The Roswell Daily Record from Roswell, New Mexico • Page 1

Clear, warm late today; sunny on Saturday Vol. 91, NO. 106 SUwell Dmto IRecori ROSWELL, NEW MEXICO 88201 FRIDAY, MAY 4,1979 36 PAGES TODAY ISC DAILY 30c SUNDAY Maggie wins top post; Callaghan steps down Mrs. Prime Minister! Unifaxliphoto Margaret Thatcher, no doubt In a jubilant mood, raises her arms during a victory celebration Thursday night after outstlng Prime Minister James Callaghan to become Europe's first woman prime minister. Mrs.

Thatcher's Conservative Party also swept to a majority. Callahan presented his resignation to Queen Elizabeth 11 today. Local stations balk at closure Roswell service station operators will apparently not participate in a proposed statewide closure of stations Friday through Monday beginning next month. A fast survey of major Roswell stations this morning indicated dealer reactions ranging from anger at the actions of New Mexico Service Station Dealers President Ray McDonald, who proposed the shut downs, to complete unawareness of the proposal. "If I'm gonna close down then, hell, I'll close down completely." said Mike Davis, owner of South Main Texaco.

"I can't make any money just being open those three days. Besides, there's no gas shortage." An angry Cliff Cacy of Cliff's Chevron Service said he also has no plans to close. "There's no organization even advocating that, just Mr. McDonald in Albuquerque," Cacy said. Ed Lynch, owner of Plains Park Conoco, said he had only heard about it from the media and didn't plan to close.

"I've got to make something somewhere," Lynch said. "I may not sell much gas, but I don't make nothing on gas anyway. My bays will be open for sure." And Nolen Spencer, owner of Spencer's Texaco, said he has no plans to close and no gas problems. "I've got plenty of gas. I haven't had any trouble getting gas and the weekend is when we get most of our business." Meanwhile, the United Press International reported several irate service station operators around the state say the president of the New Mexico Service Station Dealers is speaking strictly for himself in announcing plans for closing gas pumps four days per week.

"He's definitely not speaking for me," said Ralph Anderson, an Albuquerque service station operator. McDonald, of Albuquerque, Wednesday announced gas stations around the state are considering a dramatic shutdown to protest federal controls on their profits. He said the plan was to close the service stations four days per week beginning on Fridays. Inside today's Daily Record Roswell Just how well prepared is the United States against a possible Soviet attack? Not good, a local CD official says. Page 11.

State The proposed nuclear waste site near Carlsbad is going to Idaho Falls at least for a hearing. Page 28. Dan White, accused of killing San Francisco Mayor George Moscone, describes his feelings during the shooting. Page 15. Sports It didn' win a starting post in the 105th running of the Kentucky Derby, but it may be there anyway it's rain.

Page 17. Vistas City students compete Saturday-Sunday in an art show and may go on to state competition. Page 6. Reading guide Bright side 11 Comics P. 14 Entertainment P.

14 Focus P. 25 P. 15 Obituaries P. 20 People in the news P. 2 people P.

12 Sports P. 17 State P. 28 Television P. 14 P. 4 Vistas P.

6 Weather P. 20 TOKYO (UPI) Rabbits, roosters, pairs of false teeth, IB urns containing human ashes and a ring worth $363,600 share one thing in common. Forgetful passengers left them behind last year on Japanese trains. Japanese National Railways has released an inventory of items its lost and found department took in during 1978. The list Included nearly a half million umbrellas, 360,000 articles of clothing, 250,000 books, 170,000 purses and cash totalling $10.9 million -up 7 percent from the previous year.

LONDON (UPI) Margaret Thatcher won a solid governing majority today as Europe's first woman prime minister and Queen Elizabeth formally chose her to form a new government that could stay in power for five years. A jubilant Mrs. Thatcher, the "iron lady" of British politics and Conservative leader for four years, spent 30 minutes with the queen at Buckingham Palace where she officially assumed the job and then drove to her new home. No. 10 Downing Street.

The man she defeated, Labor leader James Callaghan, was already packing his bags at No. 10. He submitted his resignation to the queen early this afternoon after it became apparent that Mrs. Thatcher had swept to a solid win. She reached the magic number of 318 seats, necessary for an absolute majority in the 635-seat House of Commons, at 2:46 p.m..

