LET PLO SPEAK See Editorial Page Y t D~aitF O'ERCAST High-T21 Low- -2 See Today for details Latest Deadline in the State Vol. LXXXVI, No. 92 Ann Arbor, Michigan-Saturday, January 17, 1976 10 Cents Eight Pages ._.__..= - VSEWE SHAPPM CAazvI y Pennywise and... While some of us are already getting blisters on our elbows from riffling through the pages of our still-new textbooks, apparently that isn't the case over at Alice Lloyd Hall. There, two men claim to have set a new world record for penny snatching. Mark Anderson and Jay Ross both claim to have broken the old mark for this odd event which re- quires balancing a stack of pennies on your elbow, then letting the pennies go and tryiig to catch them with your falling hand. The old record was 37. Anderson claims to have caught 47 while his partner pulled down 45. Good to know college hi- jinks are still alive and kicking. Grebe it while youcan The Board of Regents yesterday approved a paid leave of absence for University Zoology Professor Robert Storer. The reason for Storer's leave? "To study the newly discovered Hooded Grebe in Pata- gonia and to measure grebes in the collections in Buenos Aires, La Plata and Tucuman." Happy hunting! 0 Old rads never die The state Supreme Court has agreed to hear a state appeal of the reversal of the extortion con- viction of Lawrence "Pun" Plamondon, co-found- er of the White Panthers Party and member emer- itus of Ann Arbor's aging radical vanguard. The 1973 conviction was overturned by the Court last September and a new trial was ordered because of alleged illegal wiretap evidence. The state attorney's office now contends that the evidence was actually legal because it was approved by the wiretap victim, Uwe Wagner. Wagner, the original plantiff in the extortion case, charged that Pla- mondon and a companion threatened him physic- ally if .he refused to pay a debt for 25 pounds of marijuana. Plamondon made the FBI's "Ten Most Wanted List" after being accused of the 1968 bombing of a CIA building here. A Volunteers nee ded Down the road in Ypsilanti they need volunteers to help staff the phone lines at the SOS Com- munity Crisis Center. Help is also needed for pub- licity and fundraising. Persons interested in start- ing work as a phone volunteer should call 485-3222 to arrange an interview. To be eligible, you must be available for the next six months. If you've got idle time slots on your calendar, give them a call. Happenings... begin bright and early with an ecology workshop sponsored by the Ecology Center of Ann Arbor. It begins at 8:45 am at the Calvary Preby- terian Church at 2727 Fernwood. The second ses- sion begins at 2:00 p.m. The workshops are de- signed to give people training to help work on ecology issues in a community. Dope note The Secretary of the Health, Education and Wel- fare Department is peeved with news media for blowing results of a federally funded study on the streets of marijuana on sexual performance out of proportion. David Mathews' line with Congress is that the research may succeed where tens of thousands of school drug education classes have failed - that it may stop people from smoking dope from fear of deteriorating sexual perform- ance. The original experiment called for a pro- fessor at Southern Illinois. University to show young males stag films and measure their sexual reactions before and after they try the weed. But Congress threatened to cut off the $121,000 orig- inally granted for the study. Commented one Con- gressman: "The study is offensive to the stand- ards of conduct pursued by most Americans, in- volves outright or potential violations of the law, and the showing of potentially obscene films and renresents a frivolous use of funds at a time when federal funds as a whole are in short supply." On the inside.. Editorial Page features a PNS report on busi- nessmen trying to win contracts within Indochina . . on the Sports page, John Niemeyer writes on last night's hockey. Local ban) By JIM TOBIN A staggering upswing in city bank robberies-part of a nation- wide trend - has taxed Ann Arbor police and bank officials to their limits as they wait uneasily for the next bandit to strike. In the past year, robbers have hit city banks nineteen times, mostly for only a few hundred dollars but occasionally for major heists of over $40,000. Outside the Detroit area, Michigan bank robberies rose by eight per cent in 1975. THE ANN ARBOR police have so far made five arrests which they say account for seven of the ninteen hold-ups, and are sure that only one or two more arrests would account for most of the rest. Deputy Chief of Police Harold Olson explains: "It's just like John Norman Collins (a man convicted of one murder following a wave of sex slayings in the Ann Arbor-Ypsilanti area in the late sixties). He was charged with only one. We