“The Battalion
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flows - h°J/ 71 No - 177 Thursday, July 20, 1978 News Dept. 845-2611
, bach Pa 9 es College Station, Texas Business Dept. 845-2611
ion isti
Inside Thursday:
• Biologist tells energy conference
there will be global famine by
1984 - p. 3.
• Louisiana officials give the first
Oink Oink award - p. 5.
• No compromise yet between
Jackson and Martin - p. 7.
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Jation watches as
strike deadline nears
dpcal postal officials
rig seen
fearful of strike
lowlt* By MARK WILLIS
USe pe Battalion City Editor
1 U.S. Postal Service officials and
to rut 1 the Texas AdStM University Mail
ny fatt are not overly concerned about
mightreatened strike by the national
io gurvorkers union.
e drafc postal workers contract with the
{ht of postal Service expires at midnight
ay and a new contract has yet to be
rocla»ted| Union officials say that if a new
icyarUent can not be reached by the
whid) le > they will call for a national
i scalWflowever, local officials say they are
rodtr'r'od.
am. ell you the truth, I don t think we ll
vesflr 'e,’ said Postmaster C. L. Matcek
,-ater*ege Station when asked about the
we do, he said, “it will be in
s do»^ places around the country.”
« of<b >n * know the feeling of the clerks,”
spots*: said- ‘But we’ve got a bunch of
(ortai 1 think want to work. Locally 1
t danir )0 k ^ <>, an y walkouts.”
( hittE 1 *^ the sti ike include C.olh •ge Sta-
ut ju'aillservice will continue, Matcek
s ud£^' s 'Ould tnean management per-
>ne y wo^ld have to fill jobs left by strik-
u'nf (g>tal workers, since management of-
[S ws _are [not allowed to join the postal
•s union.
j: comes down to that, we re going to
■ very best to deliver what mail we
l vith the people we have, said Mat-
individuals may have to pick up
>ersonal mail at the post office if the
develops in this area. Because of
1 management personnel, business
ill have to be given priority, he said,
rm tore is a chance if the strike does de-
ion a national level that the National
, n W may be called upon to handle mail
hree r •
"As far as I’m concerned, you’ll get your
mail, Matcek said.
A postal strike would cause a diflerent
type of problem for the Texas A & M Uni
versity Mail Service, Manager John Stanis-
law said.
Since the Texas A&M postal system is
not directly linked to the national postal
service, Stanislaw feels the major problem
on campus woidd be keeping employees
busy. However, should the strike become
reality — and Stanislaw says he doubts
that it will — the University mail system
has a contingency plan.
We will not lay off workers,” said
Stanislaw. Intercampus mail service would
continue as always, but he estimates in
coming mail might drop 30 to 40 percent.
11 owever, there would still be plenty of
work to keep the University staff busy, he
said.
“We will be moving our operation into
the old laundry building soon and prepara
tion and moving will keep us busy along
with our regular duties,” he said. The
strike would have to last into September
without relief before creating problems,
he said.
Stanislaw predicts that if the strike
comes, the only noticeable effects on cam
pus delivery would be later delivery of
package and bulk mail, and problems with
mail exchange in areas where the strike
reaches full-scale proportions.
“These strikes don’t last long as a rule,”
he said, and a strike probably would not
last long enough to affect the the Univer
sity system to any great degree.
Both men said they had received very
little information about the strike from of
ficial sources of the postal service. Most of
their information, they said, came from
newspaper and broadcast reports.
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.egislature to reconsider appraisal bill
Family farms, ranches taxed on productivity?
itribut; l nited Press International
erne. (5TIN — Gov. Dolph Briscoe Wed-
Phiflky ordered lawmakers to consider re-
rieh of the state s system of assessing and
haadxting property taxes, giving Rep.
7-7,*; Peveto, D-Orange, a third oppor-
ie Fkl to pass a bill providing for a single,
ihitsiv-wide appraisal of property,
wonneto’s proposal, which'he tried to
fourduring the last two regular sessions of
i pairfcgisl&ture, also would establish uni-
ripleiiappraisal standards throughout the
md provide for uniform reappraisal-
of all taxable property in Texas.
The House Ways and Means Commit
tee began hearing public testimony on
Peveto’s bill about four hours after Briscoe
made his announcement.
Although it was not included in his bill,
Peveto said he also favored passage of a
proposal giving all homeowners a $10,000
exemption on property taxes and an
additional $10,000 exemption for persons
over 65.
Peveto’s bill also includes a provision by
which family farms and ranches would be
taxed according to productive value rather
than market value.
