Big Spring Herald (Newspaper) - July 14, 1974, Big Spring, Texas BIG SPRING HERALD Price Vol 47 No 35 Big Spring Texas Sunday July 14 1974 58 Pages 8 Sections Price COSTS UP 50 PER CENT IN SOME PLACES Soaring Power Bills Shocking Texans By The Associated Press Consumer electricity bills in most Texas cities have increased substantially in recent months and skyrocketed dramatically in some places a statewide Associated Press survey reveals Hardest hit are San Antonio Austin Corpus Christi and the Rio Grande Valley where residential consumer bills jumped 50 per ceM or more in some cases While Houston and Lubbock have fared better than most neither has much to gloat about for long The reasons soaring fuel costs a lingering heat wave inflation and lesser ills LOTS OF GRUMBLING Consumer grumbling is widespread and has reached the howling stage in cities entangled in the South Texas fuel Antonio Austin Corpus Christi and others Actually theres good news and bad news but the good is relative and the bad quite likely will get worse First the good news to the most recent Federal Power Commission figures residents of 36 states pay more for electricity than Texans Householders in cities such as New York Philadelphia and Baltimore may pay twice as much or more spend an average of two to three per cent of their disposable income on electricity and utility spokesmen say it is still a good bargain costs must eventually level off utility experts agree but none can or will when The bad news utility companies held the line for years in raising their basic rates but a combination of factors compelled new increases some currently pending More are coming shortage of popular fuel supplies has forced some companies to build new power plants that use a different kind of fuel They must borrow money The tight money market and lofty interest rates make borrowed finances expensive and some of the cost must eventually filter down to the consumer for whatever reasons companies are forced to switch from natural gas to diesel fuel it is estimated that the cost would be between four and six times higher Virtually every company is authorized to pass such increased fuel costs directly to the consumers it affluence or hot spells more people are using more electricity so even without fuel adjustment addon charges and basic rate hikes their bills would be higher REALLY HURTING Nowhere in Texas has the problem been more acute than San Antonio which like Corpus Austin and the lower Rio Grande VaHey is supplied by Gathering Co a subsidiary of Coastal States Gas Corp numerous times has been unable to supply San Antonios utility with its total daily requirement of natural gas for the manufacture of electricity A state grand jury now is studying energy problems prompted by residential utility bills which in some cases doubled and tripled in June over the previous month Ironically in June 1973 San Antonio residents paid about the lowest electricity bills in the state It cost a householder for 1000 kilowatt hours and the average resident used 910 kwh that month The average San Antonio usage in June this year was 1080 kwh and the cost per 1000 kwh was Rate analysts said the huge jumps in June billings were 75 per cent attributable to increased usage over the previous month rather than hikes in the basic rate or increased fuel adjustment costs Central Power Light Co of Corpus Christi which also electricity to the Valley noted that it has not increased the basic rate but that higher fuel costs have increased consumer bills considerably which also supplies electricity to the Valley noted residential customers from in June 1973 to in June 1974 The average usage was 607 kwh last month UP SLIGHTLY Houston residents paid Houston Lighting and Power Co for kwh in June 1973 lowest of the survey cities and this was up to just last month Householders have lower costs from the huge industrial base in Houston but theres still a catch The average residential last month was 1556 kwh highest in the survey and nearly three times that of El Paso and twice as much as most other cities Is a table showing actual customer costs of for of 1973 and 1974 The figures include taxes and fuel adjustment costs Since most residential customers use between 500 and 1000 kilowatt of electricity per month costs for both these amounts are Included For 1000 Kilowatt Hours City Abilene Corpus Christi Houston El Paso San Antonio Fort Worth Austin J2 24 Waco Dallas Amarillo Tyler Irving 12442 Richardson Rio Gronde Valley fvr Kilowatt City n Abilene 51507 Corpus Christi SM 51 Houston El Paso San Antonio sil w Fort Worth Austin Lufkin Woco Dallas Amarillo 09 Tyler Irving Richardson Rio SI 605 Change In Campaign Laws Are Ahead Is Proposed By Committee i Wl CRAZY JIM This is the former James L Groh who this week had his name changed legally to Crazy Jim The Milwaukee used car dealer and demolition derby promoter says he will get his name on the ballot for gover nor of Wisconsin in November Tlie picture was taken in 1973 Release Of 14 Inmates May Help Cons Cause Reviewing the Big Spring Week with Joe Pickle The City of Big Spring and the Chamber of Commerce signed a contract last week by which the city will funnel around a year into economic development and industrial recruitment The Chamber reshuffled