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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (May 24, 1978)
THE BATTALION WEDNESDAY, MAY 24, 1970 Page 3 ell cites high legal expenses^ 1 :o justify proposed rate hike I'nited Press International AUSTIN — Southwestern Bell elephone Co. wants customers to I pay its $350,000 legal expense for I court battles concerning a 1977 rate I increase, officials indicated Tues- day. I Critics questioned Bell s chief ac- B countant, G.W. Swenson of Dallas, fl jbout including costs of hiring out- B ide attorneys for the continuing ourt fight in company expenses ited as justification for a proposed i>214 million rate increase. Swenson said the company ex pense reports include $349,668 for payments to outside attorneys chal lenging the Public Utility Commis- iion’s decision which trimmed an arlier request for a $298 million in- rease to $58 million. The accountant said outlays of S777,000 in legal expenses for de fense of the phone company against nultimillion dollar lawsuits brought by James Ashley and T. O. Gravitt ivere not included. Swenson said the phone company regards the Ashley-Gravitt outlay as a non-recurring expense, but ex pects continuing costs from court appeals of the regulatory board’s de cision. The $349,668 figure, in fact, does not cover costs of appealing the rate case to the State Supreme Court since it includes only expenses through Sept. 30, 1,977, when the controversy was in the Court of Civil Appeals. Swenson said the phone company needs more than the $214 million rate increase now under considera tion by the three-man utility com mission. T still think the revenue defi ciency is $220 million,” the account ant said. George Cowden, utility commis sion chairman, refused to allow the phone company to revise its rate raise request upward Monday. “They’re limited to $214 million,” Cowden said. He said the phone company cannot change its rate proposal without starting a new case and giving public notice of the revi sion. Swenson said the $214 million figure was $6 million short because of an error in calculating interest deductions on federal income tax. The interest deductions drew criticism from an attorney for the Texas Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, Carol Barger of Longview. Ms. Barger said Bell only paid $21.6 million in federal income taxes during the year ending Sept. 30, 1977, but wants to collect $354 million in taxes from customers. “They receive an investment tax credit of $121.2 million and they defer payment of $169.2 million in taxes,” she said. Swenson said the tax credits and deferrals provide money for the phone company’s capital outlays. “Were taking advantage of the tax law there. It’s providing interest free capital for us to invest. So it’s of direct benefit to the customer,” he said. Burnett honored by San Antonians United Press International SAN ANTONIO— Carol Burnett cupped her hands to her mouth and gave out her famous Tarzan yell Tuesday in front of the Alamo while an estimated 1,000 admirers watched. Burnett smiled, pulled her ear, panned for cameras and waved at the throng which sweltered in hot and humid weather waiting for a glimpse of one of the city’s most fa mous natives. The crowd rivaled in size some of those which have gathered in front of the shrine to hear speeches from some of the nation’s most well known politicians. “It’s been the most wonderful day I’ve ever had. It’s been an absolute thrill,” said the smiling redhead, who graduated from David Crockett Elementary School before moving to California. Her eyes glistened with moisture briefly while Mayor Lila Cockrell read a proclamation declaring Tues day, “Carol Burnett Day and mak ing the entertainer an honorary mayor of San Antonio. “Now that I’m mayor for a day I’d like to proclaim a school holiday,” Burnett said as hundreds of children applauded. Dr. William Elizondo, superin tendent of the San Antonio Inde pendent School District, added to her stack of honors by presenting Burnett a picture of her childhood home on West Commerce St., now located in one of the city’s poorest sections; a picture of Crockett Elementary; a plaque for participat ing in the district’s honors day at Alamo Stadium (where she did Tarzan yell for 9,600 school chil dren), and a transcript showing she made A s while attending elemen tary school in San Antonio. “As mayor I protest,” she said in mock disapproval as the transcript was read showing she was bright enough to skip two grades at the school. Americans smoke more United Press International WASHINGTON- Americans are smoking more cigarettes but getting less tar and nicotine in the process, the Federal Trade Commission says. An FTC report says the nation’s cigarette manufacturers sold 603.2 billion cigarettes in 1975, an in crease of 9 billion over 1974. But a separate report said ciga rettes now contain less tar and nicotine, substances which experts feel are harmful to health. The 3-year-old cigarette produc tion figure actually translated into a slight decrease in average consump tion among adults. [Jaws 2’: no whopper this time By JEFF GILLEY The setting was the Medallion heater in Dallas, May 12. House wives, businessmen, and children latching old shark dolls grabbed up tickets to the sneak preview a full seven hours before show time. Finally, at precisely 8 p.m., the ights dimmed and the packed house applauded eagerly as the first public presentation “Jaws 2” began. The purpose of a sneak preview is to gauge audience reaction to a film Review efore it opens nationally — in other /ords, to find out if the producers have a bomb or a gold mine waiting in the vaults. After this preview, the audience trudged out of the theater with expressions remindful of pick- led herring. “Jaws 2,” it seems, may well turn on its side and sink at the box office when it opens June 16. Like most sequels, “Jaws 2” tries to duplicate, but just can’t live up to, the original film. Once again, a monster shark decides to terrorize the resort island of Amity, a believ able premise once, but not twice. Its target, among other things, is ja largely teenage cast easily out- |acted by the mechanical shark. S Their insipid performances can be iforgiven; the real culprit is director Ijeannot Szwarc, who cast them as laughable stereotypes: the high school beauty queen, the chubby class clown, and the bespectacled weakling. The main problem with “Jaws 2,” however, is that it plods around on dry land most of the time, laboring over Sheriff Brody (Roy Scheider), his family, the mayor, the teena gers, and others. It’s with deaden ing infrequency that the new Great White Shark shows up at all, baring his fangs only occasionally to gobble a passing waterskier or helicopter, (that’s right, a helicopter.) But even the shark attacks are pretty pedestrian, lacking the frightening violence (and gore) Ste ven Spielberg assaulted us with skillfuly in “Jaws.” Admittedly, there are a few suspenseful scenes, and one terrific sequence to match the “bobbing head” scare scene in the original “Jaws;” but, compared to the original, the sequel usually comes across as limp as a dead squid. Disappointment marked the faces of many after the Dallas preview. “Make it scarier next time,” one man scowled at an usher as he left. “What did you think of it?” an au tograph hound timidly asked Lor raine Gary, one of the stars attend ing the preview. A noncommittal groan arid a quick signature were the only replies. “Movies, like sharks, must keep moving con stantly or they die, I wrote on one of the evaluation forms handed out to the audience after the film. Unfortunately, it would seem al most impossible to doctor “Jaws 2” into a good movie by its release date. The producers, Richard D. Zanuck and David Brown, are fi nancial fishermen trying for that second whopper with this sequel. Only time will tell, but they may have to write off “Jaws 2” as the one that got away. |Blue Bonnet Patch] | Bluebonnet Jewelry & Gifts “Take Texas home with you” Fine Selection of Original Art 816 Villa Maria Across from Manor East Mall i HAVE LUNCH ON US ... FREE! A&M Apt. 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