The La Crosse Tribune from La Crosse, Wisconsin • Page 1

Cribvmr 16 Pages 1972, La Crosse Tribune LA CROSSE, WISCONSIN, FRIDAY, MARCH 3, 1972 Me Senate Kills $34 Million Mini-Budget MADISON. Wis. (AP) The Republican majority in the Wisconsin Senate killed the Democratic state $34 million mini-budget Thursday night, despite a claim by the minority leader that such an action would become a major campaign issue. The upper house voted 22-9 against the much-amended proposal, which had cleared the Democratic-controlled Assembly only 24 hours earlier, as three Democrats joined the GOP in opposition. The fate of the measure was then sealed when the Senate refused on a 21-1 vote to send the matter to a conference committee for a possible compromise.

bill is not perfect, but it is one by which we could do a lot of said Minority Leader Fred Risser, D-Madison. contains homestead tax relief. If you kill the bill, giving the Democrats a beautiful campaign But Majority Leader Ernest Keppler, R- Sheboygan said the prompt disposal of the bill meant $34 million less going to have to raise next The original package offered by Democratic Governor Patrick Lucey proposed that much of the money be returned to local governments in property tax relief, either directly or indirectly. But the Assembly tacked on a number of amendments which Republicans found unacceptable before it passed the measure Wednesday night. are so deeply buried in this bunch of garbage that the Assembly has sent said Sen.

Walter Chilsen, R-Wausau, you can't see the good Senator James Lourigan of Kenosha, one of three Democrats to vote against the bill, agreed with Chilsen. time we really got a load of he said. The other two Democrats voting against the budget were Senators Dale McKenna of Jefferson and Ronald Parys of Milwaukee. Senator Carl Thompson.of Stoughton, said the bill would provide $30 in property tax relief. wish we were voting for $300 he said.

Sen. Arthur Cirilli, R-Superior, said that by not spending the money, the state would in effect be the people what they should direct this money back to the people from whom we took A spokesman for the office said he did not know immediately whether Lucey would call a special session to deal with budgetary issues if the legislature did not pass a budget review measure before scheduled adjournment March 10. MADISON, Wis. (AP) Here is how the Wisconsin Senate voted Thursday when it killed, 22-9, a $34 million budget sought by Gov. Patrick J.

Lucey: Democrats for the bill: Dorman, Frank, Lipscomb, Martin, Peloquin, Risser, Schuele, Thompson, Whittow (9). Democrats against: Lourigan, McKenna, Parys (3). Republicans for: none. Republicans against: Bidwell, Chilsen, Cirilli, Devitt, Heinzen, Hollander, Johnson, Keppler, Knowles, Knutson, Krueger, Lorge, Lotto, Murphy, Roseleip, Soik, Steinhilber, Swan (19). Democrat not voting: Kendziorski (1).

Republican not voting: LaFave (1). IN CONFERENCE Acting Atty. Gen. Richard G. Kleindienst (right) confers with Federal Judge Richard W.

McLaren of Chicago Thursday before testifying at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing. AP Wirephoto. Kleindienst Denies Link To ITT Suit WASHINGTON (AP) Sen Edward M. Kennedy today challenged testimony by acting Atty. Gen Richard G.

Kleindienst that he had no knowledge, until about six months after settlement of antitrust suits against International Telephone Telegraph Corp. of a charge that the settlement was related to a pledge to help underwrite next August's Republican National Convention. Kennedy, a Massachusetts Democrat, raised the issue as the Senate Judiciary Committee went into a second day of hearings of its investigation into the handling of the antitrust cases against the giant conglomerate and the out-of-court settlement made by the Justice Department last July. Kleindienst, deputy attorney general for the last three years, has been nominated by President Nixon to succeed John N. Mitchell as attorney general Kleindienst testified Thursday and reiterated today that he had no knowledge of a commitment by the Sheraton Hotel subsidiary of ITT to ip defray costs of the GOP convention next Augjst until the commitment became public through the press in late November or early December of last year.