The legislator said passage of a package
of these proposals would be the most ben
eficial to the taxpayer. The special session
now had an opportunity to distinguish it
self, he said.
T think people are more upset about
property taxes than they are about utility
taxes, he said. “We have the opportunity
now to be a great Legislature, or be a lousy
one.
"I won t be happy if I go home and tell
the citizens of my district I saved them $2
on their utility bills.”
Both the House and the Senate have
passed bills repealing the utility sales tax
and raising the inheritance tax exemption.
But Peveto said there wasn't enough
money in the state treasury to repeal the
utility sales tax and also pass his property
tax reform bill.
Rep. Joe Wyatt, D-Bloomington, who
authored the House bill repealing the util
ity sales tax and increasing the inheritance
tax exemption, also was skeptical of pass
ing Peveto’s bill, saying the whole package
might be too expensive to enact. Wyatt
chairs the Ways and Means Committee.
"I think the Legislature ought to think
about this for a long time before it goes in
that direction,” said Wyatt. “You’re com
mitting yourself to a lot of expense for a
long time if you go in that direction and I
think you would be committing yourself to
a tax bill.
Peveto said taxing agricultural land on
productive value would save farmers and
ranchers about $250 million. Legislative
projection costs on the homestead exemp
tions have been calculated at between
$650 million and $850 million.
“My position is to try and help the
folks,” Peveto said. “And I think by put
ting this package together, we’ll help.”
Briscoe
appoints
dead men
United Press International
AUSTIN — Even if they win legislative
confirmation, at least four of Gov. Dolph
Briscoe’s appointees to state agencies
won’t be taking office. They’re dead.
Bob Bain, the governor’s media secre
tary, Wednesday said it was necessary to
submit the names for confirmation even
though the four have died.
“All appointments need to be consid
ered by the Senate and, in the case of a
deceased person who has served in some
official capacity, that period of service
needs consideration to eliminate questions
which might arise concerning the validity
of any action in which that person partici
pated in their official capacity,” Bain said
in justification.
“The same applies to persons who re
sign prior to confirmation.”
Briscoe was ridiculed during his recent
unsuccessful campaign for re-election for
previously nominating a dead man for a
state post and the issue became the sub
ject of numerous jokes by opposition can
didates.
The dead among the list of appointees
submitted to the Senate for confirmation
were J J McCuan, Veda Hodge, Robert
Grainger and John T. Bean.
‘Don’t worry, 1 only took a pint’
Battalion photo by Pat O’Mall
rooPSherri Harris, an employee of the Wadley Blood
: { Bank in Dallas, reassures blood donor Chuck
. - McDaniel, a senior landscape architecture major
from Andrews. The Aggie Blood Drive continues
today in the MSC 224. Student Government offi
cials have asked all students, faculty and staff
members to take time to donate a pint of blood to
the Wadley unit.
Postal Service, union
exchange accusations
United Press International
WASHINGTON — With just two days
remaining before a possible nation-wide
mail strike, the two sides in the Postal
Service labor negotiations have been busy
exchanging threats and accusations.
In the battle of words Tuesday the
postal unions accused the Postal Service of
deliberately creating a contract-bargaining
crisis, and the postmaster general warned
workers they may lose their jobs if they
strike.
The Federal Mediation and Conciliation
Service said negotiators made progress but
“some difficult issues’ remain before the
strike deadline at midnight Thursday.
The Pentagon says it is prepared to sup
ply Army troops to keep the mail flowing il
a strike does develop.
The threat of possible firings came from
Postmaster General William Bolger in in
dividual letters to 450,000 union em
ployees. He said he intends to enforce a
law forbidding strikes against the govern
ment.
A union source said the Postal Service’s
refusal to retain a no-layoff clause in the
new contract had stalled the negotiations
although federal mediators insisted talks
were still in progress.
“This is a crisis that was deliberately
precipitated by management as part of a
Madison Avenue strategy, which also in
cludes the utterly' unwarranted action of
sending scare letters to our members, the
source said.
The Army, meanwhile, is prepared to
help keep mail service going if there is a
strike, if it is asked to do so by the Postal
Service, and if President Carter declares a
national emergency that would give them
the right to take action.
A spokesman said the Pentagon has
troops ready to answer any presidential
call under an eight-year-old contingency
plan called “Graphic Hand.”
“Th e Postal Service would still be re
sponsible for movement of the mail, the
spokesman said. “We would provide per
sonnel, the level depending on what they
ask for.
However, postal workers union Presi
dent Emmet Andrews discounts the
likelihood of a strike.
