Fairbanks Daily News-Miner from Fairbanks, Alaska • Page 23

Chess games in Iceland of old sometimes bloody Fairbanks Daily New-Miner, Fairbanks, Alaska, Wednwday, July NEW YORK (AP) The in- suited egos and white-knuckled tensions before the Fischer- Spassky chess match may seem to be a blazing battle, but pale beside the tales of bloodthirsty games in Medieval Iceland. Chess boards in the 12th and 13th centuries were often the center of treachery, revenge, intrigue and murder, according to sagas of the time. When a certain King Louis lost a chess game to Rognvald, he stood up in a fury, shoved his chessmen into a bag and smashed his opponent in the face with it, leaving him a bloody mess. "Take that!" exclaimed the king. Rognvald rode off in a panic.

But his brother stayed to split the king's skull open. These stories are sagas from Willard Fiske's "Chess in Iceland and in Icelandic Literature," published in 1905. It is said that American chess champion Bobby Fischer has gotten the highest stakes in history of chess for his series beginning Tuesday in Reykjavik with Boris Spassky, the world champion. Even though thousands of dollars of prize money are on the line, today's championship prize is chicken feed. Rognvald played King Louis for his head.

A woman was the prize in one knightly saga. A king put up his horse, falcon and sword for a maiden WAR-Vietnam Veterans Against the War march toward Convention n'u 1 Fla Monda in a demonstration against the war in South Vietnam i ne i rii Democratic National Convention opened later in the day without incident. (APwircpholo) CHUCK REES is CORRECTING OUR SCHOOL INEQUITIES. KEEP HIM WORKING FOR US. Paid Polllltc GLEN W.

DeSPAIN CHEttAPUMP ROAD Old farmers'voting bloc suffering long drought WASHINGTON (AP) The nation's farmers are slill courted vigorously by Domocrais and Republicans alike, the old farm btoc isn't what it used to be. In 1920, 32 million Americans, one-third of the nation's total population, lived on farms and farm issues played a major role in political campaigns at both the local and national level. Today only 10 million persons, less than five per cent of the total population, are farm people. And, says one GOP farm strategist, farmers will cast their votes this year like the rest of the country--on the basis of such issues as Vietnam aud the economy ralher (hau clearcut farm issues. Even such farm advocates as Rep.

W. R. Poage, chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, concede (haf the fanner's political muscle has withered. doubt if farmers, by themselves, could even elect a county attorney in most places," Poage says. Economics has forced many small farms out of existence and today fewer farms are producing more and more.

That trend appears certain to continue. The larger and more efficient producers are getting bigger and more efficient. The small producers are going out of business. Nearly one-third, or approximately one million of itu 1 nation's farms sell $2,500 ur le.is in products annually. Government analysts say many of these farms are part- time operations run by semi-retired people who prefer to live on the land.

Collectively, they produce less than three per cent of the nation's food and fiber. More than half of the U.S. agricultural output comes from fewer than 250,000 farms, most of them family owned and operated, whose sales total at least per year. Ninety per cent of (he farm output comes from one-third of the farms-those with annual sales, of $10,000 or more. Thus, nearly two-thirds of tlie nation's farms account for only 10 per cent of the output.

Jobs in town have become a way of life and survival, particularly for smaller fanners, The farms wilh or less in annual sales net an average of $1,000 a year while nonfarm jobs, at local factories and other businesses, are providing an average of $8,000 a year, 1 each of these small-farm families. This year, according to Agriculture Department projections, farm families may lake home $18 billion or more from non- farm jobs, more than the record $17.5 billion predicted by administration officials as farm income. "Off-farm income is not only the best farm crop, it is better than all the farm crops combined, plus all the livestock, plus all the government payments," says IJr. Don Paarlberg, director of economics for the Agriculture Depart me tit. Thus, rural development in the form of federal programs aimed at improving job oppor- Half of doctors say would go on strike NEW YORK (AP) Perhaps more than half of America's doctors would go on strike as members of physicians' guilds or unions, although few would close down hospitals or clinics totally, according to a survey conducted by a magazine for doctors.

The magazine Medical Opinion said Saturday its survey detected real and unexpectedly militant mood for some form of physicians' guild or union 1 in the face of impending changes in medical practice such as a national health insurance program. "A significant number of American doctors--perhaps more than strike if collective bargaining broke down and their ordered it," the magazine said. The results are based on 752 replies to 3,000 questionnaires to selected doctors. The magazine claimed the replies we a "balanced representation" of doctors of medicine and osteopathy. Forty-eight per cent said some type of doctors' union or guild is inevitable.

Sixteen pet cent said organizations such as the American Medical Association will be able to handle the situation; another 16 per cent said specialty societies will become the spokesmen. "Three of five would join today," Medical Opinion said, "expressing little support for organizations currently charged with representing medicine in federal negotiations." The article did not attempt to define the difference between a doctors' union and guild, but it appeared the word guild did not seem to have the connotation of labor union militancy. Thirty- five per cent of the doctors responding said they would join either, but of the remainder only 3 per cent said they would join a union, twenty-three per cent said they would join a guild. Asked about striking, 38 per cent said they would strike provided emergency services were covered, 11 per cent would strike under certain other conditions, 4 per cent would strike even if it meant shutting down everything temporarily, 28 per cent would never strike and 19 per cent didn't know a they would do. tunities and income for all pc'ople in the countryside, is an essential part of 1972 political talk for both parties.

The forecast is For a continued decline iti farm numbers. By 19SO, according to one USDA projection, nearly one million more farms will be absorbed into larger units. By then, says one report, about 95,000 super farms will be producing more a half the nation's food atid fiber. The growth of corporation- type farms has disturbed many. However, the Agriculture Department says all but a handful are family owned aud operated and that the huge conglomerates, financed by outside capital, do not pose a serious threat to family farming.

Congress has looked into the corporate funning situation periodically but with i substantive reaction. One proposal, called (he Family Farm Act, would force huge corporations to get out of agricultural operations i i three years. That measure, introduced initially by Sen. Gaylord Nelson, is stalled in committee. Democratic farm strategists hope to make "corporate" farming, rural development, farm prices, administration policies for controlling production and farm income election year issues.

Despite their diminished numbers, farmers can influence some elections, says the National Institute for Agriculture. An institute study of 1971) cong i a election results shows that of 21 House seats which shifted Democrats made a net gain of nine, Of those, seven were in farm districts. To us, these figures and election returns say that farmers and those who serve fanners remain an extremely important political t'oice," the institute said. "The.se figures say also that farm voters cannot be ignored." However, despile perennial success in passing farm program and subsidy legislation, the old farm bloc is only a memory in Congress. In 1924, 251 of the House's 435 members came from districts having a farm population of 20 per cent or more.

By 1954 the number had dwindled to 165. By the time legislative reapportionment under the "one man, one vote" rule came into effect in the early 1960s, Ihc farm power in the House was reduced even further. In 1964, according to government research, only 53 members of the House were from districts having a farm population of at least 20 per cent. By 1966 the total was down to 4V and by 1970 it was down to 31. Yet, congressmen representing rural areas have consistently been able to put together temporary coalitions to get urban support for farm bills.

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