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Page 2 THE BATTALION THURSDAY, APR. 15, 1976 Improved services for consumer latest campaign drive by Soviets Associated Press vice, the message obviously still Fifteen million foreigners came h« Associated Press MOSCOW — On March 19, Moscow s evening newspaper pub lished a glowing report about the city taxi drivers of Motor Pool 15. They had pledged themselves to "excel lent service, had posted little signs to that effect on their dashboards and praise from customers was rolling in. But on a recent night outside Moscow s biggest hotel, the model drivers of Motor Pool 15 were nowhere to be found and the surly, more traditional cab drivers ol Moscow were, as always, demanding exorbitant fares and insulting anyone who complained. The contrast points up the difficul ties the Soviet government is having with its latest drive to improve ser vice in taxis, restaurants, stores, government offices and other banes of the long-suffering consumer. The controlled press, aided by the Communist party and the Young Communist League, has no trouble finding model citizens to write ab out. But when it comes to convincing the ax erage worker that he has some thing to gain from giving good ser- ice, the message obviously still hasn’t gotten through. This year’s campaign is not the first time the Soxiets haxe tried to perk up the serx ice industries, but the stakes in the current campaign are higher than exer. The 1976-80 economic plan calls for a 27-29 per cent increase in retail turnoxer, aimed at getting more money into circulation and moxing the goods and serx ices that many citizens consider the best test of how well their gox ernment is taking care of them. If citizens aren t satisf ied with the assortment of goods, perhaps smil ing serx ice xvill com inee them to buy something anyhow. A.' , M C U) h.bt- soxa, a department head at Moscow’s Detsky Mir children s de partment store, said in a newspaper article: “Our goal is to gixe such good serx ice that no ones leax es our store without buying something. The Sox iet image abroad also de pends increasingly on what kind of treatment foreign x isitors get in re staurants, taxis, hotels and shops. Fifteen million foreigners came here in the past fixe years and 37 million are expected to come between now and 1980. Particularly in 1980, when Moscow hosts the Winter Olympics, officials don’t want the thousands of x (siting sports fans and corre spondents to go home with stories of insolent waiters and organizational fold-ups. So the campaign is under way. One tool, as usual, is the barrage of press publicity. More substantixe techniques, though, are also being tried. The number of self-serxice stores is in creasing, as opposed to the still widespread Soviet system of the cus tomer waiting in three lines: one to see goods, one to pay for them and a third to pick them up. Customers are also being urged to order hard-to-get goods — such as certain vegetables or new x'olumes in sets of books — in adxance. This may decrease the long, excited lines that form in Soviet cities whenever scarce products go on sale. Briscoe wants electronic surveillance Associated Press SAN ANTONIO — Legislators xvill be asked next January to ap prove court-ordered and court- supervised electronic surveillance ih the war against organized crime, Gov . Dolph Brisoe said Wednesday. The governor said in a speech be fore a district convention of Rotary International that battling crime wovdd be the No. 1 legislative prior ity of his administration during the next session. Briscoe said his organized crime legislation package would: V Define organized crime and make engaging in organized criminal activities a felony. Allow court-ordered and supervised electronic surveillance in investigation of organized crime. V Permit a defendant to be tried for all organized criminal activities at one trial. The governor said his staff was drafting legislation to reduce non- organized crime as well, including a measure on repayment of xTctims by convicted criminals and tougher parole laws. His suggested legislation woidd be aimed mainly at habitual offen ders and those who commit certain serious crimes. Gov. Briscoe said he would rec ommend also that juries be permit ted briefings on parole laws before sentencing. “It’s time to take the blindfold off the jury and give them the same in formation a judge has when he sen tences a criminal,” he said. Another proposal would require supervision of offenders released from prison, regardless of whether they had served their full time. Che Battalion Opinions expressed in The Battalion are those of the editor or of the writer of the article and are