Begins Aug. 15
“It is unlikely in my personal judgment
there would be a strike officially called un
less the Postal Service refused to bargain
or offered us terms and conditions so
ridiculous that we would have no re
course,” he told UPI Tuesday.
“At the present time the terms and
provisions offered by management are
pretty ridiculous in our judgment, but we
prefer to regard them at this stage as bar
gaining chips.”
Military will
deliver mail
if strike held
United Press International
SAN ANTONIO — The Army has pre
pared a plan, known as Operation
Graphic Hand, to have military units
move the nation’s mail if a postal strike is
called and President Carter declares a na
tional emergency.
A spokesman at Fort Sam Houston con
firmed the existence of the “Graphic
Hand” pi an.
The Army is the executive agent for the
Department of Defense to provide mili
tary support to the U.S. Postal Service in
case of a work stoppage,” he said.
A message received at the San Antonio
military facility stated the plan “will only
be implemented when and if the postmas
ter general requests assistance and the
president declares a national emergency.”
Maj. Fred Ussery, a spokesman for the
5th Army Division, said he did not know
which units might be involved in such a
move-the-mail operation and doubted
more information would be made public
until an order was made pressing the
Army into action.
He said Operation “Graphic Hand” has
been “coordinated” with the Postal Serv
ice since 1970.
Sherman attorney
new legal advisor
By FLAVIA KRONE
Battalion Campus Editor
Gairt.es West, a 31-year-old Sherman,
Texas, attorney, has been chosen to head
the office of student legal advisor at Texas
A&M University.
West will replace acting head attorney
Eugene “Sonny Lyles, who is leaving
Texas A&M to start a private practice in
College Station. West will move his wife
and two children to the Bryan-Gollege Sta
tion area and take over the office of stu
dent legal advisor about Aug. 15, Dr. John
Koldus, vice president for student services
said Wednesday.
West graduated from the Baylor Uni
versity School of Law in 1973. Since then
he has served in a variety of positions in
cluding being assistant director of elec
tions under former Texas Secretary of
State Mark White, hearings officer for the
Texas Health Facilities Commission and a
practicing attorney with a twelve-man law
firm in Sherman.
As assistant director of elections West
administered all state, district and local
elections from Sept. 1973 to Aug. 1975. In
his capacity as hearings officer for the
Texas Health Facilities Commission he
wrote many of the rules governing the
construction and equipment acquisition by
hospitals, nursing homes and home health
agencies in the state.
As a private attorney West specialized
in administrative law before state agen
cies.
While the past three student legal ad
visors at Texas A&M have left the Univer
sity for private law practice. West may be
reversing that trend by leaving his private
practice in Sherman to become a student
legal advisor.
“Private practice left little time for my
family,” West said. “I examined my
/ priorities and decided that my family life is
most important to me.”
I am genuinely excited to have the
chance to work with students,” he said. “I
am looking forward to the challenge the
position offers.
Koldus described West as “personable”
and a person who should relate well to
students.
Koldus also said he would like to extend
the scope of the student legal advisor’s of
fice to include a seminar type of outreach
program that will bring more students in
contact with the office.
“It’s not a new program,” Koldus said.
“We are just trying to move in that direc
tion.
Carter may have to okay
Young s future statements
United Press International
WASHINGTON — White House press
secretary Jody Powell hinted Wednesday
that U.N. Ambassador Andrew Young will
have to clear his statements on human
rights with the White House in the future.
Powell said “yes” when asked whether
Young “will continue speaking out on
human rights.”
“But how and when is a matter that has
to be discussed,” he said.
When asked if he meant Young would
have to clear such statements with the
White House beforehand, Powell said, “I
think what we said speaks for itself. ”
Powell, asked if Young is “fire-proof,”
replied, “I am not aware that anybody is
fire-proof in this administration. ”
Young was reprimanded by President
Carter Saturday by telephone for telling a
French newspaper there are “hundreds,
even thousands, of political prisoners’ in
American jails.
Carter told Young he was “very un
happy” with some of the points made in
the interview, Powell said. At that time
Young hefd apologized and expressed a
realization his remarks were embarrassing
to the United States, particularly since
they were published during the Soviet dis
sident trials, Powell reported.
Young told a Canadian broadcasting cor
respondent in an interview published
Wednesday that he would continue to
speak out on human rights.
Sen. Henry M. Jackson, D-Wash., said
Wednesday the president is “being hurt”
by Young’s comments to the French
newspaper.
“There’s no question it’s also hurting us
around the world and hurting the elec
tion,” Jackson told reporters as he was
about to attend a White House briefing on
the Bonn Economic Summit.
But Jackson said Young has been “help
ful” in developing African policy.