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Reagan looks ahead
following arms victory
United Press International
WASHINGTON — President
Reagan, following his dramatic Saudi
arms deal victory, is underscoring U.S.
commitment to a concerned Israel and
is pressing a relieved Saudi Arabia into
the Middle East peace process.
At the same time, Reagan’s staff is
hailing the president’s ability to get
what he wants from Congress, compar
ing his political prowess on Capitol Hill
with that of a former master. President
Lyndon Johnson.
“We would argue forcefully that he
has been the most effective president
since Lyndon Johnson with respect to
his relationships with the Congress and
his ability to get legislation through the
Congress,” White House Chief of Staff
James Baker said.
Reagan took no bows Thursday and
instead sought to mend relations with
Israel, which staunchly opposes the
$8.5 billion sale, and tried to get more
activity from Saudi Arabia in Middle
East peace efforts.
The president sent a letter to Israeli
Prime Minister Menachem Begin
underscoring the U.S. commitment to
maintain Israel’s military superiority in
the Middle East.
He also sent a letter to Saudi King
Khalid, stressing the importance the
U.S. attaches to the security and
strength of the oil-rich monarchy and
urged close cooperation between the
two countries in the search for peace.
Begin was not appeased by Reagan’s
letter, saying the sale poses “a new and
serious danger” to his nation’s security.
Sheik Faisal Alhegelan, Saudi Ara
bia’s ambassador to the United States,
was cautious in linking the sale to peace
moves. “We are buying these planes to
defend our country,” he said.
The Senate Wednesday, by a vote of
52-48, cleared the way for the sale of
AWACS radar planes and other aircraft
equipment to Saudi Arabia — a deal
Reagan billed as vital for Middle East
security.
Just a few days ago, the sale seemed
headed for Senate defeat. But Reagan,
as he did last summer with his budget
and tax cuts, managed to use his power
of persuasion to turn foes into support
ters.
Baker told reporters that the Senate:;
approval of the package should send a:
strong signal overseas that Reagan is at
strong leader.
Added national security adviser®
Richard Allen: “We think this is a signi-'
ficant undergirding of our foreign-
policy. ”
Allen said the administration does not
expect Saudi Arabia to join in the Camp'
David peace negotiations, but said an
emphasis was being put on an eight-*
point plan drafted by Saudi Crown"
Prince Fahd.
Reagan told reporters the most signi
ficant part of the plan is that it recog
nizes that Israel is a nation to be negoti-t
ated with.
There was growing speculation the?
plan may offer a basis for a new initiative;
after the Israeli withdrawal from the|
Sinai in April under the Camp David*
accords.
East peace efforts. headed for Senate defeat. But Reagan, Sinai in April under the Camp I
The president sent a letter to Israeli as he did last summer with his budget accords.
Official says 20 cent posts
rate was needed in May
By RANDY CLEMENTS In addition to fighting inflation, the 2-cent incre
lommunists, Solidarity move
m strike collision course
United Press International
WARSAW, Poland —- The Polish
Communist Party vowed to press for a
)an on strikes at today’s session of par-
iament, but Solidarity said it would
lever allow the government to remove
its hard-won right to strike.
However, the union also said on the
:ve of today’s debate it wanted to disci
pline its own union members who have
been staging wildcat walkouts in de
fiance of the government and Solidarity.
At least 282,000 workers were on
strikes over food shortages and other
irievances despite Wednesday’s one-
W national strike that Solidarity had
loped would channel protest into a
single short stoppage.
The session of the Sejm, Poland’s par
liament, faced several important mat
ters, including a ban on strikes and
proposals to at least indirectly draw
Solidarity and the Roman Catholic
Church into government.
Politburo member Stefan Olszowski
reiterated to a provincial party meeting
ithe eve of the session that the Com-
nrnnist Party would introduce a motion
calling for banning strikes and tempor
arily returning to the six-day work
week.
“Nobody can deprive us of the right
to strike and the union will never let
anybody do it,” the union national ex
ecutive said in a statement read over
Polish television.
