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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (July 13, 1983)
Wednesday, July 13, 1983/The Battalion/Page 5 fxxon, Houston bank start payment system Warped by Scott McCullar SO YOU DOA/'T BELIEVE I A/ LOVE. A/VD MtAMCE AT ALL, HEY, PAUL?, NOPE ■ NEVER HAVE. IT'S TOST A WASTE OF TIME AND concentration AND FEEL I NOS I United Press International HOUSTON — Exxon Co., .S.A. plans to initiate a prog- tm later this month that would allow customers to pay for gaso- ne by electronic transfer rather tan cash or credit card. “We call it an advanced elec- onic payment system,” said R. Fink, Exxon business de velopment manager. “It’s something like writing a eheck, only you’re doing it elec tronically rather than by paper,” $aid Lorraine Peterson, spokes woman for First City National Bank of Houston, Exxon’s part ner in the experiment. I Under the system, customers who have bank cards from First City can use those cards to elec tronically transfer money from their checking account to one of 10 Exxon service stations in the Houston area involved in the six month experiment. “A person goes in and puts their card into a machine, and they have to put their special number into the machine, their personal access number, and that is transferred to the bank, which will authorize the purch ase. Actual authorization from the bank could take only seconds,” she said. “Our objective with the test is to reduce the transaction cost while providing customers with an alternative method of pay ment,” Fink said. Fink made no predictions ab out the test, which is slated to begin in mid-July. “At the conclusion of the six months, we will determine where we will go at that point,” he said. “We’ve made no predic tions whatsoever. We’re run ning the test to see what hap pens.” Peterson said if the experi ment is successful, the bank might try electronic transfers in other situations. “It’s planned to expand this system beyond the Exxon sys tem if it works, if consumers accept it,” she said. “There are certainly applications to other retail areas.” “Just think about any retail establishments that you normal ly use, like grocery stores for ex ample,” Peterson said. “There are a lot of benefits to the con sumer where he doesn’t have to have cash or write a check.” “This is strickly a First City- Exxon project,” she said, “so it will only be First City cards that will be usable in this case,” and Peterson said that customers could not obtain cash through the system. ..LONELINESS IS NOTHING MORE THAN SELF PITY, A/VD FOR ALL THE TROUBLE INVOLVED WITH IT I DON'T KNOW WHY YOU AND CAROLINE BOTHER. I PREFER Shelter demand declining Memorial motorcade re-enactment planned United Press International DALLAS — Charlie Grubbs says selling fallout shelters is a boom or bust business. Even with the nuclear arms race in the headlines and surviv- alism on the rise, Grubbs says it is a battle to sell the shelters. “We have to fight and claw every year to make it,” says Grubbs. “I hope we’re here next year. Most of our business is tor nado shelters. You couldn’t sur vive selling fallout shelters alone.” Grubbs’ Stormaster fallout shelter line has gotten rave re views from survivalists. “Sur vive” magazine last year called the Stormaster “the finest blast shelter in the free world.” The top of the line Stormas ter costs about $14,000, com plete with air vents, fallout fil ters, and a 90-degree turn in the entrance “because radiation can’t go around corners,” Grubbs’ wife Sharon said. And they double as wine cel- lers, tool sheds, game rooms, or just quiet retreats. “One lady in Garland has hers all decked out with Dallas Cow boys banners and pictures and stuff,” Grubbs said. “She does her sewing down there.” The shelters feature foot- thick seamless concrete walls with galvanized steel doors and 2 feet of overhead cover. Grubbs says they have to be strong than his tornado shelters, 1 cause you have to stay in them longer. But business is boom and bust, according to the level of anxiety in the world. “It was pretty good when the Bay of Pigs was going on,” says Mrs. Grubbs. “Now people will buy a swimming pool, but they ; won’t spend money on some- 1 , thing that will save their lives United Press International I AUSTIN — Members of the American Legion, elected offi- ■als and other interested ■tizens plan to re-enact a 1935 jiotorcade through Texas as a lay of honoring the state’s war sualties. Former Gov. Jimmy Allred to by Barn PifAunched the first such motor- hide 48 years ago when he desig nated Texas Highway 66 a memorial roadway and opened it to a caravan that drove nearly |00 miles south in honor of the state’s World War I casualties. Although the roadway has been renamed U.S. 281, it still carries the designation of “American Legion Memorial Highway.” John Sanders, director of the Texas Legion’s “Memorial Highway Tour,” said Monday that a caravan of Legionnaires, Legion Auxiliary members, elected officials and any other citizens who wanted to take part would re-enact the tour July 18- 21. The first tour began in the North Texas city of Byers and ended in the Rio Grande Valley city of Hidalgo. However, the re-enactment, which will honor casualties from both world wars, Korea and Vietnam, will origin ate in Burkburnett and end in McAllen, where the Legion’s 1983 convention will be held. Sanders said he expected any where up to 200 vehicles to join the motorcade. Several stops will be made, most of them the same as on the original tour. Rio Grande aid funds run dry United Press International RIO GRANDE CITY — Ab out 400 residents of the poorest county in Texas were turned away by county officials who said they ran out of money for feder al assistance. The crowd began gathering before dawn Monday and a line snaked out the door of the Starr County Courthouse. Author ities were able to maintain order, but some seeking assistance were angered. “They told us to come here today to get help, and we’re not leaving until we get it,” said Nel- da Garza, an unemployed mother of two. Starr County, located in far south Texas where the devalua tion of the Mexican peso has de vastated the economy, was one of 16 Texas counties awarded a portion of $ 100 million from the Federal Emergency Manage ment Agency. Of the $30,867 given the county, about $8,000 was turned over to the local Salvation Army last week. Jose D. Villarreal, chairman of local Salvation Army, adver tised that his organization would provide assistance to the needy last week, but he said funds ran out Friday. “There’s no money, but they won’t believe it. They said they want to call Washington for an investigation,” Villarreal said. Starr County chief deputy sheriff J.C. Gomez said needy people who gathered at the courthouse Friday were given $100 each. County officials closed the courthouse at noon to keep order. “We decided to let them say their piece, and they left during the noon hour,” Gomez said. “Everything’s operating nor mally again.” china stoneware and stemware! Nikko 5-pc. place settings. . . 17.50 Reg. s 30- s 32. "Homespun"/ "Cameo Rose", "Magenta" or "Newport" pat terns. Includes: dinner and salad plate, cereal bowl, cup and saucer. Wedgwood 5-pc. place settings. . . ? 24 Reg. s 41- s 44. "Rangoon" or "Wild Oats" patterns from the Stonehenge collection. Set includes: dinner and salad plate, cereal bowl, cup, saucer. Noritake 5-pc. place settings. . . $ 24 Reg. s 29 - s 33. Choose from "Kilkee" or "Blue Chintz" stoneware. Set includes: dinner and salad plate, cereal bowl, cup and saucer. Noritake 5-pc. place settings. . . $ 45 Reg. s 50. "Anticipation", "Morning Jewel" or "Patience" patterns. Set in cludes: dinner and salad plate, bread and butter, cup and saucer. Mikasa 5-pc. place settings. . .23.75 Reg. s 32. . . 23.75. "Iris" or "Amaryllis' patterns. Includes: dinner and salad plate, cereal bowl, cup and saucer. lead crystal stemware. . .2.99-6.99 Reg. S 6- S 1C. Choose from "Beaugen- cy", "Dampierre" or "Pompadour" patterns by Cristal d'Arques. Water, wine or fluted champagne. pper PM mited Ebb \CO BELLS. M £ :lls ^ Dillard’s shop Dillard’s monday thru Saturday 10-9; post oak mall, college station