HE
Battaueon
Vol. 72 No. 103
12 Pages
Friday, February 23, 1979
College Station, Texas
News Dept. 845-2611
Business Dept. 845-2611
He s a lumberjack
About 250 Aggies in natural re
sources disciplines will compete
March 3 in log rolling, pole climb
ing, crosscut sawing, ax throwing
and other lumberjack’s activities in
something called Skidadoo. No one
knows where the name comes from,
though Forestry Club President
Kent Colburn says, “it is a catchy
word.” See page 6.
Vietnam inflicts
massive casualties
'i
I (
Play ball!
Only they didn’t. C.E. “Pat” Olsen, for whom the
Aggies’ stadium is named, threw out the ball to
open Texas A&M’s 1979 baseball season, but the
scheduled exhibition game against Japan’s Hosei
University was canceled because of wet grounds.
Texas A&M will play LSU at Olsen Field Saturday
at 1 p.m.
Battalion photo by Lee Roy Leschper Jr.
United Press International
Thousand of Chinese invaders and sea
soned Vietnamese regulars clashed today
in the the heaviest fighting of the week-
long war. Vietnam said it had blunted two
Chinese attacks, killing 1,000 Chinese.
China claimed Vietnam has refused to talk
peace.
Radio Hanoi claimed that heavy fighting
drove China’s casualty toll over 12,000. It
said 14 battalions have been badly mauled
and 140 tanks and armored cars destroyed.
Today’s reports would push the reported
casualties to 13,000.
Radio Moscow, monitored in Tokyo,
said today hundreds of Chinese air force
planes arrived near the Sino-Vietnamese
border while a bridge to aid Chinese rein
forcements equipped with heavy firearms
was built near Lao Cai over the Red River,
which flows from China past Hanoi.
There were also reports that Vietnam
had shelled China’s Kwangsi province just
northeast of Vietnam with 130-mm artil
lery fire and that the Chinese were or
ganizing militia groups of 18 to 35-year-
olds in Kwangsi.
Vietnam’s Defense Minister Vo Nguen
Giap said today in a radio report
monitored in Bangkok, Thailand, that
even if the Chinese widen the war
Vietnam will win and he thanked the
Soviet Union for “defense support and as
sistance.”
The Japanese Kyodo news service said
the official Chinese paper. People’s Daily,
said Hanoi has refused to talk peace with
Peking. The paper quoted the Voice of
Vietnam as the source for Hanoi’s refusal
to negotiate.
The dispatch was the first official Peking
report admitting the Chinese invaded
Vietnam. It claimed the Chinese action
was supported by public opinion in Thai
land and Pakistan.
Radio Moscow, monitored in Tokyo,
said that according to news agency reports
the Chinese plan to expand the battle front
and advance deeper into Vietnam.
Chinese forces are now 12 miles into
Vietnam engaged in the heaviest fighting
of the war across a 96-mile belt of the
450-mile border between the two Com
munist nations.
Radio Moscow said Chinese forces
plundered residents, destroyed economic
establishments and killed civilians. It said
the heaviest battles were around Lang
Son, some 15 miles inside Vietnam, in
what has been shaping as a major battle of
the conflict.
Radio Hanoi, monitored in Bangkok,
said said Vietnamese infantry and artillery
wiped out more than 500 enemy soldiers
at Lang Son, a vital rail junction, where
regular Vietnamese troops have repor
tedly joined the fight. Previously, Chinese
forces had encountered only local
Vietnamese militia forces numbering
perhaps 80,000.
Intelligence sources in Bangkok
suggested the commitment of regular
troops to the fight is just what the Chinese
have been waiting for.
The best Western estimates are that
China has now committed 90,000 troops to
the war while holding slightly more than
that in reserve. Vietnam has about 50,000
battle-hardened regulars between the
Chinese invasion force and Hanoi.
Japanese news agencies quoted Chinese
officials in Peking as saying China’s “puni
tive” attack against Vietnam was not yet
finished.
The Soviet Union continued to mount
military pressure on Peking by dispatching
three more ships to the South China Sea.
The United States, reflecting growing
concern over possible Soviet intervention
in the fighting, called an urgent meeting of
the U.N. Security Council.
The New York Times reported that
Moscow had begun a limited airlift of mili
tary supplies to the Vietnamese.
Chinese officials in Peking were quoted
as saying the invasion would continue “un
til Vietnam feels pain.”
U.S. urges U.N.
to ‘defuse’ Asia
louse owners to be presumed guilty
City Council outlaws meter tampering
By KEVIN HIGGINBOTHAM
Battalion Reporter
The College Station City Council passed
ordinance Thursday to prohibit tamper-
with electrical and water meters.
Uiis ordinance addresses a problem I
m’t think is epidemic in College Station,
it it is continual,’ City Attorney Neeley
iwis said.
Lewis said that the owner or occupant of
home with a tampered meter will be
ed unless he can prove otherwise.
We have no way as a prosecutor to find
culprit otherwise,” Lewis said.