not necessarily those of the university administration or the Board of Regents. The Battalion is a non-profit, self supporting enterprise operated by student as a university and community newspaper. Editorial policy is determined by the editor. LETTERS POLICY Letters to the editor should not exceed 300 words and are subject to being cut to that length or less if longer. The editorial staff reserves the right to edit such letters and does not guarantee to publish any letter. Each letter must be signed, show the address of the writer and list a telephone number for verification. Address correspondence to Listen Up, The Battalion, Room 217, Services Building, College Station, Texas 77843. Represented nationally by National Educational Advertising Serv ices, Inc., New York.City, Chicago and Los Angeles. Mail subscriptions are $16.75 per semester; $33.25 per school year; $35.00 per full year. All subscriptions subject to 5% sales tax. Advertising rate furnished on request. Address: The Battalion, Room 217, Services Building, College Station, Texas 77843. The Associated Press is entitled exclusively to the use for repro duction of all news dispatched credited to it or not otherwise credited in the paper and local news of spontaneous origin pub lished herein. Rights of reproduction of all other matter herein are also reserved. Second-Class postage paid at College Station, Texas. Editor J err y Needham Managing Editor Richard Chamberlain City Editor J* 111 Peters Sports Editor Paul McGrath Photo Editor J im Hendrickson News Editor L1 oyd Lietz Contributing Editor St eve Gray Embrey’s Jewelry We Specialize In Aggie Rings. Diamonds Set — S Reoxidizing — All types watch/jewelry Repair Aggie Charge Accounts 10 846-5816 NOW AVAILABLE IN COLLEGE STATION PASSPORT PHOTOS IN LIVING COLOR — INSTANTLY UNIVERSITY STUDIO 115 College Main • Northgate • 846-8019 ••••*•••••••• ••••••••••a Humphrey gets through Pickets stop presidential hopeful; By DON McLEOD AP Political Writer WASHINGTON — Hubert Humphrey and three Democratic presidential candidates ran into a picket line Wednesday, but avowed noncandidate Humphrey got through to steal the show. Humphrey, often mentioned as a possible compromise candidate this year, was the only one of the quartet to keep his date as a speaker at the American Society of Newspaper Editors convention. “To prove I am a noncandidate,” Humphrey quipped, “the pickets left when they heard I was coming.” But, really, the pickets had with drawn before Humphrey’s arrival in compliance with a court order. Sen. Henry M. Jackson, Rep. Morris K. Udall and former Georgia Gov. Jimmy Carter, however, did not make it because of the picket line before the Shoreham-Americana Hotel. They addressed the meeting through a telephone hookup. When the candidates learned the hotel was being picketed, all three refused to cross the lines. However, they learned later that the National Labor Relations Board had ruled the picketing an illegal secondary boycott and a federal judge had is sued a temporary restraining order limiting the pickets to a single entr ance. All three candidates and Hum phrey were asked by a panel of re porters why they had honored a pic ket line adjudged illegal. The three candidates said they hadn’t known about that part when they made the decision. Members of the National Associa tion of Broadcast Employes and Technicians, on strike against the National Broadcasting Co. since April 1, threw up the picket line in front of the Shoreham-Americana Hotel in an effort to keep NBC cam era crews from covering the event. Carter told the editors that the furor over his use of the term “ethnic purity” in relation to residential neighborhood integration had been good for the country by bringing the issue out for discussion. While Carter has apologized for the term “ethnic purity,” he said “I don’t have any apology to offer for my position on housing. ” He said he still thinks the federal government should not deliheratelv destroy what he now calls the “ethniccl neighborhoods. All three candidatese\[t sentially the same stain neighborhood issue by 9 opposed discrimination a but also disliked having! ment breaking up neighla placing large, lovv-incomt projects in them. Humphrey still noncommittal on candid By HARRY F. ROSENTHAL Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON — How do you introduce Hubert H. Humphrey to an audience? That has become one of Washington’s most perplexing, if least important, problems. Eugene C. Patterson of the St. Petersburg, Fla., Times, handled it this way on Wednesday: “Our speaker today, he told the American Society of Newspaper Editors, “is a former vice president, was the mayor of