Fitchburg Sentinel (Newspaper) - July 10, 1973, Fitchburg, Massachusetts 1838 Vol CXXXIV f TUESDAY JULY 15 CENTS x Wafting For Dollar Tax Rate Reduction Seen By DOUG 1 Acting Mayor Allen J HamOton said today that a doBar or mere may be cut from Uw tax rate of 1171 UN City is in August to JUS If the rate wen set we might cut the rate U centa or But by waiting can to receive additional state revenue that will help effect a greater gained bout 11.5 million In new during that will be thli year That amount represents abut IS cents in possible tax rate reductions he said Impending on the number of night thU year mount of state In approving the overall fiscal 1174 budget rejected formula revisions under which aid for schools and school transportation and construction would been cut They budget to about million property demolished last year city bis a total tax base of Just over million of II cent to IS cent tax reduction estimate based on the total 11 month budget for budget requested by department heads totaled Mayor CirMon E Blackwell cut that to The City Council after a number of study sessions lowered the overall allowed million in the budget to be distributed to cities and towns across the Com- in addition to estimates of aid mailed to communities in May far News Fitchburg is expecting to leam of how much more it will receive within two weeks According to the Board of received about less in state estimates than was expected when the Cherry Sheet figures wire announced The city of Lowell brought estimates of tax reductions for this year have called for reductions of as much as 14 en the rate Dancing High And Easy a bauet a Kim n a pile to City Park AP Crop Subsidies To Hike Prices court action swung to nave hinds reinstated that wen deleted by use of illegal legislative action on the budget may have reduced the for that court action Hamilton said he plans to meet today with assessors and City Auditor Norman J to picture in tbt said is hoping for an estimate of state revenue expected through the addition of funds to the budget Based oh a formula callini for Jl on the tax rate for every spent the in state aid if that much Is sent to Fitchburg could mean a savings through a tax rate cut of more than In a related matter Daniel J chairman of the board of assessors said the AP TDe House was ready today for a battle over a that would plow new ground for America's farmers and eventually could have its sharpest impact on consumers and taxpayers wen over farmers and new limits on government payments to large-scale growers provisions were in a four-year farm program and food stamp The Nixon administration has attacked heart of the level of guaranteed income for farmers a so-called target price system of supports for the three basic crops of cotton wheat and feed grain such as com Under the target price con- Probe Ended By Police of two mei allegedly shot bod dead ef retailed te Us room aid ant respective at UmseU M Si algal has stale detectives said teday Uw district attorney's were Otis came acre te assist it ef Ike heal la the aid P vesttgatiM 4 a nemer kave Dr M Silver aid medical said It was Merrill's a case aid mm aid iktU IMA t k r 1 1 e d Merrill On 7 crop subsidies that run a year would eliminated as long as rent relationships between farm prices and crop production costs continue In effect if prices stay high there would be no government payment to irmers A controversial feature ex to Be attacked through i proposed amendment provides that target prices for the fina three years of the four-year would be adjusted annually to reflect the cost of farm tion and changes in yields of these crops Under the House committee's version the Agriculture De- estimated the cost ol programs at billion or the current fiscal year ing to between billion ant 17.4 billion during fiscal 1971 But a congressional researcher put the level at between jillion and 1.8 billion a year A section on food stamps also prompted controversy from some who contended it tighter restrictions on and from others who to seek an amendment hat would ban food stamps for strikers All sides agreed that the was Important for the taxpayer and consumer with backers claiming it was aimed at producing adequate supplies of food for consumers at a time of national concern over foot prices Opponents contended i retained the worst of past grams and would create an ex pensive system in the future Food Costs Heading Upwards ATLANTA AP The ure of food production to keep race with consumer demand leaves hope that food prices will drop or even remain X doubled the domestic now stable in the near future the director of the Cost of Living Council says even Dr John T Dunlop said at a news conference Monday In the first six months this year the amount of food in the U.S was less than that produced in the first half last that in the