KThe IV Ann Arbor, Michigan Carter approves MX missile construction WASHINGTON (AP) - The Carter administration announced yesterday it will push ahead with full development of a new $30 billion MX mobile missile system which it said will "strengthen the stability of the strategic balance" between the United States and Russia. President Carter's long-awaited decision was made public a week before the U.S.-Soviet summit meeting in Vienna where the SALT II agreement limiting strategic nuclear weapons will be signed. A senior defense official, briefing reporters on details of the huge new missile system, said it falls within the terms of the SALT agreement and that "on balance, I think it will help" win Senate ratification of the SALT treaty. WHITE HOUSE Deputy Press Secretary Rex Granum said the president's decision, following weeks of internal administration debate, would buttress globei stability because Carter "doesn't believe we can have serious discussions with the Russians if they have any advantage in the arms race." The senior defense official said development of the MX, which he claimed will be "as capable as any missile the Soviets can deploy," denies the Russians any advantage in an arms race, "and increases their motivation to negotiate for arms reductions," in the future. Congressional reaction to Carter's decision was mixed. Sen. George McGovern (D-S.D.), said the decision "could represent the biggest single waste of public funds since the Vietnam War. It adds nothing to our defense capability except more surplus overkill but it will cost at least $30 billion and more likely, $50 billion." BUT SEN. JOHN Stennis (D-Miss.), See MX, Page 2 hchigan Daily Ten Cents Vol. LXXXIX, No. 28-S Saturday, June 9, 1979 Twelve Pages m Y-;: . ~2~;?~Al AP Photo SHOWN ABOVE IS the break out mechanism of the MX-ICBM which is capable of bursting through several feet of dirt and concrete in less than a minute. Yesterday, President Carter approved full-scale production of the MX missile. LARGEST FINE EVER IN ANTI-TRUST CASE: Shippers convicted for price-fixing WASHINGTON (AP) - Seven international ocean ship- -of New York City, $200,000. pers and 13 executives pleaded no contest yesterday to price- EACH OF THE 13 executives was fined $50,000, the fixing charges and were fined $6.1 million, the largest maximum under the misdemeanor section of the 89-year-old amount ever in a criminal case brought under the Sherman anti-price-fixing law. Antitrust Act. Criminal penalties for companies violating the act were in- U.S. District Judge June Green, accepting plea-bargain creased in 1974 from a maximum of $50,000 to the $1 million agreements among the defendants and the Justice Depar- figure. imposed the maximum $1 million fine on four of the Until 1974, "Itwas a good year if we got $6 million in total tment,gims- t aximuCo$1ainLine nd., urfo th- fines," said Justice Department attorney Elliott Seiden. shipping firms - Atlantic Container Line Ltd., of Southam- IN AN INDICTMENT returned June 1, the firms were ac- pton, England; Sea-Land Service Inc., of Menlo Park, N.J., cuNoANring cmNTeetopedJn e ttraise and Hapag-Lloyd Aktiengesellschaft of Hamburg, West Ger- cused of forring committees of top management to raise and many, and United States Lines of New York City. fix prices for freight shipped between the United States and The other three companies and their fines were: Europe. " Dart Containerline Co. Ltd., of Antwerp, Belgium, The government charged that there were committees that $800,000. set targets estimating how much each ine would earn from " Seatrain Lines Inc., of New York City, $450,000. European shipping operations. Most of the shipments were in " American Export Lines - now merged into Farrell Lines cargo containers, which are trucked to the dock and then loaded on the ships. 4 State law school officials discuss bar exam failures By JOHN SINKEVICS Board of Law Examiners said the at- The deans of five Michigan law torneys and deans could find no firm schools met Thursday in Detroit with cause for the number of bar exam the Board of Law Examiners to discuss failures, an analysis of the test scores the high rate of failure on February's by a Michigan State University resear- state bar exam, but officials said they cher showed a steady decline in the still could not determine the reasons for passing rate since 1975. the significant number of poor scores. "I don't know what's wrong, but there "We just can't put a finger on has been a decline in the bar exam precisely what problems caused the low passing rate," said Dunnines, "and the scores," said Wayne State University decline was much sharper this year Law School Dean Donald Gordon. than in other years." OFFICIALS estimate that following DUNNINGS ALSO said he is certain appeals of some of the scores, ap- the law schools or the bar exam ad- proximately 37 per cent of those who ministrators were responsible for the rnd the Utook the February exam will have unusually low scores. registration system. Registration failed it. This percentage represents a "I would never blame the law es computers, and some people in 14 per cent increase in the failure rate schools," he said. "Also, there's been machines to break into University from February 1978. no change in grading or in writing up Although Stuart Dunnings of the See LAW, Page 2 Computers at This is CRISP, the University's computer is only one way in which the University us the community may even use the intricatej systems. See story, Pages 6 and 7.