Battalion
reh iS
ludelVol. 72 No. 150
oiy pJ6 Pages
Wednesday, May 9, 1979
College Station, Texas
News Dept. 845-2611
Business Dept. 845-2611
Council to consider budget
Presentation of preliminary
budget figures for the 1979-80 fiscal
year will be the main topic of discus
sion at Thursday night’s College Sta
tion City Council meeting. Other
items on the agenda include ap
pointment of personnel to various
city boards, a discussion of the Col
lege Station Little League’s request
for funding to pay for umpiring, and
discussion of possible action over a
rate increase request by Lone Star
Gas.
flation may
prove in
fall
United Press International
WASHINGTON — Treasury Secretary
P. Michael Blumenthal told Congress
uesday he expects several more months
seyere inflation, but an improvement
g by the fall.
Helsaid this probably will produce an
verall inflation rate for the year (mea-
ured fourth quarter to fourth quarter) of 8
3 8.5 percent, perhaps a bit more “but
opefiilly not much more. ’’
That would be a significant increase
§lfihe estimate of 7.4 percent inflation
frl979 which the administration made at
beginning of the year.
But it would be a big improvement over
13 percent annual rate of inflation dur-
the first three months of this year.
Administration officials have been say
ing for some time their inflation estimate
for 1979 would have to be revised upward.
This was the first time the administration
has offered a revised figure.
“The president is right when he says we
can look forward to bad inflation figures for
several more months,” Blumenthal told a
Senate appropriations subcommittee.
“I think that in all probability it will be
summer or early fall before we can begin
to see real improvement in the situation,”
he said.
But he said that if the pace of the
economy slows down — and he believes
that it is — then he looks for a slowing of
inflation by the fall.
He tempered this with the caution that
economic predictions always
tain.
are uncer-
abs checked for
nstable acid
i
By ANDY WILLIAMS
Battalion Staff
Texas A&M University is trying to rid
i laboratories of unstable picric acid, an
losive substance.
Harry Stiteler, the school’s safety and
;alth officer, said today that a memo con-
sming the chemical is being printed and
ill be sent to various offices on campus.
Stiteler said the memo will give workers
B May 18 to check their labs for the
ibstance and notify the safety and health
ass funds
cholarship
The :lass of ’79 has given $25,000 to
|A&M University as an endowment
a President’s Scholarship President
is Miller announced Saturday during
Spencement ceremonies. The interest
om that money will be used to pay the
m|year, $l,500-a-year scholarship. The
cholarships are awarded to students with
xceptional scholastic, civic and leader-
ibilities. This is the first time one of
holarships has been presented by a
ating class, said Ronnie Lastovica,
! class president.
Picric acid ordinarily comes in a crystal
line form and has a 5 percent moisture
content, Stiteler said.
“As long as you keep it moist, it will be
stable. But if somebody has it among some
old chemicals, they may need to dispose of
it,” Stiteler said.
Picric acid is used as a dye to prepare
microscopic slides. It was used as an ex
plosive in World War II, but was replaced
by TNT when it caused several unplanned
explosions.
A pint of picric acid is about as powerful
as a pound of TNT.
A container of picric acid was removed
from Bryan High School in late April after
school officials were told of a warning is
sued by the Associated Press. It was not
known if that sample was unstable.
A small amount of the acid was diluted
and washed down the drain at St. Joseph
Hospital in the first week of May.
Stiteler said he thinks the danger of the
chemical has been exaggerated.
“The stuff can be dangerous, but not if
you take care of it and handle it properly,”
he said.
He said his office has had seven or eight
calls from campus labs that have the chem
ical.
Asked about disposal of any unstable
acid that is found, Stiteler said, “I’m al
most sure we’ll take care of it ourselves.”
He said evacuation of buildings will not be
necessary.
Man in uniform. . . irresistible
[enate group wants
s ration plan killed
Lt. Kevin P. Adams doesn’t lack for admirers eager
to pin on his newly acquired bars. Adams received
them at his formal commission into the U.S.
Marines Saturday. Commissioning was one of three
major happenings at Texas A&M this weekend. Pic
tures of graduation and Final Review, the other
two, are on pages 5 and 10, respectively.
Battalion photo by Keith Taylor
Courts
question
radar use
United Press International
MIAMI — Radar has been found guilty
of inaccuracy and banned as sole evidence
in speeding cases by one Dade County
judge — a ruling that could set a prece
dent across the nation.
Chief Administrative Judge Alfred Nes
bitt issued his ruling Monday following
three weeks of hearings on the use and
accuracy of radar, the most extensive re
view of radar since its use was upheld in a
1955 U.S. Supreme Court decision.
But that high-court ruling related to the
old bulky stationary units and Nesbitt’s
ruling applies to the cheaper hand-held
portable devices or those mounted in
police cars.