face of greater demand Dunlop was in Atlanta to hear suggestions from men on what course of action President Nixon should take when the present price freeze ends in mid-August He said the next phase Phase 4 probably will place strong controls on food prices but he refused to rule out price increases It's a matter of how much and over what period of he said Dunlop said he could not port a blanket regulation the increase of food prices Controls are a two-headed sword Dunlop said They hold down prices but they also threaten supplies There is no choice but to allow price boosts on some Soviet Wheat Sales Scored WASHINGTON AP Last year's massive sale of U.S wheat to the Soviet Union of the grain and caused U.S food prices to rite according to a report to Congress the The flee r wheat sale increased prices for dura In the department member John Melcher D Mont who requested the stud Rep Pierre S du Pont R Del who also asked for the port called it damning an I'm by the lax fty and to be normal operating tL bread and other products and beef pork poultry eggs and dairy because it caused higher feed grain costs Congress should consider re- quiring that agencies develop definitive ground rules so that expected benefits from exports can be appropriately weighed against their impact on various segments of the domestic omy the GAO report said The domestic wheat price jumped from about 1.68 a bushel in July 1972 to W in May 1973 because of the Russian sale the GAO said The sale also severely dis- transportation facilities creating higher costs shortages and delays The report also chided the administration for paying 300 million in export subsidies though GAO believes many of these sales would have been made even with reduced sub- The GAO study nailed down some of the abuses of the De- of- dling of the affair that cost U.S taxpayers and said House Agriculture Committee The GAO also said the Ag culture Department failed provide timely information crop conditions to farmers allow them to make decisions Shortage In Power Avoided By DICK residents sweltered under a two-year high 95 and it it wasn't for the o 1 u n t a r y co-operation ol consumers power shutdowns would have been ordered by the as and Company The temperature reached its gh for the day around 3 p.m by two degrees over he hottest day of last year uly 20 The low for Monday as recorded at 72 at 8 Monday's temperature wen me over the high fo unday and six over the 8 registered on Saturday factor of 60 per cen Monday added to the problem Tread Cooler weather along wit ess humidity and the f showers tonight and earl iring temperatures down more normal levels over th next few days James Pettingell of the Fitch burg Gas and Electri Company said that power wa full blast Monday forcin he company to go on the a and seek co-operation from and customers Pettingell said the compan asked customers to cut back o their usage possible He said the respon and co-operation was e He said that because yesterday's heavy demands w were a step away from cuttin back on some circuits for minutes The company is following script written for all pow WASHINGTON AP Atty Gen John N chell took the Watergate ess stand today to investigating senators that was aware of some aspects the wiretap cover-up lour ays after the burglary at headquarters At the outset Mitchell's at- rney William J Hundley registered his client's formal lection to testifying n protect our legal position undley asked that it be stated the record that Mitchell waa der subpoena and would be ble to contempt charges If he to testify This was done because ell is under indictment in the Co m o n w eal t attempting SHORTAGE Page J Jew York in a campaign ising case He has pleaded in- WASHINGTON AP er Atty Gen John N hell disputing the sworn ony of e former aide told Senate Watergate jday that he rejected the plan or wiretapping of Democratic Mitchell said he did not see ow Jeb Stuart Magruder could ave misunderstood his ons to drop the plan If there is a problem here It's problem of misunderstanding r a contravention of my ers Mitchell told the tele- vised Senate inquiry Mitchell flatly denied that ht ad as Magruder testified er approved what became Uw Watergate wiretapping at meeting in Key Biscayne on March 30 1972 He said the plan wss there by Magruder and described his reaction this We don't need this I'm hearing about it Out not discuss it any Was it as clear as asked committee counsel uel Dash In my recollection it was just as clear as Mitchell rolled Could Mr have in any way mistaken what your position I would hope not Mitchell said that when Wa- tergate G Gordon Liddy first broached the plant for 1972 political espionage It was a complete horror story that Involved wiretaps call girls and code names WATERGATE Page J N E Power Hit By Heat By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Cooler