But, announcing it wanted to control
strikes itself, the union leaders said, “It
is ourselves that must program the use
of this weapon, and we must do it in a
planned and thought-out way.”
The union’s 107-member national
commission will meet Nov. 3 to discuss
“limitations of the right to strike and
establishing the union’s disciplinary
measures for those responsible for the
weakening of the union’s unity and dis
cipline.”
Union appeals to the local chapters to
halt strikes have gone unheeded.
General strikes paralyzed Zielona
Cora province, where 150,000 people
have been striking for more than a
week, and Tarnobrzeg province, where
120,000 have been striking for a week.
In Zyrardow, near Warsaw, 12,000
workers — mostly women — were into
the 19th day of a strike demanding more
food, and Solidarity said taxi drivers and
city transport workers also had joined
the walkout.
Faculty and students at Warsaw Uni
versity struck for four hours Thursday to
support faculty and students at an en
gineering school in Radom staging a sit-
in to over the choice of school rector.
Some 2,400 coal miners in Sosno-
wiec, in southern Poland, went on
strike Tuesday after poison gas bombs
were thrown from a passing car, sending
more than 50 miners to a hospital.
And 65 construction companies
struck Thursday for two hours to protest
shortages of building materials.
By RANDY CLEMENTS
Battalion Staff
The new 20-cent postal rate, effective Sunday for first class
letters, should have been implemented last May instead of
the 18-cent price, Ralph Stewart of the U.S. Postal Service’s
Washington office says.
In April 1980, the postmaster general asked the Postal Rate
Commission, for a 5-cent postal increase from 15 cents to 20
cents. However, the independent commission appointed by
the president granted only a 3-cent increase, Stewart said.
The 18-cent price set in March was implemented under
protest because it wasn’t enough, he said, adding that the
Postal Service incurred a $126 million deficit the first five
months the rate was in effect.
But, the new 20-cent rate should be sufficient to run and
operate postal services for at least two years and should
provide a $100 million surplus by the end of fiscal year 1982,
he said.
Clifford Caffey, manager of customer services for the Bryan
Post Office, said the recent increases are an effort to help the
post office keep up with the inflation rate.
“There is a 40 percent inflation rate, and 18 cents (for a first
class stamp) is only a 20 percent increase, leaving a 20 percent
deficit,” he said.
Caffey was quick to point out that the Postal Service is not
supposed to be profit-making but that it is supposed to break
even. However, inflation is making that difficult.
For example, if gasoline prices increase another one cent
per gallon the Postal Service, which owns 118 thousand vehi
cles, will have additional operating expenses of more than $1
million, Caffey said.
In addition to fighting inflation, the 2-cent increase will
help decrease Congress’ annual subsidy of the Postal Ser
vices, he said. The service should be self-supporting by 1984,
he said.
Even though the cost for the first ounce of a first-class stamp
is going up, the cost for additional ounces is the same as the
old rate — 17 cents per ounce.
The rate for parcel post will also remain the same, but piece
rates for third-class bulk will have an average increase of 23
percent and second-class mail will have an average increase pf
1.9 percent.
C.L. Matcek, postmaster of the College Station Post
Office, said the service is as good as it can be. The increase
only covers the cost of the service being rendered now, fre
said.
“The rates have gone up quite a f bit over the years, but the
increase is not out of line, ” he said. “The Postal Service is still
one of the cheapest services left in the country.”
Matcek said people are more prepared for the increase this
time than they were when the 18-cent stamp went into effect.
“We won’t have as much confusion because we had more time
to get prepared,” he said.
In contrast, the Postal Service only had one week to pre
pare for the May increase, he said. Preparations for the
20-cent rate having been underway since that time.
Caffey predicted the public will Jake the increase in stride.
Some people won’t like it, he said, but most people under
stand the need for the increase.
Both Matcek and Caffey urge everyone to beat the rush by
purchasing 20-cent stamps before the rate increase goes into
effect.
\ggie Band marching
across TV screen tonigh t
Aggie fans don’t have to wait until
Saturday to see their favorite marching
band perform a halftime drill.
The Fighting Texas Aggie Band will
be featured on PM Magazine tonight at
6:30 on KBTX-TV Channel 3.
