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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 3, 1986)
MSC Camera Committee presents PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY by Bill McIntosh Monday, Nov. 3 at 7:00 pm Rudder (Check video display for room number!) New Members Welcome! Dance Arts Society General Meeting Tues., Nov. 4 6:15 pm G. Rollie #268 Talk About Pizza Party, Fundraiser, etc. If you can’t attend or have questions, go by D.A.S. cubi cle at the Pavillion, 2nd floor, for an outline of what is being discussed. Wholesale Diamonds Shop & compare We never have a sale! Becaue we are wholesale! The largest inventory in the area on loose diamonds with a 30-day money back guarantee! 404 University Dr.-3202A Texas Ave. College Station Bryan 846-8905 • 779-7662 Lay-away now for Christmas TAMU SNOW SKI CLUB Breckenridge ’87 Meeting November 3,7:00pm Room 601 Rudder Tower We will be discussing trip details and payments will be accepted. Page 4/The Battalion/Monday, November 3, 1986 Proposed branch banking law stirs up opposing views Officials argue over effects on consumers By Rodney Rather Staff Writer Proponents of Proposition 4, a state branch banking proposal, con tend it will expand customer serv ices, while opponents of the proposi tion think it will hurt consumers through higher service charges and al an eventual drain on smaller com munities. Proposition 4, if passed, will allow banks to open branch offices that of fer a full range of banking services — such as cashing and depositing checks — at more than one location within the same county in which their main facility is located. If a city is in more than one county, a bank may place branches in both counties. The proposed amendment also would authorize banks to acquire failing banks in any part of the state. Texas Banking Commissioner Jim Sexton said a bank may build no more than three new branch offices, but it may acquire an unlimited number of banks that have been in existence as of July 15 and use them as branches. A state constitutional provision has prohibited branch banking since 1904, making Texas the only state to constitutionally ban branch banking. Currently, a bank-holding com pany, which is a corporation that owns the majority of stock in one or more banks, must get a separate charter for each subsidiary it wishes to control. Because each bank must have its own charter, it also must operate un der a separate administrative board. Mervin Peters, president of First National Bank in Bryan, said branch banking will proviae more conve nience to the consumer because it of fers full banking services at multiple locations, and it will preserve capital in the financial community. “Right now, if we want to nave a second location somewhere, we would have to get a charter for a new bank, and that takes about $2 million worth of capital,” Peters said. A branch facility wouldn’t cost as much to create because only service- oriented space is needed, he said, eliminating most administrative and operations offices. Also, no capital requirement is needed to open a branch since it is tied directly to the main institution, he said. “Without exception, the public is going to be better served by the law, because it’s going to allow financial institutions to provide a greater level of service to the marketplace,” he said. Not everyone adheres to Peters’ view, though. Gary Tongate, president of City National Bank in Whitehouse, said he represents a group of about 300 banks fighting the proposition “tooth and toenail.” trate their resources in and arouin large cities. “When you have branches, tho (banks) won’t think of the commt nity, but only of profitability,” In said. Peters said he doesn’t aeree wit; the idea that banks would becomt unresponsive to the communitit they service. “It serves no purpose for« (bankers) to put a facility somewhtri if we’re going to have a group ofk- different people working in it,"Pe ers said. The reason banks would wat multiple locations is to provideinoit services and be more responsive t; the public, he said. Tongate said branch banking will result in higher service charges for customers and will drain money from smaller towns as banks concen- Since 1957, four amendraer.: have been passed progressively creasing the distance from the fac ility at which banks are allowed offer customer services, he said. The latest amendment, passed 1985, allowed banks to locate fi ties as far as 20,000 feet from main building, he said. This June, however, Attome General Jim Mattox declared tin 1985 amendment unconstitutioiu and strongly suggested that hen declare the previous amendmea: unconstitutional as well, Sextonsaic