Nesbitt pointed out justice must take
precedence over consideration of lost rev
enues from fewer speeding convictions.
“If the errors alleged by the opponents
of radar exist, then one must wonder: what
percentage of these millions of dollars has
been collected from erroneously convicted
defendants?”
Although the ruling applies only in
Nesbitt’s court and the 80 cases he dis
missed Monday, other judges in Dade
County and throughout the state may
adopt his stand.
“Very likely the ramifications will be felt
elsewhere in Florida and the nation,”
Dade County Public Defender Bennett
Brummer said.
About 4,000 speeders nabbed by radar
had their cases delayed pending the
judge’s ruling.
“There are going to be a lot of people
who will get away with speeding,’’ Dade
County Public Safety Officer John Riley
said. “This is going to cut down on the
number of speeding tickets by a great
deal.”
The Florida Highway Patrol, which has
equipped nearly every car with radar, said
there would be no policy change, even in
Dade County.
Witnesses testified during the hearing
one of the main problems with radar was
interference from outside factors, such as a
car’s air conditioner and CB radios.
Another problem was clear identification
of the “target” vehicle. Since radar reads
the largest target, the speed of a passing
truck could be mistaken for that of a car
being clocked.
“There has been an apparent belief
throughout this hearing these devices can
and should be improved to the extent that
they are accurate and identification of the
target vehicles can be readily made, under
any conditions,” Nesbitt said.
The National Bureau of Standards is
halfway through a three-year project
studying all speed detection devices, but
expects to publish standards for radar
equipment within 90 days, said Ed Riley,
spokesman for the National Highway Traf
fic Safety Administration.
United Press International
WASHINGTON — The Senate Energy
Committee Tuesday reversed its narrow
ipproval of President Carter’s emergency
pioline rationing plan and recommended
lat it be killed on the Senate floor.
The Energy Committee voted 10-8 to
ithdraw its earlier approval, and voted
15-3 to report to the Senate that the plan
ihould be killed. The same committee had
rated 9-8 April 26 to recommend Senate
joval.
The committee’s change of heart came
r Carter had amended his plan to try to
}et more congressional support.
Instead, he lost a key vote in committee:
pj. Bennett Johnston, D-La., who said
the White House had not lived up to its
promises to make the plan acceptable.
Johnston said Carter’s energy advisers
had promised to “substantially alleviate or
eliminate” the inequities a rationing pro
gram would bring to states with heavy de
pendence or heavy past consumption of
gasoline. The Carter changes “neither
substantially alleviated nor eliminated the
problem,” Johnston said. “They went
halfway.”
Similar to a plan used in World War II
to reduce driving and save rubber, Carter
proposed the coupon rationing plan to
hand out a certain number of coupons
every few months to vehicle owners, to be
redeemed for gasoline.
Brown-Rudder, Doherty awards
given to three top Ab'M graduates
Texas A&M University’s most promi
nent student awards were presented Fri
day and Saturday to Michelle S. Marti of
Cleburne, Thomas W. Paterson of Silver
City, N. M., and Robert J. Kamensky of
San Angelo.
They received the Brown
Foundation—Earl Rudder and Doherty
awards.
or P s mmm
uit possible
0
By DIANE BLAKE
BaltuKon StidQf
Brazos Civil Liberties Union is
cted to file a sex discriminatkm
ysuit against the Corps of Cadets at
h&$ A&M University “probably
lursday or Friday," a source close to
| union said Tuesday.
|Dr. Merrill Whitburn, head of the
pnization and associate professor of
pish at Texas A&M, would not say if
lawsuit will be filed. “The BCLU
to reach an agreement with the
liversity, but negotiations have bro-
p down,” he said. “We expect to re-
pe a statement on Thursday.” 1
p filed, the suit is expected to charge
It some Corps organizations have
le source
|fy be name
_ tin’ Texas Aggie Band, Par*
hs’ Mounted Cavalry, the Fish DriB
bn, and possibly Corps Staff,
pe suit would be filed in the federal
ptriet court,
ttuston, on 1
jt declaratory judgment, an
and assessment of monetary dam-
A declaratory judgment is a state
ment by the judge that some practices
and customs of the Corps are discrimi
natory against women. An injunction is
an order to prohibit the Corps from
continuing such practices. Money
damages could he awarded to each
week
each member of the class concerning
the suit.
In a related matter, the Corps’ spe
cial report on problems faced by female
cadets has been returned to the cadet
study group for “radical changes,” said
Col. James R. Woodall, commandant of
the Corps. The report was expected to
be complete in late April.