By tea time, she was prime minister. With the returns virtually complete, the Conservatives had won 334 seats, Labor 268, the third largest party, the Liberals, took 11 and others, 13. Computer projections gave Mrs. Thatcher an overall majority of 43. The election results meant women held Britain's top two positions of monarch and head of government an unprecedented situation.

Outside No. 10 Downing, Mrs. Thatcher appealed for national unity and said she would "strive to fulfill the trust and confidence of the British people." After resigning, Callaghan congratulated Mrs. Thatcher and told a pressconference "for a woman to occupy that office (of prime minister) is a tremendous moment in the nation's history." Mrs. Thatcher, 53, a lawyer and feisty politican, ran far behind Callaghan in personal preference polls.

But British voters elect only a member of parliament, not a presidential-style national leader and "Maggie" Thatcher and her party rode the crest of voter dissatisfaction with the socialist policies of the Labor party. Mrs. Thatcher polled strongly throughout the country in an extraordinarily high voter turnout. The Scottish National Party, advocating independence for Scotland, was all but wiped out, losing nine of its 11 seats. Wales switched from Labor to Conservative, although the Welsh Nationalist party held on to two seats.

The extreme right-wing National Front, once considered a serious political force, polled less lhan 1 percent of the vote, about the same number as the newly-formed Ecology Party. Mrs. Thatcher was expected to steer the country away from the socialist policies of Callaghan who had survived more lhan three years at the head of a minority government and move it more toward the right. Polls before the elections showed the key issues were inflation, unemployment, high taxes and the runaway powers of labor unions, which last winter staged a series of paralyzing strikes that affected virtually every Briton. Mrs.

Thatcher promised "substantial" income tax cuts and a curb on labor unions, particularly on closed shops and picketing. Her platform also included a halt to nationalization of industry and higher spending on defense. Callaghan campaigned on Labor's "special relationship" wilh labor his party receives much of its money and support from the trade unions and on a promise to slash inflation, now just under lo percent. Voter turnoul was reported higher than usual for a parliamentary election. Council votes down city charter 7-0 ByCIELLONON Record Staff Writer After closing its session to public comment, the City Council unanimously voted Thursday afternoon to reject the proposed city charter drafted by the Charter Commission.

Councilmen Carl Engwall, John S. Perry and Robert Strand led the attack against the charter, which would have provided a home rule form of government in Koswell. The vote was 7-0. Although the council objected to nearly every portion of the charter, the most strenuous objections were to representation by ward, recall of city officials, and the right of residents to vote on crucial money issues. From the beginning, the meeting was closed to pumic opinion, a motion made by Councilman Strand when Frank Determan.

one of the major forces behind the push for a city charter, asked to read into the record opinions he has received from the Office of Local Government in Santa Fe that indicate council members may not have the right of veto on the charter. The silencing of Determan was approved unanimously by the council and Strand later said he made the motion because the meeting, in which the council voted on rejection, was only a "work session." Strand also said it was only the first step in a series of compromises that will be worked out between the council and the Charter Commission until a charter is designed that meets with council approval. That process. Strand said, could take as much as five years. Representation by ward, rather than the current electoral process in which councilmen are elected at large, drew intensive heal from the councilmen.

Engwall said he was opposed to a person being restricted to residence in a "slum area" as long as he represents that area, because "that keeps you in the slum area as long as you're running" (holding office). Later. Engwall told the Daily Record he really meant that the ward restriction prohibits a person's ability to "better himself" by moving out of the area and that "it was just an offhand remark." Engwall also objected strenuously to the public's right of referendum after the passage of a city ordinance and the prohibition of emergency ordinances in the areas of taxation, franchise renewal, sale or lease of property or the setting of water or sewer rates. "It ties our hands completely." Engwall said. "Under this, we could not purchase water rights without letting the city vote on it.

which is just ridiculous." The charter provision also would prohibit the arbitrary raising of water rates without public approval, the issue that gave birth to the home rule move after the City Council in 1977 approved a hefty, heavily protested hike in water rales to fund additional water projects. The right of voters to recall city officials in an election petitioned by 20 percent of the qualified voters also drew heavy criticism. 1 "I'd change the 20 percent to ISO percent." Engwall said. "We're not in Rio Arriba." Mayor L.C. Stiles interjected softly.

Rio Arriba County, in northern New Mexico, has been a longstanding subject of invesligaton for election irregularities. "Mr. Mayor. I'm opposed to this section in its entirety." Perry said angrily. "If you were subject to recall every 90 days, you wouldn't find anyone who would run for public office." "You wouldn't find me sitting here, "Engwall added.

