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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (June 20, 1979)
dd-even gas rationing to begin Monday United Press International AUSTIN — Gov. Bill Clements Tuesday ordered the state’s first mandatory gasoline allocation program to begin Monday in three major cities, and warned the odd-even day gasoline purchasing plan could quickly spread to other areas if lines at gasoline stations be come too long. “It’s time we face reality. It’s time we face the fact that we in this country, and we in Texas specifically, are in an energy crisis,” Clements told a news confer ence announcing his energy plan. The governor also clamped a 20-gallon limit on gasoline purchases in Harris, Dallas and Tarrant coun ties and banned gasoline transactions involving less than $6 unless the vehicle involved had a tank holding 10 gallons or less. Clements said complaints of long lines at gasoline pumps in the three urban counties convinced him to adopt the mandatory allocation plan even though he said it would place some burdens on the industry and gasoline consumers. He conceded he has little authority to punish per sons who buy or sell gasoline in violation of the odd- even day allocation plan, but told reporters, “I am posi tive we are going to get 100 percent cooperation.” “I think the people are going to do a lot of enforcing themselves, said Edward Vetter, Clements top energy aide. “I would hate to be a guy with an even numbered license plate sitting in line on an odd num bered day.” The governor also called for strict enforcement of the state’s 55 mph speed limit and encouragement of car pooling to conserve gasoline, and suggested thermo stats in air conditioned buildings be set no lower than 76 degrees. He proclaimed this a “no tie summer,” and shed his own coat and necktie to emphasize a relaxed dress code he said will become symbolic of a determination to be ■CPROSTc** 'TV practical during the hot months and at the same time to conserve energy by turning up thermostats and observ ing the speed limit. “It is my intention to remove these mandatory rules as soon as the situation eases. Conversely, should the situation worse, I will not hesitate to develop further restrictions,” the governor said. He said he anticipates the gasoline allocation pro gram will remain in effect at least through September. “I think things will get worse before they get better, ” he said. Although the gasoline allocation plan applies initially only to Harris, Tarrant and Dallas Counties, Clements said other cities will be able to adopt the rules by advis ing his office. Under the allocation program, cars with license plates ending in even numbers, and personalized plates ending in letters A-M, may purchase gasoline on even numbered days of the month. Those with license plates ending in odd numbers, or personalized plates ending in letters N-Z, may purchase only on odd num bered days. The restrictions will not apply to out of state vehi cles, emergency or commercial vehicles, Clements said. He also recommended that gasoline stations develop and implement some type of flag system to signal motorists what type fuel they have available. Vetter said an additional four million gallons of gasoline held back under a state set-aside program will be channeled into stations in the three urban counties during the remainder of June. Members of the governor’s staff attended his news conference wearing open collar short sleeve shirts. Clements cautioned drivers not to expect the manda tory allocation system to result in any significant in crease in gas supplies, but said it is necessary “to pre serve good order and make the limited supplies availa ble in an optimum way.” ■f • I’exas A6dll iday. Aggie ding up tie M. lion photo by QrI he Battalion /ol. 72 No. 161 I0 Pages Tuesday, June 20, 1979 College Station, Texas News Dept. 845-2611 Business Dept. 845-2611 Weather Mostly cloudy turning to partly cloudy afternoons, warm, and humid. High today of 90 and a low of 70. Winds will be South- Southeasterly at 15-20 m.p.h. changing to 10 m.p.h. tonight. need teami •aI as well i \ women i they have to hum o(f« isually thol ut it is extife ^orating top y so diffei iaii> u 1 . ithout spor a of woma spelled in lap lot of otheii its place, Hat leu who plai it oral tind I nber talking !i e who wa in rni room a .ook at that.’j sele in myi w as a quitea| t it was all r your bodyiw . That is will men in sports l Blacks celebrate responsibilities > joys of Juneteenth x Some people might think holding two grand sons down in your lap at once can be a prob lem, but Tommie Person doesn’t seem to mind, even when a little popcorn is being Y passed from the row a talent show at the Tuesday. ahead. Person attended Juneteenth Celebration Battalion photo by Clay Cockrill e should learn what we can By ROY BRAGG Battalion Staff Tuesday was a day of celebration and rememberance for the black community of Texas. Juneteenth, celebrated on June 19, is the anniversary of the day blacks in Texas were freed from slavery as a result of the Emancipation Proclamation. And for the first time ever, a county wide Juneteenth celebration was held Tuesday at the Brazos Center. The festivities were organized by a committee made up of representitives of the black community. The program held Tuesday consisted of displays of black art for sale in addition to booths operated by black service organiza tions. There was also a talent show, dance contest and music and food. As of 4 p.m., more than 150 people had attended the festivities, said Steve Jones of the NAACP. omen mayors taught in China United Press International JPEKING — Women mayors of two American cities wound up a four-day visit to Peking Tuesday, and said China has Bugs to teach the United States about Bme prevention and the use of bicycles in public transportation. V China is behind the United States in material things,” said Mayor Lila Cockrell of San Antonio, Texas, “but we should Km what we can from them that is useful at home. K'They have a low crime