its table of organization so that Ron Mercer executive vice president wiU spend the bulk of his time in seeking industry Teny Hanson was named as staff assistant to devote the bulk of his time to the regular Chamber program Ceremonies will mark the change in command at Webb AFB Friday morning Col Robert G Liotta who is going to Randolph AFB will turn over the Training Wing to Col Robert A Owens Pleadings in the contest of Peggy Crittenden versus M Fern Cox for the Democratic nomination as district clerk took a new turn last week Mrs attorney contended that an absentee vote which the district court ruling held had tied the vote actually had been counted twice At the rate things are going the election could be Conl Pg 2A Col 4 Life Savings Wont Mans Rent Pay SAN FRANSICO AP Nathaniel Irons has a of But San Francisco Redevelopment Agency says he owes the agency for three years back rent at the Sunshine Hotel This he a letter from an Oakland law firm saying he must pay the back rent within 48 hours or face possible legal action Irons was one of the poor tenants the agency had unsuccessfully to evict from rundown in Bucna redevelopment area south of Market Street lions said the agency never asked him for payment since it control of the hotels three years ago Agency officials said they never asked for rent after sanding the original eviction notices because advised them to avoid contact with tenants Hut earlier this year the agency its bills to a collection agency i WASHINGTON AP Fed eral authorities held out hope Saturday for a bloodless way out of an armed impasse with two convicts trying to barter their freedom for the safety of seven hostages George K McKinney chief US marshal for the District of Columbia and one of those negotiating with the convicts said he hopes the entire situ ation can be resolved without bloodshed He told reporters progress is being made and said he felt the convicts decision to release 14 inmates caught in the court house cellblock when the take over occurred Thursday after noon would be helpful in the talks A fifteenth inmate and the only woman Almeda Washing ton elected to stay on in the barricaded cellblock apparent ly to keep the one female hos tage company The temporary detention cen ter is in the basement of US District Court building famous for its Watergate hearings and trials The 14 male inmates were allowed out of the building for transfer to other jails early Sat in what the Justice De said was an effort by the convicts to show good faith Some of the 14 had told rela tives they rejected an invitation to join in the escape attempt and several said they feared for their lives if either side in the standoff made an overt Im not interested in any sort of bloodshed McKinney said I dont want any harm to come to the depu ties the other hostages or Mr Gorham and Mr Jones Frank Gornam 25 and Rot ert Jones 24 took control of the cellblock with the help of a concealed handgun Thursday and demanded safe plane pas sage out of the country BOSTON AP New Eng land seamen for the past 10 years by fleets of for eign trawlers are delighted with the prospect of a limit that would protect their traditional fishing grounds Domestic fishermen who work the North Atlan tic have been all but driven off the seas by scores of Russians Poles and other newcomers The intense fishing has made one species all but extinct and vastly amount of several others Last week the Stales announced at the Law of the Seas Conference in Venezuela it would agree to recognize the right of coastal nations to con trol fishing in the waters 200 miles off their coasts Were delighted with this said Octavio Modesto head of the Seafood Producers Associ ation of New Bedford If people take fish in discriminately tins resource will go to hell and thats the way its been going for several years We want to be able to man age what rightly belongs to us Modesto said On the West Coast the pro posed limit is opposed by tuna fishermen who depend on being able to catch the mi fish close to the coast of Latin America But in New England where fishing has been a way of life since colonial times the limit is welcomed as the industrys sal vation Without this we wont have a fishing industry Thats the way it is said Jack Donegan president of the Seafood Work ers Union in Boston In Boston the fishing fleet has shrunk from 64 boats in 1962 to 30 now And many of the vessels that are left are small rusty and dilapidated no match for the modern govern trawlers and fac tory ships used by foreigners WASHINGTON AP The Senate Watergate committee which first riveted national at tention to the scandals that have led to preliminary im proceedings against President Nixon proposed Sat the most sweeping over haul of campaign laws in American history The final report of the seven man panel published in three volumes of 2217 pages was shorn of conclusions of individ ual guilt or innocence But in its unanimous report the committee said nation needs an election commission WITH PARADE JUDGES Music In Harmony to supervise federal campaigns and a permanent public prose cutor to enforce political laws free from tbe interference of the executive branch It said the public financing of campaigns is not needed to as sure tiM ending of financing abuses MINUTE DETAIL O ac