can't say that he committed all the others but it sure stopped him, didn't it?" Olson says his department is looking particularly for a white, full-bearded male who may be responsible for five or six of the robberies. Several bank cameras, including one in Lansing, cap- F heists reach new high tured him on film. "HE'S THE LONE guy with a knapsack who walks in, shoves a note in front of the teller, gets a very few hundred dollars, walks out, and disappears," Olson says. Bank officials are stepping up security measures and in De- cember instituted a new type of reward program. In cooperation with the FBI and Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti police, local banks are offering up to $1,000 for information leading to the indictment of suspects. Detroit FBI agent Frank Godtle, a specialist in bank robbery investigation, says such reward programs have curtailed bank hold-ups in Detroit by 53 per cent during the past year, from 157 in 1974 to 74 in 1975, accounting for 27 indictments and solutions tO 67 robberies. GODTLE IS puzzled over Ann Arbor's burgeoning robbery problems, but suggests: "We do have a spillover. Some (crimi- nals) who were operating in Detroit now operate in Ann Arbor," possibly because of the success ,of reward plans in Detroit as well as better bank security, such as the use of bullet-proof screens in front of tellers. He also says bank security guards are fre- quently lax or frightened to use force during a robbery, whereas a bar or store owner is more likely to pull a gun on the thief. But Olson says his officers can do little before robbers strike again. A footprint in the snow, recognition by a passer-by-only such chance clues can lead to an arrest, and only further rob- beries can provide such leads. "You hate to say it," said Olson yesterday, "but if they keep hitting you're just increasing your chances of getting the guy." OLSON SAYS THE bandits are "hitting" the, banks due to simple economics. "Look at it this way," he says. "It just doesn't make sense to hit the corner grocery store and get $20 when you can get $20,000 at the bank." "One of the best deterrents," he claims, "is to have a swift and severe penalty once they're (the suspects) arrested and con- victed." "WE TALK TO a lot of those bandits (in Detroit)," says Godtle. "They'll tell you here in the city it's easy money, it's an easy target." See LOCAL, Page 8 BUDGET DEFICIT THIRD HIGHEST SINCE WW II Ford Group q ueshlons Esch on Angyola By RICK SOBLE A handful of picketers protest- ing U.S. involvement in Angola confronted Rep. Marvin Esch (R-Mich.) yesterday morning at the North Campus Commons as the Republican congressman ar- rived to deliver a campaign speech. The demonstrators,, organized by the Michigan Campaign for a Democratic Foreign Policy, demanded that Esch take a firm stand on proposals pending in. Congress that would prohibit military or economic aid for U.S.-backed factions in Angola. ESCH, WHO is making a bid for the U.S. Senate, spoke at an oen meeting of the Life Un- derwriters Association. Phil Carrollea spokesman for the group, asked the Ann Arbor representative if he will support a bill rider, sponsored by Rep. Robert Giaimo (D-Conn.), which calls for a halt to all American aid to Angola. See GROUP, Page 2 to ask for '77 tax hike Seeks increase In Social Security rate By AP and Reuter WASHINGTON - President Ford will propose a 1977 fiscal year budget calling for an increase in Social Secur- ity taxes, informed sources said yesterday. The budget, which will be made public Wednesday, will raise the tax rate for Social Security from 5.85 per cent to 6.15 per cent. Administration officials argue that higher payments are needed to insure the soundness of Daily Photo by PAULINE LUBENS CONGRESSMAN MARVIN ESCH (R-Mich.) talks with a group of demonstrators who confronted him yesterday on North Campus. They questioned him about his position on further American aid to forces fighting in Angola. Esch did not take a firm stand one way or the other. the program. FORD'S BUDGET calls for a third largest since World War II, jected federal expenditures will about $351 billion. The maximum Social Secur- ity tax for an individual would be about $1,014 in 1977, up from $895 in the current year. Even without the increase proposed by Ford, it was estimated the maximum tax would total $965 in 1977. That is because of au- tomatic changes according to a formula pegged to increase in the nation's average wage rates. For example, a worker earn- ing $16,500 or more in 1977 would pay the maximum tax of about $1,014 under Ford's pro- posal. If he earned $10,000, he would pay $615 for the year, or $11.80 per week. The em- nlove's tax would be matched by the emnlover. IN ADDTTION to the Social Seclritv tax increase, Ford's b-deet also will nronose: * Defense outlavs of $101, h;lion,. un from about $92 'bil- lion in finc-l 176. Ford will sav the increase is necessarvto maintain a strong defense pos- tire. A Consolidation of various grants to states for health nro- arams, child nutrition .pro- grams, education for handicap- ned persons and social services for the elderly. * A reduction of $10 billion in individual income taxes to carry out the $28 billion tax de- crease the President proposed in October. 