Battle Creek Enquirer from Battle Creek, Michigan • Page 1

NQUIRER and BATTLE CREEK 15 cents Serving South Central Michigan WEDNESDAY, July 21, 1971 NEWS I I I I i I 1 I I I I I I I I r- Insight accuses sho cenrers Price-fixing policies charged in initial case China trip seen as no cure-all for Viet war WASHINGTON (UPI) The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) filed its first case today against what it said is a widespread practice of price-fixing by big department stores at shopping centers. An FTC spokesman said the practice costs consumers millions of dollars by eliminating price competition at many shopping centers throughout the nation. It is done, the spokesman said, by big department stores agreeing to lease shopping center space only in return for the power to approve or disapprove other prospective tenants. The large stores then screen out discount stores, the spokesman said. "This allows them to maintain higher prices," he added.

"The consumer's choice is cut back considerably." The initial case involved Tysons Corner regional shopping. center in the northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C., and three big chain department stores. All four firms ing to occupy space therein and to impose and control conditions affecting tenants." City Stores subsequently signed a similar lease, the FTC said. The leases empower the three stores to decide what stores get in, to limit their floor space, require them to join a "merchant association" and to "exercise continuing control" over their business, according to the FTC. The agency said the result has been fixing of retail prices, exclusion of discounters, elimination of discount advertising and selling and "denying the public the benefit of price competition." The four firms had no immediate comment.

Although the case involves only three stores at Tysons Corner, the FTC spokesman said the practice is "prevalent throughout the country." He said the FTC was considering similar action involving other stores at other shopping were accused of violating the antitrust laws and were given an opportunity to sign consent orders under which the allegedly illegal practices would end. The chains were May Department Stores Los Angeles, a leading chain with annual sales of more than SI billion operating in the Washington area as the Hecht City Stores New York, with annual sales of more than $380 million, operating in Washington as Lansburgh's, and Woodward and Lothrop. a large local chain' with annual sales of more than 126 million. According to the FTC's proposed complaint, during lease negotiations in 1964 and 1965 "May Co. and Woodward induced Tysons Corner to agree with them to the inclusion of certain provisions in their respective leases that authorized May Co.

and Woodward to control and determine, without limitation, the admission to Tysons Corner of those seek By KHI WILLENSOX SAIGON (UPI) When President Nixon announced plans for a trip to Peking there was optimism here he might reach an overall Asian settlement with the Chinese leaders to end the decade-old Indochina war. Not all the optimism has subsided, but Western diplomats here have been mulling the prospects over, and many of them have come to the tentative conclusion that whatever the effects elsewhere, Nixon's journey holds only slim prospects for an early solution in Indochina. The diplomats say there are two simple reasons for this: The Vietnamese themselves both Communist and non-Communist have given no indication so far that they would be willing to accept a solution imposed bv the big powers, as they did in 1954 at Geneva. So long as the Vietnamese themselves want to soldier on toward a military decision, it will be exceedingly difficult for their backers on either side to quit supplying the arms and ammunition that allows the war to go on. In Saigon the initial reaction to Nixon's announcement was extremely favorable.

Educated Vietnamese civilians went so far as to hail it as "the beginning of the end of the Group calls for federal probe of state nursing homes Nixon says no advance deals made with China. C-9. F' v- By Combined ire Services A federal investigation of Michigan nursing homes is being asked by a based consumers group and officials of the United Auto Workers (UAW). They charge some of the nursing homes threaten eviction of elderly patients in an attempt to get higher care fees from the state. The U.S.

Department of Health, Education and Welfare (HEW) says Michigan could lose Medicaid funds unless it gets tougher in nursing home inspections. These are major developments in reaction to a move by Michigan health officials to reclassify Medicaid patients in public and private facilities to care categories of lesser state-federal reimbursement. "Just because a home is licensed is no guarantee that decent services are being provided for our sick and elderly people," said Charles Cho-met, president of Citizens for Better Care. Chomet has asked HEW to conduct an investigation of nursing homes, following his reading of a government re-p that many Michigan war." President Nguyen Van Thieu said he hoped Nixon's journey would "constitute a first step toward the elaboration of a lasting peace for this part of the world." The Foreign Office called it "an expression of the goodwill of the United States to broaden and to normalize its relations with all nations." But perhaps Vice President Nguyen Coa Ky's somewhat cooler reaction pointed the direction the Vietnamese would go. "The Republic of Vietnam must be wise and follow up the situation to timely take adequate measures to protect itself and its national interests," Ky remarked.

And by Tuesday, four days later, Thieu himself was echoing this line. "I cannot be too optimistic because I do not think Red China has abandoned its hope to invade the whole of Southeast Asia," he told celebrants of "National Grief Day," the anniversary of the 1954 division of Vietnam. The Communists were slower to react, as they alwavs are, and as late as Tuesday night they had still made no direct mention of Nixon's impending Peking journey. But an editorial in the North Vietnamese Communist Party newspaper Nhan Dan Monday and a broadcast by the Viet Cong radio Tuesday both implied that outside intervention to settle the war was unacceptable. The Liberation Radio broadcast explicity mentioned (he around-the-world journey of Nixon's adviser.

