The Danville Register from Danville, Virginia • Page 2

a-A The Register: Danville, Jon. 31, 1974 NIXON-from Page One Nixon Urges End To Year Of Watergate; Not To Quit BIG GEORGE! by Vk0il Parted scrvation efforts of the Ameri- can people. "Let us do everything we can to avoid gasoline rationing in the United States," he said. Much of what he told Con- gress in person was in summa- tion of a written State of the Union message he handed congressional leaders as he arrived. He concentrated on a national health insurance program, a new system of welfare reform, measures to guarantee the right of personal privacy and a new program to subsidize im- proved public transportation.

He also forecast improve- ment in the economic situation, criticizing those he called prophets of gloom while con- ceding there will be a contin- uing inflation program during the first months of 1974. But, he vowed, "there will be no recession." He said there will be ups and downs in the "long and hard fight against inflation" but that if Congress cooperates "we will win the fight." Nixon entered the House chamber, smiled during a round of applause, acknowledg- ed more applause after he was introduced, then told the as- sembly of leaders of American government that while great challenges and problems re- main, the nation's fiber already has been tested and has proved strong. said he reported on the state of a union "at peace with every nation of the world," and could therefore concentrate in his message on proposals for home front action. Nixon said that offers "an agenda of truly significant progress." His address was nationally broadcast and televised. Nixon also sent Congress a written message charting his 1974 legislative goals.

"Looking at the year 1974 which lies before us, there are 10 landmark accomplishments that are possible," the Presi- dent said. will break the back of the energy crisis. we will take another giant stride toward lasting peace in the world. check the rise in prices. will establish a new system of high quality health care, crucial breakthrough for better transportation.

will make a historic beginning for the fight to pro- tect personal privacy. new start for reform of the welfare system. of the eco- Energy (r.omimu'd from l'un- rate hikes because of the fuel situation. Usery also announced a third action designed to bring some relief to truckers. He said the Internal Revenue Service had agreed to triple the number of agents who are checking on re- ports of price gouging at truck stops.

The IRS had assigned 300 agents to price gouging com- plaints but will soon boost that number to 1,000, Usery said. Usery said the actions, were the' result a meeting last week between top government officials and officials of the trucking industry and of the Teamsters Union. He called the three steps a "genuine, sincere effort to do whatever we can under the laws" and expressed hope they would satisfy trucking truck protest leaders. "I believe this should avert a shutdown," he said, "We cer- tainly urge the truckers to keep operating." other energy developments Wednesday: --Rep. Charles B.

Rangel claimed the oil companies spent at least half as much money on advertising as they did on research while they were supposed to be preparing for the energy crisis. --The Edison Electric In- stitute said Americans used about 1 per cent less electricity in the first four weeks of 1974 they did in the same peri- od last year, -rAn Associated Press survey showed that many utilities are seeking or have been granted rate hikes because energy con- servation measures have cut electricity usage and their profits, --The Wall Street Journal re- ported it has learned at least one U.S. oil company has been told it can "expect a cargo of Arabian oil by late Feb- --Vice President Gerald Ford isaid he doesn't believe the oil should be made the in the energy crisis, "There is blame enough go around for everybody," --Georgia Gov. Jimmy Car- ter accused the Nixon adminis- tration of conspiring with ma- jor oil companies to increase bottle gas prices by as much as 410 per cent. nomic framework within which Americans will share more fully in expanding world wide trade.

"In all of the 186 State of the Union messages," Nixon said, "this is the first where the first priority is energy." Nixon then said he was re- porting a new development: Citing the disengagement of Is- raeli and Arab forces, Nixon said an early meeting would be called to discuss the lifting of the Arab oil embargo. "This is an encouraging sign," Nixon said. But he warned that the United States would not be coerced. He said American energy conservation efforts were suc- ceeding and said, "Let us do everything we can to avoid gasoline rationing." Nixon said that if the embar- go is lifted "this will ease the energy crisis" but will not end the shortage. "lurge again that the energy measures that I have proposed be made the first priority of this session" of congress, he said.

