Philadelphia Daily News from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania • Page 2

-rrriii aiLT News WECNESOAY, AMll Musftmhe Spmh Is Sproumg People Paper People By Bob Williams St i Melina tj. If: far I i J. 'if By NELS NELSON William Howard Taft hasn't set foot in Philadelphia for years. Nevertheless, a lively demand is building up here for mustache spoons. "We've had several inquiries about them recently," says William Meissner, silver buyer for the J.

E. Caldwell traditional jewelers for the Philadelphia aristocracy. "They seem to be catching on," said Meissner yesterday. "On a national basis, I understand, roughly 17,000 or 18,000 of them have been sold." THE MODERN mustache spoon, patterned after a model popular around the turn of the century, is about 8 inches long and features a curved guard covering part of the bowl. There is a semi-circular hole in the guard to permit the broth, vichyssoise, to be slurped without soiling one's lip excelsior.

"I suspect," said Meissner, "that a lot of fathers with sons who have grown mustaches are buying them just to needle their sons." Meissner, 25, isn't a prospect for needling. His face is cleaner than his hip pocket on April 16. But he has two younger brothers with mustaches. The silverplate model retails for $5.95 and a parnevu version in a 24-karat goldplated Vermeil finish goes for $12.50. Either spoon comes complete with a red flannel carrying case for dining out.

Melina liar red from Greek Plot Greek actress Melina Mercouri has been barred from returning to her homeland for the burial of her father. Miss Mercouri, 46, lost her Greek citizenship in 1970 following her bitter opposition to the army-backed Athens regime. Her father, left-wing politician Stamatis Mercouri, died in a London hospital in 1968 at age 71. His body has remained in a hospital morgue because his family wanted to bury him in the family plot at Athens' Central Cemetery. Car aon Files for Divorce Television star Johnny Carson filed suit in Santa Monica, to dissolve his eight-year marriage to his wife, Joanne.

The suit cited irreconsilable "differences." The couple had no children and had been separated since 1970. Films Mafia Flick in Rome Feeling pressure from unnamed sources, Italian movie director Dino de Latirentis said he has abandoned plans to make a movie in New York based on the book, "The Valachi Requests had also been made of him, the director said, not to use the words Mafia or Cosa Nostra because some Italian- re Eass Pruo Pss9 V' Carson same holds true for possession of 8 grams or less of hashish. Possession of small amounts of other drugs would carry a maximum fine of $5,000 and one year in jail. THE PRESENT law says a person cannot be charged with Americans feel it puts them in a bad light. Native Italians apparently don't care.

The director has moved cameras, cast and crew to Rome, where he'll finish making the picture. Hallowed 11 ippies India Prime Minister Indira Gandhi told a New Delhi Parliament session yesterday that hippies are an ancient Indian institution. "It's not a new phenomenon for us," the S. Viet's Fate at Stake, Thieu ill a fet Prime Minister said. "We have our own variety.

They have been hallowed by our history." With Friends Like These stem launcn mi The Great Issues Society International of Arlington, isn't going to let Charlie and Sandra Merrill's first baby go unnoticed. The GISI, an organization of local pranksters, has erected a billboard on the Dallas-Fort Worth Turnpike relative to the stork's Mustache spoon in action. LSilSiaiiJ HARRISBURG (UPI) The Legislature yesterday sent Gov. Milton J. Shapp a drug reform package that gets tough on pushers and reduces possession to a misdemeanor.

Both the House and Senate concurred on the bill shortly after it was reported from a conference committee. The votes on the two-bill package were unanimous in both chambers. The bill, which will cost $7.5 million the first year, sets up a special Governor's Council on Drug and Alcohol Abuse. It rewrites the state's Drug, Device and Cosmetic Act to conform to Federal models, protects the patient against prosecution. SPONSORED BY Rep.

Milton J. Berkes Bucks), the bills sharply reduce the penalty for possession of marijuana. It presently is a felony and carries a fine of up to and 5 years in solitary confinement. The bills make possession of any drug a misdemeanor. They reduce the maximum penalty for possession of 20 or less grams of marijuana to $500 and 30 days in jail.

