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
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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
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they have
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lot of otheii
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it oral tind I
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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
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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.