Judge Richard McLaren of Chicago, former head of the Justice Department's antitrust division, also testified that he first learned of the reported commitment of up to $400,000 when the story broke in the newspapers. Kleindienst on Thursday denounced as completely false a to a missing woman the antitrust settlement to the convention commitment. The memo, attributed by columnist Jack Anderson to Mrs. Dita D. Beard, Washington lobbyist for ITT, is a key document in the investigation the committee is undertaking.

Kennedy read from a letter that he said had been written to Kleindienst last Sept. 21 by Reuben Robertson, one of consumer advocate Ralph Nader's associates, about the settlement of the ITT case. Kennedy said it asked who made the settlement, if Kleindienst had any contact about it with Rep. Bob Wilson, and if it was related to reported financial support of the GOP convention in San Diego. On Sept.

22. the next day, Kennedy said, Judge McLaren replied by letter stating that the antitrust division had worked out the settlement, that Kleindienst had had no contact with Wilson, and that there was no relationshiD whatever between the settlement and the ITT reported financial help for-the convention. Kennedy asked Kleindienst how McLaren could have given these assurances to Robertson talking to Kleindienst replied that he had no recollection of receiving the letter or discussing it with McLaren, but he added letter indicated that the antitrust chief had called him about it. I recall the Kleindienst testified. McLaren said that from the context of the letter he must have asked Kleindienst whether he had had any contact with Wilson, a congressman who represents the San Diego district and who is chairman of the House Republican Campaign Committee.

The Chicago judge said he could not have answered that question of Robertson's without having asked Kleindienst about it. McLaren said that from his own knowledge, I made the settlement and negotiated he was able to answer the other questions asked in letter. Kleindienst said that he assumed, as a matter of routine, the letter to him from Robertson was routed to the antitrust division. doesn't seem too routine to Kennedy said. should see the mail I get, Kleindienst told him.

Earlier, Republican Leader Hugh Scott of Pennsylvania, a committee member, had opened the hearing by saying that he felt Kleindienst had given candid and adequate to the charges linking settlement of the ITT cases to the financial contribution to the Republican convention. The Senate is still to act on nomination to succeed Mitchell. The committee has approved the nomination, but called for testimony about the ITT case at request. Unemployment Rate Is Down In February By NEIL GILBRIDE AP Labor Writer (AP) The unemployment rate ped in February, and average earnings kept well 'ad of the rise in living costs, government reported today he jobless rate declined 5.9 to 5.7 per cent of the rk force, said the Bureau of Statistics. also said average weekly nings of some 45 million and file half the nation's employ- nt 35 cents per to $130.27 because of the in the length of the work he report said this resented an earnings gain of or 6.2 per cent over the it year.

The 3.4 per cent rise consumer prices over the same period left workers with a net wage gain of $3.24 per week. The actual number of unemployed persons last month remained unchanged at 5.4 million, but after seasonal adjustment for the usual February rise in joblessness, the bureau figured it as a decline. Total employment increased slightly from 79.1 million to 79.3 million, but was unchanged on a seasonally adjusted basis at 80.6 million, the report said. A gain in service jobs was partly offset by a decline in construction work. The length of the average work week rose 12 minutes to 37.2 hours.

In manufacturing, the work week increased 24 minutes to 40.4 hours, highest in more than two years, the bu- Look inside Hotel, Motel Room Tax Unemployment Problem Columnist Ray Cromley says President Nixon is attacking unemployment ills based on outdated information. 4. Central Cager Honored Mike Balfany, 5-11 Central High School senior, is unanimous Big Rivers first team selection. 10. Butz On Food Prices Consumers are getting food bargains despite of farm prices, says Agriculture Secretary Earl L.

Butz. 3. Legislators Avoiding Issues? State lawmakers avoiding controversial issues by voting both for and against proposals, other lawmakers claim. 16. Where to find it Is Rejected By Committee Editorials ................4 News .............8 Stock Markets 5 Tri-State, Local ..............9 Comics 6 Sports 10-12 TV 7 Classified 13-15 Ann 7 Crossword 16 ...........7 Get Tenants For Plaza, City Told reau said.

