Thursday, June 20, 1974 THE MICHIGAN DAILY Page Three Rodin o says tape gap due solely to manual operation WASIINTVION ' -Chairman Peter Rodino said a demonstration for the House Judiciary Committee yesterday showed that the 18-minute buzz on a Watergate tape "can't possibly" have been caused by inything but hand opera- tioin. The New Jersey leiscrot said a staff aide made t-he demonstration on a Uher 5000 tape recorder. It was the same kind that produced the gap and buzz on the tape of a dune 20, 1972, conversation be- tween President Nixon and his former chief of staff, It KI llldemian. "IE SHOWED us how you can't pos- sibly except by manual operation pro- duce this sound, this buzz," Eodiao told newsmen. A report by a panel of experts also concluded that the buzz could not have been produced by a faulty tape recorder rather thanh a n d operation, but the President's lawyer, Jics St. Clair, said the conclusion could not be that absolute. Special Impeachment counsel John boar said the committee does not have an FBI report on who iight have erased the tape and said there is no assurance that report will be completed and de- livered before the impeachment inquiry concludes. AFTER THE morning session, two members said the panel has an affidavit with evidence that President Nixon de- cided to fire Special Prosecutor Archi- bald Cox about 10 days before he ac- tually did. A Democrat who declined to be named said the affidavit from former Atty. Gen. Elliot Richardson quoted Nixon as saying that former Vice President Spiro Agnew had resigned-"now we can fire Cox." A Republican niember also confirmed that the conmiiie had the aiffidavit. Agnew resigned Oct. 10 and Cox was fired Oct. 2(1. After the Cox presentation, most mem- bers indicated the facts did not make it clear whether the firing could be con- sidered part of the cover-tip. REP. GEORGE Danielson 1)-Catif. ) said "I'm more convinced than ever that it was an aggravated continuation of the cover-up." But most members who would com- ment said the staff gave them a sum- mary of publicly known facts about the firing and said each congressman would have to make his own judgment. Rep. Charles Wiggins (R-Calif.) at first said "all the evidence is to the contrary," that the firing was not part of the cover-up. But under questioning he later said, there was no direct evi- dence either way. See RODINO, Page 10 Latter day alchemist- Floyd Wallace demonstrates his methods of making gold from elements such as copper, aluminum and even clay. Using an "electron gun", the 55-year-old native of Leslie, Michigan adds or subtracts electrons from the elements' atoms, convert- ing them into gold or any other substance, he claims. / An expensive road to some peace of mind By ANDREA LILLY and DAVID WHITING The cost of peace of mind and inner tranquility like o t h e r more material necessities of life has aparently also suffered from the astronomic inflation rate during the past year. The fee for a course in Transcen- Reents to vote, on 'U' famlly uni rent hike A proposed five per cent increase in the cost of University - operated family housing tops a relatively noncontrover- sial Board of Regents agenda this month. The Regents will discuss the rent hike during today's session scheduled for 2 p.m. in the Administration Bldg. Action on the request should come tomorrow. IF APPROVED, the increase will raise rents in the 1,700 family units from their $114-200 range to approximately $120-210 beginning on September 1. The additional money will be used to offset increased maintenance costs as well as other capital and operating ex- penses, according to University Housing Director John Feldkamp. Also included in the proposal is a pre- mium rent clause which would automat- ically raise the rent of families living in the housing for more than three years. The increase would total 10 per cent of the rent and would be assessed each year after the third. THE PROVISION, effective January See REGENTS, Page 10 dental Meditation-the ancient art of mind relaxation-has jumped nearly 50 per cent in the past year. Now, the four-day course, offered in Ann Arbor only by the Student Inter- national Meditation S o c i e t y (SIMS), costs $65 for students and $125 for every- one else. WHILE TM is a religious experience that can only be taught on a face-to-face basis, according to SIMS chairman Doug Daller, it has also become a case study in the economics of inflation. Although Daller is hesitant to explain financial operations of SIMS, he did dis- cuss some of the reasons for the hefty increase in course fees. The money is used to cover telephone bills, teacher salaries, printing of 2,500 copies of a newsletter, rent for lecture rooms, offices, and hotel accommoda- tions, he says. ALL OF THESE are very worldly items that cost dollars and cents-con- siderably more of both than in 1973. Daller adds that all funds received here are sent to the SIMS national office in Los Angeles, where a large chunk is taken out to pay other expenses. The remainder is returned to local chapters. Ann Arbor has just two full-time TM "teachers" assisted by a score of volun- teers. Daller confided that his salary and that of David Coffinger, the other teacher, varies but can total more than $400 each per month-if the classes fill to capacity. HOWEVER, Daller says that the high fees tend to serve a dual purpose by giving beginning TM students more in- centive to stick with the course because of their large financial investment. Exactly what TM gives to ,individuals is difficult to say because each person experiences its effects differently, but Daller claims, despite the high price tag, most students find the techniques well worth the cost. In addition, once a month a student can come in to the school for a "free" check up to make sure he or she is meditating properly and that everything else is "okay." THE COURSE, however, may be able to save many students some money in- directly since they are encouraged to take no drugs-legal or otherwise-for at least two weeks before starting the program. Govt. charges railroad with age discrimination WASHINGTON (1 - In the largest age discrimination suit ever filed, the Labor Department asked a federal court yesterday to award more than $20 mil- lion in back pay to 300 present and for- mer management employes of the Balti- more-Ohio and Chesapeake-Ohio rail- roads.1 The suit accused the railroads of "dis- charging, refusing to hire, demoting and otherwise discriminating" against em- ployes in violation of the 1967 Age Dis- crimination in Employment Act. IT IS ILLEGAL to discharge workers between the ages of 40 and 65 years old simply because of their age. The two railroads merged in 1970 to form the Chessie System but retained their separate corporate identities. In its suit filed in U. S. District Court in Baltimore, the government cited pen- sion plan revisions, made after the mer- ger, which lowered the mandatory re- tirement age for management employes from 65 to 62. SOLICITOR OF Labor William Kil- berg, who filed the suit, contended in an interview that this was merely a device for getting rid of older employes to cut payroll costs and thus was illegal under the age discrimination law. Kilberg said this was the first com- plaint to take issue with an early man- datory retirement plan and added that a court ruling favorable to the govern- ment could affect similar plans in use by other firms. The government asked the court to order the merged railroad to rehire former workers who the government contends were unfairly discharged, the reinstatement of demoted employes to their original positions, and the payment of at least $20 million in back wages plus 6 per cent annual interest.