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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (June 6, 1978)
iei The Battalion Vol. 71 No. 158 12 Pages Tuesday, June 6, 1978 College Station, Texas News Dept. 845-2611 Business Dept. 845-2611 season BA i vvever.l ra to! roperty tax vote seads primaries United Press International eatl 'tali the public opinion polls are right, the first | J<ingi>redicted revolt of the American tax- oftlieBer starts today in California. B)espite some major contests in the their!t|iglit states’ holding primaries, an issue — as ^ California's tax-slashing Proposition 13 — comm stolen the show from the candidates. BrouiMhe hottest candidate battles were in lingtaMjfomia, Montana, Mississippi and New °i n ts Jersey, with contests also in New Mexico, six'Ohio, Iowa and South Dakota in the alftw biggest day of primaries so far in the 1978 - "it elec tion year. s, theiKProposition 13, a proposed amendment TOfHjthe California constitution, would re end Met property taxes to no more than 1 medtilercent of 1975 values. Overall, that Hild be a 60 percent cut; for California lemaiiBdities it would be a loss of $7 billion of ne skllO billion in property tax revenues, when Mf Proposition 13 passes in the nation s nt 31 most populous state with the majority 01 " leing predicted by usually reliable polls he echo may be heard in legislatures eld tin Tcross the nation, including Congress, n scoietBn California, where the tax-cutting in- jurap siiative was expected to promote a 68 per- becampit voter turnout. Gov. Edmund G. gulati Irown Jr. has little opposition in thfe blocWBmocratie primary; but the Republicans gameufeve a good battle. Attorney General Evelle Younger was ■n Bui iftd as the GOP leader over former Los tngeles Police Chief Ed Davis, state As- emblyman Kenneth Maddy and San Diego Mayor Pete Wilson. Jnseoli* ^mlontana has an incumbent senator be- " , 1 pved to be in trouble. Democrat Paul ^ ea, t Btfield, appointed last year after Sen. ns scom, Metcalf died, was seen as running be- 19intt|j nc | R e p Max Baucus in a four-candidate n 18. L C1 . .^lississippi has an all-out scramble for 'X(|he seat of retiring Sen. James Eastland. Bthe Democratic primary are Gov. Clill Finch, former Gov. Bill Waller and five others. Rep. Thad Cochran and state Sen. Charles Pickering are contesting for the GOP nomination. In New Jersey, veteran Republican Sen. Clifford Case was expected to beat his primary challenger, Jeffrey Bell, but the Democrats have a hot battle involving former professional basketball star Bill Bradley, former state Treasurer Richard Leone and former state Sen. Alex Menza. In the other primary states: Ohio — Republican Gov. James Rhodes expects to beat state Rep. Charles Kurfess in the GOP primary for renomination; Lt. Gov. Richard Celeste leads state Klan leader Dale Reusch for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination. Former Rep. Wayne Hays is seeking nomination to run for the state legislature. New Mexico — In the Democratic pri mary for governor, former Gov. Bruce King leads Lt. Gov. Robert Ferguson; on the GOP side, former state Sen. Joe Skeen, the 1974 candidate, leads state Rep. Bob Grant. South Dakota — Three Democrats, led by Lt. Gov. Harvey Wollman, and three Republicans, paced by Attorney General William Janklow, seek nomination to suc ceed Democratic Gov. Robert Kneip. In the contest for the Senate seat of retiring Democratic Sen. James Abourezk, Rep. Larry Pressler leads a two-man GOP field; former Rapid City Mayor Don Barnett and Ken Stofferman are the Democratic con tenders. Iowa — Former Lt. Gov. Roger Jepsen and former state Commerce Commis sioner Maurice Van Nostrand are battling for the GOP nomination to oppose Demo cratic Sen; Dick Clark; State Rep. Jerome Fitzgerald and former state Democratic Chairman Tom Whitney seek their party nomination to oppose GOP Gov. Robert Ray. Battalion photo by Lee Bov Leschper Jr. ‘A little move,’ she says. . . More than a few more-or-less-willing parents have found them in this “Aggie Daddy’s” shoes over the last few days doing double duty as a beast of burden for sons and daughters moving back into Texas A&M dorms after a few weeks of vacation at home. as firm officials bemoan rate rules, Jtrge interstate price deregulation adoiiwp By GARY WELCH ■I Battalion City Editor art the® ce ^digpOfficials of Lone Star Gas Co., which run oi» ivers natural gas to Bryan and College l^nkinsMtion as well as much of east and central j butjflxas, are trying to explain some of the C are t r com pany’s problems in gathering and j m jut marketing the gas. , li s t JlOne main problem is that Texas is a Borne rule” state, so each municipality regulates its own utility rates. However, the company’s transmission system, which ries gas from the wellhead to different cities, is regulated by the Texas Railroad R>mmission. When the gas reaches the jiilfeity gate” it is turned over to the city’s * ^ffgulatory body, usually the city council. 