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The Battalion V IE WPOINT July 29, 1981 — Slouch By Jim Earle “If all the cars of the world were laid end to end, it would happen on our campus!“ Political changes surround the ’80s By DAVID S. BRODER WASHINGTON — The weekend was spent saying farewell to a son who is leaving for two years of work at a university in Chi na. That kind of occasion inevitably prompts thoughts of a larger and longer- range dimension than fit comfortably in a journalist’s brain: thoughts about the changes that may occur between now and his return in mid-1983. In Great Britain, which taught most the of the rest of the world both the rules of parliamentary democracy and the customs of civility that make it possible for such a system to work, there has been a conspi cuous breakdown of civility and social order. Change is everywhere. The vast society in which he will be living and teaching for the next two years just publicly renounced the wisdom of its founder and unseated his designated heir from the chairmanship of the ruling party — an upheaval so great that superstitious peasants had to be reassured that it did not necessarily signal the advent of earthquakes. The custom is to say that these gov ernmental upheavals represent the political fallout from the mid-1970’s disruption in world energy markets, and the resulting stagflation that besets most of the advanced economies. Meantime, the most important country in Eastern Europe, Poland, just conducted the first secret-ballot, competitive election of its leadership in the history of a Com munist state. This extraordinary event, occurring almost literally within sight of the Soviet armies, must send a signal of hope to all the other subjected satellites — and a shiver of fear down the spines of those who rule the Kremlin. That is probably sound anaylsis. But the suspicion lurks that there is some deeper force at work, requiring massive adjust ment in both the communist and the capit alist worlds. The suspicion is that we may be at one of those hinge-points in history, when the old order vanishes and a new system brings new leaders to the fore. The rulers of today — in both the East and the West — are people who were shaped by the last great war. Even those newly arrived in power, like Francois Mit terrand and Ronald Reagan, first made their names in the years before and during that epic struggle. It is not possible to draw any simplified chart of the changes reshaping the Western world. France has installed a Socialist gov ernment, with Communists in the cabinet for the first time. The United States has installed a Republican administration, some of whose policymakers are closet Libertarians and some of whom are latter- day Puritans. Reagan and Mitterrand, in their different ways, have demonstrated a remarkable appeal to the young people of their own countries. But it strikes me that the youngest government, the freshest move ment, may be also the government whose very existence is the most powerful testa ment to the enduring thirst for freedom, even in the most difficult circumstances. The Battalion U S P S 045 360 MEMBER LETTERS POLICY Texas Press Association Southwest Journalism {.oneris Letters to the Editor should not exceed 300 words in _ „ , , length, and are subject to being cut if they are longer. The Editor nge ique ope an editorial staff reserves the right to edit letters for style and City Editor Brust length, but will make every effort to maintain the author’s Photo Editor Greg Gammon intent. Each letter must also be signed, show the address Sports Editor Ritchie Priddy an( j phone number of the writer. Focus Editor Cathy Saathoff Make-up Editor Greg Gammon Columns and guest editorials are also welcome, and are Staff Writers Bernie Fette, Kathy O’Connell, not subject to the same length constraints as letters. Denise Richter Address all inquiries and correspondence to: Editor, The Cartoonist Scott McCullar Battalion, 216 Reed McDonald, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843. EDITORIAL POLICY The Battalion is published Tuesday, Wednesday and The Battalion is a non-profit, self-supporting newspaper Thursday during Texas A&M’s summer semesters. Mail operated as a community service to Texas A&M University subscriptions are $16.75 per semester, $33.25 per school and Bryan-College Station. Opinions expressed in The Bat- year and $35 per full year. Advertising rates furnished on talion are those of the editor or the author, and do not request. necessarily represent the opinions of Texas A&M Universi- Our address: The Battalion, 216 Reed McDonald Build- ty administrators or faculty members, or of the Board of ing, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843. Regents. The Battalion also serves as a laboratory newspaper for students in reporting, editing and photography classes United Press International is entitled exclusively to the within the Department of Communications. use for reproduction of all news dispatches credited to it. Questions or comments concerning any editorial matter Rights of reproduction of all other matter herein reserved. should be directed to the editor. Second class postage paid at College Station, TX 77843. Search continues for president No, folks, the Board of Regents hasn’t named a president. One year, 19 days have passed since the Texas A&M University System Board of Regents dismissed Dr. Jarvis Miller from his post as University president. Since that date, July 10, 1981, speculation has been that the Board would have named his suc cessor by now, 34 days before the target date of Sept. 1 set by Board Chairman H. R. “Bum” Bright. In fact, some people may have expected such an announcement at Tuesday’s Board meeting — the last scheduled meeting be fore September — but it seems the regents have a long way to go before a new presi dent is named. Vice Chairman of the Board John Blocker said Tuesday the search for a president is moving slowly. “We’ve had some delays, some rejections,” he said. “It’s not moving as fast as we thought it would. “We’ve been doing about one interview a week, and we’ve seen some outstanding people.” Two candidates — Dr. Arthur Hansen, president of Purdue University, and Dr. Lawrence Fouraker, former dean of the Harvard University graduate school of busi ness — have gone on the record with news reporters, saying they were offered the presidency but declined that offer. University sources indicate at least five others have not been interested in the offer — not interested in the presidency within the current System organizational structure implemented in January 1980. That plan channeled greater System control into the chancellor’s office, thereby leaving only University affairs to the president. Given that