The effect of that, he said, is th banks will lose large investment!: those additional service facilities at: consumers will lose the convenieK those facilities provide unless Propt sition 4 passes. Gallup Poll shows voter turnout could decide governor’s race Associated Press Former Gov. Bill Clements main tains a slight edge over incumbent Democrat Mark White, and political polls show voter turnout could make the difference in the outcome of Tuesday’s gubernatorial election. The Gallup Poll shows Clements, a Republican, with a seven-point edge over White, while a poll con ducted by the Houston Chronicle and KTRK-TV in Houston shows Clements with a five-point lead. According to the Gallup Poll, 51 percent favored Clements, 44 per cent were for White and 5 percent were undecided. The telephone sur vey was conducted for the Dallas Morning News, the Houston Post, KXAS-TV in Fort Worth, KSAT- TV in San Antonio, KPRC-TV in Houston and KVUE-TV in Austin. Of the 1,824 registered Texas vot ers surveyed between Oct. 27 and 30, the Gallup Poll determined 913 were likely to vote. The margin of error is plus or minus 4 percentage points. The C/tron/c/e-KTRK poll shows Clements with 47.8 percent of the vote, White with 42.8 percent and 7.9 percent undecided. The poll questioned 665 registered voters likely to vote Tuesday. The figures, which were rounded off, do not total 100 percent and the margin of error is plus or minus 4 percentage points. White has improved his standing from April when he trailed his chal lenger by 18 points and in Septem ber when he trailed by 12, according to the Chronicle-K I RK poll. “We’re in the range where any thing can happen,” said Richard Murray, the University of Houston political scientist who conducted the poll. “If the shift continues, it’ll be real close Election Day, a real cliff- hanger.” Murray said that although Clem ents still leads, the momentum is with White, who in 1982 knocked Clements out of office after Clem ents had served one term asthisct: tury's first Republican governor. “Clements looks to be thecasiiii: of the negative campaign,” Mimr said, noting that White’s persoi rating hasn’t changed much Clements’ earlier high posim image rating has dropped to m the same level as the incumbent. “A lot of voters are clearly tunr.' off,” Murray said. “That probak means fewer people voting no Tuesday. If that’s tne case, then % election is going to come down which side or which candidate a: do a little better job of motivats their people to go to the polls.” James Shriver III, a vice preside of the Gallup Organization Inc.,sat “Clements has a lead that is goinji lx* tough to overcome.” White, campaigning in HousiH and South Texas, seemed f daunted by the results. “That was last week,’’ White sai “And it’s not going to be the red next week.” A Record of Achievement Managing the Public Trust Garry Mauro is a problem solver. Where some see only problems, he sees solutions. He sees e'mpty state coffers and he finds ways to fill them. He sees Texas schoolchildren with dreams of higher education and he finds ways to pay for those dreams. He sees falling oil and gas revenues and he figures out ways to increase them. He sees the West Texas desert and he creates ways to farm it. GARRY MAURO thinks solutions. And he backs up that thinking with action. Garry Mauro—Texas Land Commissioner Collected more than $1.6 billion from the state’s oil and gas leases to defray the cost of public education since taking office in 1983. Last year. Land Office deposits into the Permanent School Fund meant that Texas taxpayers paid an average of 7.2% less in state school taxqs and 3.2% less in local property taxes. Modernized the Texas Veterans Land Program so that the last three years have been the most productive three year period in its 40-year history. Created nearly 25,000 Texas jobs and billions of dollars in economic activity across the state by creating the Texas Veterans Housing Assistance Program—all without costing Texas taxpayers a penny. Used common sens® management to run the General Land Office and earn the state of Texas an additional $100 million in revenues without raising taxes. Has a vision for the future that includes: raising another $120 million in never-before collected, non-tax revenues for Texas: starting a $500 million loan program to keep alive the Texas tradition of the family farm and ranch: using Israeli farming techniques on state land to make it more valuable and more productive. Re-Elect GARRY MAURO ’70 Texas Land Commissioner Political AdvrrtisinK paid for by the Ag*ie Democratl; Authorized by the Garry Mauro Re-Election Campaign. P.O. Box 1308.1; Austin, Texas 78711; 512/477-2800