The establishment of a Center for Public Policy at Wilkes College, in cooperation with the American Enterprise Institute for oN Policy Research, has been ‘Fhnounced by Wilkes President Francis J. Michelini. In announcing the establish- ment of the center, President Michelini said it represents a most welcome and valuable addition to the Wilkes College facilities. “I am most certain,” he said, ‘that our students and faculty will derive great benefits from this new inflow of information on many current topics.” The American Enterprise Institute is a publicly sup- ported, non-partisan research and educational organization cate Washington, D.C. It was established in 1943 to assist the nation’s educational leaders by providing factual analyses of important national policy issues: significance are discussed through legislative and special analyses, long-range studies, rational debates, seminars and symposia. AEI also publishes basic handbooks for use in both the nl high school and national intercollegiate debates. Subscribers to AEI publications include the overwhelming majority of the members of the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate, numerous congressional staff experts and key officials in the executive branch. College departments and - faculties, national organizations, leading cor- porations and members of the press also. subscribe to AEI publications. Rational debates bring together outstanding authorities in economics, law, education, journalism and politics, related interest groups and the Loi for an open ex- change of views and opinions on specific issues. Proceedings of rational debates are published in book form and are available on film. ; Recs! rational debates have included: The Modern Corporation and Social Responsibility, with Henry Manne, Kenan professor of law, Department of Political Science at the University of Rochester and Henry Wallich, Seymour H. Knox professor. of economics at Yale University. Civil Disobedience: Aid or Hindrance to Justice?, with Morris I. Leibman, senior partner with Leibman, Williams, Bennett, Baird, and Minnow of Chicago and Dr. William S. Coffin Jr., the chaplain of Yale University. Strategic Sufficiency: Fact of Fiction?, with James L. Buckley, senator from New York, and Paul C. Warnke, former assistant secretary of defense. A JugiPeace in the Mideast: How (an It Be Achieved:, Christopher Mayhew, British member of Parliament; Rabbi Elmer Berger, president, American Jewish Alternatives to Zionism Inc.; Allen Pollack, chairman of the Executive Committee of the American Professors for Peace in the Middle East; and I. L. Kenen, executive vice chairman of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. The Role of Congress in Foreign Policy, Senator John C. Stennis and Senator J. William Fulbright. The Presidency and the Press Conference, Edward Pi Morgan, Washington correspondent for ABC; Max Ways, member of the Board of Editors, FORTUNE magazine; Clark R. Mollenhoff, Washington bureau manager, DES MOINES REGISTER- TRIBUNE: and Peter Lisagor, chief of the Washington bureau of the CHICAGO DAILY NEWS. Can Regulatory Agencies Protect Consumers?, Manuel F. Cohen, former chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission and George J. Stigler, Walgreen professor of University of Chicago. National Health Insurance, Dr. Russell Roth, speaker of the House of Delegates of the American Medical Association and Dr. Frank Furstenberg, chief, Out-Patient Department, Mt. Sinai Hospital, Baltimore, d. Social Security: Universal or Selective?, Milton Friedman, Paul Snowden Russell professor of economics, University of Chicago and Wilbur J. Cohen, dean, School of Education, University of Michigan. Legislative analyses deal with specific legislative proposals = while special analyses concern policy problems not yet the subject of specific congressional bills. Research is conducted by ex- perts, usually from the academic community. Recent analyses include Consumer Product Safety Bills, The War Powers Bill, Soviet Advances in the Middle East, Reap- portionment--Law, Politics, Computers, College Housing: A Critique of the Federal College Housing Loan Program, The Federal Budget for. 1973: A Review and Analysis, Press, Politics and Popular Govern- ment, Fiscal Failure: Lessons of the Sixties, Coverage of Out- of-Hospital Prescription Drugs Under Medicare, Social Security: Universal or Selec- tive?, Defense Implications of International Indeterminacy, Economic Policy and Inflation in the Sixties, The Ad- ministration’s Private Pension Proposals, and Con- stitutionality of the President’s Busing Proposals. AEI‘s academic Advisory Board is composed of Paul W. McCracken, the chairman and Edmund Ezra Day University professor of Business ad- ministration at the University of Michigan; R. H. Coase, professor of economics at the University of Chicago; Milton Friedman, Paul S. Russell Distinguished Service professor of economics at the University of Chicago; Gottfried Haberler, resident scholar with American Enterprise Institute; C. Lowell Harriss, professor of economics at Columbia University; Paul G. Kauper, Henry M. Butzel professor of law at the University of Michigan; George Lenczowski, professor of political science at the University of California, Berkeley; Robert A. Nisbet, professor sociology at the University of California, Riverside; James A. Robinson, president of Macalester College; Joseph