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. ■1.72 No. 164
irst 12 Pages
Fri.
Battalion
Wednesday, June 27, 1979
College Station, Texas
News Dept. 845-2611
Business Dept. 845-2611
Weather
Partly cloudy skies with a 20%
chance of rain today and tonight.
High near 90 and low near 70.
Winds will be from the East-
Northeast at 5-10 m.p.h. becoming
light and variable tonight.
und cuts by Clements
hurt A&M projects
ook
By KEITH TAYLOR
Battalion StafT
jfcuts made by Gov. Bill Clements from
■ state appropriations bill June 15 may
lirt some programs at Texas A&M Uni-
Kity and possibly abolish one com-
aely.
> and jp!i llements’ vetoes took $1.7 million dol-
(r| from special program funding at Texas
I if! 3 fs KM plus $1.8 million from tbe school
FI ChfOl Kg program most hurt by the budget
cuts is the Institute of Comparative
HBdicine, a College of Veterinary
ii ■dicine program.
■he institute works in conjunction with
■lor College of Medicine and other
medical organizations in the Texas Medi
cal Center in Houston, said Dr. William
F. McCulloch, director of the institute.
The institute studies animals that have
diseases similar to humans, and works for
the improvement of animal as well as
human health, he said.
Howard L. Vestal, vice president for
business affairs, said the institute had re
quested $500,000 a year for the next two
years. The request was vetoed by Cle
ments.
Vestal said the University would try to
find money for the funding of the institute
after he has completed the 1979-80 budget
for the board of regents. It must be com
pleted by August 27. However, Vestal
1 26-Au3|
start
tely.
i
ecord number of rabies
tases reported; two
iore have been found
By LOUIE ARTHUR
Battalion Staff
■Two cases of rabies were confirmed in
|nim;ils in Brazos County this week while
■ results from tests on two other sus-
bei ted cases were negative.
■A three-month-old colt and an eight-
jfek-old kitten were tested for rabies with
itive results, said Dr. Henry Presnal of
Brazos Veterinary Clinic. A possibly
■id dog was brought into the clinic
Tjjesday afternoon but it will be several
(State rabies
conference
scheduled
u
:916
00
00
i p.m.
NCE
United Press International
USTIN — State Health Commissioner
Dr. Raymond T. Moore has called a
Etewide conference on rabies Thursday
tt) discuss recent outbreaks of the disease.
■Animal rabies cases in Texas this year
an running about twice the rate of 1978,
during which Texas recorded 563 labora
tory confirmed cases, its highest total since
1961.
■Through June 16 of this year, the state
had confirmed 553 rabies cases — a fourth
of all the confirmed cases in the United
States.
■Thursday’s conference will involve the
•"^health department’s regional medical di
lectors and veterinarians, representaties
■bm medical groups, state agencies, the
legislature, governor’s office, and the
United States Fish and Wildlife Service.
■ Moore said tbe goal of the conference is
a&iew initiative to combat the rabies out
break and protect the human population
from the disease.
days before the test results are in, Presnal
said.
The results from the two negative cases
involving a cat and a skunk came in Tues
day afternoon.
About a dozen people have begun the
anti-rabies shot series, most of these as a
result of handling the rabid colt. One of
the cases is a young boy who was bitten by
the rabid kitten.
Rabies is a virus that can be transferred
to humans through the saliva of infected
animals. People can get rabies not only
through animal bites, but through the
animal’s saliva getting into open wounds
and scratches, Presnal said.
Dr. Leon Russell of the Public Health
Department of the Texas A&M College of
Veterinary Medicine said there have al
ready been more cases reported for 1979
than there were for the entire year of
1978.
Russell said that the total number of
cases reported for 1978 state-wide was
556, while this year’s total from January 1
to June 20 had reached 559.
Three cases of rabies were reported in
1978 for Brazos County and three have al
ready been reported for the first six
months of 1979.
Dr. Henry Presnal of the Brazos Veteri
nary Clinic said he does not know the rea
son for the rise in the number of cases.
“There has been an increase in rabies
cases in the skunk population and this
could spread to the domestic animals,”
Presnal said, “but I’m not sure what the
exact cause of this is.”
Presnal said that the way to control
rabies is to eliminate stray animals and
vaccinate all others.
“If you come into contact with a rabid
animal, confine the animal and contact the
vet immediately,’’ Presnal instructed. “All
pets should be vaccinated against rabies
once a year.”
Presnal said his clinic will be staying
open late this week in an effort to handle
the influx of people requesting rabies vac
cinations for their pets.
said, Texas A&M will not be able to
provide all of the money needed for the
institute.
McCulloch was not optimistic about the
future of the institute.
“I don’t know what will happen to it.