The 6-minute segment will feature
the preparation and performance of the
band’s halftime drill of last month’s
Texas A&M-Louisiana Tech game, Rick
Bradfield, PM Magazine executive in
Waco, said. The segment will be aired
(luring the first part of the show, he
added.
; Camera crews for PM Magazine
spent the Thursday before the game
filming the band’s practice on the drill
field and interviewing Col. Joe T.
Haney, band director, and members of
the Aggie Band. Then Saturday, the PM
crew came back for the game and filmed
the result of the week’s work.
The segment was produced by Jack
Smith, co-host of the Waco-based show.
“The show is centered on the unique
ness of the band,” Bradfield said.
Although Texas A&M University has
no music department the band is one of
the largest military bands in the United
States, he said.
The television segment will show the
band performing wedge drills, and a
series of oblique drills ending with the
traditional block T.
After the segment is shown locally, a
copy will be sent to the PM Magazine
home office in San Francisco where a
decision will be made whether to syndi
cate it for national broadcast, Bradfield
said.
The Dallas division of PM Magazine
aired a feature on the yell leaders and
Aggie spirit last week in Dallas.
Two programs hold
By DANIEL PUCKETT
Battalion Staff
Burglars are striking more local
homes than ever, but residents can
now strike back, says Lt. Bernard F.
Kapella of the College Station Police
Department.
Kapella said two new crime-
prevention programs already have
proven very effective in other cities.
Home Security Surveys can help de
ter burglars from entering a partici
pant’s home, and Operation Identifi
cation can help in returning stolen
goods after police recover them.
Citizen participation in at least one
of the programs is urgent, he said,
because of the massive increase in
home burglaries. While police re
corded 478 home burglaries in 1979,
they reported 691 in 1980 and 635 in
1981 as of Sept. 30.
Kapella attributes the rapid rise in
home burglary to College Station’s
growth and the transient nature of a
large segment of the population.
“This is not a small town anymore
and people have to start taking big-city
precautions against big-city crime,”
he said.
The first program is a Home Secur
ity Survey, which is an inspection of
the house or apartment by a police
officer trained in crime prevention.
The inspector looks for security prob
lems and makes suggestions for cor
recting them.
“While no lock on earth will keep
out a determined burglar forever,”
Kapella said, “a good one can discour
age him enough to make him leave
your house alone. A good lock makes a
burglar work to get in and most burg
lars hate to work. ”
The second program, Operation
Identification, involves engraving the
owner’s driver’s license number on
most valuables, especially stereos,
television sets and radios. Items which
cannot be engraved, such as antiques
and rare stamps or coins, should be
photographed and described in detail
on the back of the picture.
Engraving is much more difficult to
erase than most product serial num
bers, and having the owner’s driver’s
license number makes it much easier
to return his property, Kapella said.
Engraving tools, which the public
can borrow, are recent gifts from the
Brazos Savings Association and the
College Station Bank. Each of the
financial institutions donated $100 for
the program.
Kapella said 12 engravers are avail
able, and the public can check them
out for up to one week at no charge.
Residents can arrange to take part in
either program by contacting Kapella
at the police station.
Dorm residents, too, should take
more precautions against burglary.
Chief Russ McDonald, of the Univer
sity Police, said. He strongly recom
mends that on-campus students keep
their doors locked when out of the
room and that they participate in
Operation Identification.
Unlocked doors and valuables left in
plain sight are the main problems in
dorm burglaries, he said. No force was
used in 77 percent of the burglaries on
campus last year; that is, the burglar
either entered through an unlocked
door or had a duplicate key. And valu
able jewelry was often left on desks or
counter-tops, making the burglar’s job
faster and easier.
“If you bring expensive items to
school, secure them somewhere out of
sight,” McDonald said. A burglar is
much less tempted to break into a
room if he is not sure it contains any
thing of value.
But if a burglary does occur, the
most important step is to report it.
“We can’t return your property if
you don’t tell us it’s gone,” he said.
Police recover a large number of
stolen items during the year but they
must sell them at auction because
owners either did not report the theft
or cannot identify the property.