Cathey denies immunity charge ByGEOFFDAVIDIAN Record State Editor BERNALILLO Former District Attorney J. Lee Cathey today denied in court that he granted immunity to either James Williams or L.D. Bickford in return for their testimony against Terry Willie Seaton. Asked about the setting aside of Bickford's sentence. Cathey said that the case was "a dog," since the arresting officer had moved to another state.

Cathey also said that he had no knowledge of the so-called Workman materials until his former assistant, Carl Hawkins, informed him several years later that he was "just some nut who had a dream." During interviews in March and April with the Daily Record, Cathey admitted that he had been told of the Workman materials prior to Seaton's trial, but his description of that notification was substantially the same. During the interviews, he told the Daily Record that the reason he set Bickford's conviction aside was because he felt it was "a shame" to send a person back to federal prison for parole violation because of a petty misdemeanor. On Thursday, the fourth day of the Seaton habeus corpus hearing, the state's witnesses had painted the picture of an unorchestrated investigation into the 1971 murder of Carlsbad baker William Lester Davis. "I know our investigation was unorthodox," Eddy County Deputy Sheriff Leroy Payne testified, "but I'm from the 'old school According to Payne's testimony, although he was the chief investigator into the crime, he kept no personal logs about the investigation and made no notes about leads he had uncovered during the investigation. Earlier testimony in the hearing described similar inadequacies.

District Attorney Michael McCormick testified Wednesday that when he arrived at the scene of the crime. "Every time I turned around, someone new was coming and Former State Policeman Larry Allen told the court that "some things that were done at the scene of the crime should not have been done." However, the state's witnesses refused to admit that any immunity had been given to James Williams or Bickford in return for their testimony which they have both now claim was taught to them by Eddy County officials. Payne said the first he heard of Williams' involvement was when Williams'court-appointed attorney, James Warden, informed him that Williams knew about the murder. Payne testified that when Williams was questioned about the crime, no one believed him. But after Williams gave information about the Clovis burglary which he and Seaton had committed the night before the murder, Payne said he started believing him.

"I spent a year trying to make James Williams a liar," Payne said under cross-examination, "but I never could." Asked by Seaton's attorney, Steven Farber, if he had promised immunity to Williams in exchange for his testimony. Payne said, "No sir, I did not." Williams testified at the 1973 murder trial that he had been outside the scene of the murder when Seaton came out covered with blood and confessed to the murder. The two. according to Williams' now-recanted testimony, then took the cash register from the Davis bakery and dumped it near a graveyard. "James Williams told you he was an accessory to murder and robbery and you didn't charge him?" Farber asked.

"No," Payne replied. "You mean James Williams' lawyer told you to check his own client for a possible role in the murder but you didn't take it seriously?" Farber pressed. "No," Payne replied. "That was the first time a lawyer ever told me anything and I didn't want to get the old man in trouble." "Well, if you didn't promise him immunity, why wasn't he charged with the crime?" Farber asked. "I don't know," Payne said.

Earlier Thursday, Bickford told the court thai he promised Eddy Counly Sheriff Tom Granger that he'd testify against Seaton if they'd drop pending charges against him. Runnels fobs Koury administrative aide Gloria Koury New Runnels aide WASHINGTON U.S. Rep. Harold Runnels. today named Gloria Koury.

308 College Roswell. N.M., as his new administrative aide for southeastern New Mexico, effective June 1. She succeeds Sharon Janecka, who is resigning to accept a new position as executive vice president of the New Mexico Bankers Association. Mrs. Koury, 26, is a native of Albuquerque who worked as a caseworker for Rep.

Runnels in his Las Cruces office for nearly two years after graduating from New Mexico State University in Las Cruces in 1975 with a BA degree in government. In her new job, she will be responsible for a six-county area, including Chaves. Curry. DeBaca. Eddy, Lea and Roosevelt counties.

Persons having problems with a federal agency may contact Mrs. Koury at her Lovington office, but she will make frequent visits to all areas of the region. Formerly assistant director of public information at New Mexico Military Institute. Mrs. Koury currently is a planning and development specialist with the Southeastern New Mexico Economic Development District.

Mrs. Koury is the wife of Gerald A Koury. manager of the Sally Port Inn. They have lived in Roswell for two years and will continue to make their home here..