The a Glance Weather The Outlook Today Sunny High-Low Today 40-45 The Outlook Tonight Fair The Outlook Tomorrow Clear Winds Westerly 5-15 MPH "Charlie and Sandra Merrill He's 42, she's 38. Chessmen OK Check SAIGON (UPI) A force of 5,000 Communist troops have attacked the town of An Loc, 60 miles north of Saigon, in what military sources said tonight probably was the second phase of a general offensive against South Vietnam. An invasion of North Vietnamese troops across the Demilitarized Zone already has captured the northern half of Quang Tri Province and threatened the cities of Quang Tri and Hue. President Nguyen Van Thieu said the fate of South Vietnam was at stake. Taft: A revival.

ssisi Law recommendations of the National Council on Marijuana and Drug Abuse, which called for "decriminalization" of marijuana. "I think we've gone as far with marijuana as we should go in 1972," Berkes said. "All of the data is not in yet." Says ensive units involved were two regiments of the new Vietnamese Binh Long Division formed specifically to capture the border province of the same name. The Communists earlier attacked and captured the old American Fire Base Pace in Tay Ninh Province 85 miles northwest of Saigon and the government had expected the main thrust of the second phase to come there. Before Thieu's appeal for more UTS.

firepower, informed sources in Washington reported another squadron of B-52 bombers from 18 to 20 planes has being rushed to Southeast Asia to aid the 'South Vietnamese. B-52s, recently reinforced, bombed Continued on Page 40 Pa. May Extend Tax Deadline State Revenue Secretary Robert P. Kane may extend the Pennsylvania State Income Tax deadline to May 15, according to Democratic Senators in Harrisburg. Kane, however, said a final decision will not be made until tomorrow.

Gov. Milton Shapp earlier expressed favor for extending the April 17 deadline. Only slightly more than t50 percent of the tax forms have been filed to: dale. That on-again, off-again match between American chess champion Bobby Fischer and Russian titleholder Boris Spassky will start June 22 at Reykjavik, Iceland. Fischer has wired tournament officials in Amsterdam approving previous plans.

Under the agreement, the deep-thinking gamesters will divide $138,500 in prize money with the winner's cut 62.5 percent. selling drugs unless it can be proven that an actual transaction was made. But the new drug bills ask for proof only of an "intention to deliver," meaning the person must have more than he can use. Berkes was asked why the Legislature did not follow the See editorial page 29. Thieu, in a nationwide radio and television speech that emphasized the gravity of the situation, warned that North Vietnam might send in its air force for the first time and appealed to the U.S.

for massive firepower to stem the threat. A THIRD MAJOR offensive by the Communists was expected at any time in the Central Highlands 200 miles north of Saigon, and intelligence reports earlier this week said the North Vietnamese were bringing in tanks and armored vehicles from Laos and Cambodia. The area around AN LOC, the capital of Binh Long long been a Vietcong stronghold. But Thieu had expected the new offensive farther to the west and stripped An Loc of three regiments of Rangers and sent the battle-tested elite troops north of help at Quang Tri. Military sources said the government had rushed the 4th Infantry Division to An Loc to try to relieve the militia defenders of the town eight miles from the Cambodian border.

The 4th Infantry was based at Lai Kheun, 30 miles to the south. MILITARY SOURCES said fighting was continuing tonight after 28 hours and that casualties were heavy on both sides. They said the Red Published daily at 400 N. Broad. Phlla- Pa.

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i Mrs. Gandhi visit. It reads: are finally getting the bird. Split Today at Today's Funny SICK SHIPS ALWAVS60TO "THE DOCK. TIOES Philadelphia Cap May Delaware a.m.

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High 11:31 13:70 Low 13:11 5:2 5:0 6 46 16 Breathing Index Today's Forecast 2 Yesterday's Index 3 Inside the News Amusements 30-34 Business 40 Classified 41-50 Comics 36-38 Crossword 45 Dear Penny 37 Editorials 29 Jack McKinney 28 Obituaries 12 Television 16, 18 Earl Wilson 32 Women's 20-26 Index runs from 1 (cIhr) 16 Sam month lt yar avcras 4 5 1- I- 7- I- Huh Low Weather Philadelphia 50 35 Sunny Atlantic City 49 42 Clear Boston 48 3 Cold Los Angeles 11 hi Warm Chicago 41 27 Clear New Orleans 79 Warm New Yorli 5 50 Clear Pittsburgh 41 Cold St. Louis 5 J7 Warm San Francisco 64 S3 Showers Washington 56 45 Sunny Sun Rose a.rn. Sun, Set p.m..