The group was formed in January to
study women’s problems in the Corps
and to make recommendations for
The court could also retain continu
ing jurisdiction over the ease — that is,
monitor the Corps’ activities until the
court is satisfied that all th
“I sent it (the report) back for them
to clean it up and rewrite it,” Woodall
The source said the BCLU is ex
pected to request that die judge certify
the case as a class action suit. Each per
son in the class has the option of being
named in the suit,
A judge makes that decision on the
basis of evidence gathered by the plain
tiff. If he designates it as class action, -
then provisions must be made to notify
iiiiiIiiiVliiiiiiiiiinr liiMiiMiiii n mrnmmmrnmiimM
The changes include making only
one recommendation for solutions in
stead of two and putting the report in
the proper format, he said.
The commandant said some changes
recommended could be implemented
when the Corps Staff meets to make
Corps policy this summer.
He declined to speculate as to what
the changes might be.
m
Given each year at spring commence
ment, the Brown Foundation—Rudder
awards consist of a plaque and $5,000
each. The Doherty Award to Kamensky
included $3,000. The recipients came
from among 2,633 baccalaureate degree
recipients.
The Brown Foundation endowed the
award honoring the late Texas A&M pres
ident, Earl Rudder. It goes to two stu
dents who exemplify the qualities and
traits of the decorated Army general,
commissioner of the general land office
and chief administrator of Texas A&M.
Marti graduated summa cum laude in
economics last December and received
her second bacherlor’s degree, in mathe
matics, this commencement. She is a Na
tional Merit Scholar and has been active in
Student Government, 11 honor and pro
fessional societies and numerous other
student activities. She worked as a student
counselor and had a near perfect 3.96
grade point ratio.
Paterson graduated first in his academic
class with a perfect 4.0 grade point aver
age. He served as Student Government
executive vice president, was a Gathright
Award recipient as outstanding senior
scholar in the College of Agriculture and
won five separate scholarships to Texas
A&M. Paterson completed his degree
work in three years plus one summer ses
sion.
The Doherty Award was endowed by a
Houston couple in honor of his parents,
Mr. and Mrs. William Doherty. The
award is given to an outstanding graduat
ing senior who earned a reserve officer
commission.
Kamensky has served during 1978-79 as
the top-ranked cadet officer in the Corps
of Cadets. The nuclear engineering major
has been accepted into the U.S. Navy’s
nuclear propulsion program, for which a
personal interview with Adm. Hyman
Rickover is required.
The new Navy ensign was in the Ameri
can Nuclear Society, the Ross Volunteers
honor military unit and has remained act
ive in scouting as a member of the Na
tional Eagle Scout Association. He was
born in Frankfurt, West Germany, and
graduated at San Angelo Central High
School. His parents reside in Vienna, Au
stria, where his father works for the U.S.
Department of State.
Rate may increase to 12%
House OKs interest bill
United Press International
AUSTIN — Legislation raising the
state’s interest ceiling on home mortgage
loans has tentatively passed the House,
but an opponent of the bill contends the
proposal may make it more difficult, not
easier, for the average Texan to purchase a
new home.
The bill faces a final vote today, and its
sponsor, Rep. Jerry Donaldson,
D-Gatesville, said the current 10 percent
interest ceiling’s negative impact on the
home-building industry could continue
through the summer unless he can muster
the two-thirds vote necessary on final pas
sage to put the bill into immediate effect.
Otherwise, the bill will go into effect 90
days after the session ends. The bill would
establish a new floating interest ceiling 2
percent above the monthly rate on 10-year
U.S. Treasury Bonds, up to a maximum of
12 percent, and would expire after a two-
year trial period unless legislators voted in
1981 to extend it.
Donaldson and the state’s lending in
stitutions pushed for approval of the mea
sure, arguing rapidly rising interest rates
throughout the nation had exceeded
Texas’ 10 percent ceiling, making it
virtually impossible for home buyers to
find financing for new home purchases.
But Rep. John Wilson, D-La Grange,
argued the higher interest rates will make
the price of home ownership so high few
Texans can afford it.
“Most of us here can’t pay a 12 percent
note on a house that’s worth having, and
we know it, Wilson said, contending the
bill adds to the futility of attempting to
raise a family and buy a home in Texas
under current economic conditions.”
Sen. Bill Meier, D-Euless, the Senate
sponsor of the interest rate bill, said it will
likely be next week before the Senate con
siders the issue.
Donaldson was able to turn back most
attempts Tuesday to amend his bill, but
House members attached three amend
ments that have major effects on the pro
posal’s impact.
Gov. Bil Clements initially had vowed
to veto any increase in the state’s 10 per
cent interest ceiling, but reversed his posi
tion after the Federal National Mortgage
Association announced it would sharply
curtail its purchase of FHA and VA loans
in the state, virtually drying up the only
remaining source of home financing for
most buyers.