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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 11, 1984)
Page 8/The Battalion/Wednesday, January 11, 1984 U.S.-Vatican restore diplomatic ties after 116-year break, spark protests United Press International WASHINGTON — The Un ited States and the Vatican res tored full diplomatic relations Tuesday, ending a 116-year break and sparking protests from Protestant groups that vowed to fight the move in Con gress and in court. President Reagan named William Wilson, a 69-year old California businessman who is MSC CAFETERIA Where You Get More For Your Money OPEN 6:30 a.m.-7:00 p.m. Daily “QUALITY FIRST” now his personal representative to the Holy See, to become the U.S. ambassador to the Vatican. Wilson, a Catholic convert and longtime friend of the presi dent’s, must be confirmed by the Senate. He has been Reagan’s personal envoy to Pope John Paul II since February 1981. A Los Angeles real estate dealer, he is a trusted adviser and a member of his informal “kitch en cabinet.” Because of a slip-up in the arrangements, the planned simultaneous announcement of the upgrading in relations was made first at the Vatican at 7 a.m. EST, five hours before the State Department issued an identical 55-word statement: “The Holy See and the Un ited States of America, desiring to develop the mutual friendly relations already existing, have decided by common accord to establish diplomatic relations at the level of apostolic nunciature on the side of the Holy See and of embassy on the side of the ‘Brighton CfoWnhomes ocated on Spring Loop, C.S. $62,500 only 5% down Financing available Studios — Flats FEATURES: ‘Fireplace •Vaulted ceilings •Cable TV connections •Heavily landscaped •Solid oak kitchen cabinets •Privacy courtyard/patio •on shuttle bus route •Recessed lighting •Washer & dryer connections •Complete appliance package •On shuttle bus route •Wall paper in kitchens & bathrooms United States beginning today, Jan. 10, 1984.” Wilson, who operates out of a converted five-room apartment with a staff of three when at the Vatican, was reported to have told Reagan the United States has been at a disadvantage in di plomatic dealings with the pope. The State Department, in making the announcement, said the purpose of restoring full re lations is “to improve communi cation and to put the United States on a par with 107 other nations which have such rela tions.” But there was fiercely critical reaction to the announcement from conservative and liberal Protestants. Television evangelist Jerry Falwell, head of the Moral Ma jority, said the move “will estab lish a precedent which we will regret later. How long before Mecca (the holy center of Islam) makes such a request? “While I personally feel it is a bad precedent and am on record as opposing such formal ties with the Vatican, it is obvious that the Congress and most Americans favor this move and it will be done,” Falwell said, however. The Rev. Jimmy Draper, Eu less, Texas, president of the 14 million-member Southern Bap tist Convention, said the move “violates every rule of reason as it relates to church and state. The Vatican controls no coun try, so there is absolutely no reason for such a formal tie.” Draper said the action could cost Reagan “the support of mil lions of evangelical Christians.” At the other end of the theological spectrum, the Na tional Council of Churches said an ambassador to any church is inappropriate. Said Rev. Dean Kelley, head of the religious liberty depart ment of the 32-membei' Protes tant and Orthodox organiza tion, “That plot of land (Vatican City) would be of no diplomatic interest were it not the head quarters of the Roman Catholic church.” But White House spokesman Larry Speakes said the adminis tration recognized that “the Holy See is an international per sonality distinct from the Ro man Catholic Church.” Bishop James Malone, of Youngstown, Ohio, and presi dent of the U.S.Catholic Conf er ence, welcomed the action, saying, “It is not a religious issue, but a public policy question, which, happily, has now been addressed and settled in that context.” But critics in Congress, led by Sen. Ernest Hollings, D-S.C., have managed to place a “hold” on a State Department request for shifting fiscal 1984 funds to put an ambassador in place and there are some