Henry Kissinger, but just as explicitly omitted any mention of his visit to Peking or Nixon's impending trip. It also brought up the travels of Vice President Spiro Agnew, Defense Secretary Melvin Laird and Secretary of State William Rogers to various capitals, and then said bluntly Nixon was looking for peace in all the wrong places. "Nixon should remember that the source of all his problems and misfortunes was and is in Vietnam and in Indochina and that only the Vietnamese people and the peoples of Indochina could decide their own future and their own fate. To extricate himself with honor from Vietnam, Nixon should deal with the people of Vietnam and Indochina," the commentary said. If both sides in the Indochina War mean to stick to their guns and resist imposition of an outside settlement, the diplomats say, it will be extremely diffucult for the big powers to impose one.

"Some people think the Americans and Chinese can stop the war by stopping the weapons," said one diplomat. "But that doesn't take into account that the Russians also are prime suppliers, and are competing for favor in Hanoi, too. "It might strain their transportation for a while, but Turn to Page A-2 Sounding things out PERTH, Australia (AP) Two-year-old Jodie Goodlet, a rubella baby who was born deaf, wears earphones and feels a specially constructed loudspeaker as she learns to hear at the Speech and Hearing Center in Perth, Australia. Jodie also was born with an eye defect and is the youngest child in Western Australia to wear a contact lens. Texan says he has a key to ending the Vietnam war Here's how to pick it up Channel 41 goes on air at 3:30 p.m.

Saturday ill nursing homes may not be meeting legal standards and that state inspectors are slow in enforcing them. The report from the government's General Accounting Office for Congress and HEW documents the findings of an investigation conducted from 1968 to 1970 by a federal team inspectors who studied nursing homes in Michigan, New York and Oklahoma. Dr. John Dye, HEW regional associate regional commissioner, said Michigan's current state enforcement procedures are "under careful investigation." Chomet said that if it is proved that Medicaid standards of care are not being met by nursing homes, Michigan could lose as much as $50 million in Medicaid funds. According to HEW officials in Washington, Michigan is in danger of losing Medicaid funds if it "doesn't tighten up its surveillance techniques" in nursing home inspections.

The HEW officials cited the GAO report which found 13 of 30 Michigan nursing homes studied by a federal team did not have adequate electrical services for emergencies, 12 facture of the antenna delayed the air time. The ABC affiliation offers new programing to the Battle Creek area, Searer said. In the past WZZM, Channel 13 of Grand Rapids, had poor reception in the. Battle Creek area, Searer said. However, cablevision subscribers could receive Channel 13.

WZZM will be off cable-vision at WUHQ air time. WUHQ will be received on Channel 4 of Wolverine cable-vision, Searer said. However, Channel 41 will be somewhat dependent on WZZM. The ABC signal will be received from WZZM, Searer said, this means there will be no ABC national news, nor the Dick Cavett Show, as they are not received by WZZM, Searer said. Cost of getting the feed from WZZM is $700 a month, compared with 5,000 a month for its own feed from American Telephone Telegraph.

Next spring, after the station establishes itself, it will negotiate for its own feed from Searer continued. Channel 41 will have its own news department with Roger Thurgaland as news director and anchor man for its half-hour newscasts at 5:30 p.m. weekdays and 11 p.m. nightly. His background is radio news and theater in South Central Michigan.

The station is subscribing to United Press International as its only news service. Starting Labor Day, the station the (How did not have enough nurses, 12 did not have the required number of doctor visits, 17 did not have enough fire drills, 11 did not have a designated social worker, and 11 violated examination room standards. In Detroit, Chomet was joined by two UAW spokesmen in charging some Michi-gan nursing homes are threatening patient ousters to pry more funds from the state. Douglas a UAW vice president, Leo Shafer, chairman of the Detroit-Wayne County UAW Retired Workers Council, and Chomet called for federal investigation of their charges. "The threats by the nursing home industry, in an attempt to gain higher money rates from the state, are bound to have a tremendously discouraging, frightening and perhaps traumatic effect on the lives of many sick and old patients in Michigan," the three said.

They made their demand for an investigation in a letter to Edward Sienicki, regional commissioner of the social and rehabilitation service of HEW. ard) Hughes Sports Network. Another feature includes a locally produced Romper Room in affiliation with the national production. The station is still auditioning women to play the teacher on the program. It should air this fall.

Searer said. The firm currently is employing 30 persons. Equipment outlay was in excess of SI million, Searer said. Offices and studios are located in the old headquarters building at Ft. Custer.

The station is an ultrahigh frequency channel, requiring some TV set modifications for viewing. Sets made since 1964 should be capable of receiving UHF. A loop or bow-tie shaped antenna normally is on the back of each television set capable of receiving UHF. The antenna should be attached to the UHF terminals. Some adjustment of the loop may have to be made to bring the station in clearly, Searer said.

