Fridoy, August 12, 1977 THE MICHIGAN DAILY Congress optimistic on passage of Panama pact WASHINGTON (/P - Backers of the newly negotiated Panama Canal pact braced yesterday for a difficult ratification fight in the Senate, but administration officials were optimistic of mus- tering the needed two-thrds support. Senators who contend the United States should keep the canal vowed an all-out effort to block ratification of the proposed new treaty, .which would transfer control of the canal to Panama by the year 2000. AND TWO critics of the proposed treaty, Sens. James McClure (R-Idaho) and Jesse Helms (R- N.C.) threatened a lawsuit to block it. The agreement, reached by Carter administra- Lion and Panamanian negotiators Wednesday, would replace the 1903 treaty giving the United States perpetual control over the canal and the adjacent Canal Zone. Sens. John Sparkman (D-Ala.) and Clifford Case (R-N.J.), chairman and ranking minority member of the Senate Foreign Relations Com- mittee, voiced guarded support for the effort. THEY SAID they "fully support the negotiating effort" and "believe it is in our national interest to develop a new relationship with Panama." But in a cautiously worded joint statement, the two committee leaders noted, "We wish to make it clear, however, that our endorsement of the negotiations should not be construed as an auto- .matic endorsement of a new Panama Canal agreement." It will require the affirmative vote of 67 sena- tors to approve a new treaty. RECENT administration head c o u n t s show about 50 senators inclined to back a new treaty, See CONGRESS, Page 10 State gets solar energy research grant By LORI CARRUTHERS The program, administered Toe state of Michigan has re- by the Energy Research and cened a $280,000 grant to fi- Development Administration (E nance the planning stages of a RDA) regional centers, will o- ReginalSolr Enrgy Re-ordinate efforts with the Fed- Regional Solar Energy Re- eral Solar Energy Research In- sarch Center. Michian, paR stitute (SERI) in Colorado. will be working jointly with "fHE RESEARCH center is Mimnesota on this project. ent-rely in the planning stages AATA Won't okay fact I e terms By SUE WARNER In an executive session Wednesday night, the Ann Ar- bor Transportation Authority (As TA) beard decided itrcould nut accept the terms recoin- mended by a state-appointed fact finder as settlement for AA'TsA s ontoing contract dis pute with the Transportation Employes Union '(TEUt) We're ecry concerned about the impact of the settlement over the next few years." Nan- cy Crumb,, Administrative As- sis'ant to AATA Exeiste Di- teeter Karl Guenther said yes- terday. A C C 0 R D I N G T O Crumb, if the authority ere to accept the terms recommended in the report, AATA would be forked to increase fares 40 per cent or cut back services by five per cent. Following an eight-day walk- out last month, the TEU mem- bership agreed to return to work under the terms of their previous contract while nego- tia tons continued and fact find- ing took place. The contract is sow set to expire on Augusts15. 'E EU sotkespersons have stat- ed that the union is willing to ig-ree to the fact finder's re- coniiendations. I towever, the fat finder's report is not bind- it_ on either side of the nego tist oits. Uti 1 SAID AATA is espe- ciil;i cincerned with the re- utirt s ires-ommnsdations regartt iny states and mianagetment's ah its to coitract OUt work xisi persots outside the un- ias. She said the AATA bar- eiig team has presented nes offers on both points. Meanwhile, both sides disa- grei on exactly what the fact finder, Southfield Attorney Wal ter Nussbaurm, recommended as a wage proposal. AATA con- tends the figure is an 11.2 per cent increase while TEU main- tains it is only 7.4 per cent. - what can and should be done," Irving Rozian, consult- ant to the project from Michi- gnd) Energy and Resource Re- search Association (MERRA), said. In January of 1978 a perma- net program is expected to be established. Though ERtDA would prefer only one main re- search center established in each region, it is possible that Michigan and Minnesota will continue to work together. "Indications are that as long as Michigan and Minnesota's joint operation works effective- ly, it will be approved," Roz- ian said. BUT SPECULATION* ctrtiues as to whether one or two centers will be established in the North Central Region. 