He said the measures would give the administration the au- thority "to. deal with the short term" crisis. Nixon urged that "our nation- al goal" should be his Project Independence in the energy area that by 1980 the country will not be dependent on any other nation for its energy needs. He said the country will spend $10 billion in research on energy in the next five years, but that private industry would spend $100 billion. "America performs best when called to its biggest task," he said.

"Only in Amer- ica could a task so tremendous be achieved so quickly, a task not by regimentation" but by people working in a free sys- tem. Nixon, saying the time is at hand to bring comprehensive health care within the reach of every American, proposed a health insurance plan to pro- vide protection against the costs of catastrophic illness. The written message made: only indirect reference to the Watergate scandals ow the administration and hayej produced both demands for his resignation and a House im- peachment inquiry. Nixon spoke of "the intese public focus placed on the cam- paign abuses of 1972," and said it has created an opportunity: for a break-through in cam- paign reform legislation. He said he would submit a "com" prehensive set of reform -pro- posals, but did riot detail them He also disclosed formation" of a Cabinet-level panel to help insure the right of privacy, an issue that has been raised in Watergate cases.

His message concentrated on a set of 10 goals, and first among them he put action to "break the back of the energy crisis" and make the nation self-sufficient in energy. In the bulky written docu- ment, Nixon cautioned that an economic slowdown will come in 1974 but said the rise in prices could be checked without "the harsh medicine of reces- sion." He declared that "the basic tax burden should not be increased" and said it wouldn't under his $304.4 billion pro- posed budget including defi- cit spending of $9.4 billion. --A new system of com- prehensive health insurance that would require employers to build on the private health insurance system to make pro- tection available to millions who cannot currently afford it. "It will maintain the high qual- ity of medical care without re- quiring higher taxes," Nixon said of his plan. --What he termed "a crucial breakthrough toward better transportation" by increasing federal aid for metropolitan areas by nearly 50 per cent and giving communities more free- dom to balance their trans- portation needs.

--A start on "a new road to- ward reform of the welfare sys- tem." Nixon said he would not submit a new version of his Family Assistance Plan but would make a major new effort to develop welfare programs that work. That new system, he said, cannot be "put into oper- ation overnight." But he said an urgent start is needed, --A new Economic Adjust- ment Assistance Program to replace the present Economic Development Administration and regional commissions with red-tape-free aid for regions hit by severe unemployment. In the wide-ranging written message, Nixon made clear he has no intention of resigning. "The chief legacy that I hope to leave from the eight years of my presidency" ie a structure of peace "that can free future generations from the scourge of war," he said. "We cannot afford to neglect progress at home while pur- suing peace abroad," Nixon said.

"But neither can we afford to neglect peace abroad while pur- suing progress at home." "With a stable peace, all is possible; without peace, noth- ing is possible." In addition to the four points encompassing fresh approaches to domestic programs, the points outlined by Nixon also covered the energy crisis, ef- forts towards peace, the ecbno- my at home, reform of federal education aid, the protection of personal privacy and expansion of U.S. exports. He listed the energy crunch first, declaring 1974 can be the year "we not only break the back of the energy crisis but also lay the foundation to meet America's energy needs from America's own re- sources at reasonable prices and with adequate environmen- tal protection." Proclaiming the energy crisis "the number one legislative concern," he called for prompt action on a bevy of adminis- tration energy proposals. He offered no new assurances that the Arab oil embargo would be lifted soon, expressing hope "we can work out cooper- ative efforts with our friends abroad so that we can all meet our energy needs without dis- rupting our economies and without disrupting our econom- ic relationships." Nixon said the energy crisis contributed to a worsening in- flation rate in 1973. In devel- oping his 1974 economic policy, Nixon said he had chosen "a sound middle road: to cushion the economic slowdown we ex- pect during 1974 without provid- ing additional stimulus for in- flation," He pledged to pursue "gradu- al, selective decontrol" of the economy "except in particular- ly troublesome areas," No where in the written mes- sage did Nixon mention the word "Watergate." But he re- ferred to "the intense public focus placed on the campaign abuses of 1972," in saying there now is sufficient support "to make a genuine breakthrough" in campaign reform.