Under the ordinance meter tampering
be considered a misdemeanor punish-
le by a fine not exceeding $200 for each
of the violation.
Mayor Lorence Bravenec expressed
mcern that people who “technically
ilate ’ the ordinance may be prosecuted.
Lewis assured the council that the ordi-
is aimed at those who are willfully
lempting to steal utilities.
The council also approved standards to
used in reviewing Rehabilitation Grant
ilications.
“I think these are a superior set of
dards than those first presented to the
cil,” said Community Development
Planner Jim Callaway, who suggested
them.
A committee will be formed to review
applications submitted for the grant
money. It will be made up of representa
tives from the structural standards com
mittee, from the area in which the re
habilitation will take place and from the
community at large, such as a member of
the clergy.
The committee will have some options
when reviewing the applications for the
housing repair grants. The options allow
the committee to stretch the income limits
and the amount of the grants by 10 percent
in borderline cases. The grants are
as supply cuts could
limit station hours
awarded according to the applicant’s in
come level and the condition of the home
to be repaired.
The city has budgeted $50,000 for the
housing rehabilitation program. The
money is surplus street repair funds re
ceived from the U.S. Department of
Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
in 1977.
Callaway said the money was to origi
nally be used to pave Detroit Street,
which falls within one of the four areas
slated for repair grant funds.
Under the adopted proceedures, Calla
way estimated that eight to 12 grants of a
maximum $5,000 each could be awarded.
Although the grant program is currently
limited to the $50,000 budget, Callaway is
optimistic more HUD funding will be
available to continue the project.
“I think we’ve made some earnest ef
forts to meet the HUD requirements for
Community Development funding,” said
Callaway. “If the rehabilitation program is
acceptable, I think we ll get the funds.”
Callaway stressed that the grant money
would not be used for “purely cosmetic
improvements” such as painting, but for
major repairs such as repairing leaky roofs
and faulty electrical wiring.
According to Callaway, applications for
the grants will be accepted in the near fu
ture, but a committee will not be selected
until the next council meeting in two
weeks.
Announcements will be made in the
local media to publicize the grants, Calla
way said.
The council approved bids totalling
$362,600 to Westinghouse Electric Supply
Company for the expansion of the Gulf
States Utilities’ switching station.
In other business the council chose a
new city logo to be used on city vehicles
and other property.
The council selected the logo Bravenec
called “the teapot one” from a group of
five.
The mayor said he didn’t like any of the
choices and voted against the one selected
because it was “too complex.”
United Press International
UNITED NATIONS — Strongly op
posed by the Soviet Union and China, the
United States urged today that the U.N.
Security Council give its full attention to
the rapidly developing threat of a major
war in Indochina.
Britain, Norway, Portugal and Japan
formally joined the U.S. move for U.N.
action to defuse the new Asian powderkeg
and a number of nonaligned nations indi
cated approval of any neutral effort to calm
the situation.
In a separate initiative, U.N. Secretary
General Kurt Waldheim offered his “good
offices” to all involved parties and an
nounced through a spokesman he would
go to the area if necessary.
U.S. Ambassador Andrew Young re
turned to New York yesterday for what
promised to be a long and hard diplomatic
battle.
In his absence, Deputy Ambassador
James F. Leonard took the first step with
ambassadors from Britain, Norway and
Portugal, to request a full debate of both
the Chinese invasion of Vietnam and the
earlier Soviet-backed Vietnamese move
into Cambodia.
The council held a first 20-minute round
of informal consultations late Thursday,
then adjourned for another closed-door
meeting this morning to give time to some
delegations to get in touch with their gov
ernments.
The United States and its supporters
pressed for a public debate to begin this
afternoon and likely to last throughout
next week.
Leonard said at a news conference both
the Chinese and Soviets had told him “it
was not desirable to take up the matter in
the council.”
Leonard said the United States had not
yet prepared a resolution, but indicated it
would follow the usual council pattern in
case of existing hostilities: “To ask that the
fighting stops and also to ask that troops
that are on some sort of foreign soil should
be withdrawn from foreign soil.”
Leonard emphasized, however, that
such an appeal would only be a “first step”
to be followed by a “more serious and pro
found consideration of the whole prob
lem. ’
Scalped ticket holders lose
again — now in refund process
By PEGGY C. McCULLEN
Battalion Reporter
Those who bought tickets second-hand
for Boston’s canceled rock show got
scalped twice.
In addition to paying more than the
original price for the tickets, they are los
ing money when they collect refunds. The
box office only returns the list price.
Kevin Martin, a local high school stu
dent, paid $20 apiece for second row con
cert tickets. He bought them from a
scalper who was selling them to the high
est bidder.
On the night of the cancellation, Martin
took his date to G. Rollie White Coliseum
and sat outside listening to a Boston tape
in his car.
Martin will receive only $16 in refund
for the two tickets, making his loss $24 —
the list price of three reserve tickets.