Unemployment among men dipped from 4.2 to 4 per cent for a total of 2.4 million. The jobless rate for women showed the biggest decline, from 5.5 to per cent with a total of 1.5 million. The rate for teen-agers rose from 17.8 to 18.8 per cent with a total of 1.3 million, the report said. The jobless rate for white workers dipped from 5.3 to 5.1 per cent with a total of 4.3 million. The rate for other mostly down slightly from 10.6 to 10.5 per cent with a total of a little over one million, the bureau said.

The rate for white-collar workers declined from 3.6 to 3.3 per cent. This was mainly a result of a reduction in joblessness among professional and See REPORT P. 2 By DONALD W. AFFOLTER Tribune Staff Writer Two Chicago developers advise that the La Crosse Redevelopment Authority get one or two tenants for Harborview Plaza on its own and then seek a developer. Charles Parrott, the executive director, said Friday.

The developers, Bernard Arkules, who is developing the North Chicago Urban Renewal Project, and John L. Huntington, an industrial-commercial realtor, also called Harborview area extremely fine Parrott added. Asked if Arkules and Huntington, who met with Parrott for nine hours Thursday and Mayor W. Peter Gilbertson for two hours, are interested in developing Harborview themselves, Parrott replied: that kind of He said he invited the two Chicago developers here, not to discuss their developing Harborview, but to discuss and to development. Parrott Friday morning said that possibly a combination of local and non-local corporations could work with a man like Huntington to put a project together in Harborview.

would be delighted to have local said Parrott. He quoted Arkules and Huntington as advising the authority not to wait for a developer to do it all, but to get a major tenant first. you could pick your own the Chicagoans said, according to Parrott. The developers also recommended that the authority get a local combination of persons to finance a convention hotel and then approach a major hotel chain to design and operate it in the chain's name, said Parrott. is farther from the responsibility that we thought we said Parrott.

up to the authority board to determine how far we want to go in this direction. may be Parrott said Arkules and Huntington suggested that this is a way to get the project moving. The authority early last year had selected Ogden Development Chicago, as a developer and were negotiating with the firm when it withdrew last fall. The firm, not since heard from even though the authority asked it to reconsider its withdrawal, cites the political the council at the time was challenging a raise for Parrott as its reason. Some observers, however, feel Ogden has other reasons.

Arkules and Huntington also called residential development and a convention hotel a for the area since it is near a scenic park (Riverside) and the Mississippi River, said Parrott. After hotel and motel operators protested that a 3 per cent room tax, proposed by Alderman Thomas Roellich (12th Ward), would mean a loss of business, the Common Council Judiciary Committee voted 4-1 to reject the proposal. Only Alderman Kenneth Niedbalski (17th Ward) favored the tax, saying that the tavern industry be the only one to get extra taxes. Noting that Madison motels and hotels lost 14.3 per cent of their business after that city adopted a room tax, Thomas Woulfe, president of the La Crosse Hotel-Motel Association, estimated that the economic loss for La Crosse, including the lost room rentals, would be $109,000. (the room tax) will do us far more harm than it will do us he said.

He and John Elliott, president- manager of the Hotel Stoddard, said in-city motels and hotels with a room tax would lose business to out-of-city motels and hotels without such a tax Woulfe noted that his motel, the Bluff View, and three others are within the city but are further from Downtown La Crosse than four others which are in Town of Shelby. Jim A. Evanoff, manager of the Holiday Inn, predicted a loss of business with a room tax, while Fraser Ryan, manager of the Midway Motor Lodge, nearing completion on the North Side, said the tax would unjust and to Midway. Gerald Heberlein, operator of the Cerise Club and spokesman for the La Crosse Area Restaurant Association, called the tax step in the wrong Roellich, who last fall unsuccessfully proposed the room tax, told judiciary committeemen he would speak on the question Monday night at the council committee-of-the-whole meeting. Alderman Merlin Bauer (16th Ward) said La impose a tax on service-type industries, which he called these industries La The city, said Alderman Harold (Deak) Swanson (20th Ward) should get tax revenues from industry and development in the Hauser Farm and Harborview Plaza, not from a new tax.

