three-
member commission appointed by
the governor. Members would
serve a six-year staggered term so a
new member could be appointed at
two year intervals. Moore said the
funds to finance the agency would
be obtained through a fee charged
to the public utility companies.
Hobby, agreeing with Moore,
said, “The regulatory body prop
osed would greatly benefit the small
towns that are served by companies
whose main service area is a large
metropolitan area. ”
A question-answer period fol
lowed the speech. Questions co
vered the Huntsville prison break
and shootout, the Texas A&M Per
manent University Fund and the
recent Constitutional Convention.
Concerning the Permanent Uni
versity Fund, Hobby said, “I see no
reason why the University of Texas
or TAMU should have a favored
status over other state universities. ”
On further questioning, Hobby
said all state funded colleges should
share the combined Permanent
University Fund in an equal man-
Tax questions answered
WASHINGTON (AP) — About
28 percent of all taxpayers will end
up with a higher tax bill if Congress
approves President Ford’s request
for a 5 percent tax surcharge.
Here are some answers to ques
tions that taxpayers may have on
how the surcharge will affect them:
Q: Who will pay the surtax?
A: Generally speaking, families
with gross incomes of $15,000 and
over will be subject to the tax. For
individuals, the cutoff is $7,500.
Those with incomes below these
levels would normally be excluded.
Q: I’m making more than
$15,000. Does that mean my total
tax bill will be increased by 5 per
cent because of the surcharge?
A: No, basically the surcharge
will be applied to the tax on your
income above $15,000, although it’s
slightly more complicated than that.
If you are the head of a family of
four and earn $15,000, the govern
ment already allows you $2,000 in
standard deductions and $3,000 in
personal exemptions for your fam
ily. That leaves you with $10,000
taxable income.
The surcharge would apply as a 5
percent increase to any taxable in
come in excess of $10,000 in your
case.
In the case of an individual tax
payer who takes a $1,300 standard
deduction and a single exemption of
$750, his taxable income is $5,450,
and the surcharge would apply to
anything over that.
In some cases, a family taxpayer
with more than $15,000 income but
with numerous deductions can keep
his taxable income below $10,000
and would not be subject to the sur
charge.
There might also be cases where a
taxpayer with less than $15,000 in
come must claim taxable income in
excess of $10,000. He would have to
pay tax on the amount over $10,000.
Q: Give me a better idea of the
cost. How much will I pay if I have
$20,000 taxable income after taking
my deductions for a family of four?
A: You would calcualte a regular
tax of $4,380. Then you would sub
tract from that $1,820 as the tax on
the first $10,000, leaving a differ-
Game time
clarified
The kickoff for the televised ver
sion of Saturday’s game between
A&M and Tech depends on the lo
cation of the World Series.
If the World Series opens in Los
Angeles, it will be at noon. If the
Series opens in Pittsburgh kickoff
will be at 2:50 p.m.
The game will be broadcast on
ABC.
From Tulane
ence of $2,560.
The surcharge would be 5 per
cent of $2,560, or $128. The total tax
due would be $4,508, which is the
total of the regular tax of $4,380 and
the $128 surcharge.
Q: Does this go into effect im
mediately?
A: No, the President wants the
surcharge to apply to 1975 income
only. It would be a one-year prog
ram. And Congress would have to
approve it in any event.
Q: Why is the government in
creasing taxes now? Inflation al
ready has reduced the purchasing
power of a worker’s income by about
5 percent, and this will hurt me and
my family even more.
A: Ford said the battle against in
flation requires sacrifices from all
Americans. The additional $2.6 bill
ion the government will raise from
the tax surcharge will be used to
finance a public service employ
ment program for the jobless, and to
offset tax incentives for business ex
pansion.
Medical program
to get first dean
F-f-freeze
not expected
this month
Despite recent cool weather, the
temperature probably won’t drop to
freezing until the last of November,
according to 60 years of records for
the Bryan-College Station area.
Dr. John Griffiths, State
Climatologist and professor ol
meteorology, said Thursday the av
erage freeze date since 1917 has
been Nov. 30.
The 32-degree mark did arrive as
early as Oct. 20 one year, although
the month’s difference averaged out
over 60 years doesn’t make much
impact in the figures, he said.
That earliest freeze was in 1917,
apparently during a cold snap, as
the next two earliest freeze dates
were the same year—Oct. 30 when
it got down to 29 degrees, and the
following day, Oct. 31, when the
mark soared to 30.
