State
THE BATTALION Page 9
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 1981
State airplanes’ leasing is sky-high
B estate, 4lj United Press International
‘ iAUSTIN — Texans will pay $5 million in 1981 to main-
eeide - i : anc [ lease the state’s 36 airplanes, frequently used for
He said t political and personal appearances, it was reported,
t claim, tfer “Everyone’s hustling around the state in a twin-engine
or they’re busy hustling for one in the Legislature, ” a state
side Texas,tfjphot was quoted in the Dallas Times Herald Tuesday,
g on Hughes Two years ago the Legislature passed a bill to save
Imoney by centralizing the state’s air fleet in a pool, rather
than having aircraft assigned to a particular agency or offi-
severalyean rial. However, the bill was not able to take effect because
no will, thh the Legislature did not fund the pool board.
f A study by the Legislative Budget Board said a pool
tions in Gre;. would allow the state to sell some airplanes, prohibit per
sonal and political use of the planes, save money through
lower maintenance and eliminate some pilot jobs.
Officials and agencies that have airplanes assigned them
can be expected to oppose consolidation.
Gov. Bill Clements used his plane to take his wife, the
wife of H. Ross Perot and 12 other citizens to tour the
governor’s mansions of Mississippi and Georgia when Cle
ments was interested in restoring the Texas governor’s
mansion, the newspaper said.
According to a log of Clements’ flights, he used state
airplanes for trips to Chamber of Commerce and service
club functions, testimonials, ribbon cuttings, barbecues,
political gatherings and the Republican National Conven
tion in Detroit.
Clements spokesman Jon Ford said the governor would
not oppose airplane pooling but probably would not lead
the way for it.
Comptroller Bob Bullock has the largest fleet with three
airplanes, including an eight-seater. His press secretary,
Tony Profitt, said the state’s planes were a money-saver but
the Times Herald said many commercial flights were
cheaper.
The newspaper said it cost the state $171.55 for each
person on an Austin-Amarillo flight while Southwest Air
lines offered a $43 ticket. Austin-Dallas costs $114.86 per
person on a state plane but $28 on Southwest.
died, inciiii
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ada in 1918,
oute to Hons-
Dallas Siamese twins safely separated
d
Texas orders California fruit fumigated
United Press International
I DALLAS — A team of doctors
at Children’s Medical Center suc-
jcessfully separated twin girls born
Jqined at the spine in a delicate
10-hour operation, hospital offi
cials said Tuesday.
I The 3-month-old sisters were
C Released in ‘‘excellent condition”
^ on Valentine’s Day, exactly one
at there tms month after doctors separated a
vote,” Matts P or,: *on of the spinal cord and
j us t trying fc nerves leading to each child’s
tizens,” plodder, lower legs and feet,
charged »i41 They (the parents) have two
if one elder!pHootly normal little girls,” said
Bann, on ii Dt Ted Votteler, who led the 10-
nhastoldolmember medical team. “We’re
ke an af
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( ballots L United Press International
leacnomoak | AUSTIN — A decision by the
Telectionb j ta t e to fumigate fruit shipments
orimaryc*; g. ()m California to defend against
|n infestation of the Mediterra-
a person ni:; nean f ru ,t fly d re w harsh criticism
meatioii lor„ g. ()m California officials, who cal-
ne of the wi ] e[ ] ^ ac tj on unwarranted and
ny as five W unne cessary.
Fred Heringer, president of
ere electa the California Farm Bureau
s and Jerrol Federation, said Tuesday the fly
’earl Edwin tad never been found in commer-
'earl McCorJ i cial agriculture in California and
all commercial crops leaving the
panta Clara Valley were already
; treated.
^ He called the action by the
Texas Agriculture Department
m “unwarranted and unnecessary. ”
JjC “The real losers in this out-
j rageous action will be the consum-
3alth warns ers of Tex “ who wiU P a y hi g he i;
ifliinxirslifi P nces at the supermarket and
(California farmers who will be
', saidTuesi w ) th c °sHy fumigation that
n at Hillcrr w ' re duce the quality of their
j products for no reason,” he said.
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The girls, bom by Caesarean
section the first week of Novem
ber, were sent home in December
but returned to the medical center
Jan. 11 in preparation for the Jan.
14 surgery.
No information had previously
been released about the twins be
cause of “a very strong desire for
privacy on the part of the family,”
said a hospital spokesman.
Votteler said the babies were
joined at the lower back and
shared the lowest portion of the
spinal cord and bony stmetures of
the spine. The babies shared no
other organs.
“The family knew it was in the
best interest of both little girls to
have the separation,” the doctor
said. “They also realized that the
separation would not create any
problems of one versus the other. ”
The girls are the third set of
twins separated at the hospital in
the past three years and the first in
which both twins survived. One
twin died in each of the previous
cases.
The biggest concerns of doctors
was a fear the twins would share
common nerves, that separation
might cause injury to the cord or
nerves and the fear of infection.
“We really couldn’t imagine
what it would be like,” said Dr.
Joan Venes, pediatric neuro
surgeon and a member of the
operating team.
“We would pinch one baby in
certain skin areas and the other
baby would cry,” she said. “We
don’t know how they managed to
do that. There was probably some
intermixed or duplication of nerve
cells.”
During the four-hour separa
tion of the spinal cord, doctors
used electricaJ stimulation to test
each nerve and “to make sure that
each twin had an equal share of
everything,” Venes said.
The doctors said the babies
appear normal but will require
close follow-up for the next few
years to make sure their spines
grow the way they should.
Votteler said both babies “had
good motion in their extremities”
when released from the hospital.
Conjoined or Siamese twins oc
cur once in every 60,000 births.
DIETING?
Even though we do not prescribe diets,
we make it possible for many to enjoy a
nutritious meal while they follow their
doctors orders. You will be delighted
with the wide selection of low calorie,
sugar free and fat free foods in the
Souper Salad Area, Sbisa Dining Center
Basement.
OPEN
Monday through Friday 10:45 AM-1:45 PM
QUALITY FIRST
Texas will begin March 1 to re
quire fruit shipments from Cali
fornia to be fumigated, Agricul
ture Commissioner Reagan
Brown said Tuesday.
“I can’t live with myself if we
didn’t do something and we lost
that Rio Grande Valley very pro
ductive area down there,” Brown
said.
He said the order did not re
quire a halt in shipments from
California.
“We are only requiring all fruits
and vegetables under the order to
be fumigated or submitted to cold
treatment before they can cross
the Texas border,” he said. “The
Mediterranean fruit fly is a serious
threat to the Texas fresh produce
industry if it is brought into the
state.”
Richard Rominger, director of
the California Department of
Food and Agriculture, also called
the action “completely unwar
ranted.”
“We do have a quarantine of the
infested area, that covers 500
miles in the Santa Clara Valley,”
he said. “It makes no sense to
quarantine the entire state of Cali
fornia.
“No fruit is leaving California
that shows any Medfly infesta
tion,” said Rominger, who called
the Texas action “very costly to
California growers.”
He said the move would delay
shipments, noting that “not all
fruits and vegetables will hold up
well under fumigation.”
M. M. (Mack) Deans ’55
Representing the
COLLEGE INSURANCE
PLAN
to
TAMU Students for 26 years
846-7791
4340 Carter Creek
Suite 103
AMERICAN GENERAL LIFE INSURANCE CO.
Home Office - Houston, Texas
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413 Texas Ave. South
846-6164
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