T. Sneed, dean of ‘the School of Law, Duke University; George E. Taylor, professor of Far Eastern history and politics at the Far Eastern & Russian Institute, University of Washington. To THE POST, This is to commend you for J. R. Freeman’s most extraordin- arily penetrating column in the Journal, Post, and Eagle of July 27, ‘Cheating Consumers in Gas Country,” concerning El Paso Natural Gas Co.’s flagrant dis- regard of the law and the Su- preme Court. As indicated in the TRB column which appear- ed immediately above your column on the same date, there is much more at stake here than who shall sell natural gas in California and .the Pacific Northwest territory. The basic issue concerns the survival of the democratic process of legislation, law and justice. In this, and in similar cases, government function and policy once vested in the people is being supplanted by naked corporate power. The adminis- tration, while careful to ‘go through the motions of respon- sibility, has actually sponsored two kinds of justice—a permis- sive and cooperative sort for the large corporations and a strict and oppressive sort for the poor, the middle class and small business. As a footnote to your El Paso column I would add develop- ments demonstrating the re- sourcefulness of the corporate oligopoly. Since the federal court’s recent order reaffirm- ing the divestiture decree and approving the purchase of the Pacific Northwest properties from El Paso by Colorado Inter- state Corp., Coastal States Gas Producing Co., another Texas firm, has acquired effective control of Colorado Interstate. Since this too contains over- tones of a possible monopoly sit- uation, the U.S. courts in Den- ver have ordered rehearings. Colorado Interstate may not now be eligible for the pur- chase, and it was the only com- pany deemed suitable for the di- vestiture acquisition. It now appears that through a series of astute corporate maneuvers and funny coincidences that would be difficult if not impos- sible to link to E1 Paso, the prize is up for grabs again. Through a permissive and selective system of justice and enforce- ment, El Paso has succeeded in retaining its monopoly position for about 15 years. It would now appear that it will succeed in re- taining this position forever. Shed a tear for the never- never land. Cordially, TED BROOKS 643 N. Broadview Wichita, Kansas 67201 A memorandum of under- standing between the state of Pennsylvania and the U.S. Small Business Administration to help elderly and needy disas- ter loan applicants has been announced by the SBA. The state will repay part or all of the first $500 of such a low- interest loan for persons who would otherwise not be con- sidered adequate credit risks. Eligible for Vendor payments by the state are persons above the age of 60, pensioners, and those receiving public or medi- cal assistance. Under presi- dentially-declared SBA disaster loan rules, ‘a borrower must repay the first $500 and any amount in excess of $3,000. Up to $2,500 of the loan is forgiven. Funds to support the SBA- state memorandum are being allotted from the $150 million Tropical Storm Agnes relief appropriations approved by the Pennsylvania Legislature in July. SBA disaster loans to repair or replace residential and busi- ness buildings may go up to $50,000 and personal property loans may go up to $10,000. Repayment can be made in as many as 30 years. In the midst of the well- publicized political squabble between Housing Secretary George Romney and Gov. Milton Shapp last week over the housing problem for flood victims in Luzerne County, Gov. Shapp wrote the following letter to the President, published here in full. My dear Mr. President: Now that Secretary Romney has failed to convince the people of Wilkes Barre that they are not doing sufficient to help themselves and: that the Federal Government is doing respectfully request that you come to the Wilkes Barre area personally to talk to the people and view the scene of destruction left by Hurricane Agnes. : It’s one thing to find scape goats and fire 25 HUD employes as Secretary Romney did, and quite another to get a true feeling of what really needs to be done in order to help the people of the Wilkes Barre area restore their lives. Perhaps the employes fired by Mr. Romney were incompetent or maybe they were just overwhelmed by the incredible, number of complicated forms that have to be filled out by flood relief applicants. Perhaps they may not have been properly trained by HUD officials in how to handle their temporary job assignments. In any event the firing of these people is no solution to the real problem. You have to see Wilkes Barre ingston Township The “Orange-Wyoming Road was the scene of an accident Aug. 3, but both drivers escaped injury. Norman James Oley, 18, of Wilkes-Barre, was going north on Orange-Wyoming Road when his truck was hit by a car driven by Lewis D. Moyer, 38, of King- ston. Records showed the Oley vehicle was attempting to make a left ‘turn into Carverton Road when it was struck by the south- bound Moyer automobile.’ Patrolman Cliff Culver, who investigated the mid-afternoon collision, estimated damages at $700. : A of car mishap occurred on Carverton Road Aug. 4 when a car operated by Delores Marie Mynes, 146 Meadowcrest Ave., Trucksville, left the pavement and went over an embankment. Ms. Mynes was uninjured. A passenger, Mary Lou Domner- muth, 18, of Avoca, also escaped injury. 