touch of class?
The Sbisa Dining Club added a fleeting touch of class to
the rushed, noisy, Aggie atmosphere of Sbisa Dining
Hall Thursday evening. A reserved table awaited them
along with a waiter who seated them and served the
supper cuisine of chicken fried steak and cream gravy
(no seconds), potato gems, buttered cauliflower and
green english peas with onions. The club provided its
own wine and guitar music, substituting for soft drinks,
milk and piped-in radio. (Photos by Jack Holm)
Magruder testifies
Mitchell questioned Liddy payoffs
WASHINGTON (AP) — Jeb
Stuart Magruder testified Thursday
that although John N. Mitchell gave
his unenthusiastic approval for the
Watergate burglary he asked a week Testifying at the Watergate
later why so much money was re- cover-up trial for the third day,
quired by the man who was plan- Magruder said he got a telephone
ning it. call from the former attorney gen-
[ D,| , *'5
Weather
Mostly cloudy mornings
becoming partly cloudy in
the afternoons both today
and tomorrow. Light, vari
able winds. High both days
low 80’s. Tonite’s low 66°,
Cbe
Battalion
Vol. 68 No. 36
College Station, Texas
Friday, November 1, 1974
eral in the first week of April 1972
asking why G. Gordon Liddy
needed “this much money.”
Magruder said that he went to
Mitchell’s office and reviewed for
him the $250,000 proposal that he
said Mitchell approved on March 30
and explained that what Liddy was
asking “was in effect front money” to
purchase equipment and hire men.
“Mr. Mitchell understood,”
Magruder said, and later authorized
Hugh Sloan, the treasurer of
Richard M. Nixon’s re-election
committee, to give Liddy what he
asked.
Magruder had testified earlier
that the approval for the Liddy plan
was given at a meeting in Key Bis-
cayne, Fla., on March 30.
There had been previous tes
timony in other forums that Liddy
originally asked for $82,000.
Mitchell is charged with conspi
racy to obstruct justice, along with
H. R. Haldeman, John D. Ehrlich-
man, Robert C. Mardian and Ken
neth W. Parkinson.
Magruder is serving a 10-month
to four-year prison sentence on his
plea of guilty to obstructing justice
in the case.
As he testified, the courtroom
was rife with reports that
Ehrlichman’s lawyers would ask for
a delay in the trial, a move to
California, or a mistrial in case
Nixon is unable to testify.
The former president has been
subpoenaed by Ehrlichman, and his
current critical illness has cast
doubts on whether he will recover
in time to appear when it is the
defense’s turn some five to six weeks
from now.
“It would be our position that if
Mr. Nixon could not appear, Mr.
Ehrlichman would not be able to get
a fair trial, ” said a source close to the
defense.
The various speculations were
heightened by closed door meet
ings, first among defense lawyers,
then among all lawyers and U. S.
District Judge John J. Sirica, that
delayed the day’s session for nearly
an hour.
-Sill
*<■ '
,d*
1975 county budget hike
due mainly to salary raises
By STEVE GRAY
Staff Writer
An increase of $32,000 in the
salaries of top county officials ac
counts for the bulk of proposed in
creases in the 1975 county budget
that will be presented to commis
sioners court at 2 p.m. Monday.
The proposed $3,396,809
budget, filed Oct. 22 by County
Judge William R. Vance, represents
an increase of $148,161 over the
1974 budget.
Vance said the salary increases
were made because the county’s
workload is increasing each year.
“My job is getting to the point to
where I’m spending close to 85 to 90
per cent of my time with county
business and less to my private prac
tice, Vance said.
“Several years ago I used to de
vote about half my time to my law
practice but that’s all changed now.
he said.
Vance said if commissioners court
approves the budget he will eventu
ally leave his private practice and
become a full-time county judge.
The budget allocates $18,000 full
time pay for his position.
However, Vance said he antici
pates the commissioners will adopt
a part-time salary as was done last
year.