indications the House, at least, will hold hear ings on the issue. The last ranking U.S. envoy to what were then the Papal States was U.S. Minister Rufus King Jr., who left in 1867 after Italian patriot Giuseppe Gari baldi took temporary control of Rome and Congress voted to withdraw funds. NEED CASH? We offer premium dollars on used Books... moupors**! Check on our Trade Policy — r: TSW Hki 1 and Save 20% More. FREE Parking Behind the Store Marketed by: Alister - Rand Real Estate 260-9621 Auditions for Brazos Valley Symphony Orchestra Tuesday Evening, Jan. 17 Openings: -All String Sections -Bassoon -Trumpet The BVSO rehearses weekly on Thursday evenings. For audition material Sc further information contact: Lori Proudfoot, Bus. Mgr. 846-7009 Doesn't that beautiful mind of yours deserve a beautiful While you're busy shaping your mind... don't forget to shape your body!! Exercise all semester long for only s 69 00 ! (Monthly rates also available) BODY DYNAMICS College Station's Most Exciting Exercise studio • Classes 7 days a week • Morning, afternoon & evening classes • Exercise as often as you like, whenever you like • 4 levels of classes: beginner, advanced beginner, intermediate & advanced • No contracts, no initiation fees • Convenient location • convenient price BODY DYNAMICS 900 HARVEY RD. IN THE POST OAK VILLAGE 696-7180 BODY DYNAMICS At Body Dynamics, we make college a shaping experience! College cleans chemical spill United Press International DALLAS — Officials of Crambling State University assured federal environmen tal officials Tuesday that a spill of toxic chemicals would be cleaned up in time for clas ses to begin next week. The meeting between Crambling officials and rep resentatives of the Environ mental Protection Agency fol lowed the agency’s recom mendation that the university be fined $55,000 for violating federal standards for the dis posal and storage of polych lorinated biphenyls. •t of i The stari the st spring semester was delayed one week while a private contrac tor worked to clean up about 30 gallons of the chemical that leaked from an electrical transformer at the university’s cafeteria Dec. 6. Tests found unacceptable levels of the chemical had been tracked into the cafeter ia’s dining and kitchen areas. “Crambling officials assured the EPA that the hazards would be removed by time students return to classes on Monday, January 16,” said EPA spokeswoman Karen Brown. PCBs were used as a coolant in electrical transformers un til the chemical was banned bj the EPA in 1979 as a suspected cancer-causing agent. Crambling President Joseph B. Johnson advised the EPA of the university's cleanup efforts to date and of plans Crambling has for ac tions not required by the fed eral agency. University officials hope the steps will persuade tne EPA to drop or reduce the $55,000 fine recommenda tion. A final settlement of the complaint still is being negoti ated, Brown said. s c The university will phase out all PCB transformers by end of 1984, Johnson told the EPA, and will co-sponsor with Louisiana higher education officials a statewide seminar on the handling of PCBs. The EPA citation against Crambling cited five viola tions of the Toxic Substances Control Act for the improper use, storage and disposal of PCBs and failure to mark PCB transformers and containers and maintain required inspec tion records. New oil contracts aid union workers United Press International DENVER — The Oil, Che mical and Atomic Workers Un ion, negotiating for new con tracts covering more than 50,000 workers in the nation’s oil industry, Tuesday reported tentative agreement with two companies. Maxie Cooper, vice chairman of OCAW’s Gulf workmen’s committee, said the pattern was set when Gulf Oil Co. offered 2,000 workers at a refinery in Port Arthur a two-year contract calling for hourly wage increases of 55 cents. That offer was matched later in the day by Ashland Oil Co. Rod Rogers, OCAW spokes man, said the Ashland offer affected 839 workers at two loc als in Kentucky, and would be submitted to 350 other Ashland employees in Findlay, Ohio, and Freedom, Pa. More than 95 contracts cov ering 50,000 OCAW members were to expire at 12:01 a.m. Jan. 7. But union President Joe Mis- brener said “meaningful nego tiations” were underway at that time and asked the oil com panies to extend the current contracts until 12:01 a.m. Wednesday. Rogers Tuesday said thai deadline was moot because of the Gulf and Ashland offers. “We’ll continue negotiating now with the other companies using the Gulf offer asamodel, - he said. Cooper said the Gulf offer W OUt 2 coni; Exd plain lasei fully the f T ter' Rod with chat] aske< the with tendi them 1 filed R sigm tied l than of ci trial, offio out : the c save and l This U pie c atten stock issue comi ft was accepted after thecompam n po: U WA gricu lay as agreed to forego planned! changes in seniority, which the liema union had called a strike issue, The OCAW in turn agreedlo vert! reduce starting salaries forneJ Fim employees to help Gulf save be use money during the length of [kfilpdat contract. uides “Based on those two things,, oncer we were able to get local tenia- live agreement,” Cooper said. The proposed contract which must be approved by uii: ion members at Port Arthur,caf ess, p Teatic ater onal Par isadm led for a 20-cent-per-hour crease the first year and another; lire [ 35 cents per hour the second year It also increased Gulfs con tribution to employee hospitali zation insurance, provided fotiact s 'orest arme ernes A , talks on arbitration issues created a dues checkoff plan, ig fn In recent years, Gulfs con-, uoto tracts have frequently set th( pattern for nationwide contracu with the OCAW. gh court approves pletion allowances iterna mber bn fed Ano lacins irvati Jnd w onali For ' r a i larves on lx United Press International WASHINGTON — The Sup reme Court Tuesday ruled that taxpayers are entitled to a feder al tax deduction on royalties and bonuses for oil and gas tracts even if wells on those tracts did not produce during the tax year. Thejustices, in a 5-4 decision, upheld the oil depletion allo wance passed by Congress in 1975 to promote domestic pro duction of gas and oil and break the foreign stranglehold on the energy market. The court rejected argu ments from the Internal Re venue Service that taxpayers are only entitled to claim a depletion allowance for years during which wells on the land actually produced oil or gas. The administration had warned the court that a decision against the IRS could cost mil lions of dollars in taxes. Writing for the majority, Jus tice Sandra Day O’Connor said Congress changed oil and gas depletion allowance laws to im prove the market position of small oil and gas companies dur ing the oil crisis of the 1970s. The goal, Justice O’Connor wrote, “was to subsidize the com bined efforts of small producers and royalty owners in the ex ploration and production of the nation’s oil and gas resourses. Any reasonable interpretation of the statute, therefore, must harmonize with this goal.” By accepting the IRS postion, she said, the goal of the law would be stifled because small producers would not have any incentive for exploration. The court dismissed IRS claims that rejecting royalty and bonus subsidies would prompt small producers to bring wells into production faster in order to take advantage of the deduc tions. The case was brought to tbc court by two pairs of oil investors from Wyoming and Texas wlic deducted a percentage of bonuses and royalties they re ceived from oil and gas tracts they leased, even though nool or gas had been produced. In 1975, Fred Engle claimed! 22 percent depletion deduction on $7,600 he received for leas ing 240 acres of land he owned in Wyoming. The IRS dii' allowed the deduction because there had been no production on the land that year. But the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Engle and bis wife were entitled to the deduc lions, stating Congress wanted to retain the deductions fo ( small oil and gas producers when it altered the tax law in 1975. That same year, Philip D. Far mar and A. A. Sugg leased own' ership in 46,000 acres in Irion County, Texas, to a corporation with the understanding tha> they would received 20 percerf of the profits as a royalty. Joining Justice O’Connor in the majority were Chief Justicf Warren Burger and Justice* Lewis Powell, William Reht 1 ' quist and John Paul Stevens. Justice Harry Blackmun dis sented from the majority' arguing the IRS commission^ should have the power to alio* or disallow the deductions. Join' ing Blackmun in dissent wed Justices William Brennan Byron White and Thurgood Marshall.