rate and they told us they put a lot of emphasis on pre- Hntive education. In Chinese families and schools there is a lot of emphasis against anti-social acts. “There is a kind of peer group pressure in China for law and order. In this respect the United States has a lot to learn. This kind of peer group pressure against crime is something we have lost.” Mayor Janet Gray Hayes of San Jose, Calif., surveyed the bicycle clogged streets of Peking and said car-clogged San Jose could use a few more bike riders it self. “Before I came here I’d heard the Chinese had too many bicycles,” said Mayor Hayes after inspecting the Chinese ve yearwl i compr^ 3ic foot I used ars freezer, DIM ORATION Box 1561 and, Ind 1 large Gas storage safety tips By LOUIE ARTHUR Battalion Staff [ With many stations open shorter hours during the week and closed on weekends, you may have considered hoarding a little gas away at home so you don’t get caught with an empty tank. Although this seems to be a good idea, gas storage is potentially dangerous and can be illegal. You should be aware of the restricions on transportation and storage of gasoline and follow safety precautions whenever handling or storing gas. It’s important to use a proper container when dealing with gasoline or any other flammable substance. Bryan Fire Inspector Weldon Watkins outlined the specifi cations for gas containers. “Absolutely no plastic or glass containers,” Watkins said. “You must use a properly labeled metal can with either a screw cap or a spring-loaded cap (one that automatically snaps shut when you let go).” He recommended using a heavy gauge steel can and warned against filling the can too full. “Do not fill the can completely,” he said, “because gas will expand. Leave it a little room at the top.” Watkins discouraged the storage of gasoline in a residence because it is “added fuel to a fire. ” He classified stored gas as part of the “fire load” - unnecessary items around the house that burn easily such as old newspapers, boxes and empty combutible cans. College Station Fire Inspector Ron Garrison also strongly discouraged gas storage at home because of the potential dangers and stressed the use of an approved metal gas can that is properly labeled. “Container laws are about all we can enforce,” Garrison said. “We can’t go around searching every house and car for gas, but we can keep an eye on what people put the gas into at the pumps.” There are also restrictions on the amount of gas you can store in and around your house. Garrison said that three gallons is the maximum amount you can store at your house if you live in College Station. If you are a Bryan resident, you are limited to one gallon in the dwelling and five gallons outside or in a separate storage building, Bryan Fire Chief David Turek said. “It’s not a very good practice to store gas in your home - I definitely do not recommend it,” Turek said. “If you have to store a small amount of gas, have it outside.” There is some confusion about laws pertaining to the transportation of small quan tities of gasoline, but all agreed that it is not wise because of the dangers involved. “There are no state laws prohibiting the carrying of spare gasoline in your trunk but it is a dangerous situation,” Department of Public Safety Sgt. Fred Forsthoff warned. “I would discourage it at all times because of the possibility of rear-end collision. One gallon of gas is enough to completely disintegrate a car. capital, which has three million bicyles for its eight million population. “I find that amusing. Our problem is too many cars. I wish we had more people with bicycles.” Mayors Cockrell and Hayes are part of a group of 16 mayors of medium-sized American cities touring China and meet ing Chinese local government officials. They arrived in Peking Saturday and leave Wednesday for tours of Nanking, Shanghai and other Chinese cities. Vice Premier Li Xiannian met the American municipal delegations Tuesday morning to answer their questions about China. U.S. Ambassador Leonard Woodcock was also present at the meetings, which the official New China News Agency de scribed as “two hours of frank dis cussions.” Coming from a district where urban growth wiped out some of California’s choicest farmland, San Jose Mayor Hayes said she was glad to see that Peking raised much of its own food in the city’s environs. “Half of Peking is a rural area and I think they grow a lot of their own vegeta bles,” she said. “Peking is organized and clean, and they take a lot of pride in it. “There are no flies and not much litter.” San Antonio Mayor Cockrell said she was glad to learn that about 800 of the 3,471-members of the National Peoples Congress, China’s parliament, are women. But she noted that when the mayors were taken to see the top brass of Peking’s city government it turned out all of them were men. Mayor Daniel K. Whitehurst of Fresno, Calif., said Peking officials will discourage the use of private cars. “I think they are wise,” Whitehurst said. If they can avoid reliance on au tomobiles, they can avoid a lot of prob lems.” Whitehurst said he was surprised by the “low density” of Peking. “It’s a one story city and very decen tralized,” he said. “They don’t have a downtown area. ” Mayor John R. Rousakis of Savannah, Ga., said he was surprised by the lack of mechanization in the rural areas of China. “It’s all done by hand,” he elaborated. “Nobody sits still here. Everybody is going somewhere.” Rousakis said he expected to see “a carry over of anti-American feeling, but it isn’t there. I haven’t seen a single anti- American incident.” Comments by other mayors: Henry Marsh, Richmond, Va.: “People seem to move at a more leisurely pace than in Japan and European countries. Even people walking in the streets move at a more relaxed pace. “Most people seem to be happy. That surprises me because wages are pretty low and there is a lack of organized leisure. You wouldn’t expect them to be satisfied. “They have a strong sense of family. It still exists. People love their children. That’s the most