Friday, May 6, 1977

THE MICHIGAN DAILY

Page Thirteen

Protestant Irish strike falters

IHAD>4
CANCER
AND
IUVE.


BELFAST, Northern Ireland
(AP) - Militant Protestants
stoned policemen and buses, set
up roadblocks and tried to in-
timnidate workers yesterday as
a three-day-old general strike
aimed at paralyzing Northern
Ireland appeared to falter.
Several persons, including a
,sther and her 3-month-old ba-
by, were seriously injured in the
viotence, a police spokesperson
said.
The government's Commerce
lepartment reported an average
so per cent turnout at factories
across the province Thursday in
what appeared to be a massive
popular rejection of the strike
allMost stores were open.
About 60 strikers hurled
hcks and bottles at police of-
rs trying to break up a hu-
n barricade blocking roads
, factories in Belfast's Dundon-
d suburb, police said. They
P several officers were drag-
gt bleeding from the clash and
persons were arrested.
IN THE STAUNCHLY Protest-
ant Sandy Road district, gangs
vi young thugs hijacked vehicles
mtId stoned buses, injuring sev-
eril persons, a spokesperson re-
poerted.
In the North Belfast suburb of
Newtonabbey, similar attacks in-
tired other bus passengers, in-
ch din-g a mother and her
5 month-old child, police said.
The strikers were demanding
tougher steps against the most-
ly Roman Catholic IRA, which

has been trying to drive the
British out of Northern Ireland
and to unite the province with
the predominantly Catholic Irish
Republic. The death toll in the
eight-year-old terrorist war is
at least 1,741.
THE PROTESTANT militants
were also demanding that Lon-
don revive the Protestant-dom-
inated provincial parliament.
Northern Ireland has been ruled
directly by the central govern-
ment in London for the past
three years.
Squads of Ulster Defense As-
sociation - UDA - men, mem-
bers of the province's biggest
Protestant street army and the
strikers' muscle, renewed at-
tempts yesterday to intimidate
workers at the big Harland and
Wolff shipyard on Belfast's east
side, Protestant sources report-
ed.
The strike enforcers moved in
after shipyard officials report-
ed that almost the entire 9,000-
member work force, which is
largely Protestant, reported for
work.
THE POLICE spokesperson
said undercover "flying squads"
of detectives were operating
throughout the province "in a
determined effort to prevent and
detect widespread intimidation."
Violence also erupted in Arm-
agh, which is in Northern Ire-
land but is the ecclesiastical
capital of both north and south,
when 400 Protestant hardliners

besieged a courthouse to pro-
test the arrest of 18 militants
on charges of manning illegal
roadblocks. One policeman was
injured, and demonstrators at-
tacked news reporters and tele-
vision film crews.
"The strike is on its last legs,"

a Commerce Department
spokesman said Thursday. But
there was no sign it would end
soon. "We're not finished yet,"
declared Jim Smyth, a leader
of hardline United Unionist Ac-
tion Council, which organized
the mass protest action.

April wholesale prices up

WASHINGTON (AP) - Sharp-
ly rising farm and fuel prices
pushed over-all wholesale prices
up 1.1 per cent in April for the
second straight month, almost
assuring consumers of higher
grocery and utility bills.
The April increase, reported
yesterday by the Labor Depart-
ment, equaled the March rise
and followed a nine-tenths of"
one per cent jump win Febru-
ary.
The wholesale increases have
been matched by large increas-
es-in consumer prices this year,
raising fears of accelerating in-
flation.
Consumer prices rose at a
ten per cent annual rate in the
first quarter, compared to 4.8
per cent in all of 1976. But Car-
ter administration economists,
while expressing disappoint-
ment, said there was no evi-
dence of runaway inflation on
the horizon.
Bert Lance, director of the
Office of Management and
Budget, told reporters, "It is
always serious when you see

that kind of an increase," but
he said it was fortunate that
the boost was no larger than
the one in March.
Lance said it was difficult "to
tell how much effect energy and
cold weather had to do with this
trend" and that this would not
be clear for another month.
Jack Meyer, assistant director
of the Council on Wage and
Price Stability, said: "It's dis-
appointing and clearly a bite
on the consumer's pocketbook,
but I don't think it's an indi-
cator that we're headed for dou-
ble-digit inflation."

Gene Littler
Haea reguhr
checkup.It can save
yourl fe.
American
CancerSociety.

SYM BOLS OF LOVE

the mini ad with
MAXI power
You'll get fash results from a Daily classified ad and now
you can place it by mail. Just fill out the coupon below
and enclose your check for $3.70. Checks are payable to
the Michigan Daily and no ads will be accepted without
payments. Your ad will run in the next 3 issues following
receipt of your ad. Call 764-0557 if you have any ques-
tions.
SEND TO: Classifieds, Michigan Daily
420 Maynard St.
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109
a !
Name. Please indicate
S Address - where this ad is to ru
! personal
! Phone No. -. ...-...._forrent
U for sole
line -1 help wonted
Srne 2ommates
! ! etc.
: -ine3- -- - - - --
! !
* There are five words per line.
* Each group of characters counts as one word.
* Hyphenated words over 5 characters counts as two words
(this includes phone numbers)

f' +M V
r

A Keepsake diamond ring
reflects your love in its
beauty and brilliance.
The Keepsake Guarantee
assures a perfect diamond
of fine white color
and precise cut.
There is no finer
diamond ring.
Keesk

How to Plan Your Engagement and Wedding
FREE! Beautiful 20-page booklet for planning your engagement and
wedding plus color brochure on vital diamond facts and latest ring
styles. Special Bonus Coupon saves you 50% on Keepsake Bride's Book,
your complete wedding record. Send 254 for postage and handling
Name
Keepsake Diamond RingsBox 90, Syracuse, New York 13201