The Battalion
Vol. 70 No. 82
6 Pages
Friday, February 25, 1977
College Station, Texas
News Dept. 845-2611
Business Dept. 845-2611
T Regent selections approved
tate Senate votes to maintain
le local school property taxes
By ANN ARNOLD
United Press International
STIN — Sen. William T. Moore,
an, says the local school property
a thing whose time has passed,
it doesn’t get out of the legislature
|me it’ll be an issue in the next cam-
" he said.
ators voted 17-12 yesterday against
i’s plan to prohibit local districts
levying property taxes to support op-
n of elementary and secondary
, but the Bryan senator said he is
iced he’ll succeed eventually.
“I’ll keep trying,” Moore said. “This was
more or less a trial run.”
Moore said he hopes some of his col
leagues will be persuaded to switch sides
by a deluge of constituent protests.
“I have a feeling the people are going to
be sympathetic to what we re trying to
do,” he said. “There must be a halt some
where on the power of these school boards
to go out and raise assessments and say
that’s what you have to pay.”
Moore said one of his constituents had
his school taxes on 338.5 acres near Col
lege Station increased 565 percent in four
years — from $685 in 1972 to $4,382 in
1976.
If the House and Senate approve
Moore’s plan to amend the state constitu
tion to limit school property taxes, the
proposal will be submitted to voters in the
November 1978 general election.
Proponents of a plan to impose a new
tax on petroleum refined in Texas want to
couple it with the property tax repeal.
The refinery tax is expected to raise $1.6
billion a year, an amount equal to the sum
school districts expect to receive from
local property taxes in 1980.
Moore is co-sponsoring the refinery tax.
In other action yesterday, the Senate
approved 23-5 Gov. Dolph Briscoe’s ap
pointment of Jess Hay of Dallas to be a
University of Texas regent.
Sen. A. R. Schwartz, D-Galveston, ar
gued successfully for a postponement to
investigate Hay’s role in illegal contribu
tions to the Briscoe re-election Campaign
in 1973 and 1974.
The governor’s selection of Jane Blum-
•berg of Seguin and his personal physician,
Dr. Sterling Fly of Uvalde, to be UT re
gents won easy approval.
lag rule issued in Davis trial
United Press International
IT WORTH—A state district judge
e would not be surprised today if
:ers ignored his request for voluntary
iance with a gag order in the inurder
fmillioniare T. Cullen Davis.
Judge Tom Cave said he hoped re-
rs who disregarded his request
not be surprised if he sentenced
to 30 days in jail for contempt of
e, a diminutive man who speaks in
nes, wears gold-rimmed glasses and
isly smokes unfiltered cigarettes in
"ambers, was obviously riled yester-
is is being tried for the slaying last
of Andrea Wilborn, 12. He also is
with the capital murder of Stan
31, who lived with the child’s
irPriscilla Davis. Mrs. Davis is the
jnged wife of the defendant. Davis
is charged with the attempted murder
rs. Davis and a family acquaintance,
ifense attorney Richard “Racehorse”
ies of Houston protested against a
age article in a local newspaper in
a prospective juror was identified
oted as saying he believed the de-
t guilty.
e refused a defense motion for a
at gag order, but he requested the
media not to identify or quote poten-
irors’comments made in open court,
ivelater clarified his request.
“The more that is published, the more
seen on TV from this point forward means
it will take longer to pick a jury,” Cave
said.
“Lay off publication of individual jurors,
who they are, where they live and what
they say. Now, do I make myself clear. I
don’t want to make this an order, but if I
have to, I damn sure will.”
In his chambers. Cave was almost
apologetic.
“Don’t worry, I’m not going to bite any
one’s head off ,” he said. “I just sound that
way some times.”
He said publication of the names and
comments of the prospective jurors could
prevent selection of a panel.
“I detest courts ordering the press to do
or not to do things,” Cave said. “Much
more can be gained through friendly
cooperation when problems arise.
Cave said he understood some news
media members might continue identify
ing and quoting prospective jurors. The
result, he said, would be an order formaliz
ing his request.
Asked what action he would take if his
order was violated. Cave said: “Send them
to jail, not for two days but for 30, if that
does occur.”
Three prospects were questioned indi
vidually yesterday, and two were excused.
The third was accepted by the defense but
challenged and dismissed by the prosecu
tion.
Weather
Increasing cloudiness today with
gusty winds from the south at 12 to
24 mph. High today is expected to
be in the low 80s with a low tonight
in the mid 60s. Precipitation prob
ability is 20 per cent tonight. A cold
front should hit early tomorrow
morning causing thundershowers,
and gusty northerly winds from 10
to 20 mph. The weather will turn
cooler tomorrow with a high and low
temperature in the mid-60s. Could-
iness will remain throughout the
day tomorrow.