3 The operator told police her car failed to negotiate a slight curve, causing her to lose control and plunging over the bank. Patrolman John J. Appel in- vestigated, with assistance from Dallas Township Patrol- man Elliott Ide. Car damages were listed at $650. LR a ee he EL Dallas Township Two people were injured slightly in a two-car collision Aug. 11 at1:15 p.m. on Route 309 at Main Street, Dallas Town- ship. According to Patrolman Carl Miers, a car operated by William D. Harper, 18, of King- ston, was traveling south on the highway when a vehicle stopped suddenly in front to pick up a hitchhiker. The automobile driven by the Kingston young man stopped in the passing lane because of traffic. A second car, driven by Richard E. Lewis Jr., 45, of 240 Cliffside Ave., Trucks- ville, was unable to come to a halt and hit the stopped car at the rear. Mr. Harper and a passenger, Nellie Yenshuski, 58, of King- ston, stated they would seek their own medical attention. Ms. Yenshuski is the owner of the 1970 Chevrolet sedan which was operated by Harper. Mr. Lewis has heen charged with “following too close.” Damages to both cars were estimated at $1,800. Dallas Community Am- bulance transported two per- sons to Nesbitt Memorial Hos- pital after a one-car mishap on Lake Street, approximately 100 feet south of Circle Drive, College Manor, at 12:15 p.m., Abraham Kurtzer, 63, driver, and Bessey Kurtzer, 60, both of Kingston were treated and re- leased. The investigating officer was reported Mr. Kurtzer pulled out Street. The operator stated his wife called his attention to a house and that after that he did not know what happened. The Kurtzer vehicle, which was damaged an estimated $1,000, knocked down a mail box and hit a pole. Two families escaped injuries in a car-truck accident Sunday afternoon at 6:55 on Lower De- munds Road at Main Street, Ferbrook. Shirley Sesarabas, 34, RD 3, Dallas, was driver of one car and her passenger was David Sesarabas, 3. The other driver was Joseph G. Boback, 30, of 75 Shaver Ave., Shavertown, with passengers Kathleen Boback, 28, and two children, Lisa, 4, Michelle, 2. Police records show the Se- sarabas vehicle was proceeding west on Terrace Street, which is a steep hill intersecting with Lower Demunds Road. Ms. Ses- arabas said her brakes failed the Boback car. Patrolman James Kelly estimated damages at $600. and the entire Wyoming Valley area yourself to believe the extent of the destruction. I am sure too that if you were to come to Wilkes Barre you would want to seek direct answers as to why seven weeks after the flood, whole blocks of this city still looks like the morning after a World War IT bombing raid on a European city. I extend this request to you because you have not visited Pennsylvania’s flooded areas personally except for your brief visit to an evacuation center in Harrisburg on the Sunday in late June when the flood waters crested. You have not per- sonally seen the extent of the " destruction. You have not seen the great spirit and tremendous efforts displayed by our citizens in ‘restore their lives. You have not looked on in disgust at the incredible pile of red tape that has wrapped itself around all attempts by our citizens to get aid - whether it be for emergency housing, for a loan to purchase new furniture, financial help in re-establishing a business or for other necessities. Our people are desperately in need of help...real help. The state has moved forward in a number of areas to extend aid but we are limited by our budget problems, and by our constitution in the amount and types of aid we can furnish. We have already budgeted $150 million of our general fund revenues for flood relief pur- poses. We plan to issue large amounts of bonds for rebuilding purposes. We may have to raise our gasoline taxes to restore our highways. We in Pennsylvania are facing up to our problems and both Republican and Democratic officials in the state are buckling down to do our duties. But we need much more help than we can muster from private, local and from state resources. The new legislation passed by the Congress will help some and it is welcome. But it falls far short of meeting many vital needs of our people. So far the activities of the Federal Government can best be described as throwing a 12 foot rope to a man drowning 20 feet off a dock and then claiming we've gone more than half way and that’s all we can do. Mr. Nixon, we desperately need your help in Pennsylvania to help our people get back on their feet. Again, 1 respectfully urge that you personally come to our state, above all, spend sufficient time in the Wyoming Valley to get the feel of the situation. Talk to the people-talk to the state, local and Federal people about the problems and what help not now “available should be made available. Don’t come if the intent is just to have a press conference, shake a few hands and have pictures taken in front of destroyed homes. The people in our state are too weary of this type of attitude and action on the part of any officials. After our press conference, Secretary Romney spent well over an hour listening to the complaints of the people. Un- fortunately, this experience angered him. I do not know what he will report to you about his findings and I do not know what recommendations he will make regarding improvements of existing programs and im- plementations of new programs to help the