The Michigan Daily
Vol LXXXVII, No. 37-S Ann Arbor, Michigan-Wednesday, July 6, 1977 Ten Cents Twelve Pages
Carter prepares gas rationing plan
WASHINGTON (UPI)
- President Carter is prepar-
ing a standby gasoline ration-
ing proposal to cut fuel use as
much as 25 per cent in case of
an emergency, administration
officials said yesterday.
Carter met with energy ad-
viser James Schlesinger yester-
day and decided to go ahead
with a rationing proposal to
Congress so there would be no
damaging delay should an
emergency occur, officials said.
T.HE PRESIDENT
has authority now to propose a
rationing system, but it could
not take effect until Congress
approved.
Last week, it was learned
that Carter could impose gaso-
line rationing immediately in
event of another oil embargo or
a similar emergency. The ra-
tioning program would make
use of coupons printed during
the 1973-1974 embargo but nev-
er distributed.
Rationing would be one of
several tough emergency meas-
ures the President could adopt
under the new plan, officials
said, including:
. Restrictions on heating,
cooling, lighting and heating of
water.
* Commuter parking restric-
tions and carpooling incentives.
. Restrictions on weekend
distribution of gasoline and
Diesel fuel.
" Requirements for boiler
cofnbustion efficiency.
* Restrictions on illuminated
advertising and outdoor gas
lighting.
Officials said Carter has been
assessing for some time a pro-
posal for standby rationing ,and
believes it is feasible to have
the authority now to impose
such a system.
The subject became more Im-
portant as budget proposals for
1979 were explored, officials
said. Carter told Schlesinger to
go ahead with plans but set no
timetable for submission to
See CARTER, Page 10
case
1975, and Sallade feels that all
four were caused by Pavubon in-
jections.
Leanora Perez is charged with
causing Blaine's breathing fail-
ure of August 15, the only one of
the four mentioned in the indict-
ment against the nurses.
See VA, Page 10
And a one and a two ...
Big Bird, star of television's long-running children's series "Sesame Street," has a word with Sidney Harth, concert master of the
Los Angeles Philharmonic Monday while rehearsing for a performance in the Hollywood Bowl.
Jur still undecided in VA
By KEITH B. RICHBURG
Special To The Daily
DETROIT - After 41 hours
spread over seven days, the
jury has still not reached a ver-
dict in Veterans Administration
(VA) Hospital poisoning trial of
two Filipino nurses.
The three men and nine wo-
men jurors have been deliberat-
ing the fate of Filipina Narciso,
31, of Ypsilanti Township, and
Learora Perez, 33, of Ann Ar-
bor, since 3:05 p.m. last Wednes-
day.
THE LENGTH of the deliber-
ation has surprised almost ev-
eryone, including the federal
prosecutor who had made a pre-
diction of a verdict within three
or four days.
Prosecutor Richard Yanko,
the U.S. Attorney at the trial,
said that although he wastsur-
prised by the length of the de-
liberation he doesn't find it "un-
usual". Tanko pointed out that
the jurors have to consider ten
separate charges against the de-
fendants - t h r e e poisonings
against Perez, four poisonings
and a murder against Narciso,
and a count of conspiracy
against both women-and the
jury could be taking three or
four hours to consider each
count.
"To say that they've been out
an abnormally long period of
time, I wouldn't say that," Yan-
ko remarked.
THE DEFENDANTS h a v e
gone into seclusion- in a down-
town hotel to await the verdict.
Reports filtered in yesterday
that the nurses were not wor-
ried about their pending fate.
Narciso went jogging in the
n*rning, and the defense law-
yers were seen swimming in the
hotel pool, sources said.
Narciso and Perez are accus-
ed of causing a rash of breath-
ing failures at the Ann Arbor VA
hospital in the summer of 1975.
The government contends that
the women caused the breathing
failures by injecting the patients
with Pavulon, a powerful muscle
relaxing drug used often during Sallade (pronounced Soliday) is
surgery. representing Cora Lee Blaine,
While the jury is pondering the widow' of former VA patient
guilt or innocence of Narciso Bennie Blaine, in a suit against
and Perez, the hospital itself is the U.S. Veterans Administra-
facing several court suits on be- tion asking for compensations
half of the relatives of some of totaling $2.25 million.
the poisoning victims. Blaine. stopped breathing four
ANN ARBOR lawyer George times during July and August of
Israel, Egypt agree to new peace talks
JERUSALEM tAj - The leaders of Israel and radio as saying he would be willing to return
Egypt have agreed in principle to reconvene, to Geneva even before then.
possibly by October, the Arab-Israeli peace talks Sen. Jacob Javits, on a tour of the Middle
in Geneva suspended four years ago after one East, cautioned that groundwork for a peace
brief session. conference must be well prepared, and said much
Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli depends on the outcome of Begin's meeting with
Prime Minister Menaham Begin welcomed each President Carter in Washington July 19.
other's offers to resume the talks in statements The New York Republican, one of Israel's
Monday and yesterday. staunchest congressional supporters, told a news
conference the Carter-Begin meeting "is capa-
THE EARLIEST we can be ready is the -tenth ble of being decisive." But he urged that Begin
of October," Begin told Israeli state radio, say- take up hard issues of the Mideast conflict and
ing he wanted to wait until after the Jewish not just procedural matters.
High Holiday season. Sadat was quoted in Cairo See ISRAEL, Page 10