Las Cruces Sun-News from Las Cruces, New Mexico • Page 1

KJC'iOIMLM 0. 11- v-aso, a say Jo the VESYOOODLIFE Shop Las Cruccs ta ucesf Sun Weather MESILLA VALLEY- Partly cloudy, slight chance for light rain through Monday, breezy afternoons. LAS CRUCES- High today low 70s, low tonight near 40. Vol. 95-No.

311 SUNDAY MORNING-MARCH 28, 1U76-LAS CHUCKS, MKXICO 35c Montoya, Schmitt, Peirce On Ballots GOP Gives NEW MEXICO REPUBLICANS Saturday gave two men enough votes in the pre-primary convention to place their names on the primary ballot June 1. They are Albuquerque businessman Eugene Peirce, left, and former astronaut Harrison Schmitt of Silver City. (UPI) Schmitt ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (UPI) New Mexico's Republicans Saturday set up a primary election for the U.S. Senate, narrowly picking businessman Eugene Peirce to oppose former astronaut Harrison Schmitt.

Schmitt, who had hoped to shut out his primary opposition, received 73.7 per cent of the vole at the State GOP preprimary nominating convention. Peirce, who began his campaign only three weeks ago, got 21 per cent of the vole, only one per cent more than that required to have his name on the ballot. Arthur A. Lavine, Ibe third candidate in ihe only contested Republican race, received 5.3 per cent of the vote and failed to maketheballot. Other candidates picked by the convention, all unopposed, are incumbent Rep.

Manuel Lujan in the First District; university professor DonTrubeyof Portales, who failed in a 1974 campaign, in the Second Congressional Disiricl; Jimmy W. Glenn for State Corporation Commission, and Jobn Donnell of Santa Fe for an eight-year term ontheSlateSupremeCourt. Sehmitt, who was confident of victory but hoped to shut out his primary opposition, said after the vole he was certain he would win the June 1 primary but would have to redesign his campaign. "It is hard not to be elated with 74 per cent of the vote," Schmitl, a Santa Rita, N.M..native, said. "But this means we won't have the party working for us unlil after the primary." Schmitt said before the vote that he thought his campaign would be damaged by a primary contest because it would dilute the parly's effort to unseat incumbent Sen.

Joseph Peirce, whose forces worked lo convince the delegates a contested primary would benefit the party, said he was not disappointed he received only 21 per cent of the vole. "We're pleased we're on the ballot from a three-week campaign, and also because I haven't campaigned outside the (RernaHllo) county," Peirce said. Peirce had hoped to winOO to 100 of his home county's 2B1 votes, bul gained only 77. Schmill won the balloting in every county except one, Eddy, which gave Peirce 15 votes and the former astronaut 12. SEN.

JOSEPH MONTOYA won his party's nomination Saturday for the primary ballot. He is pictured here in a Sun-News file photo taken during a late-summer visit to White Sands Missile Range. (Lopez) Sims Blocked County GOP Backs 'Healthy Race' By CASEY CHURCH Staff Writer ALB'ti'Q'UERQiJE-- Dona Ana County's 43-vote delegation lo the GOP pre-primary convention was instrumental in forcing a two-way race in the primary. Although most counties gave some votes to Albuquerque businessman, Eugene Peirce, Dona Ana County gave nearly one- third of its votes to him. The remaining 29 went to Harrison Schmitt.

None went to Arthur Lavine, The tally was not accidental. County chairman Ray Regan had pressed for the splitting of the delegation, calling a primary race "healthy for the party." Schmitt and Peirce will now have to go out and prove themselves," Regan said, noting the race would not be so much a lest of Ihe individual, as a test of their ability to gel people out to do "the liring work of campaigning." Not all the delegation backed lhat stand, however, wilh Albert Arrnijo, saying all. the party's support should go toward one candidate. He said the primary race might cause bad feelings moving into the general election, but he said party members would back Ihe winner. Delegate Paul Polbert said Republicans must now work on the "person-to-person level." President of the county Republican Women's Club, Pat Lawrence also said party members will have to work at the "grass roots level." Regan said either Schmitt or Peirce could win in November and assessed their chances in the primary as "about equal," Delegate John Augustine predicted there would be a lot of voters crossing party lines in Ihe general election and called Schmitt "one of the highest type fellows we've run for office." DIAS Gas Supply Uncertain Quick Look At the News State And Locally PHYSICAL FITNESS for health was emphasized Friday at New Mexico State University where Richard Kellor, director of the President's Council on Physical Fitness, told 500 physical educalion teachers a the President is developing a five-year national plan for healthwhich will stress physical fitness fordisease prevention.