AGGIE PLAYERS’ production of “Lovers and Other Strangers” features several short glimpses into people’s love lives. Steve
King (L), Anel Douphrate and Grant Burrets star in one of the skits. See review page 8. (Photo by Douglas Winship)
Dr. James A. Knight, prominent
medical educator and psychiatrist,
has been named dean of medicine.
Dr. Knight was formerly as
sociate dean of Tulane University
School of Medicine.
Dr. Knight will head TAMU’s
new medical education program
being developed with Baylor Col
lege of Medicine, the Veterans Ad
ministration and Scott and White
Clinic.
The program allows participants
to begin their formal medical train
ing after the second year of under
graduate study. Students would fol
low a pre-clinical curriculum during
what would normally be their junior
and senior years at TAMU and then
continue with the clinical
phases of their medical education at
Houston, Temple, Waco or Marlin.
Dr. Knight has served as profes
sor of psychiatry for both the School
of Medicine and the School of Pub
lic Health and Tropical Medicine.
Earlier in his career, he was director
of the Program in Psychiatry and
Religion at Union Theological
Seminary in New York and also
served from 1958 to 1961 on the
faculty at Baylor College of
Medicine, including the last year as
assistant dean.
Dr. Knight earned his M. D. at
Campaign funds bill sent to House
Public money to be used
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Se
nate passed 60 to 16 Tuesday night a
sweeping, Watergate-stimulated
bill to curb campaign contributions
and spending and to finance presi
dential races with public funds.
The compromise measure was
sent to the House for final action,
expected within a day or two. Both
House and Senate earlier had ap
proved similar but separate ver
sions.
Sen. Howard W. Cannon,
D-Nev., floor manager of the bill,
said the legislation, growing out of
the Watergate scandals, was de
signed “to eliminate the problems
so prevalent in the 1972 campaign. ”
But Sen. Edward M. Kennedy,
D-Mass., said he supported the
compromise with mixed feelings.
He said it set a double standard of
reform by providing for use of tax
funds to finance presidential cam
paigns but not Senate and House
races, in which he said the need for
public financing was probably grea
ter.
Republican leader Hugh Scott
said he also regretted the lack of
public financing of congressional
races. But he called it a reasonably
good bill over-all.
Like Kennedy, he said one of its
key features is the establishment of
an independent commission to ad
minister the legislation and investi
gate alleged violation.
Sen. James B. Allen, D-Ala., said
he was forced to vote against the bill
because of its public financing pro
visions, which he denounced as “a
raid on the taxpayers’ pocketbooks
for the benefit of politicians. ”
Common Cause, a self-styled
citizens lobby, called the bill “the
only major legislative response by
the 93rd Congress to the Watergate
scandals.”
President Ford’s position on the
compromise measure is in doubt.
But Scott said that in his judgment
the President will sign it.
The public financing of presiden
tial campaigns and party nominating
conventions \yould be funded from
the voluntary system established in
1971 under which taxpayers may
earmark $1 of their federal income
taxes for campaign financing by
checking a box on their federal re
turns.
Cannon said that as of July 1 the
fund contained about $29V2 million
and was projected to total about 075
million by the time of the 1976 elec
tion.
The bill would limit presidential
candidates to spending $20 million
on their general election campaigns
and $10 million on seeking their
party’s presidential nomination.
The government would pay the
full cost of the campaigns of the
Democratic and Republican
nominees and reimburse minor
party presidential candidates in
proportion to their share of the
popular vote.
For primary campaigns of presi
dential contenders, the government
would match private contributions
of $250 or less on a $1 for $1 basis up
to $5 million.
The bill also provides up to $2
million in tax money to finance both
the Democratic and Republican
presidential nominating conven
tions and lesser Amounts for minor
parties, depending on their popular
support.
Dr. James A. Knight
Vanderbilt University School ol
Medicine in 1952 and Master ol
Public Health Degree at Tulane in
1962. Prior to entering medicine,
he earned an undergraduate degree
in social sciences at Wofford College
and a divinity degree at Duke U ni-
versity.
He was a chaplain in the Navy
from 1944 to 1946 and served in the
Pacific Theater.
Dr. Knight is licensed for medical
practice in Texas, Louisiana, Ten
nessee, Florida and New York. He
was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and is
a member of numerous professional
and scientific societies. He is the
author of more than 50 scholarly
papers and eight books.