“I hope to wind up my practice by
the middle of next year and con
tinue to receive the part-time salary
as county judge. However, I will ask
for an increase in my pay in the 1976
county budget when the county
judgeship becomes a full-time job, ”
he said.
“I never really considered the job
as part-time, even though I’m being
paid a part-time salary.”
Eight county officers will get a
$3,000 pay boost from their present
$12,000 salaries.
They are the county tax assessor-
collector, the county clerk, the four
county commissioners, the sheriff
and the county auditor.
Under the proposal the county
treasurer will receive $12,000 in
stead of $10,200 a year and the
county attorney will get a $6,000
increase for an $18,000 annual sal
ary.
The proposed budget will be
submitted in a different form than it
has been in recent years.
“We’ve broken down the various
expenses into categories for the dif
ferent county offices. These funds
will be listed under the general
fund. Actual and estimated figures
from the 1973 and 1974 budgets will
also be listed in the proposed
budget,” Vance said.
Previous budget proposals have
not listed such figures.
Vance said the reason for the for
mat change is because the county is
expected to convert to a new com
puterized accounting system in the
county auditor’s office beginning
Jan. 1.
“The auditing system we are
operating under now was estab
lished around 1932 and it simply has
become outdated. There’s just so
much paperwork involved,” Vance
said.
“The new system will allow us to
compare the county budget on a
month-by-month basis rather than
from year to year,” he said.
Vance said a computer printout of
county expenditures and receipts
would be available at future com
missioners court meetings.
“This will allow the court to make
better decisions on just how much
we can spend because we will have
the exact figures in front of us, he
said.
A certified public accountant firm
in Sinton, Harris, Robinson & Co.,
will assist the county in the system
switchover. Vance said they are
under contract for $35 an hour dur
ing the conversion.
Vance pointed out that the pres
ent county budget has fared well
this year.
“The ending balance for this
year’s budget on Dec. 31 should be
around $1,482,000 as we pre
dicted,” he said.
He said the ending balance for
the proposed budget will be $967,
537, about $515,000 less than the
1974 balance.
“However, I think we ll end up
with more than the proposed bal-
apce because we probably won’t
spend all of the proposed money,”
Vance said.
Food wasted
Cafeterias losing $175,000;
saving program underway
By JUDY BAGGETT
Staff Writer
AN ESTIMATED $175,000 A
YEAR is lost by students leaving
food on plates in the campus
cafeterias, said Ed Davis, affirma
tive action officer.
Students have been urged to take
only what they need by posters in
the dining halls, Davis said. Plate
waste has dropped to five percent or
below, he said.
To eliminate waste caused
through family style dining in Dun
can, cadets must sign a list stating
whether or not they will eat in Dun
can for the next day’s evening meal
and the following breakfast. The
program was started during the first
week of school.
In some outfits, the cadets cannot
change the decision. If they have
signed to eat, they have to eat or
find someone to take their place. In
other outfits, the estimates only
Two named
in murder
indictments
Two charges of murder were
among the 20 indictments handed
down by the 85th District Court
Grand Jury on the last day of its
term Wednesday.
Thomas Terry was charged with
the murder of his wife Oct. 3 while
she was walking down 20th Street.
According to police records Tern
and his wife were having an argu
ment when the shooting occurred.
Charise Laws was also charged for
murder in the shooting of her hus
band, England, Sept. 17 in the 1200
block of Ridgedale.
England Laws was running down
the stairs of the apartment and was
shot three times in the back, accord
ing to police reports.
Jerry Frank Rhea is charged with
having sexual conduct with an
8-year old child.
Other indictments include three
for felony theft, four for driving
while intoxicated, five for burglary,
three for carrying unlawful weapons
and two on forgery charges.
have to be reasonably accurate. Bill
Flores, administrative sgt., said.
It was disliked at first because it’s
another hassle to go through, Flores
said. He said the program is work
ing effectively to eliminate food
waste.