Nixon noted that Congress has not established a study commission he proposed eight months ago and.said "in light the delay" he has decided to "a comprehensive set of to clean up the federal election process." In speaking of. threats to Americans' right to privacy, Nixon said he had ordered an Cabinet-level review of "both government and in- dustry practices as they felate to the right of privacy, of the-' -conflicts that arise and the bal- ances that must be struck be- tween legitimate needs for formation and the right of- privacy He said appro- priate legislation may be needed. Turning to hope for expanded trade, Nixon again urged the Senate to reject House moves to tie Soviet tariff concessions to an end to restrictions on emigration of Soviet Jews. He said that such a linkage could pose "a major setback in our peace-making efforts" with the Soviet Union in the Middle East. Assembly (r.imtiniiFfl from I'lijic Our) ginia laws would be affected by passage of an amendment to the U.S.

Constitution guaran- teeing equal rights for men and women. The Equal Rights Amend- ment has been ratified by 32 states thus far and needs only six more for adoption. It never got out of committee in the 1973 assembly. The task force said that rela- tively few substantive changes would have to be made in Vir- ginia law should the amend- ment ultimately be adopted. Among the new legislation of-.

fered Wednesday were antici- pated bills that would give the assembly another crack at placing Virginia in the ranks of those states offering legal horse track betting. The 1974 version offers strin- gent safeguards to assure that pari-mutuel betting would be "free of any corrupt, in- competent, dishonest or unprin- cipled practice," It was concern over criminal infiltration of horse track bet- ting operations that was largely responsible for the failure to get the measure through in the 1973 assembly. Offered by Del. Frank E. Mann, D-Alexandria, in the House and Sen.

Peter K. Ba- balas, D-Norfolk, in the Senate, the companion bills would re- quire the approval of voters in any locality where a race track is proposed. A Virginia Racing Commis- sion consisting of five members appointed by the governor and confirmed by the legislature would hold a tight rein over ev- ery aspect of the operation. No member of a race track corporation could own more than 5 per cent of the stock and all members would be subject to intense investigation of their backgrounds and characters. Many Stations Out Of Gas As Allocations Fall Short ''And two pounds of cheap cuts." Rates from The Washington Gas Light which serves 546,000 cus- tomers in the capital and Mary- land and Virginia suburbs, has asked for permission to raise rates an average of 6.7 per cent, primarily to make up for a 6 per cent drop in demand.

Paul E. Reichardt, the com- pany president, said that al- though 1973 revenues were up $3 million over 1972,. they fell $16.6 million short of ex- pectations. He said $7,6 million of the loss was due to lower consumption because of warm weather and $9 million was due to conservation efforts. He also said labor costs will increase $3 million this year.

Consolidated Edison Co. of New York added $1.46 to the January bill of the average cus- tomer to reflect fuel cost hikes. Now the company is seeking rate increases that would yield an additional $315 million a year. The company said it needs the money because of higher costs for taxes, interest, labor and materials. Normally, Con Ed said, a rate increase of 22.6 per cent would yield the needed revenue.

The company argued, however, that because con- sumption has dropped, it will need an additional increase, probably 6.7 per cent, to make up the difference. Some consumers find their electricity bills have jumped as much as 30 per cent in the last year and a half with much of the increase coming in the last month or so. A spokesman for Southern California Edison- Co. said that on May 1, 1972, a typical resi- dential customer paid $21.79 ev- two months for 1,000 kilo- hours of electricity. By Aug.

1, 1973, to reflect rising fuel On Oct. 10, a general rate increase was approved and this, plus another fuel-cost boost, brought the total up $5.11 more. A Nov. 1 fuel adjustment brought the base price up to $28.59 a jump of 31 per cent since May 1972. This week, the Public Utility Commission granted the company a fuel ad- justment totaling $232 million annually.

The company said that would boost the average customer's bill another $2.10 per month. The Edison spokesman said that early last year the com- pany was paying $5 a barrel for fuel oil. Now, he said, the price is $13.50 per barrel. The Edison Electric Institute released figures Wednesday showing Americans used about 1 per cent less electricity in the first four weeks of 1974 than they did in the same period last year. The normal anticipated growth rate for electric utilities is 7 or 8 per cent.