1 iJ“ In ^ le ^ ast session of the legislature, I Lone Star Gas Co. supported legislation I ^ phich would have eliminated municipal CiJgulation of natural gas utilities,” said W. “ij, JHouglas Weisbruch, vice president, gen- " ‘ |ral counsel and secretary for Lone Star, ur efforts in that regard were unsuc- Issfiil.” I Cons from! f(> tees I He said one of the main problems in i|Healing with so many cities (577 in Texas f 111 1 land southern Oklahoma) is regulatory lag. ,nt . 1 ' f Bs natural gas costs rise, as they have in " 1 the past four years, most cities are not will ing to adopt substantial rate increases. If 1 the gas company’s costs remain constant to ^ er Mse while the selling price remains the ' e l’ ' same, the company stands to lose money. “In the inflationary environment in which we live,” Weisbruch said, “if the utility cannot obtain adequate rate relief within a reasonable period of time, not only does the utility experience further losses if a rate deficiency exists, but the data upon which the rate case is presented grows cold and out of date. Also, with a dual regulation system, there are often substantial rate differences from city to city. Lone Star now delivers residential natural gas in Dallas for $2.24 per thousand cubic feet (mef), and $3.23 per mfc in the small town of Lipan. “The piecemeal approach to ratemaking which we are presently experiencing is re sulting in more inequity in rates between the various cities and towns,” Weisbruch said. “We find differences in the rate of return authorized by the Railroad Com mission in our appeals from city to city, from examiner to examiner, and from util ity to utility.” Lone Star has also been greatly affected by the sharp increase in the price of natural gas in the last six years. Until 1972, natural gas was consistently priced at about 20 cents per mfc. Now the price is fluctuating around $1.60. Harry Merritt, vice president of the gas supply, engineering and marketing divi sion of Lone Star, gave several reasons for the increase. About seven years ago when Texas began to feel the national natural gas shortage, he said, the decreased supply and increased demand forced the price up. As owners of natural gas resources began to realize they had an advantage they began to demand more in their contracts. “For example, the percentage of gas which the purchaser is required to take from the source increased from the 60 to 70 percent range to 90 percent and in some cases 100 percent, Merritt said. Also, many sellers demanded that buyers connect each gas well in a short time, driv ing production costs up. “But the most dramatic and long-term contribution to this increased cost comes from the inclusion of price retardation provisions in gas purchase contracts,” Merritt said. “Until about 10 years ago Lone Star would allow an increased cost of gas of 1 cent per mfc every five years. As competition increased, buyers had to grant increases of 3 to 4 cents per year to stay in the buyers market. Merritt said the only way to bring gas prices into equilibrium would be to de regulate interstate gas prices. The current federal price ceiling for natural gas sold across state lines is $1.47 per mfc. As long as Texas must sell to other parts of the country cheaper than they could produce it themselves, he said, tbey will have no incentive to develop reserves of their own. A study by the Congressional Budget Office showed that if natural gas were completely decontrollled, the price would rise to about $4 per mfc before dropping back to $2.80 by 1985. Industry lobbyists argue that only by decontrolling natural gas and allowing the price to rise can the nation be sure of an adequate supply. If conventional sources of natural gas prove too costly in the future, there are other sources that are being developed. Dr. Hunt Sutherland, vice president of the development and research division at Lone