surprising aspect of what I saw.” Mayor Arthur J. Clarke of Waltham, Mass.: “Traveling to the Great Wall I was amazed at the sand water and gravel avail able. They have all the resources needed for a great construction industry. All they lack is the money and the technology.” Mayor Dennis Lynch, Pawtuckett, R.I.: “Coming to China is like living in the 1940s. I think that when it comes to joint ventures with China, one of the greatest will be the promotion of tourism.” Mayor Charles Royer, Seattle: “I think the right steps now are being taken in Chinese-American relations. I’d like to see a more rapid development of cultural ex changes. Gas lines in Texas not fair union man says United Press International AUSTIN — The president of the Texas AFL-CIO Tuesday said Texas should have enough gas so that motorists do not have to stand in line at service stations. “Making Texans stand in line for gas is like making Kansans stand in line for wheat,” said Harry Hubbard. “But this ridiculous situation exists in the southeast part of our state and maybe in some other areas of Texas,” he said. “Refinery workers, standing in the shadow of the cracking towers where they work, are having to wait to get their tanks filled. That’s ridiculous.” Hubbard said workers who help pro duce energy and truckers who transport gasoline should not be compelled to stand in line. “It’s crazy to penalize the workers who are performing essential jobs,” he said. Before the talent show, the audience was led in two chants of the Black Litany by Tom and Doloris Wright. The litany was written by the civil rights leader Rev. Jesse Jackson of PUSH and consisted of the audience, with their fists raised, recit ing “I am somebody!” to a series of situa tions read by the Wrights. Doloris Wright is chairman of the Juneteenth commitee that organized the program Tuesday. The art at the festival ranged from sculpture to paintings by a variety of local, regional and national artists. A majority of the paintings were por traits of black children with sad looks on their faces. Pointing out the paintings, Doloris Wright discussed the responsibil ity of the community to its children. “What we are doing,” said Wright, “is instilling pride in the black people of Brazos county. “This is what it’s all about really,” Wright said, picking up her own daughter to hold in her arms. “It’s up to us to save our children, so we will be the ones to do it.” Wright said the emphasis of the Juneteenth program in Brazos county was on the need for improvement of the environment in which black children grow up. Wright spoke of the death sentence given 17-year old Curtis Harris following his trial for the murder of Tim Merka. “When the city starts killing our kids,” she said, “it’s time to start doing some thing,” she said. The “something” Wright was referring to were displays set up by the NAACP, CETA (a federal job training program), family planning services and the Texas Employment Commission. Battalion photo by Clay Cockrill Doloris Wright leads the au dience in reciting the Black Litany at the Juneteenth celebration. In addition, voter registration was avail able at the program. “Blacks have a lot of voting power,” Wright said. “City officials use us like prostitutes and get our votes and kill our kids. We re trying to end stuff like that.” National Fink Week celebration scheduled United Press International FINK, Texas — Complaints about foul-ups by the U.S. Postal Department are legend but there’s one group of people — all of them named Fink — that’s still happy about a mistake made about a cen tury ago. And because of that boner, the north east Texas hamlet of Fink — population 13 — once again this week becomes a mecca for those seeking to glorify a surname that in some minds, has nasty connotations. Finks from across the nation will travel to the small town to celebrate National Fink Week and on Friday, National Fink Day. “I say we’re putting Fink on the map this year — and in more ways than one,” said Robert Fink of Converse, Texas, pres ident of the Texas Finks organization. But if the postal service hadn’t fouled up, Fink and others by that name might instead have found themselves journeying to Finke, Texas, to celebrate National Finke week. Settlers originally applied for a post of fice under the name of Georgetown but a community near Austin already had claimed that title. Per postal custom, the town was named after the man who sub mitted the application, a Mr. Fred Finke, but the postal department, which some times loses mail, lost the E on Fred’s last name. Hence, Fink, Texas, and the annual finkfest that has been going on for the past 14 years. So pervasive is finkomania, that Robert Fink convinced a state representative to introduce a resolution designating the fourth Friday of June as “National Fink Day in Texas.” In addition, Fink enticed the State Highway Department to put new signs on Highway 120, announcing the municipal domain of Fink. The signs require welded bolts and extradeep posts to prevent Fink fans from stealing them. This year’s fink festivities open with the singing of the Fink National Anthem, “Fly the Flag,” and will have singing groups, puppeteers, square dancing and the Scar lett Strutters, a dance group from nearby Pottsboro. Robert Fink will introduce all out-of- town Finks — some have been known to travel 2,000 miles for the fun — and the 1979 Fink of the Year will be announced. Margarita run-off contest wins court vote United Press International SAN ANTONIO -— The Bexar County Democratic Party has won a commis sioner’s court battle that one wag dubbed “The Great Margarita Voting Con troversy.” With Jeff Wentworth, the only Republi can on the court casting the only dissent ing vote, the commissioners voted in spe cial session 3-1 to clear the way for the Democrats to use a voting machine for a Wednesday margarita referendum to be conducted at a party fundraiser. The election will determine the best margarita mixer among nine teams vying for the prize, according to County Demo cratic Chairwoman Joyce Peters.