Officials say the decline in usage is due to a variety of factors, including generally mild weather, energy conservation efforts and to a very small extent Daylight Saving Time. The Wisconsin Electric Co. has asked for a conservation surcharge that would raise rates by about 6 per cent. Offi- cials said they needed money for capital investments and to maintain profits that provided an 11.7 per cent return to shareholders in 1973. Without the increase, they said, declin- ing consumption would cut profits to 9.6 per cent.

Controls IConlimn-d from Piiuntliir) tions. McLane estimated price in- creases on products derived from the feed stocks would range from 3.25 to 3.75 per cent with a total impact on the econ- omy of between $650 million and $750 million. "These price and profit in- creases are necessary," he said, "to provide incentive to expand production and de- crease the rate of exports of these vital products." In return, he said the govern- ment expects the chemical In- dustry to respond by Increasing supplies to domestic customers. Wheat (C.oiitinm'il from Agriculture Secretary Earl L. Butz earlier this week hailed farm export increases as the major factor in a U.S.

trade surplus in 1973, the first in three years. But the super exports also have helped drive up costs of farm commodities and, in the case of wheat, have nearly drained reserves. By July l.the department says, the reserve will be 178 million bushels, the lowest since 1947. The latest export calculations added further evidence of the grain drain, a situation that prompted President Nixon last Friday to lift import quotas on wheat and flour. During the six months period, China was shipped 95 million bushels of wheat worth $272.4 million at U.S.

ports, compared with 20.8 million bushels valued at $35.3 million in July-Decem- ber 1972. Russia, which triggered the wheat export surge 18 months ago with orders which eventual- ly exceeded 400 million bushels for the 1972-73 season, was ship- ped 72.2 million bushels valued at $149.4 million in July-Decem- ber. year earlier shipments Death from I'afic One) near his suburban McLean, yah, home, but had been-report- ed recovering from the injuries. President Nixon was de- scribed as "deeply saddened" by Chotiner's death. A native of Pittsburgh, -who moved to Southern Califor- nia in 1922 and became a politi- cally active lawyer, Chotiner had a reputation as a skilled strategist when -joined the first Nixon campaign as a publicist in 1946.

He already had played key roles in California campaigns of Earl Warren and William F. Knowland. But it was Nixon who adopted most enthusiastically the Choti- ner theory that "if you do not deflate the opposition candidate before your own candidate gets started, the odds are that you are going to be doomed to de- feat." In the first Nixon campaign, to unseat Democratic Rep. Jer- ry Voorhis, advertisements ap- peared saying a vote for Nixon would be a vote against "Com- munist-dominated" influences. Nixon won.

Four years later, Chotiner managed Nixon's successful campaign for the Senate against Helen Gahagan Douglas. "We never accused her of being a Communist or of sym- pathizing with Communists or of being in league with them," Chotiner recalled in an inter- view in 1971. "All we did was publish her voting record." Subpoena By THE ASSOCIATED Pit ESS Many service stations were running out of gas Wednesday as their monthly allocations fell short of demand, and custom- ers faced long lines and limited sales in stations that had gas. Station operators said the sit- uation this month was worse than last because: January al- lotments were smaller than those for December; many sta- tions preserved gas in Decem- ber because of holiday clos- ings; and the first day of Feb- ruary is a Friday, meaning many stations won't get next month's allotment until the fol- lowing Monday. In addition, some stations which haven't used all of their January allotment have not been able to get the rest be- cause the oil companies tell them it's too expensive to ship in partial loads.

Some station operators say they're expecting substantial cuts in February allotments. "They're going to drop us 000 to 13,000 gallons next month," said one station spokesman in an Albany, N.Y., suburb. He said he hasn't enough gas now to keep his pumps open for longer than an hour and a half each morning, In Chicago, the Illinois Gaso- line Dealers Association urged area stations to refuse gas to customers who have a quarter tankful. "We're asking our attendants to check the gas gauges," said Robert Jacobs, secretary treas- urer of the group which urged an end to what it called panic buying in Chicago. "If they've got more than a quarter of a tank hit the road, buddy." JohnO'Donnell, Pennsylvania Service Stations Dealers Asso- ciation comptroller, said, "By were 97.6 million bushels worth $154.8 million.