Senate Passes Housing Bill ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) A suggestion that the state legislature set its own size and leave drawing of districts to the courts has been offered as a Corporate Farm Bill Dead. Maybe MADISON. Wis.

(AP)-The Wisconsin Senate may have laid to rest for the session today a bill to restrict corporate farming. But nobody appeared certain. On a 20-8 vote, the Senate killed the bill. But opponents could not be blamed if they were skeptical about the finality of the action. In the last four days the Senate has twice voted to kill the bill, twice voted to reconsider the decisions and twice refused to reject the measure.

The bill would prohibit acquisition of agricultural land by corporations of 15 persons or more. Most corporate farm operations, however, were exempted from the bills provisions. means of settling reapportionment problem. State Sen. Jack Davies, Minneapolis, made the suggestion Thursday and it was immediately endorsed by Senate DFL Leader Nicholas Coleman, St.

Paul. Davies said Gov. Wendell Anderson could call a special session, at which lawmakers would set the size of the legislature but do nothing about drawing specific districts. Once the size was determined. he said, the courts could draw new districts to fit within it.

The plan would make the size a state policy and eliminate the need for appealing a court-ordered size reduction to the U.S. Supreme Court, he said. The court-ordered reapportionment is under appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court by some state senators who contend the three federal judges had no power to change the size of the legislature. The court plan has 140 members, as opposed to the present 202.

Davies suggested a reduction, but did not specify what size he preferred. Boy, 6, Saved From 2 7-Ft. Hole EL MONTE, Calif. (AP)-A rescue worker carried 6-year- old Anthony Bernardino to safety early today after the boy had spent almost seven hours tightly wedged 27 feet down a narrow hole. The dirt-caked and pale youngster said, Mommy, hi to his parents before being taken by helicopter to a medical center for observation.

He was reported in good condition. the boy added in reference to his 8- year-old brother. The two were flying kites Thursday afternoon when Anthony tumbled into the hole on a road construction project in this Los Angeles suburb. Rescue workers, newsmen and hundreds of onlookers cheered when the tiny boy was carried from a rescue shaft at 12:08 a.m. never thought they get his mother Sandra said.

just wondered how long it was going to At times rescue workers could hear the boy crying, then laughing hysterically. Jim Bernardino, the father, said, really happy. They (rescue workers) really did a good Hospital attendants said the youngster apparently suffered no serious injuries. As workers sank a 30-foot rescue shaft adjacent to the hole in which Anthony was trapped. Dr.

William Baker of El Monte talked with him through a stethoscope extended on plastic tubing. Oxygen was pumped to within inches of face. At one point, authorities said, Anthony, apparently became impatient and said he would dig himself out if workers hurry. Attempts to lower volunteers, including a 4-foot jockey, into the hole to Anthony proved unsuccessful. One volunteer was able to touch the boy but couldn't pry him loose because he was too tightly wedged.

The boy fell backwards into the opening, landing with one foot down and the other up. His head was jammed against the knee of the upright leg. The boy was pulled to safety after workers drilled the rescue shaft abcut eight feet from the hole in which he was trapped. Then they dug under the hole. Anthony dropped into the arms of workman Frank Dill, who handed him up to a deputy.

Anthony tumbled into the hole at about 5:20 p.m. A er at the site said he saw the youth fall and rescue efforts began immediately. Huge bits ripped into the sandy soil as other rescue workers rigged a crane over the hole. At nightfall the area was flooded with lights from several portable generating plants. Officials said the hole was one of several being drilled for concrete bridge pilings.

Anthony Bernardino, 5, Rescued From Construction Site Hole From Stretcher To Helicopter At El Monte, Calif..