EXPERIENCE IN PLANNING
the amount of food to cook is a major
factor in eliminating waste, Davis
said. “Certain days of the week have
more people.” Various activities,
such as football games, may increase
the number of people who eat in the
cafeterias.
The food budget for 1974-75 is
$7,601,779. Canned goods and sta
ple items are bought twice a year in
can cuttings. During can cuttings,
manufacturers present two cans and
bid on each item.
A can is opened to be inspected
by food service officials. The officials
compare quality and price of each
item, before the final decision is
made.
MEAT IS PURCHASED once a
week. Bids are given at each of the
weekly meetings. The meat is
choice, all USDA inspected, Davis
said.
In computing board rate for on-
campus students three categories
are used. Personnel services is the
first category, which includes
salaries and wages of the employes.
Second is capital expenditures such
as equipment. All other expenses
fall into the third category, which
includes food, payroll expenses,
utilities, postage and physical plant
charges.
CAFETERIAS ON CAMPUS
are auxiliary enterprises, which
means they receive no state funds.
The money comes from board stu
dents and cash sales, Davis said.
The missed meal factor is used in
computing board rate. This theory
assumes a student misses 30 percent
of the meals he is entitled to eat.
The average cost per meal is esti
mated to be $1.66.
ALSO, ABOUT $36,000 a year is
lost through theft of plates and sil
verware from the cafeterias, Davis
said.
Bug takes nosedive
A VW Bug slipped into the diggings for pipe line construction along
W. Main last night. No one was injured.
Nixon still on critical list
‘Dangers lurking in background’
LONG BEACH, Calif. (AP) —
Former President Richard M.
Nixon’s internal bleeding appar
ently has stopped, but “there are
dangers lurking in the background”
and more blood transfusions were
started, Nixon’s team of doctors said
Thursday.
Nixon probably will remain on
the critical list for 24 to 72 more
hours, the doctors said.
The doctors said they were still
working to replace the blood Nixon
lost in internal hemorrhaging that
followed his phlebitis surgery.
The former president could have
died from the bleeding that sent
him into shock for three hours after
the operation Tuesday, “if proper
measures had not been taken, ” said
Dr. John C. Lungren.
Nixon’s former press secretary,
Ron Ziegler, made a similar state
ment Wednesday.
Lungren, Nixon’s longtime doc
tor, and two surgeons who operated
on Nixon, did not specify when the
apparent let-up in bleeding took
place.
The three held a 10-minute news
conference at the hospital where the
61-year-old former president is
being treated.
Earlier in the day, Lungren and
Dr. Eldon Hickman said that be
cause of a slight decrease in Nixon’s
hemoglobin level they believed
Nixon may have been bleeding
again.
The doctors said they would con
tinue to watch Nixon’s condition to
determine whether it had stopped
altogether.
Lungren said Nixon’s vital signs
had “pretty much returned to nor
mal,” but he added, “There are
dangers lurking in the background,
imminent dangers, real dangers. . .
Lungren did not say what the
dangers were.
Earlier in the day, Lungren and
Hickman said in a statement that
Nixon’s vital signs — blood pres
sure, pulse and heart beat — were
stable. But the two said a prognosis
was not possible because “the pos-
sibility still exists for further com
plications.”
However, Lungren seemed to
indicate Nixon had made some
slight gains, saying: “His spirits and
mental attitude are excellent. He is
alert, oriented to everything going
on around him, and cooperative.”
At the news conference later,
Hickman said Nixon was “handling
it well” although he was “somewhat
annoyed” by the constant bedside
monitoring of his condidion.
Lungren said the transfusions
Nixon was receiving would replace
the post-surgical blood loss and
combat the low hemoglobin and low
platelet counts. He did not say how
much blood Nixon would receive.
Hemoglobin carries oxygen to the
tissues while platelets promote
blood clotting.
Hickman said the hemoglobin
drop was probably due to
“hemodilution from increased uri
nary output.”