One USDA expert said the average export value of wheat shipped in July-December was $3.68 per bushel, compared with a six-month average of $1.79 a year earlier. The averages do not reflect more recent wheat prices which have climbed even high- er. By mid-January, wheat for export delivered to Houston was about $5.80 per bushel, compared with $2.78 a year ago. Based on the six-month calcu- lations and reports from 'ex- porters filed with USDA as of Dec. 30, more than 500 million- bushels of wheat remainedrto: be shipped to foreign buyers through the last half of the cur- rent marketing year.

In all, China may buy nearly 150 million bushels of U.S.. wheat for delivery this season, 1 and Russia around 107 million, based upon recent export re- ports. ul from 1' One) The three have been charged with conspiracy and burglary for the break-in at the Beverly Hills office of Daniel Ellsberg's psychiatrist. Deputy White House Press Secretary Gerald L. Warren said Nixon's attorneys "will recommend to the President that he respectfully decline to on constitutional grounds" and that Nixon will heed their advice.

He said, however, that Eh- rlichman's lawyers have dis- cussed with Nixon's chief Wa- tergate lawyer James D. St, Clair, the possibility that Nixon might respond to written ques- tions. In Las Angeles, however, Eh rlichman attorney Douglas Dal ton said: "We're going to con tinue in our efforts to have the subpoena issued out of the court in Wnshingon." He added: "We have no present plans to confer with White House counsel prior to a hear- ing." At any rate, Saxbe said the issue probably is headed for higher courts for a decision on the extent of presidential im- munity from subpoenas. He said Assistant Atty, Gen. Rob- ert G.

Dixon Is studying the case "as it's going to apply to about thousand others that we have," the and of this week, roughly 50 per cent of Pennsylvania's service stations should be out of gas." The American Automobile Skylab (C.oniimiri! (rum dieted it would be "the comet of the century." It was ex- pected to create a spectacular Christmas time display in the sky, but after it looped the sun the comet suddenly dimmed and became only faintly visible. Skylab 3 astronauts, orbiting above the obscuring effects of the earth's atmosphere, were able to see the comet clearly. They snapped thousands of pic- tures, including several taken during a Christmas Day space walk, and have continued to make occasional new photos for the last month. At 8 a.m. EOT Wednesday, the earth was halfway between the comet and the sun.

Experts said Kohoutek was one astrono- mical unit, or 93 million miles, from earth. This is the same distance the earth is from the sun. Officials said Kohoutek is moving away from earth at about 100,000 miles per hour and is less bright to ground ob- servers than the faintest star visible to the naked eye. Despite Kohoutek's dis- appointing brightness, scientists still believe it may contribute important new information about the nature of comets and about the history of the solar system. It is believed that Kohoutek was a pristine comet, one that never before has looped the sun.

The comet is thought to be composed of pure material left over from the for- mation of the solar system more than four billion years ago. If this is true, experts said, studies of the comet photos taken by Skylab 3 may reveal the chemical make up of the original material in the so- lar system. Carr, Pouge and Gibson were in the 76th day Wednesday of their 84-day mission. They con- ducted an earth resources sur- vey, some medical experiments and several hours of solar ob- servations. Association checked 5,094 tions In every state but Alaska this week and reported the situ- ation generally stable.

It said 22 per cent were limiting sales, up from 19 per cent last week, and 5 per cent were out of gas, compared with last week's 3 per cent. Congress from 1'iipi-Our) energy measure now before House. That bill, which wpuld create a Federal Emergency Energy scheduled for House debate Wednesday, but the leadership has agreed to postpone it for a few days. House Speaker Carl Albert rejected suggestions that the FEEA bill was being held hos tage to the emergency energy measure. A comment by Mansfield prompted speculation that the FEEA bill might be a vehicle for passing some of provisions in the emergency legislation.

Asked if the 7 gency bill could be revived, Mansfield replied, "I think' so in bits and pieces." The excess profits provision at issue would set up a renego- tiation procedure that take effect next year and allow consumers to demand active refunds on fuel prices which had resulted in windfall profits. Sen. Gaylord Nelson, sponsor of the motion to recom- mit, claimed the provision was unworkable and constitutional. Jackson said Wednesday night he plans to seek inclusion of a provision to roll back oil prices when Senate-House ferees meet on the bill. "I'm convinced that the addi- tion of the rollback price issue can make the tween success and defeat;" he added.

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