structure, it appears the re gents can’t attract the kind of “10” they want to run the University. Coffee Breaks Jane G. Brust Perhaps there are other reasons why out standing candidates have turned down the post. One regent said Monday he’s heard the wives of prominent administrators in the East aren’t interested in moving to Texas. That may be true, but if so, it’s a hard truth to swallow. In February Bright appointed a commit tee of four — himself, Blocker, System Chancellor Frank W.R. Hubert, and Re gent Clyde Wells — to interview prospec tive presidents and to recommend a final candidate. One regent not included in the foursome has said he’s not sure how the presidential search is going. “Bum won’t say anything about it, ” he said, “but I understand they’re having some trouble. ” And yet Bright says he’s still shooting for his Sept. 1 target date. “Sept. 1 is the objective, and I hope to make it,” Bright said. “I would be dis appointed if I were not able to get it done by that time. “We have some (candidates) waiting in the wings that we’ve looked at, some we haven’t looked at. Out of a pool of more than 20, we’ve seen better than two-thirds.” Yet Bright won’t admit he’s heard any rejections from prospective candidates, re jections due to the System’s organizational structure. On the other hand, Blocker a Board is flexible. The regents very well could re« the System structure in the nearfui ad hoc committee appointed by | March to determine how to study! tern’s organizational structure J turned its findings over to Tar® Chairman Blocker. The Target 2000 committee, not yet been formed, will review* ings and make its own recommend! the Board. Target 2000 is the pi determine the direction eacbi branch and academic campus i the year 2000. The regents could hire a Univen®S ident contingent upon a reorganize n ture that would transfer power bad J(1 president’s office. However, Blocker indicated !»>,-£ that a candidate looking that way j have the right idea about workk!; System. “Everybody that comesiii, own ideas, he said, “but it’s fooMfe in with preconceived notions.” The four interviewers havethein, of the person they’d like to appoc, University presidency — Bright: yniv repeatedly he’s looking for a “real: cajuj Another regent has said the fet ram, just can’t find the person theyrei lastic for: “They’re looking for someaHpu hasn’t been bom yet.” Pj*™ If the Board is to meet the Sept date, the four interviewers havethtlr^ cut out. It will be interesting to set y c anyone, accepts in the next34da\V. ansu to come to Texas A&M. tions And if the regents fail to meettk out b deadline, it will be interesting tos you j the course of their search may'di have order to attract a desirable presid? F en? 1 qf .. DQ BE, OVREFUL WITH THE STEUBFR BOWL, CHARLES-MRS. REAGAN PMD *75,000 LOR IT OUT OF HER OWN SUBTEXTS' POCKEIS... Swedish auto industry struggling \ By LARS BERLIN STOCKHOLM — The Swedish auto mobile industry is tiny compared to its U. S. equivalent. But like the car business in America and elsewhere, it has been hard hit by the recession. Yet Sweden’s two automobile com panies, Volvo and Saab, have managed to survive without government subsidies by pursuing two policies. They have brought out new models attuned to the changing market. And they have diversified into other fields, such as oil exploration and food processing, in order to compensate for their setbacks. Saab are also being confronted by Japanese competition overseas. A Japanse worker can assemble a car in half the time that it takes his Swedish counterpart, and at a much lower wage. Thus the Volvo plant built in Maryland, designed to assemble automobiles for the U.S. trade, has never been completed. It now serves as a warehouse for imported Volvos. It may seem unusual that Sweden, with a population of only 8 million, should pro duce cars at all. Countries of similar size, such as Austria, Belgium and The Nether lands, do not have their own automobile manufacturers. But despite the Japanese challenge, Swedish automobile executives go out of their way to refrain from criticizing Japan for its aggressive efforts. For they realize that they also rely on exports, and they must be staunch defenders of free trade lest other nations throw up tariff barriers against Sweden. The Swedes pride themselves, however,* on their skill at turning out high-quality industrial merchandise. Moreover, in this extremely advanced society, the economy depends on exports. So the Swedish car business, which pro duces 280,000 automobiles per year, sells 75 percent of its output overseas. Volvo’s largest foreign market is the Un ited States, where it sold some 55,000 cars last year. While American sales have been steady, exports in Western Europe have declined. of the energy crisis set in, Swet manufacturers set up production abroad in the expectation that the! promote foreign sales in that way But, like the moribund Volvo Maryland, those efforts have not* 5 Nor did the concept of merging ViJ 1 Saab into a single national corpe : mainly because of objections by i 1 management. The two companies have beeneii into merger arrangement with firms, however, Volvo, for exampl 1 gone into partnership with Renaol French company Saab, which has)' bution arrangement in Canada witlil Leyland, also markets its cars in S' 1 land jointly with Honda, the Japanes* At the same time, Volvo hastaltf Beijerinvest, a large Swedish invp company, which has given theairf company access to a variety of otk deavors. These diversified interest Volvo in the black. Sweden, like other nations, is being flooded with Japanese cars, whose sales here last year ran to 14 percent of the total automobile market — an increase of 4 per cent over 1979. Swedish automobile executives are gambling on the possiblity that foreign buyers will continue to want something other than small Japanese cars. For that reason, they are concentrating on the pro duction of medium-sized vehicles that of fer comfort as well as fuel efficiency. Though both Volvo and Saab lo 1 ' sums from car production, the co« : together made a profit last year olj $220 million. They represent S*’ largest industry. Despite cost-cutting methods, such as the use of robots in factories, Volvo and For instance, Saab is planning to bring out a model next year equipped with a tur bo charger in the exhaust system that recy cles that energy normally lost in the emis sion of exhaust gases. A similar Volvo model has been very successful. During the 1970’s, before the full impact Here as in the United States# where, car manufacturers are theref coming conglomerates involved assortment of fields — which may' 1 that the age of the automobile d) |i wanting. (Editor’s note: Berlin writes onf issues for a Swedish business pub