temperatures and er humidity promised relief for New Englanders today from temperatures that caused power reductions throughout the region Monday A combination of mechanical failures scheduled nance of equipment hot sticky weather and a high demand for electricity forced the New land Power Exchange PEX to cut voltage by S per cent around 11 During the reduction Monday borrowed power from New Brunswick Canada and from the New York Power Pool which also had to reduce voltage by 5 per cent in the Connolly and southeastern New and New York City A per cent voltage tion means all electrical ances are 5 per cent less Connolly of Boston Edison a spokesman for said the average con- sumer rarely notices a I per cent reduction Full voltage was restored er in the day Connolly said 14 electrical generator units were off line reducing the amount of power available to the region's ties by 26 per cent We had no area that was completely without power During the reduction PEX broadcast an appeal ing customers to avoid sary use of electricity The peal was withdrawn at p.m Connolly credited consumer cooperation with a levelling of power use during the after- noon peak hours Scheduled maintenance of the Maine Yankee atomic plant in Wiscasset and the Public ice Bow plant in Hampshire plus mechanical problems in Connecticut's dam Neck plants added power shortages and Waterford to region Hardy Horsewoman Hurt A woman was Injured while riding a horse In a wooded area in the rear of Mi Mt Elam Road at today W Chestnut St was taken to Burbank Hospital in the municipal ambulance under the supervision of Lt Emanuel A hospital spokesman said the woman received Injuries to her wrist and leg and x-rays will be taken U and Donald L Fregeau the ambulance crew walked of a Into the woods They assisted the woman In walking out to the ambulance The entrance was a cart path road Officials said the horse hit a soft spot near a ditch and both rolled down about five the horse landing on top ef t h e woman She was riding with another party on the inside FORD'S ATTEMPT FOK ACTION on sign petition by City Council U SPECIAL SPEECH GRANT by school system Sw LOOKING AT THK PRESIDENTIAL the Watergate Congressman Drinan and Mayor firm on their Democratic 1 HELL NO WE WON'T GO First in a on trials of Vietnam War draft and totir future Sn Page M II mortal 4 U U Pages Shortage Probe Set Cheer taster fi kt as was M k UMen was bsU ki light a saader far a wH get 1 year far years AP TUB The Living Council says It wlU conduct a thorough audit of the oil Industry as part of the price freeae monitoring program It was reported day The council's Special Freeze Group will initiate a Ing program to spot check and determine if there is com- as as the price is concerned and also to check supplies an unnamed iff Win w tlM n as saying In of the Dallas Morning News The audit will cover ations from oil well to the gas pump the Morning News said paper also said the cil reportedly is considering a rollback in oil product prices te mid May levels And it said council Is considering denying markups following Import oil cost increases The council source said re- sults of the audit would show whether there is a real fuel shortage whether there an price violations and where fuel supplies are going He said this would indicate what sort of priority Is twins given to farmers independent service station operators and the government There were these ether OTL to able BOSTON AP The Red Cross said day that It has been forced in blood from other parts pints of the country because of a vere blood shortage in the state A spokesman said an in- Wired For Cease-fire Snta la a win W ai aa Ckl la kave to CAP News Digest Bay State Blood revealed WM only nine pints or blood in Baton today and So of Mood across the state The spokesman said across the state require at lust pints of blood a day U.S Supports Cambodia Peace Talks WASHINGTON AP The United States has given public support to peace by Cambodia following talks at San Clemente between dent Nixon and Huang Chen of Communist Chinese liaison office talks the State Department asked Monday that the People's Republic of Union and other Interested give serious and favorable to he Cambodian ner to negotiate Following the San dementi cease-fire with Holds Classification Hearings for segregation one for transfer to or state four for re- turn to the general at Walpole rather than tion in Cellblock 10 Classification hearings tor U WALPOLE Mass AP Classification hearings were ex- to continue at Walpole state prison today te determine whether certain inmates should be placed in a higher custody i talus Hearings for six inmates last Hearings lor six in one remain to heU Bahamas Free From Britain Rule NASSAU Bahamas After nearly centuries of foreign rule independence and a new era came to hamas today
