THE MICHIGAN DAILY
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 1967
TdEMCIA AL RDY OEBR1.T~
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Welfare Bi
WASHINGTON (R) - A Social
Security bill that would raise
benefits by 15 per cent cleared
the Senate Finance Committee
yesterday and headed for a floor
fight, probably next week.
Republicans charged the higher
benefit payments would be put
into effect before next year's na-
tional elections but an increase
in the payroll tax rate would be
delayed until two months after
the November voting.
They said that when the bill
comes up in the Senate they will
try to replace it with a measure
like the one the House has passed.
This would raise benefits by 121 /
per cent.
Party Voting
The Senate committee bill, ap-
proved by a straight party-line
vote of 11 Democrats to 6 Repub-
licans, would continue the present
payroll tax rate of 4.4 per cent
on employe and employer through
il Heads for Senate
1968, but would extend the tax-
able wage base from $6,600 to
$8,000 effective Jan. 1.
This would mean that an em-
ploye earning $8,000 or more
would be subjected to maximum
Social Security deductions of $352
next year, with an equal amount
being paid by his employer. The
present maximum is $290.40. The
proposed increase of $61.60 figures
out to $5.13 a month.
Starting in 1969( the Senate
bill would raise the tax rate to
4.8 per cent and increase the wage
base to $8,800. Further increases
are provided for future years.
Begin in March
The higher benefit payments
w o u 1 d become effective next
March, and would be included
in checks mailed out the first of
April.
Besides a 15 per cent increase
in benefit levels, the bill would
raise the minimum payment from
the present $44 a month to $70,j
an increase of 59 per cent.
The House bill, passed last
August, would raise the minimum
payment to $50. The House also
voted to leave the payroll tax rate
at 4.4 per cent in 1968 and to
hold the boost in the wage base
to $7,600. Both Senate and House
bills would permit Social Security
retirement beneficiaries to receive
up to $1,680 in earnings next year
and up to $2,000 starting in 1969.
The present limit is $1,500.
Chairman Russell B. Long (D-
La.) said the Senate committee
bill would increase cash benefits
pai dout under Social Security
next year by $3.6 billion, or $700
million more than would be pro-
vided under the House bill.
In 1969, when the legislation
would become fully effective, Long
said the Senate bill would provide
$6 billion in new or added bene-
fits to 251/2 million Americans.
Necessary Measure
Terming this the biggest in-
creases in Social Security history,
Long said it is necessary both be-
cause of inflationary pressures
and to take a great many people
off public welfare rolls.
The Republican opposition
spokesman was Sen. John J. Wil-
liams of Delaware, senior GOP
member of the committee. He
pointed to the possible political;
implications in next year's elec-
tion campaign and said the meas-
ure is irresponsibly financed.
'BILLION-DOLLAR'POTENTIAL:
Revolutionary Cigarette Filter
Causes Dispute at Columbia
NEW YORK (A')-An innocent-
looking white granular substance
has rocked one of the nation's big-
gest industries, sent businessmen
and scientists scurrying back and
forth across the Atlantic, engaged
the interest of a senate committee
and caused behind-the-scenes con-
troversy at a great university.
The substance is the material
used in what is now known as the
"Strickman filter," named for its
inventor, Robert Strickman, who
has signed over most of the rights
to Columbia University. Its poten-
tial commercial value is estimated
in the billions.
The Strickman filter reputedly
takes more tar, nicotine and other
harmful substances out of cigarette
smoke than any filter so far de-
vised. That it is not universally
hailed as a boon to mankind may
be because no one can yet answer
such questions as: Will a more ef-
fective filter just lull people into
smoking, or smoking more. Will it
hurt the campaign by the govern-
ment and private groups such as
the American Cancer Society to
convince the public, and young-
sters in particular, that the only
way to avoid the dangers of smok-
ing is not to smoke at all.
But while Strickman's closest as-
]
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sociate, William Suitt, announces
that "pilot" machinery for making
the filters will be ready for the
tobacco industry to view in Decem-
ber, Columbia is reiterating that itj
will do a great deal more testing1
on the filter before the university1
even thinks of licensing tobaccoI
I firms to use it.
Columbia was far less cagey last
July when Dr. Grayson Kirk, the
university's president, told a jam-
med news conference that the in-
stitution would set up a corpora-
tion to license the filter and pro-
vide a safer cigarette because
"people are going to smoke any-
way."
Profit Motive
Columbia's interest admittedly
was also the half-share of profits
it could expect to get from produc-
tion of the filter, a share esti-
mated at some $100 million a year.
The university said it would use
the money for medical research,
particularly on cancer.
And although Columbia said it
would insists its name not be used
commercially in connection with
sale of cigarettes with the Strick-
man filter, Kirk said one reason
for accepting Strickman's offer
was that "through the association
with the university we would be
able to encourage use of it."
A spokesman for Columbia an-
nounced on Aug. 23 that the uni-
versity was negotiating with a
dozen tobacco companies for use
of the filter.
But the next day Kirk was tell-
ing Sen. Warren Magnuson (D-
Wash.), at a hearing of the sen-
ator's Commerce subcommittee in-
vestigating progress toward safter
cigarettes, that Columbia was con-
tinuing and expanding its testing
program on the filter and indi-
cated it could take years.
Last month, Kirk privately wrote
Magnuson to assure him that the
university's position had not
changed, and that Columbia was
as concerned as the senator about
public statements from Strickman
associates indicating the filter
would be on the market soon.