people. But I do know that there is a limit to the patience of our people. ; They have been great throughout this whole period. But they can only do so much by themselves and as I have said, our local and state governments are limited in the amount of needed help that can be sup- plied. Mr. President, we need more help in Pennsylvania. As Governor, I am asking you to come see for yourself why we need the fullest assistance from Washington and I sincerely hope you honor this request. Sincerely, MILTON J. SHAPP Governor P.S. Attached is a statement of unemployment for Penn- sylvania which has just come to my attention. After reading it, I am sure you will agree with me that the urgency of the flood problem is deepened even more by the extent of unemployment made clear by these figures. Page 5 by Ralph Nader Washington--A pot-boiling controversy is brewing over the ownership and use of under- developed and agricultural land throughout the country. The cries of land fraud, land dis- possession and the need for land reform are being heard with in- creasing frequency from a wide diversity of groups. Arrayed on one side are small farmers and landowners, con- servationists, elderly retired people, and officials who take their law enforcement duties seriously. The trends that are feeding this struggle over land are : 1. A growing concentration of land ownership, particularly in agricultural areas such as For The below. Record 2. Passed, Aug. 7. Passed, Aug. 7. 103. Passed, Aug. 7. to, Aug. 9. proposed amendment. rejected, Aug. 9. ments to H.R. 16029. Rejected, Aug. 10. agreed to, Aug. 10. agreed to, Aug. 10. " Passed, Aug. 10. California and Florida, by giant agribusiness corporations. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has information on land owner- ship concentration but refuses to make it public. 2. Corporate speculators are buying up large land tracts, and by legal and political man- euvers, are jacking up land prices which increase housing and other development costs. A great deal of secrecy precedes these purchases in many cases, thereby depriving nearby residents from learning what the corporation plans to do that might drastically upset their way of life. International Tele- phone & Telegraph, for example, is quietly buying up tens of thousands of acres in northwest Maine and isn’t saying why. 3. Attention is focusing on the gigantic land holdings of the railroads obtained free from the U.S. Government in the 19th century. A group headed by Senator Fred Harris (D. Okla.) has demanded that Southern SA EP surplus lands, claiming they are not being used for railroad pur- poses as required under the original land grants. Appalachia are studying the notorious broad-form deed used decades ago by corporate lawyers to fleece innocent mountain folk of valuable coal and other minerals on their land. This broad-form deed is still current in these areas. 5. Property tax reformers are documenting their charges that large timber, coal, and oil and gas companies are among those who are ‘vastly underpaying their taxes through politically inspired low assessments. Schools and other services suffer as a result. Small businesses and home owners pay higher taxes as well. 6. Interstate land sales fraud directed at retired people who want to settle in Florida, Arizona, or other retirement centers, are mushrooming. High pressure. tactics and deception have often cost elderly people their entire in- vestments in misrepresented acreage. Federal law enforce- ment agencies are paying too little attention to these abuses. 7. Congress is presently de- liberating a national land use policy to prod the states into establishing planning programs for such major land uses as highways, parks, mass transit systems, airports, utilities, and other large developments. The chief sponsor of this legislation is conservative Senator Henry Jackson (D. Wash.) All this adds up to a recog- nition of just how critical and limited the nation’s land re- sources are becoming, and the potential loss to future generations. It is the present and future duty of all Americans to keep the land ‘from being seriously polluted or contaminated. Our founding fathers re- cognized this in the great decisions they made. The early conservationists in Teddy Roosevelt’s day met the challenges new to that period. It is now time to stop the drive to monopolize and dispoil the land by a few in order to profiteer from the many. Church Members Search for Piano Members of the Seventh Day Adventist Church on Second Avenue, Kingston, believe they could cope better with the flood disaster which struck their church if they could raise their voices in song to the ac- companiment of a tinkling piano. That hope seems a vain one, at least at the present time. The church lost all four of its pianos and its organ to the muddy Susquehanna in June, and Mrs. Avenue, Shavertown, reports that the funds to replace the instruments are just nonexistent. “1, anyone or any organization has a used upright church would certainly ap- preciate having it,” Mrs. Allen says. In addition to the pianos and organ, the church lost virtually all of its other possessions. The going is especially tough because many of the little church’s 150 members suffered extensive flood damage to their own homes--a fact which has made it difficult to accomplish clean-up operations at the church.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers