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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 24, 1985)
^ Clothing Foreclosure Liquidation Sale Page 10/The Battalion/Thursday, October 24, 1985 Popular brand name ladies and mens shirts, sweaters, bathrobes, accessories. Fall colors and styles Less than Cost! Do your Christmas Shopping! One Day Only! Saturday Oct. 26 9:00-3:00 Brazos Banc, 2411 Texas Ave, College Station Fall Photo Contest ’85 sponsored by MSC Camera Nov. 23 • Prints accepted Nov. 18-22 at MSC 1st floor table 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. • Prints size: 8x10 to 16x20 mounted on board 11x14 to 16x20 Entry Fee: $3.00 per print. • Prizes: $50.00 Best of Show (B&W & Color), Ribbons and Trophies ^GIZMOS MEET YOUR FRIENDS AT THE NEWEST SPOT IN NORTHGATE! Fully stocked bar ^ Unique food items ^ Jazz and Fusion Music ^ Daily lunch and drink specials HAPPY HOUR 4-7 Come join us for mixed drinks, delicious snacks and beer daily ^Tropical contemporary atmoshere from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. HOURS Mon. - Wed. 11 a.m. -10 p.m. Thurs. - Sat. 11 a.m. -12 p.m. 109 Boyett (Northgate) NEXT TO WHOLE EAR TH PHONE: 846-8223 ORDERSTO GO SHOE 1AV& TaPFa UPPA Wa - .fe 1A?Pa 'IftPPA Pin® by Jeff MacNelly ^ r Waste Bureaucratic trips costing taxpayers big bucks Associated Press WASHINGTON — State Depart ment and U.S. Information Agency employees ran up tabs totaling $556,232 on luxury cruise ships like the Queen Elizabeth II in a recent three-year period, congressional in vestigators said Wednesday. Had commercial airlines been used instead, the 102 trips between the United States and overseas as signments would have cost taxpayers $160,047 and possibly less, the Gen eral Accounting Office told the House Government Operations leg- ib- islation and national security sut committee. In addition, a GAO report, term ing ocean and Mississippi riverboat travel an “excessive and unnecessary expense," said employees’ time spent aboard ship was considered duty — not vacation — and cost taxpayers an average of $200 a day in lost produc tivity. GAO also said that because of x>r accounting procedures, the F* _ . State Department and USIA as ot last January had given people $12.3 million in advance travel payments that had not been reconciled either by refunds of unspent money to the government or documentation of ac tual travel expenses. John Condayan, acting deputy as sistant secretary for operations at the State Department, told the subcom mittee that the department on Mon day issued new travel rules to end a practice he said was used by only 2 percent of the diplomatic corps. The new regulations, permit ocean travel only for medical rea sons or when an employee agrees to use vacation time and pay the differ ence between a cruise ship and econ omy airfare. In documenting 79 cruises by State Department people and 23 by those from the USIA in the 36 months ending September 1984, GAO found 48 trips at an average cost of $6,084, nearly four times the average airplane cost of $ 1,665. All but one of the cruises were five-day Atlantic crossings in luxury class. The other one was a $13,761, 24-day trip for two people from Bangkok to Honolulu trial the GAO says could have been made by air for $2 ,000 in two days. The costliest trip cited by tht GAO found a family of four on a 26-1 day journey, flying from Los An geles to Golombia and taking a age along the east coast of S America to Uruguay. The GAOsaidl it cost $21.956 — $ 18,396 more tb | a one-day flight. s: pitch nigh out Lorn Ai GAO saief it was told by foreip service officers that prior approval from superiors for ocean voyage was not required. The officers sad ship travel was known tobemorca p>ensive but was considered “aft Benefit," GAO said. The repiort said the prevKW travel regulations were conflicting On one hand, they p>eemitted ocean travel. On the other, emploveesviot required to “use the most direct and expeditious routes consistent with economy." Joan McCabe, an associate dim tor of the GAO, said that duringtk 18-month investigation "very (n p>eople tried to justify thistravelo; the oasis of its merits. Thetypicaln tionale is, it is permitted, therefore: | is allowable." Reagan delays arms sale Associated Press WASHINGTON — President Reagan, bowing to overwhelming pressure in the Republican-con trolled Senate, agreed Wednesday to delay his $ 1.9 biHion Jordanian arms sale until March 1, unless Jordan and Israel begin p>eace talks, con gressional sources said. These sources said Reagan re layed his pxjsition to Senate GOP leaders, who had informed the ad ministration they would move on their own to sidetrack the unpopular sale. The president’s plan to sell so phisticated aircraft, air defense mis siles and other arms to Jordan faces massive opposition from Republi cans and Democrats alike in Con- Only last week. Secretary of State George Shultz rebuffed Senate GOP leaders who asked the president to delay his formal notification of the sale. gress. The president formally notified Congress on Monday of his inten tion to sell the weap>ons to Jordan. More than 70 senators oppx>se the administration's proposal to make the sale unconditionally, and one senator said the president would have taken a "thrasning" if the issue had come to a vote. Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, told reporters he ex- p>ected the full Senate would ap prove the tempxjrary ban on the sale today. Lugar told repxmers the te lation would “preserve the opE for the president” of selling amii Jordan at a later date, as wellafp opponents the assutawto W wanted" that the sa/e wouldnotEl ahead unless Jordan's KingHusss sat down at the bargaining tablefii| “direct and meaningful peace negu tiations” with the Israelis. Israeli Prime Minister Shiin«:| Peres earlier this week proposed(t| reel p>eace talks with Hussein, ftl Jordanian embassy issued il statement Wednesday saying Pere| proposal was “being studied ore I fully by the Jordanian governmeni j Several senators have indiatd| they don’t want their opposition Hi the arms sale to be interpreted aiil slap at Hussein. 1 Mormon leaders deny sinister dealings ^ Associated Press SALT LAKE CITY — Mormon Church leaders said Wednesday there was nothing “sinister and un derhanded” about their meetings with bombings suspect Mark Hof mann regarding a purported trea sure-trove of historical documents. Responding to news accounts of two fatal bombings apparently linked to trafficking in early Mor mon records, church officials held a rare news conference at church third bombing Oct. 16, which p>olice believe was accidental. Police have speculated that Hof mann may have planted the bombs to hide possible forgerv or double dealing relating to his business as a respected but financially strapped headquarters to detail their dealings with tne man police describe as their their prime suspect. “In the glare and innuendo of publicity accompanying the recent investigation, a normal, though con fidential, transaction has been made to appear sinister and under- handea,” said Dallin Oaks, a mem ber of the church’s Gouncil of the Twelve Apostles. “My own contact with it has been seen as mysterious and questionable. I therefore welcome the opportunity to set the public record straight,” said Oaks, who met with Hofmann on Oct. 15 just hours after the bomb- ings. Hofmann, 31, who had been in volved in trading or selling some 40 documents to the church since 1980, was in satisfactory condition recov ering from injuries sustained in a “ a normal, though confidential, transaction has been made to appear sinister and underhan ded. ” — Dallin Oaks, a member of the church's Council of the Twelve Apostles. the papers and paid off a $150,9) loan he had acquired from anolk dealer for the transaction. “I always had some doubt aboil| the McLellin collection because lit church’s historical departmentknt» nothing of it,” said Hinckley, A runs the church’s daily affairsforail ing President Spencer W. Kimball Hinckley and Oaks denied ilia the church had offered money to the papers of William E. McLefc an early church apostle whowaset communicated in 1838. Hindlti said the church was under divi^ mandate to acquire historical docu ments, but always had done sob gaily and from reputable dealers. dealer in historical documents. No charges have been filed against Hof mann. Gordon B. Hinckley, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Lat ter-day Saints’ governing First Presi dency, said Hofmann offered in June to donate a collection of letters, diaries and ancient papyri he called the McLellin papers. Hinckley said he had not been aware previously of such a collec tion. He said he told Hofmann he would be interested in talking fur ther once Hofmann had acquired Oaks said he was approached late June by another church officii Hugh Pinnock, about the possil of the church loaning $185,OC Hofmann to buy the collection.Osb refused, but said he authorized^ nock to arrange a private k Hofmann at First interstate Bail where Pinnock is a board member Oaks said he wasn’t aware time of Hofmann’s earlier convex tion with Hinckley, whowastheno 1 of town, or of the $150,Of" Hofmann from Salt Lakecoindrf Alvin Rust. * k * * k 4