'You are asking for a crystal bali - there might even be sev- eral throughout the region. No- bodiv ko%s for sore," Univer- sitstProf. Joseph Martin said. "We hase been Working with the people from Minnesota for two or three months. But we are a long way from a firm or- atuiation but by the end of the year we'll have worked Ot, the procedures," Martin Ihe university will likely gain frou solar research done with- in the state and the University is not isolating itself from the planning of a regional research center. Coordinated efforts of the re- goinal research center and the University could lead to fur- ther developments not neces- See STATE, Page 7 A sure sign that summer's end is near, University Cellar staff member Martha DeFore unloads only one of the many boxes of books for Fall term's 'book rush.' 'U' staff gears upfor annual Falonslugt By SUE WARNER As University students from Oshkosh to tiigkak begin pack- ing up their worldly possessions for their autumn trek back to Ann Arbor, University officials are also gearing up for the an- nual barrage of the returning masses. When asked what preparations his office was naking for the fall blitz, John Finn, Director of ltouising lnfornation joked, "We're not making any, we're guing ti run away and hide." SERIOUSLY TIIOUGII, FINN SAID the hIosusing office is busv discussing atcriiative pirl(1s fur accisitomdaling an (Uer flsiw of freshmtas students in the Uniterisity residence ha ls. "We're goiii to he crrdedi " he said, i"nl it's especitlly tight for frestman. But tthatt dhscsn' timnlwe isi' s't be able to accommodate them." DESPITE 'tIlE PRtO1tIEMS IIE FAt ES gni igait stidcnt lissing in the (tlt, iun sayl he still l 1stks liieril ti basing the students hack. 'I get excited about it 'Ihere'. a lt i e:ld aches, but that's whtit keeps ic young English prf I.tyall l'iiwers said he is pretsring fur fal term by resting. Alth ougb they'll soon he busy revisiig lecture otes and planning new courses, Powers csintends that most facu- ty members anxiously awsait the return iof their eager proteges. "Mont of its iniok forward to the students coming back, "Pow ers asserts. "One has a sense of new beginnings and new op- tioltuInities. UNIVERSITY VICE-PRESIDENT for Student Services leu- ry Johnson, says his office is itdustrisusly preparitg to deal See 'U', Page 6 TODAY Highway robbery? Did you ever wish, say when you were filing your income tax, that you could get back at the govern- ment? Well Ms. Burger of Unionville, Iowa doesn't have to wish, she's got the state government right in the palm of her hand. It seems the county acci- dentally sold her part of one of its highways for a measly $5, and Burger wants to be compensated be- fore she'll return the land. "I don't want to just give it back," she said, "so I proposed that if the county would gravel our lane at our farm, I'd give them their highway back." Burger, who bought the 300-foot by 100-foot lot containing part of the highway in a tax sale in July, has been offered $4,500 by a Missouri man for it. Court officials say the sale should be voded since the road is a farm-to-market highway, but they can't figure out how to do it. The county said the mix-up occurred because although the county bought the lot in 1965, the sale was never deeded to the sec- ondary road department. Happenings? . do not begin or end today since there are none. Eh, what's up Doc? A carrot-munching executive who sends his secre- tary to the grocery store for his supply has won the first "pettiest office procedure" award presented by Cleveland Women Working. The award certificate pre- sented with some ceremony Wednesday was accom- panied by a week's supply of carrots - and a map showing the route to the vegetable outlet near his office. It went to the law firm of Kelley, McCann & Livingstone. The organization said the unidentified ex- ecutive is one of the farm's senior partners whom the women dubbed the "14-carrot boss." A representative of the women's group, Cathy Tombow, explained the contest, which began July 26, was designed to call attention to what she described as the ridiculous and degrading tasks women often are reqired to perform in connection with their jobs. On the outside? The rash of totally unpredictable weather has so demoralized the U.S. Weather Service that the meteorologists have walked off their jobs, and refuse to return until "Mother Nature gets her act together," For the duration of the strike, we have enlisted the services of a Tibetan mys- tic who has correctly predicted the weather in the Himalyas for 10,000 consecutive days (it has snowed, and been cold every day for 30 years). Unfortunately, the mystic does not speak Eng- lish, and we do not speak Tibetan, so we are unable to give you the complete report. But we have been able to translate some words, and near as we can tell it will rain half of today and be sunny for the other half, but we can's tell which half will be which. The high will be 79, and tonight's low will be in the mid-50s. We are importing a Tibetan interpreter from the U.N. tomorrow, and will hopefully be able to give you a full report then.