The adjustments would be similar to a table antenna for VHF. Tuning in the station is much like finding a station on a radio. Turn the channel selector to UHF. Then on the VHF dial tune it to 41. or to the point where the screen comes in clearest, Searer explained.

The loop antenna should be sufficient for most sets in the major viewing area of Battta Creek, Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids. WUHQ is broad-casting at 3.14 mfflio watts. INSIDE TODAY Milliken, Ryan agree on income tax hike Story on C-ll LAKEVIEW HIGH names new football coach. B-2. MILLS ANGERED by administration snub.

C-9. BLACKS REPLY to Agnew criticism. B-6. Stock Markets B-6 Television A-6 Today's Almanac A-ll Women's News C-l-3 wrATiinr Chance of showers early Thursday. Details on A-ll.

HOUSTON, Tex. (AP) A Texas legislator says he has been given a proposal by the North Vietnamese in Paris which could shorten the Vietnam war. He said he will present the proposal to White House officials. State Rep. Joe Salem, who met with a North Vietnamese negotiator Monday in Paris, returning to Houston Tuesday said he made a 48-minute tape recording of his conversation with a North Vietnamese delegate to the Paris peace talks.

"I think there is a very important item on this tape," he said. "I don't want to reveal it now because I don't want to interfere with peace negotiations. "I won't say the proposal on this tape will end the war or return any of our men, but it will certainly hasten the end of the war if what is pro- Minh said his forces are operating about 20 miles inside Cambodia and 10 miles north Enemv C-12. upsurge predicted. of Highway 7, between the towns of Krek and Mimot and northward.

Minh said the 10,000 troops involved in the operation were already positioned at bases inside Cambodia, but he sent in a 200-vehicle armored column to reinforce Henry Kissinger viting me soon." will be in- In Washington, White House press secretary Ronald L. Ziegler confirmed that the President's office had received a cable from Salem and added, "I'm confident if he wants to meet with someone in the White House, some representative of the President will meet with him." Salem, the author of a resolution adopted in the last session of the Texas Legislature condemning North Vietnam for its treatment of American prisoners of war, went to Paris to deliver the resolution. "I also proposed to go to Hanoi to bring back one or two Texan prisoners of war or as many as they would let me," Salem said. "It was at this point that they made the proposal on the tape that I think is so important." ture along Highway 7. Minh called off a operation in the Parrot's Beak sector of Cambodia 60 miles southwest of the new operational area earlier this month after it encountered virtually no enemy resistance.

He pulled most of the troops out, leaving 500 men at a new fire base south of Highway 1. The battlefield lull persisted in South Vietnam. The U.S. Command said B52 bombers flew four missions in northernmost Quang Tri and Thua Thien prov By JAY BERGER Channel 41, after a six-month delay, will go on the air Saturday from its Ft. Custer studios, station manager James R.

Searer announced today. Air time is set for 3:30 p.m. with a brief introductory program. The station will then join the American Broadcasting Company network for the Wide World of Sports program. The station's normal starting telecast time will be 8 a.m.

on weekends and on weekdays with a daily sign-off time of approximately 1 a.m. Searer said. The station, WUHQ, originally was scheduled to air Jan. 15. However, legal hassles with Jackson and Grand Rapids stations, and manu- inces.

Buf there were no reports of fresh enemy activity in that region following three shellings attacks Tuesday against South Vietnamese fire bases guarding the demilitarized zone. Military sources in Laos re-pprted that government troops had found about 890 tons of enemy supplies in the Plain of Jars. The caches included 763 tons of rice, and the informants estimated it would take the North Vietnamese a month to replace their loss when the rainy season ends in November. iiitii 'tii Rep. Joe Salem 'it's all on tape' posed on here will be accepted by my government." Salem, a Democrat from Corpus Christi, said "I was told in a call with a White House aide that Secretary of State William Rogers or Mr.

them. Associated Press Correspondent George Esper reported from the front that Minh also was saturating the area with fire from 66 artillery pieces, including 105mm and 155mm guns. It is the largest operation launched by Minh since he took command last February of the 3rd Military Region, the 11 provinces around Saigon. He had been criticized recently for allowing the North Vietnamese to push his troops into a defensive pos mm mm i begin new push into Cambodia Comics Deaths Editorials Sports B-12 A-ll A-4 B-2-4 SAIGON (AP) With support from U.S. helicopter gun-ships and B52 bombers, 10,000 South Vietnamese troops pushed a new operation in Eastern Cambodia today designed to prevent the North Vietnamese from disrupting the National Assembly elections in South Vietnam next month.

The task force encountered no immediate resistance. B52 bombing raids preceded the drive. The commander of the operation, Lt. Gen. Nguyen Van tonight, iets Minn, said he hoped to smash the North Vietnamese 7th Division, numbering about 4,000 men, which has long operated across the border from South Vietnam's Tay Ninh Province.

"Our mission is to cut off North Vietnamese infiltration into South Vietnam, to prevent the enemy from sabotaging the elections," said Minh. "We must provide security for the election campaign." The legislative elections are scheduled Aug. 29 and the presidential election Oct. 3..