Battalion photo by Molly McMillan
The way of an actor
James Harper prepares for his part in The Acting Company’s perfor
mance of “The Way of the World.” The play was sponsored by Texas
A&M University’s Opera and Performing Arts Society last night in the
Rudder Center Auditorium.
Theater demands
better performance
Council discusses Holik tract
The future of part of the 25- acre Holik
tract south of Holleman Drive and east of
Welsh Street dominated last night’s Col
lege Station City Council discussions.
Residents from in and around the West
Knoll area asked the council to consider
developing a city park within the Holik
tract.
The possibility of connecting both por
tions of Dexter Drive (one is on the north
side of the Holik tract and the other on the
south side) or ending the street in a cul-
de-sac was also considered.
Other actions taken by the council in
cluded:
V Signing a resolution honoring former
Councilman Antone L. Rosprim who died
Jan. 27. Rosprim was a Councilman from
1961 to 1967.
^ Giving Welsh Avenue a consistent
name. Different sections of the street had
been marked as Welch Street, Welch
Boulevard, Welch Avenue, and Welsh
Avenue.
V Rezoning a portion of the Brentwood
Addition from a duplex district to a single
family district.
V Issuing a building permit for an
apartment complex on Lincoln Avenue.
V Appointing a council committee to
review street construction standards.
By JOHN TYNES
Battalion Staff
James Harper says he is doing what most
actors dream of doing but never get the
chance to do.
Harper is a member of The Acting
Company, a touring repertory theater
company that performed Wednesday
night and last night at Texas A&M Univer
sity.
In a conversation before the Wednesday
night performance, Harper said The Act
ing Company offers its actors the opportu
nity to perform different roles, travel
widely and refine their acting skills in a
situation that demands high-quality per
formances.
“This company is an experience you
cannot find anywhere else,” he said.
The Acting Company, a permanent
touring repertory company, was founded
five years ago by actor and director John
Houseman as a means of bringing reper
tory theater to areas that may not get the
chance to see it often.
The Acting Company presently has four
plays in its repertoire. “Love’s Labour’s
Lost” was performed Wednesday night
and “The Way of the World” last night.
The other two productions, which were
not performed at A&M, are “The Kitchen
and “El Camino Real.”
The members of the company teach
workshops and theater classes at the vari
ous universities and colleges where they
perform. Harper said. Some of A&M’s
theater arts classes were given pres
entations by members of the company
during their stay.
The company travels about nine months
of each year, performing four or five times
a week. Often they stay in one place long
enough to do one or more of their plays, as
they did here.
There is tendency to get bored with a
role when you perform it over and over
again. Harper said. He added, however,
that this can be overcome by continually
re-examining the character and trying to
better understand the playwright’s image
of him.
The company has received many theat
rical awards and honors, including two
Tony nominations.
The attitude of the actors is very casual
and nonchalant when they are relaxing
backstage. One actor was wandering
around singing: “We re second-rate pros,
were second-rate pros. Where we per
form, nobody shows.
This attitude vanished onstage and paid
off in generous applause from the audi
ence on both nights.
Bills attempt
to restrict
pornography
United Press Internationa]
AUSTIN — Bills including a measure to
force adult bookstores out of residential
areas have been introduced in the House
to place statewide restrictions on the dis
play and sale of pornography.
“This is the first time Texas, or any state
as far as I know, has attempted to restrict
the location of adult bookstores,” Rep.
Ralph Wallace, D-Houston, said yester
day.
Wallace, who wrote the legislative
package, said one of bills would prohibit
stores selling pornographic books within
2,000 feet of any church or school. He said
bookstores already within the limit could
stay only by applying to city councils for an
exemption.
“We feel this is really going to put the
heat on pornographic bookstores,” Wal
lace said. “What we want to effectively do
is get them out of the residential commu
nity.
“In Houston, there are a lot of prono
graphic bookstores downtown close to
some churches, and they’re going to have
to petition the city council for an exemption
to this act if they stay there.”
Other bills filed by Wallace would:
Make it a felony to employ minors in the
sale of commercial obscenity. The offense
is now a misdemeanor.
Prohibit the showing of a person young
er than 17 observing or engaging in explicit
sexual conduct.
Prohibit the display of harmful materials
at business establishments where minors
may be invited as part of the general pub
lic. Violation would be a misdemeanor
punishable by a $200 fine and/or one year
in jail.