s
Armadillos may
transmit leprosy
United Press International
NEW ORLEANS — Armadillo
meat is considered a delicacy in
South Louisiana, but health offi
cials are warning residents to
forgo the treat until it is deter
mined whether armadillos can
transmit leprosy to humans.
Health officials said Wednes
day they have found over 50 ar
madillos with leprosy in the state
in the last two years.
There have been no reports of
humans contracting leprosy from
eating armadillo stew, but the
health officials still warned
Louisiana connoisseurs to avoid
eating armadillo meat.
“Don’t play with them,’ said
Dr. Gerald Walsh of the Gulf
South Research Institute in New
Iberia. “And if you have to eat
'em, cook, 'em well.
“The armadillo is the only
known animal species that will
naturally develop leprosy follow
ing inoculation of the organism
into the animal.
“The discovery of leprosy in
wild armadillos first came about
two years ago. Before they were
even put on experiment, the
animals were infected with lep
rosy that had been contracted in
the wild.
The health officials’ greatest
concern is for people who catch
the armadillos.
“The caution we would like to
underline here is the process of
catching them for dinner, so to
speak,” Walsh said. “You have to
be careful because they will
scratch and claw and, if the ani
mals are infected, an individual
could conceivably be infected by
the animal.
Walsh said about 30 to 40 per
cent of the people in southwest
ern Louisiana eat armadillo stew.
A Louisiana Restaurant As
sociation official said it was an
uncommon item on menus
around the state.
“Some restaurants serve it as a
delicacy, said Melanie Woolver-
ton of the restaurant association.
She said they might be served in
some of the old, old Cajun re
staurants, but as far as being a
normal item, not too many re
staurants in Louisiana serve it.
Dr. William Cherry, secretary
of the Lousisiana Department of
Health and Human Resources,
said he will ask the Louisiana
Legislature for $75,000 to study
potential dangers posed by ar
madillos.
Commissioner biased
THE BATTALION Page 3
FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 1978
Hill claims subterfuge
I
in Briscoe agency fund
United Press International
AUSTIN — Attorney General
[ohn Hill said Thursday Gov. Dolph
Briscoe has misled Texans about
B ersonnel of one state agency, and
aid Briscoe’s handling of the ap-
I ointment of State Insurance Board
hairman Hugh Yantis stinks.
Hill, who is challenging Brisoe for
he Democratic nomination for gov-
rnor, made the comments during
in appearance on the television
nterview program Texas Weekly.
The attorney general blamed
Briscoe for problems in operation of
he Governor s Office of Migrant Af-
airs in which two top ranking ad-
ninistrators have been charged with
riminal offenses.
"This is Dolph Briscoe’s baby. He
athered GOMA,” Hill said. “This
vasn’t some agency that was estab-
ished by the Legislature. Dolph
Iriscoe created it by his own execu-
ive order.”
Asked how he would have hand
ed the agency differently. Hill re
ponded, “ I would not have misled
the people of this state as Gov. Bris
coe did.
“He perpetrated an absolute sub
terfuge as far as the number of
people that were working in the
governor’s office on the so-called
payroll of the Governor’s Office of
Migrant Affairs.
"He told us that he was cutting
back on personnel in the governor’s
office, so he restricted that payroll
to nine people on the regular state
payroll in that office. But what we
didn’t know was that he committed
that office to contracts with a private
agency known as Counterpoint,
Inc., which took $900,000 out of
that budget, and they in turn turned
around and supported 42 additional
employees that were really working
for the governor.”
Hill said Briscoe’s appointment of
Yantis to the State Insurance Board
over objections of Yantis’ home
senator shows “how staying in office
too long can build up an arrogance
of power, a tyranny of power.”
T think it stinks.” he said.
SCONA 23
Feb. 15-18
Feb. 15-18
“The Politics of Energy”
\
Hosts & Hostesses
Hosts and hostesses are
needed to guide speakers and
delegates visiting Texas A&M
for the SCONA 23 conference.
Interviews will be held Tues
day Jan. 24 and Wednesday
Jan. 25.
Sign up in the SCONA cubi
cle, Room 216 of the MSC
by Tuesday at 5 p.m.
Delegates
Delegates are needed to
represent Texas A&M in the
SCONA 23 conference.
Interviews will be held Mon
day, Jan. 23 and Tuesday,
Jan. 24.
Pick up applications jn
Room 221 of the MSC./
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Gas firms seek appeal
United Press International
AUSTIN — Attorneys for Coal
States Gas Producing Co., ques
tioned Railroad Commissioner Jon
P. Newton about his politics, his
memory and his feelings toward the
company.
But throughout the often sarcastic
questioning Wednesday, Newton
insisted the public interest was the
reason for his vote to force Coastal
States and its subsidiary, LoVaca
Gathering Co., to refund $1.6 bil
lion to customers.
Coastal aud LoVaca won a court
order to question Newton in prepa
ration for challege of the Railroad
Commission’s Dec. 12 order requir
ing the $1.6 billion refunds and a
return to low-price contracts the
compaines made with municipal
utilities in Austin, San Antonio,
Corpus Christi and many other
areas of South and Central Texas in
the early 1960’s.
The companies want to show
Newton was biased and should not
have been allowed to vote on the
refund decision.
Coastal’s attorney, Tracey
DuBose, shouted at Newton at one
point Wednesday and sarcastically
questioned his memory lapses about
statements attributed to him during
his 1976 campaign for the commis
sion.
Newton repeatedly said he was
unable to remember what he said at
specific times during the campaign.
The commissioner instead answered
DuBose’s questions with lengthy
explanations of his general attitude
on controversies such as whether
LoVaca and Coastal should be
forced to fulfill contracts promising
long-term, low-cost natural gas
supplies.
“You know the effect of the Dec.
12 order if it’s upheld will be bank
ruptcy?” DuBose asked Newton at
one point.
“My decision was whether the
public interest would be served by
relieving LoVaca of its contracts,”
Newton replied. “It’s my opinion
that the public interest would not be
served by relieving you of your con
tracts.”
Th e Railroad Commission is
scheduled to consider the com
panies appeal Monday for a rehear
ing on the 5-year-old case.
DuBose questioned Newton
laboriously about campaign state
ments on LoVaca and Coastal and
newspaper articles quoting him say
ing the firms “exhibited a public-
be-damned attitude.
Porta—Boogie
"Instant Party"
Sound & Light
Richard Moore
D.J.-KTAM
(713) 822-1240
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