GOV. JERRY APODACA Saturday urged delegates to the Democratic pre-primary convention lo draw together to support all of the party's candidates. In The Nation THE REORGANIZED CHURCH of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints has proposed a resolution lo allow women to serve as priesls and elders. A spokesman for the church said thesubject would be discussed during a weeklong world church convention thai starts Sunday. WORKERS AND TOURISTS pushed into 15 Las Vegas Strip hotel casinos Saturday which reopened in the wake of Ihe worst labor strike in the history of Nevada gambling.

A total of 13,000 of Ihe 23,000 workers in the 15 hotels were on strike. Around The World HUNDREDS OF SOUTH African troops Saturday pulled back across two crocodile-infested rivers to Southwest Africa, ending a nine-month military involvement in Angola and heading off possible confrontations wilh advancing Angolan and Cuban forces. Today's Index Around La sCruces 8 Obituaries MB Profile Classified MB School Menus 12B Crossword MB Scram-lcts 1 DearAbby MB Society Editorial -f SP 01 8 1 Entertainment. Stale Fine Arts 6-7B WordSleuth MB Horoscope WorldNews J-10 13 Circulation 523-4581 12B Classified 523-4561 All-Electric Homes Seen A possible moratorium on natural gas hookups in Las Cruces is going lomeanmany more all-electric homes will be buill in the area, Las Cruces homebuilders said this past week. And although some of Ihe homebuilders are not especially happy to be building all-electric homes, none of the builders interviewed by the Sun-News is too worried about the possibility.

Part of the reason for lack of concern by the homebuilders is because many builders in the area have been preparing for a possible gas moratorium for several years. "We have been building over half of our volume of homes in the lasl year or two as all- electric homes," Robert Gran- die of Grandle-Kiser said. "In a way, we're looking forward to it because we have a couple of years experie He added lhat almost every builder has "with some degree of regularity" built several all- eleclric homes each year. Western Developmenl Co. of Albuquerque recently began a new subdivision of homes in Las Cruces known as Candlelight Knolls.

Carl Conroy, sales manager and vice president of Candlelight Homes, said the company is currently building gas-heated homes in the Las Cruces Enchanted Hills area, but be said the company would "go eleciric if we have to." He said the company is "flexible" enough to go from building gas-heated homes to all-electric homes wilh no problem. The only ilem of concern poinled out by Conroy is Ihe higher price of Ihe homes and higher eleciric costs to operate them. Conroy said Ihe coals for extra insulation and wiring in constructing an all-electric home is $500 to $1,000. He added lhal gas costs are going up so much, Ihey are now almost on an equal basis wilh the high eleciric cosls. Conroy said Ihe all-eleclric homes require aboul 3V 2 inches of insulation as a minimum amount on the walls of a home and six to eight inches in Ihe ceiling.

Grandle said extra insulation is imporlant in all homes built today. ALBUQUERQUE (UPI) Sen. Joseph M. Montoya, D- N.M.,-Saturday blocked his only primary opponent, Rich Sims, from a nomination at the state a i i a convention, with the veteran incumbent capturing 1,451 of a possible 1,526 delegate votes. Sims, who needed al least 306 votes to get a convention nomination, received 51 votes.

There were 13 abstentions. Sims, who said disppointed at the vote, said he would still try to get on the ballot through an alternate procedure allowed by the stale's new Primary Eleclion Law. Under that procedure, Sims would have lo submit additional nominating pelitions lo Hie Secretary of State by April 12. The vote for the U.S. Senate nomination was the first for six major offices to be contested in the June 1 primary.

Sims nominated himself at the convention. His nominating speech was almost inaudible because of an i a i audience and occasional boos. Loud boos greeted his statement lhat two-lhirds of the welfare recipients in New Mexico were ineligible and lhat no additional gun control legislation was needed. "It was very discourteous," Sims said. "You didn'thearany of our people booing them (Montoya supporters)." Sims said he fell he could have won at least 35 per cent of the delegate votes if the voting had been done through secrel ballots.

Only one county, Hidalgo, gave Sims more votes than Montoya. The vote was 5-1 in lhat county's delegation. Sims picked up his largest' number of votes in Bernalillo County wilh 17. Montoya told Ihe delegates the slate Republican organization wasdelerminedlo defeat i although he had been told the GOP. national considered, 1: Senate face in New Mexico a lost cause.

"The thinking back east is that the GOP leadership has given up on New Slexico," Montoya said. "Bul, I will not allow lhat to lead to complacency in my campaigning." Montoya, commenting on the possibility he would meet former astronaut and GOP nominee Harrison Schmitt in the general election, said he considered any Republican opponent, "a formidableone." "The Republicans are Irying lo defeat me, but I am confident you will all help me win again," Montoya told Ihe delegates. In Ihe race for Ihe northern dislricl, former Stale Rep. Hay Garcia, Albuquerque, drew top ballot position by capturing 1,088 votes, 72 per cent of the convention delegation. The other candidate, Albuquerque artist Quinn Mizer, had 525 voles for 28 per cent of the delegates.