We may go down the drain.
“We are in the middle of not knowing
where we are going. It (the veto) elimi
nates the institute as an organization. A
large number of people will have to be let
go ;<
“We hope part of the program will be
picked up by the University. We hope we
can continue working, but with the veto
by the governor, we can’t hope the Uni
versity will pick up $500,000.
“Essentially the institute will no longer
exist after Sept. 1.”
The University administration has been
helpful, McCulloch said, and he hopes
some of the employees of the institute will
be absorbed into the University.
The institute is also trying to place
workers in jobs at the Texas Medical Cen
ter, he said.
Funds totalling $840,000 over two years
requested for the veterinary teaching hos
pital were also vetoed by Clements, Vestal
said.
The hospital is a practical teaching clinic
for senior students, said Dr. George C.
Shelton, dean of the College of Veterinary
Medicine.
The hospital will not be immediately af
fected by the loss of funds, he said.
“We receive federal funding, $20,000 to
$30,000 a year, and some from the Univer
sity. We also receive revenue from people
who bring their pets in for treatment. The
money we requested was needed mainly
for new equipment and technical support
help.
“The loss of the money won’t hurt the
students this year, but if we are forced to
continue without it, it will eventually hurt
us,” Shelton said.
mm
m
.4*
®J
a wm *
Coolin off
A hard workout in G. Rollie White Coliseum on
these hot, summer days is best followed by a cool
down period standing in the mist of the Rudder
fountain.
Battalion photo by Clay Cockrill
Half-gallon gas prices
$l-a-gallon transition planned
United Press International
AUSTIN — Agriculture Commissioner
Reagan Brown announced Tuesday
gasoline stations in Texas can begin pricing
gasoline by the half-gallon on July 3 if their
pumps are incapable of registering prices
of $1 a gallon or higher.
Brown’s actions, taken at the request of
the gasoline industry and service station
operators, paves the way for transition to
$1 a gallon prices, which Brown said al
ready are in effect in isolated stations.
The commissioner said if prices exceed
99.9 cents per gallon, station operators
after July 3 can set the pumps to show the
price for one-half gallon, then double the
total cost amount shown on the pump for
each purchase.
Any pump in which the half gallon pric
ing method is used must be clearly
marked, he said, and the full price per
galon must be displayed nearby.
“This is the second time this has been
done. Back in the other fuel crisis (in 1973)
we had to make adjustments in pumps
when they wouldn’t go over 50 cents a gal
lon,” Brown said.
He said only two firms in Texas can re
calibrate the pumps to show prices of $1 or
higher, and both are swamped with busi
ness.
“Now we have over 90,000 pumps that
cannot register over $1 a gallon. If we
wake up some morning and the price is
over $1, there would be absolute chaos.
We’re trying to protect consumers in the
state if we get into a situation like this,”
Brown said.
Only about 10 percent of the gasoline
pumps in the state, primarily electronic
pumps, can register gasoline prices ex
ceeding $1 a gallon, he said.
Asked if his action would not encourage
stations to raise gas prices to $1 per gallon.
Brown replied, “I hope it would not, but it
could.
“We felt, and the industry felt, that it
was necessary to have some lead time to
get ready. The industry has asked us to
come up with rules and regulations so they
can cope with the situation (of $1 per gal
lon prices) if it occurs.”
Brown said the new regulations con
cerning half gallon pricing will be in effect
for four months, and by the end of that
period gasoline dealers will be expected to
have their pumps modified to be able to
register the $1 per gallon prices.
“This action was taken to ease the grow
ing problem of dispensing fuel costing $1
or more a gallon through pumps which can
register only 99.9 cents,” Brown said. He
said diesel fuel already is selling for prices
in excess of $1 per gallon in many areas.
First official uses alcohol fuel
United Press International
BRASILIA, Brazil — Setting an exam
ple for using alternative energy sources.
President Joao Figueiredo became the
first chief of state to use an official car that
runs on alcohol.
Brazil has launched a program aimed at
producing more than 1 million alcohol-
powered cars by 1985.
Students try out photography
Jeff Rhoads’ photographic subjects rage
over a broad spectrum. Five year-old
Emily Barrett didn’t seem to mind a few
pictures as she climbed among the
branches of the old oak tree in front of Bol
ton Hall. In the picture at left, it’s difficult
to tell just what is on his subject’s mind.
Rhoads, 12, from Katy, Texas, is participat
ing with over 300 students in the High
School Communications Workshop being
held on campus until Thursday. Advanced
and beginner courses are offered in three
main areas: newspaper, yearbook, and
photography publication. Along with
shooting pictures, the students gain practi
cal experience in printing and developing.
Battalion photo by Clay Cockrill