The letter to Magnuson, dis-
closed this week, quoted a letter
to an attorney for the Strickman
group warning that unles public
Statements stopped, "the univer-
sity will feel obligated to issue de-
tailed retractions of the claims
being made by your client."
Statements
The statements that have anger-
ed Columbia include these:
--That a German firm, Hauni
Werke Koerber and Co. K. G. of
Hamburg, was well into a $250,000
program of developing machinery
that could be sold to tobacco firms
wishing to use the Strickman filter.
-That all conceivable tests had
been made and had proved the
filter far more effective than any
in use.
-That talks were under way
with a London firm that also
wanted to produce the machinery.
-That only minor technical
problems of the sort to be ex-
pected in such a new project must
be ironed out before filter produc-
tion begins, and the filter could be
on the market by late next sum-
mer.
Born to Greatness!
Eff
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Goddard Calls for Education
Program on Drug Dangers
s
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Rare, indeed, is the quality so immediately
recognized in this superb shoe. Made by
New England craftsmen in the finest tradi-
tion. Truly, footwear such as this is born
to greatness!
J
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VAN BOVEN SHOES
17 Nickels Arcade
PRESENTS THE
Berlln er,
Camera ta
Musicale
MON., NOV. 13, 8:30
IN RACKHAM AUDITORIUM
Program
Quartet in G major for Oboe and String Trio ......J. B. Vanhall
Trio in B major for Strings...................Franz Schubet
Quatet in D major for Flute, Oboe, Viola and Cello . . J. C. Bach
Quintet for Berliner Camerata
Musicale (Flute, Oboe and Strings) ......Max Baumann
Quartet in D major for Flute and String Trio ..........Mozart
TICKETS: $5.00-$4.00-$2.00
oa
University Musical Society, Burton Tower
Hours: Mon. thru Fri. 9 to 4:30; Sat. 9 to 12 (Telephone 665-3717)
(also at Rackhom Aud., 1/2 hours preceeding performances)
WASHINGTON (A)-Dr. James
L. Goddard, drug administration
commissioner, reiterated yester-
day the need for a widespread
educational program to alert
young people to the dangers of
using drugs, especially marijuana.
Goddard said the use of mari-
juana has grown so rapidly in
the United States "that none of
us in government, 4n medicine, or
the legal profession has been able
to counter it effectively."
3 Million Smokers
He estimated that between
400,000 and 3 million persons a
year currently use or try it at
least once. He said 20 million
persons have tried it at least
once. Goddard said statistics on
the use of marijuana are based
primarily on arrests. He used
California figures in testimony to
a Senate Small Business Subcom-
mittee, saying:
-28,319 adults were arrested in
California during 1966 for using
drugs, the highest figure to date
and 32 per cent more than 1965.
Marijuana abuse represented half
of those arrests.
-3,869 juveniles were arrested
in 1966 for marijuana abuse, com-
pared to 1,623 in 1965 - an in-
crease of 140 per cent.
Similar Increases
Goddard told the subcommittee
he used California as an example
because the state's figures are the
most complete. He said the rate
of increase is probably similar
elsevwhere in the country.
Goddard said he can't explain
te increasing use of drugs, es-
pecially among young people.
"It is very dangerous to hy-
pothesize. We don't have any real
reasons why it is used, we can
only speculate," he said. "It may
be because this ,has become the
thing to do . . . a way to flaunt
society.
"It is also held by the hippie
subculture that certain drugs will
help you understand yourself
better, whatever that means.
"And maybe because the drugs
have become more widely avail-
able today perhaps."
Goddard said the federal gov-
ernment - in cooperation with
private groups and schools - has
launched an educational cam-
paign on the dangers of drug use.
Educational Fundamental
"Education is fundamental to
any control program. We want
young people to develop a respect
for drugs and we think that
through this kind of effort, we
can have an impact over the long
run," he said.
Goddard suggested that Con-
gress review the penalties for
possession of marijuana in light
of enforcement experience and
the results of drug research. He
said inconsistencies hamper en-
forcement.
Goddard said also he does not
and never has advocated legaliza-
tion of marijuana use.
"Rather, I have raised the ques-
tion of the severity of the penal-
ties attached to possession of
marijuana and I suggest that the
Congress might also wish to re-
view these penalties," he said.
*i
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Now,
MISS J IN BLACK
VELVET DASHED
WITH WHITE.,..
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Ladies Department Sale-Friday & Saturday
" .
ruffles and satin banding
soften the dark lustre of
posh rayon velvet, and
lend a romantic air
to flings after-five.
A. Satin banded shirt.
dress..3P-13P sizes.
B. Skimmer frothed with
cotton lace. 5.13 sizes.
30.00
Jacoson,
GARGOYLE
WRITERS MEETING
8 P.M. Sun., Nov. 12
Gargoyle Office
Student Publications Bldg.
,w 4
a::w le'l
62m
Since 1927
... includes much of the sportswear from our
inventory of imported and domestic
merchandise.
... among the items included in this unusual
two-day sale are:
fall
o Ladies suits
4l
A
and topcoats
COMING
SOON
(you should live so long)
A Jewish Style
DELICATESSEN-
THE
Ebr
I
* Skirts and jumpers
* Sweaters
* Blouses and shirts
* Raincoats
1 1. 1
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