Minneapolis at one time, is a former presidential nominee, a leading senator, a happy warrior, and we can’t rudely disre gard his insistence that he isn’t run ning for anything.” Humphrey, who says he is not a candidate for anything but another six years in the Senate, was then questioned by the ASNE panel. He said he didn t know why, as a noncandidate, he was visiting the editors, who represent newspapers from all over the country, except that “someone sent me an invitation and I’m a creature of habit. There was the inevitable question of whether his decision not to allow his name to be entered in any presi dential primary was final. “That’s my present judgment, said Humphrey. “Could it change before. . . began the questioner, William Eaton of the Chicago Daily News. The audience roared. Humphrey repeated, “That is my present judg ment.” “In the next two weeks? I low long do you think it will be in the pre sent, Humphrey was asked. “Most of the time, I imagine. "You thinking it over? “Not particularly,” said Hum phrey. He explained that never is xerx finite in politics, “but I’m a political man and I know the pressures that are brought to bear on you and I don t expect to yield." 1 lumphrey was askedi about a Democratic convei xvith no clear favorite. He. something startling happt upcoming Pennsylvs none of the candidates* the nomination from theil He said, "I feel perfertl physical 1 y, emotionally, and politically ol eonducti campaign if 1 needed to question is do I want tod«| isn t because of arty phi tion. You go up to the take a look at xvhat you y, and take a look at me. 11 And about that HumJ President Committeerepiif operating? "I don t kiwi committee. I’ve authol committee . . . norhasamU authorized to speakforn me, talk for me, orembn Period, Humphrey sail that for myself.’’ Whether it be a pretty plant, an Easter basket of cut flowers, or corsage— £ we can take care of it A<j(jodafid Flower & Gift Shop 209 University RON G0DBEY WILL BE ON CAMPUS April 15, 1976 7:30 P.M. Room 137 MSC FULL-TIME REPRESENTATION For Congress Paid for by Elect Ron Godbey to Congress Campaign Com mittee, 5733 Wharton, Ft. Worth, Texas. Bob Taft, Chair man. Gary Wiley, Treasurer. A copy of our report is filed with the Federal Election Commission and is available for purchase from the Federal Election Commission, Washing ton, D.C. Texas Aggies: We can help elect PHIL GRAMM to the U.S. Senate. Dr. Gramm was an economics professor here for eight years before taking leave of absence to run for U.S. Senator. Phil wants to be Senator from Texas, not President or Vice- president. He is raising funds from individuals all over Texas. He has no federal funds to run for office. Dr. Gramm believes in America, Texas, and Texas A&M. He believes in free enterprise, private business, and agriculture. He believes that the federal government should balance its budget just as individuals have to do. The federal deficit reduces the amount of money available to private industry, agriculture, arid individuals for expansion, homes, and other goods and services. We can help by 1) Voting for PHIL GRAMM — in the May 1 Democratic Primary. If you need to absentee vote, write the county clerk where you are registered. Ask for an absentee application and ballot. Absentee voting is open from April 12-April 26. Time is running out. 2) Support PHIL GRAMM — write your parents, relatives, friends, and associates. Tell them about PHIL GRAMM. Urge them to vote for Phil and tell their friends and neighbors about him. Let’s put someone WE can talk to in the U.S. Senate, Aggies. Vote for and support PHIL GRAMM. Aggies for PHIL GRAMM Van P. Steed ’78 M. Brent Futrell ’76 Kathryn G. and John C. Oeffinger ’76 Nancy Lewis ’78 Jim Bob Mickier ’76 Lawrence H. DeLong ’78 Frank Butler ’76 Mark Snider '77 Dean Williams ’77 Bryant Brundett ’76 Carl S. Luker ’77 Norma Shepard '77 Mike Flores ’79 Ronald Krobot ’79 Gary Fuchs ’78 Jerry Krenek ’77 And many others Political ad paid for by Aggies for Phil Gramm ANY MALE FRESHMAN THAT LESS THAN 20 TRANSFERRED HOll AND A G.P.R. OF 3.5 OR BETTE! ELIGIBLE FOR INDUCTION INTO ETA SIGMA HONOR FRATERNITY YOU WERE OVERLOOKED AND INTERESTED IN JOINING CALLLAfj BLOOMQUIST AT 845-7971. 7.95 9.95 A special touch for any Aggie’s desk — available only from News Of f io Supply Co. 108 College Main Northgate Top of the Tower Texas A&M Universi pleasant Dining — Great Vm SERVING LUNCHEON BUFFET 11:00 A.M. - 1:30 P.M. Each day except Saturday $2.50 DAILY $3.00 SUNDAY Serving soup & sandwich 11:00 A.M. - 1:30 P.M. Monday - Friday $1.50 plus drink Available Evenings For Special University Banquets Department of Food Service Texas A&M University “Quality First”