STANTON The soreheads most have all stayed home in Stanton Saturday because everybody appeared to have a great timeat the An Old Settlers Day Reunion The old slogan of 2000 Friendly People and a Few Old Soreheads drew Stanton national notoriety at one time The city turned out en masse for a 10 am parade Saturday which included some of the old timers on horseback others in antique cars or buggies with the high school band leading the event Parade participation was highest in many years and Stanton Music Club won first for the best float Preceptor Laureate Alpha of the Beta Sigma Phi won second and the Martin County Historical Society placed third John Frank Sonny Lewis and his Indian group from Pecos won first in the mounted division with the Martin County Sheriffs Posse second and the Kelly Family third In walking groups the girls baton twirlers were winners with the summer band second and the Youth Center band third In costumes out of town judges picked the winners from the crowd Three prizes were given in the division where competition was the stiffest with Jendo Turner winning first Mace Durham second and Connie Nance third George Walker won the mens division Tommy Atchison the boys and Hope Rhodes the girls The much talked about mystery rider turned out to be Terry Franklin local gasoline distributor A prize was presented at the barbecue for the one guessing the mystery However sev eral guessed right and one name was drawn out of a hat Children drained the lemonade barrel outside Hie reunion headquarters and people registered inside and visited Sales of color reproductions of a painting fay Robert Hughes of the old Martin County Courthouse were brisk as nostalgia crowded in among the oldtimers as they looked over the site of the new courthouse now under construction Bicentennial plates were also sold and a large crowd attended ceremonies in midafternoon at the old J E ranch home which was marked with a historical medallion To some it is known as the Midnight Cowboy house The Stanton Study Club headed by Mrs J Alex Haggard held a reception on the patio The barbecue and the awarding of the prizes was held Saturday night There were also sack races and other games for the children Tickets for the barbeque were free to oldtimers who traveled at least 100 miles for the event It was one of the most successful reunions in many years with large at all events AP SENTENCED TO DEATH Dissident poet Kim Chi na 33 is one of seven persons who were ed to death Saturday by a special military tribunal nn charges of plotting to over throw the Korean government The seven brings to 14 the number of persons given death penal ties in connection with the plot Kim was accused of giving to an under ground student group to help finance its alleged plot Tve Put It All Together HOT SPRINGS Ark AP Even though her personal life h s often been jarringly public sometimes laced with prob knis the decade since Donna Axum relinquished the Miss America title has apparently been a benevolent one to her i think Ive finally put it all together said Arkansas only Miss America in an interview miring the Miss Arkansas Pag eant At 32 the beauty formerly of Kl Dorado who is presently di her second husband Texas politician Gus former speaker of the Texas House said shes on the verge of personal freedom and look ing for fulfillment of some of my potential and talents Im more mature and more confident now in the fact that I really know who 1 am and what I want to do she said Coming back to Hot Springs II years after she began her climb to the top of the beauty pageant circuit was a nostalgic trip for the darkhaired woman with a masters Degree and ah easy charm AP FORMER BEAUTY QUEEN Former Miss America Don na Axum said in Hot Springs Saturday the prob lems she has experienced have come as a direct result of being Miss America She former El Dorado Ark res ident 1 taft me moA complete report to date on the coverup and united of fraud and abuse of official i mat now carry the colj name of Watergate J evidence in the report comprises much of the data now being considered by the House Judiciary Committee which to toon to vote on er to report ft of impeach ment to the Adi House of Rep mental vw The Senate de to avoid any conclusions mat migit Hie impeach ment proceedings or the out come of tbe various Watergate trials It must be stressed that this committees hearings were not conducted and mis report not prepared to determine the le gal guilt or innocence of any person or whether the dent should be impeached the panel said The final report eliminated all conclusions that had been contained in draft reports which earlier were leaked to the press Instead it concentrates on the minute recitation of Watergate evidence and the tions for new laws its says are needed to help prevent future Watergates The Watergate affair re flects an alarming indifference displayed by some in high pub lic office or position to concepts of morality and public responsi and trust the report said The INSIDE News Amusements Comics JJA Crossword Sect C Editorials Kerens Bridge JA fiB sA Sports 1 2 3 Want 7 8 Ml Womens News Sect C TV Tab sect C Portly Cloudy Weather continues lo be partly cloudy today Monday with 21 per cent chance High to mid Ms Winds the ESE at It 21 mites per hour day