State, said natural gas is found in coal seams and in shale. Over 4,000 gas wells have been drilled since Devonian shale in West Virginia. Gas can also be shipped to the United States as a liquid. Developing natural gas fields in Iran, Algeria and Columbia may provide much of our future natural gas. Methane can also be synthesized from anything that contains carbon and hy drogen, Sutherland said. Methods are being developed that will enable gas com panies to convert certain material to methane while still in the ground. Sutherland said that one of the largest potential sources is the gas trapped in sandy sediments along the gulf coast. Al though the gas is not easy to produce be cause it is so far underground, some ex perts have said that at present usage lev els, there is a 2,000-year supply along the Texas coast alone. Battalion photo by Lee Roy Leschper Jr. 122 96 bONLI I FREE 782 > Can you spot the new Aggie? This assorted group of incoming freshmen and their parents listens life” segment of Monday’s freshman orientation session. For re- with a mixture of rapt attention and polite boredom to a “student lated story, see page 3. r L Inside Tuesday: • Summary of facilities on cam pus available for student use — p. 4. • A look at the Diamond Darl ings — p. 9. • NBA championship down to the wire — p. 11. J Canada fears ban may slow United Press International OTTAWA — Canada decided not to re taliate against a U.S. ban on Canadians and welcomed American sports fishermen on its side of the Great Lakes today in a move to bolster its sagging tourist indus try. “Canadian waters are, in fact, open to recreational and sport fishermen at the moment and for the foreseeable future,’ Fisheries Minister Romeo LeBlanc said Monday. It was feared Canada’s billion-dollar-a- year sports fishing industry would suffer il' the government carried out a reciprocal ban on the Great Lakes. Canada and the United States closed their 200-mile jurisdictional waters to each other’s commercial fishing boats off the At lantic and Pacific Coasts at noon Sunday —- but then added a 24-hour grace period — in a dispute over an interim fishing treaty. The U.S. government escalated the dis pute by barring Canadian sports fishing on its side of the Great Lakes. “We have made it clear from the begin ning the suspension of the agreement was in relation to commercial activities in the oceans, LeBlanc said. External Affairs Minister Don Jamieson said Canada was attempting to "clarify the U.S. action in the Great Lakes and said he was hopeful the “whole question will be resolved within a day or two." tourism “I have the impression, and it is purely that at the moment, that no one on either side wishes to seriously obstruct the tourist business, least of all we in Canada, ” Jamieson told the House of Commons. Sport fishermen, however, were caught in the middle, and were not happy about it. “All of us would like to know what’s at the bottom of all of this,” said Pam Wills, a clerk at Lafayette Tackle Co. in Detroit. “Were all just mad in general, and nobody understands why it’s happening. “You hear a lot of snorting and groaning going on,” said Francis Weakland, owner of a fishing supply shop in Marysville across the St. Clair River from Ontario. “Americans pay $10.75 for a Canadian fishing license, and now they can’t fish from American boats over there. Those guys are going to be madder than hell. In Cleveland, Capt. Richard Abrahams said the Coast Guard was only maintaining regular patrols on the Great Lakes. “We re not going out for them (Canadian fisher men). But if we find a Canadian vessel fish ing in our waters, we can detain them, give them a citation and possibly seize them.” Jamieson said, “As I understand it, neither does it apply to someone going across the border with his fishing pole wanting to do some fishing. Prairie View head may sue mayor United Press International PRAIRIE VIEW — The president of Prairie View A&M says he will proba bly file suit against the mayor of Prairie View who ordered his arrest. Mayor Eristis Sams ordered the educator arrested Wednesday in a dispute about the location of sewage lines on the university campus. Dr. Alvin I. Thomas posted a $200 cash bond at city hall and was released. Sams admitted Thursday on a Houston television station (KTRK) that he disre garded the advice of his lawyers when he ordered the president of Prairie View A&M University arrested after Thomas had workers block a six-inch sewer line which had been laid across the campus. Thomas, also interviewed by the sta tion, termed Sams “inexperienced,” and said he likely will file a civil rights violation suit against the mayor. "Sams is guilty of a flagrant abuse of power, and my attorneys say we have strong grounds to file suit,” he said. The school has operated a sewage treatment plant for its own use since the early 1970s, and in 1972 arranged to handle sewage from the city. City planners have added more homes to the sewage line, and over school objec tions buried a new line across the campus to the treatment plant. Thomas maintains the line should be re located so it does not pass under a road. He ordered the sewage line capped this week until the location is approved by the university Board of Regents, and a rate agreement is reached. The Board of Regents will meet Friday to consider rates and plans for the sewage line. Gramm, Poerner win party runoffs Dr. Phil Gramm captured the Demo cratic nomination for the 6th Congres sional District Saturday when he defeated Ron Godbey by over 2,500 votes. Gramm, a Texas A&M University eco nomics professor, collected 23,772 votes to Godbey’s 21,132. His wide margin in Brazos County, which he took with 6,665 votes to Godbey’s 2,994 was a key in Gramm’s victory. He will face Republican Wes Mowery in the November general election. In the race to fill the unexpired Railroad Commissioner’s term, John Poerner be came the Democratic nominee when he won the race by a landslide. Poerner, who was appointed to the commission last January to fill a vacated post, received .544,715 votes to Jerry Sadler’s 233,148. Poerner will face Republican James Lacy in the general election. In Brazos County, Dick Holmgreen de feated former Bryan mayor Lloyd Joyce by almost a three-to-one margin in the Dem ocratic race for county judge. Holmgreen collected 7,039 votes to Joyce’s 2,556, and won 30 of the county’s 31 precincts. He will face Republican John Raney for the position in November. In the other Brazos County runoff, in cumbent Democrat Walter Wilcox de feated George Dunn for Precinct 2 county commissioner by taking 56 percent of the vote. Wilcox collected a total of 1,829 votes to Dunn’s 1,441. There is no Republican candidate for the position, so Wilcox is virtually assured of winning unopposed in November. Publishers decry decision ST. LOUIS —- The president of the American Newspaper Publishers Associa tion says the Supreme Court decision al lowing police to search newspaper offices threatens constitutional rights. “The decision of last Wednesday sub jecting newspaper offices to ransacking puts a sledgehammer in the hands of those who would batter the American people’s First Amendment rights,” ANPA Presi dent Allen H. Neuharth said Monday. “It authorizes harassment and intimida tion of the public’s right to know, and it literally and legally picks the lock that pro tects the exercise of a free press and, in effect, of free speech. " Neuharth, president and chief executive of Gannett Co. Inc. pf Rochester, N.Y., addressed the opening session of the 50th annual ANPA Research Institute Produc tion Management Conference. In the case Neuharth referred to, Zurcher vs. Stanford Daily, the Supreme Court ruled 5-3 that police can obtain war rants to search newsrooms and other premises when they believe evidence re lating to a crime exists. Neuharth said the publishers associa tion will “vigorously encourage the Jus tice Department’s stand that it will con tinue to seek information from the press by using subpoenas. Neuharth also called on newspapers and press associations to encourge state and local governments to adopt and reaffirm the “subpoena-notsearch” policy. “In short, we shall ask state and local officials to help save the press and the pub lic from the folly of this Supreme Court decision,” he added. Summer session late registration Wednesday Registration for the first ses sion of summer school at Texas A&M University ends today at 2 p. m. Students who do no com plete their registration and re turn their class assignment cards to the Registrar s station in the Memorial Student Cen ter 212 and 224 by 2 p.m. todav will be considered late regis trants. These students may^attend late registration in G. Rollie White Coliseum Wednesday, beginning at 8 a.m. Students registering late must pay an additional $4 fee. Friday is the last day for enrolling in the first summer session.