Town Hall, the group which booked the
concert, sells a number of tickets at the
first of each fiscal year. These allow their
owners to purchase tickets to events a
week before they are on sale to the general
public.
Many scalpers use season tickets to ob
tain choice seats. They may legally sell the
tickets to any buyer at any price.
In the case of cancellation of the event,
it is up to the scalper whether he returns
the money to the buyer. Most scalpers do
not possess such generosity.
A count taken Thursday night indicated
that 5,360 refunds had been made. About
8,200 tickets were sold, said Debbie Mur
ray, who sold tickets to the concert when
they went on sale almost a month ago.
The MSC box office will give refunds up
to six months following the cancellation
date.
United Press International
[Phillips Petroleum Co. in Bartlesville,
a., and Shell Oil Co. in Houston both
ive announced cuts in gasoline supplies
> of March 1.
[ Phillips said it will trim supplies to
holesale retailers by 15 percent — on top
b 10 percent reduction made Feb. 1 —
W Shell said its refinery run will be cut
i'5 to 8 percent.
Phillips said the reduction, which is
My to force some service stations to
lit hours of operation, is not directly
ged to the cutoff of Iranian oil, but
ned additional cuts may be made “on a
onth-to-month basis.”
Shell Vice President J.H. Denike said
s company normally refines about 1 mil-
i barrels of crude oil a day, of which 45
percent is purchased from foreign
suppliers.
“Shell was not a major purchaser of Ira
nian crude, but the Iranian production
shutdown has caused those who use Ira
nian crude to start buying from other pro
ducing countries,” he said. “We have seen
a cutback in the availability of refined
products that we normally can purchase
from others in the U.S. and abroad.
“Therefore, in the interim, our re
fineries will operate at a maximum produc
tion limited only by crude availability,
which we estimate will mean a 5 to 8 per
cent reduction.”
Phillips officials blamed higher than ex
pected demands for gasoline for its reduc
tion.
exicans praise Portillo
for negotiating with force
United Press International
MEXICO CITY — Legislators Thurs-
iy praised the stand taken by Mexican
sident Jose Lopez Portillo during his
with President Carter, saying “for the
st time in many years, Mexico
gotiated with moral and political force
Tore its giant northern neighbor.
In statements published in Mexico City
wspapers, Mexican legislators from two
different parties praised the Mexican pres
ident.
“Without triumphalism and without ar
rogance, it can be affirmed that the results
(of the talks) were satisfactory,” said dep
uty Julio Zamora Batiz, of the ruling Revo
lutionary Institutional Party.
“Carter left Mexico empty-handed and
for the first time in many years our country
negotiated from a position of moral and
political force before the growing weak
ness of Yankee imperialism,” said deputy
Hector Ramirez Cuellar of the Popular
Socialist Party.
Partial solar eclipse to be seen Monday,
but direct viewing of it could hurt eyes
WHITE
SURFACE
The Texas Society to Prevent Blindness recommends indirect viewing as
the only safe way to watch a solar eclipse. The simplest way is the pinhole
method, which uses two pieces of white cardboard. With the sun at his
hack, the viewer should focus the eclipse through a pinhole in one piece of
cardboard onto the other piece. The size of the image can be changed by
altering the distance between the sheets. Courtesy illustration
By LORI MAYER
Battalion Reporter
A partial eclipse of the sun will occur next Monday and Texas A&M University’s
physics department will be prepared for it.
The department will set up telescopes near the physics building, the Memorial
Student Center and Zachry Engineering Center, says Dr. Claud H. Lacy, assistant
professor of physics. Another telescope will be placed on the west campus.
The telescopes will not allow direct viewing of the eclipse but will project the
image on a screen.
“People shouldn’t view this directly, ” Lacy said. “We don’t want anyone burning
his retina looking at it with sunglasses or something.”
The Texas Society to Prevent Blindness recommends indirect viewing as the only
safe way to watch the eclipse. If students cannot make it to the telescope sites, they
can make their own “pinhole” viewer and watch the eclipse safely.
The pinhole method uses two pieces of white cardboard. A hole should be made
in one of the pieces. With the sunlight at the viewer’s back, the pieces of cardboard
with the hole should be held so the light shining through the hole is focused on the
second board. The image of the eclipse will be seen on the second board.
The physics department will be using 6-inch reflecting telescopes with an aper
ture stopped down to 1.5 or 2 inches. The eyepiece will project the image onto the
screen.
“We should be able to see sunspots as well as the moon,” Lacy said. Sunspots,
which grow stronger and fade in 11-year cycles, are at a high right now.
The eclipse will be total in the northwestern United States and in some parts of
Canada. The last total eclipse was March 7, 1970, according to the Texas Society to
Prevent Blindness.
Sunglasses, smoked glass, totally exposed photographic negatives and welder’s
goggles will not adequately protect the eyes. Prevent Blindness says. Photo
graphers should remember not to look through their viewfinders if pictures are
taken of the eclipse.
If it rains, Lacy says, the physics department will do the smart thing. “We’ll stay
inside.”