The ichi n D 11 YVol. LXXXIX, No. 12-S TheMicigan DalyN lU Thursday, May 17, 1979 Sixteen Pages Ann Arbor, Michigan Ten Cents Soviets may exploit U.S., Saudi relations MOSCOW (AP)-The Soviet Union will make every effort to exploit the rift in delicate relations between Saudi Arabia and the United States, Western analysts here say. According to diplomatic sources, the Soviets-who have no diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia-have been in contact with the Saudis recently through third parties, said to be Morocco and the Palestine Liberation Organization. Direct contacts reportedly have been made by the two nations in European capitals, but the exact nature of these contacts is not known. MIDDLE EAST rumors that Soviet-Saudi relations might be resumed seemed more substantial recently folowing strong Saudi opposition to the Egyptian- Israeli peace pact and U.S. intelligence reports on a supposed split inside the Arabian kingdom's ruling family. Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Fahd gave an upbeat comment on the Soviet Union in an interview this week with the Paris newspaper Le Monde. "We are aware of the important role played by the Soviet Union in international politics and we ap- preciate that this role sustains the just demands of the Arabs," Fahd said. "I DON'T THINK that it is necessarily correct to in- terpret the absence of the diplomatic relations between two countries as a sign of hostility," Fahd said. "Regarding the restablishment of diplomatic relations, that is a question which will be settled in view of subsequent events." See SOVIETS, Page 2 Government urges U.S. judge to reject wage-price WASHINGTON (AP)-The govern- ment urged a federal judge yesterday to reject the first direct challenge to President Carter's wage-price guidelines, saying the administration needs powerful tools to fight inflation. But an unusual coalition of labor leaders and Republican congressper- sons argued that Carter is wielding a club in violation of the law to enforce his anti-inflation effort. THE TWO SIDES squared off at a hearing before U.S. District Judge challenge Barrington Parker, who must decide whether the president has overstepped his authority in threatening to deny large federal contracts to companies found in violation of his guidelines. A ruling in favor of the coalition-the AFL-CIO, nine member unions and 24 GOP congressmen-would not overturn the anti-inflation program. But it would strip the administration of a principal weapon of enforcement. See WAGE-PRICE, Page 5 VICE-PRESIDENT of Student Services Henry Johnson helps blindfolded Torn Easthope, assistant vice-president of Student Services, conduct an experiment to determine the metabolic rate of a mouse. Jim Mitchell, a blind graduate student, directed the special experiment as part of National Handicapped Aware- ness Week (May 13-19). 'Blind' 'U' experimenters rea lize capa bilities in lab By PATRICIA HAGEN Science courses at the University are usually considered quite demanding - even without the ad- ded challenge of a physical han- dicap. But a group of five blin- dfolded faculty members and ad- ministrators discovered yesterday that blindness need not be an insur- mountable disability in a laboratory. The temporarily "blinded" volun- teers conducted an experiment to determine the metabolic rate of a white mouse as part of an attitudinal awareness activity planned by the Disabled Student Services Office. The activity was organized in con- nection with National Handicapped Awareness Week (May 13-19? by Jim Mitchell, a graduate student in experimental biology. MITCHELL IS legally blind but he directed the rather apprehensive volunteers through the physiology experiment at the C.C. Little Building. Despite his genetic sight loss, Mitchell currently is working on complex bio-chemical ex- periments, with the aid of a reader. The goal of yesterday's activity was to demonstrate that a blind student can participate academically on the same level as his sighted peers - although he may have to develop unconventional study methods. These techniques can result in attitudinal barriers which may place restrictions on the handicapped person's grades in a course. The subjects in, the experiment were asked to put on blindfolds and were led into a laboratory where See U', Page 2 Carter poses plans to ease Calif. gas crisis WASHINGTON (AP) - President tage of four per cent to five per cent Carter, saying no illegal oil industry ac- below projected demand. tivity has been tied to the California Carter said in a White House press energy crunch, offered proposals room announcement that "we have not yesterday that an adviser said could cut found any evidence of collusion or the state's gasoline shortage by 50,000 illegalities among the oil companies." gallons a day. According to Brown and White House Carter also said he had asked the officials, the president told the Califor- Justice Department to launch an in- vestigation to make sure oil companies See CARTER, Page 2 are not illegally withholding oil from the market to await higher prices. O ffieials 1 IN A REPORT prepared by the U1L Department of Energy, Carter recom- mended increased monitoring of oil in- "*" dustry activities, relaxed environmen- in crease in tal standards, and stricter enforcement of the 55-mile-per-hour speed limit, " among other proposals. failure rat Gov. Edmund Brown Jr. of California flew to Washington to plead his gasoine-starved state's case at a White on b ar House meeting with political overtones .O e R for the two potential rivals for the 1980 BY VICKI HENDERSON Democratic presidential nomination. Nearly half of the law students in Following the meeting, Carter told Michigan who took the February state reporters his proposals, along with a law bar exam failed it, a state official change in gasoline allocation rules, "will have a beneficial effect" in sd yestsrsty. But, rtoDe dealing with California's gasoline shor- nis Donohue, Assistant Secretary to the dag C'.Board of Law Examiners, the relative "IT WOULD be safe to say we hope difficulty of the test was not a factor in the worst is over" in terms of a national the unusual number of failures. gasoline crunch, Energy Secretary Although a larger percentage of James Schlesinger told the reporters . University Law School graduates failed after Carter spoke. He predicted a shor- See OFFICIALS, Page 5