0 A change in the Medicare program for the elderly to in- crease both contributions and coverage. See FORD, Page 2' deficit of about $43 billion - the informed sources also said. Pro- total $394 billion and revenues Regents pos tpone PIRGIM decision, By KEN PARSIGIAN The University Board of Re- gents voted yesterday to post- pone a decision on PIRGIM funding until their February meeting, further delaying action on last fall's controversialfund- ing system. The postponement came after President Robben Fleming in- dicated that the present sys- tem of funding may be illegal. "I SPOKE to a University lawyer about the PIRGIM fund- ing system and he expressed serious doubt as to its legality," Fleming exulained. "In -Mary- land and Massachusetts, the At- torneys General found similar funding systems to be illegal." PIRGIM, a public interest group composed mainly of stu- dents, has been under attack for its funding system since fall, when students were auto- matically charged a $1.50 PIR- GIM fee. Under this plan, a student had to claim his or her See BOARD, Page 9 Zaire threatens Angolan invasion By The Associated Press Zaire threatened yesterday to declare war on Communist- backed forces in neighboring Angola that have routed their rivals in the northern zone of the country. The Soviet news agency Tass said units of the National Front for the Liberation of Angola (FNLA) - supported by the United States and Zaire - were "retreating in panic." Washington advised its allies by telegram that FNLA and Zai- rean troops were fleeing before an onslaught by the Popular Movement (MPLA). U.S. offi- cials said in Washington that 9,500 Cuban soldiers are fight- ing with the MPLA and 1,000 others are en route to Angola aboard two troopships. They estimated Russia has sent arms worth $200 million to help the MPLA and Cubans and predicted that once they secure the north, the reinforced Cubans will move to the southern zone. The south is now held by units of the Union for the Total Inde- pendence of Angola (UNITA), which is allied with the FNLA. Tass said Holden Roberto, leader of the FNLA, has fled north and sought sanctuary in Kinshasa, the capital of Zaire. Zairean President Mobutu Sese Seko is Roberto's brother-in- law and a stpunch supporter of the FNLA. The MPLA and FNLA-UNITA alliance are fighting to rule the potentially rich West African nation, which received its in- dependence from Portugal last November. M ob u t u ' s government an- nounced it would protest to the United Nations "the bombings of Cuban troops" of the Zaire border city of Dilolo Wednes- day. While it called the attacks bombings, there was no men- tion of aircraft. Previous re- ports were of shellings. A statement issued after Mo- butu returned from Dilolo said "this is a casus belli (cause for war)." It warned the Soviet Union and Cuba that "the ser- ious consequence to which any repetition of these acts of ag- See ZAIRE, Page 2 N.C. drops charges against black.leader By DAN BIDDLE North Carolina authorities, cit- ing the illness of a key prosecu- tion witness, yesterday dropped kidnaping charges t h a t had stood for 15 years against mili- tant black leader Robert Wil- liams. Williams, who now lives in Michigan and once held a Uni= versity appointment, was ac- cused of holding a white couple in his house against their will during racial violence in Mon- roe, N.C., in August 1961. MONROE Dist. Attv. Carroll Lowder said vesterday he had received word that Mabel Ste- Pychic 'heals' with, D' Ubconscious power v- - By ELAINE FLETCHER le packs no bag of tricks and boasts of few miracles, but "psychic" Stern Morgan insists that he can heal the physically ill. The technique requires no special skill, asserted Morgan last night at Canterbury House. "Each and every person has the power and capability within themselves." "THE ABILITY rests within the subconscious." It's just like a muscle - we all know we have them, but the more you exer- * cise it - the stronger it gets." continued Morgan. Morgan first became aware of hisown "powers" about five ..;,r kyears ago, through a University extension course in Detroit. kF4~ . "I found I had the capability of scanning, of looking into the human body and seeing skeletons, then seeing the ailments." he explained. SEVERAL University medical students present attested to his special diagnostic and healing abilities. But Morgan declined to r.: .;