Rep. Harold Runnels, D-Lea, was unopposed. State Solar Efforts Aided By Area Bids SANTA FE, N.M. (UPI) A member of a task force attempting lo lure Ihe Solar Energy Research Institute to the state said Saturday other slates' scattered efforts to attract the project are helping New Mexico. "One of the advantages we're having in trying lo locate the project in New Mexico is the multiple voices coming out of Texas, Arizona and other slates," said University of New Mexico College of Engineering Dean William Gross.

"Our slrcngth lies in the fact that we have one voice for the slate's effort to land the project." New Mexico is facing competition from several areas of the nation which want the SERI project. In addition to Texas and Arizona, Florida, California, Coloiado and states on the eastern seaboard would also like lohave Ihe project. Gross said he's not certain which of the other states seeking the project poses the most serious threat at this lime lo New Mexico's efforts. The SERI project will involve research into use of solar power to provide energy. The federal Energy Research and Development Administration will subcontract for the research.

ERDA will announce its decision where lo locale Ihe research cenler Dec. 15. The New Mexico Energy Resources Board Friday approved expendilure of $200,000 in state funds for preparation of the state's proposal lo ERDA lo persuade it to locale the research facilily in Albuquerque. The money is from a $250,000 appropriation by the 1976 legislature. The remaining $50,000 will be kept for contingencies.

Augmenting the state appropriation is $210,000 from donations from private sources. Decision Made? A (UPI) Rep. Manuel Lujan, R- N.M., says he believes new Mexico will bechosen as the site for the proposed Solar Energy Research Institute. Lujan lold a news conference Friday he felt the' Energy Research and Development Adminislralion has already made Ihe decision. The New Mexico Republican said the reason his optimism was.

that the recently-released crileria for the institute's location "clearly indicates" it will be located in Ihe Southwest and New Mexico meels Ihe criteria. He added lhat some extra cosls may be incurred initially because of Ihe extra insulation, bul (he heat loss prevention is valuable. Louis Emerick Sr. of Emerick Homes Builders Inc. said he started building homes in 1951 in Las Cruces and at that time, all Ihe insulalion required was Iwo'inches in the ceiling and none in the walls.

"About 1960, we started using four inches in the ceiling and still none in the walls," he said. "Then in 1965, we began putting two inches in the walls and four inches in Ihe ceiling. Thai's the way il ran until 1970, when we started adding more insulation." Emerick said he is now- putting six inches in the walls and eight to nine inches in the ceiling. Emerick said one of the best solutions for the government to conserve natural gas usage would be lo finance and encourage persons wilh older homes to insulate their existing homes and add storm windows. "Most homes could cut their gas bill in half and maybe more," he said.

"There wouldn't be a shortage of gas if homes in Ihe United Stales were insulated correctly." Emerick predicted one effect of the gas moralorium would be an increase of building "pre- sold" homes and less con- slruction of "speculative" See BUH.DEHS, Page 2 Delegates 104-1 Dona Ana Backs Sosa By CASF.Y CHURCH Sun-News Staff Writer ALBUQUERQUE Incumbent Supreme Court Justice Dan Sosa, formerly of Las Cruces, called his 60 per cenl of Ihe Democratic convention votes a "solid confirmation" of his candidacy. In balloting late Saturday, Sosa gained 910 voles compared lo Judge Harry Slowers, 712. Slowers, of Albuquerque, received 40 per ccnl of the votes. Dona Ana County's delegation supported Sosa almost unanimously. The county's vote was 104 to 1, for Sosa.

Sosa, in a brief speech following the vote tally, cited the court's record on reducing the length of lime Ihe court spends on each case. He said he had gone lo Ihe court in a lime of "stress and turmoil," but said the court is now functioning smoothly. Gabe Anaya, the vice chairman of the Dona Ana County party, said he believes Sosa's support and recognition is stalewide and said he is becoming well known through- outthc state. Meanwhile county party officials predicted debate on the decriminalization of marijuana resolulion. Anaya noted the endorsement by several national candidates for decriminalization.

Early Saturday evening, delegates began consideration of the platform and 17 resolutions. The session was expected lo last late. Two of the resolutions were forwarded to Ihe stale organization by the Dona Ana County organization. One resolulion pushed by Dona Ana County resident Adrian Ogaz, would give first priority in allocation of "all sources of energy" lo a i a i transportation of agricultural products and production of all agricultural chemicals, fertilizers and equipment. The decriminalization of marijuana resolution as drafted by the state platform com- would pertain lo less than one ounce of the drug..