ly r he M chtg n t Vol. LXXXIX, No. 52-S M ic igan Daily Twelve Pages LiAnn Arbor, Michigan Ten Cents Rationin g bilcollapses in] Housel WASHINGTON (UPI) - Democratic efforts to provide President Carter with his sought-after emergency standby gasoline rationing plan collapsed in the House last night with members voting to adopt a cumbersome amendment that would hinder any rationing plan from ever going into effect. In a vote - which clearly caught Democratic leaders by surprise, the House agreed 232-187 to a Republican- sponsored amendment that would give Congress two shots at rejecting any presidential rationing plan - first when he drafts it and then when he tries to in- voke it. After the vote, White House lobbyist Bill Cable denounced the amendment as making "the bill worse than existing law." SPONSORS OF the measure, claiming the amendment would make it virtually impossible for any rationing Two chances for veto approved plan to be approved, quickly removed the bill from House consideration. House leaders said they didn't know when it would be brought up again, but hoped it would be before the August congressional recess. The vote was a major setback to President Carter's new energy plan and to congressional leaders who had hoped to overturn last May's rejection by the House of the president's first rationing proposal. IT WAS ALSO a blow tn House Spesker Thomas O'Neill, who had told reporters earlier in the day that passage of the bill appeared assured and that Democrats were lining up 10- to-1 to support it. O'Neill had tried to arrange a final vote for close to 9 p.m. Congressional sources said O'Neill chose this time - the start .of Carter's nationally televised news conference - so the president could point to the vote as a gain for his energy program. As it turned out, Carter wound up empty-handed. THE AMENDMENT which sent the House into confusion and brought con- sideration of the rationing bill to a grin- ding halt was sponsored by Rep. Ben- jamin Gilman, (R-N.Y.). Supporting the proposal were 79 Democrats and 153 Republicans. Gilman claimed the amendment "would just allow the Congress 30 days to examine the president's plan and veto it if it so chooses." But Rep. John Dingell, (D-Mich.), manager of the bill, complained: "How many obstacles does this House want to put up to block this emergency plan?" HE NOTED that the proposal before the House already gave Congress veto power over any rationing plan the president tried to put into force - and that the Gilman measure, in giving Congress two votes on rationing, would make it that much harder to ever im- plement it. The vote came despite a 234-185 vote moments before which rejected a similar attempt to make it harder for the president to impose rationing. House leaders had hoped to put the rationing legislation on the president's desk before the August recess. That goal is now clouded since even if the House can end its own battle over the plan, a final compromise must be worked out with the Senate. Doily Photo by JIM KCRUZ Openifing showers fail to damper Art Fair spirit By PATRICIA HAGEN A woman inquired about the price of Umbrellas and ponchos were some of a yellow slicker at Tice's Men's Store the best selling items on the first day of on South University. "Raincoats have the 1979 Ann Arbor Street Art Fair. been selling real well," said an em- While not considered fine art, rain ployee named Gary, after he told the gear proved invaluable as fairgoers, customer the price of raincoats had artists, and exhibits were dampened by been reduced. intermittent downpours and sprinkles. "No one has really complained about Some of the rainwear, constructed out the weather," Gary added. of plastic garbage bags and sheets, UMBRELLAS OF all colors popped were themselves masterpieces of up whenever the rains came down and creativity. the thousands of visitors continued "WE SOLD real well on ponchos and their slow tours from booth to booth at umbrellas," said Bob Loria at State the three art fairs located around the Discount. "There was pretty good traf- city. While licking soggy ice cream fic through the weather." Bargain hun- cones and munching hot dogs, bargain ters milled around the storefront table hunters examined tables of merchan- laden ' with '-buslxel 'baskets - of- disecovered with plastic sheets. miscellaneous merchandise. See ART, Page 2 Space balloons comprise John Gehman's inventory, which he has vented in the last two art fairs on the corner of Thompson and Liberty streets. Artist Elaine Manning looks as serious'as the Indian statue who's handing out her wares near the corner of Liberty and S. Division.