Friday? August 13, 197
THE MICHIGAN DAILY
Pogo Three
Ford OK's swine flu plan
WASHINGTON {R)-President Ford yesterday signed
a bill clearing the way for a mass immunization cam-
'paigt against swine flu and directed authorities to more
quickly to make the vaccine available to all Americans.-
The federal vaccine program, stalled for several
,ants, now faces a race against time as the flu
son approaches.
IN A SIRNING ceremony in the Oval Office, Ford
called swine flu a "potential public health emergency."
He thanked Congress for responding to his pleas to
pass the legislation, which provides insurance for the;
drug companies manufacturing the vaccine.
"Scientific and medical evidence continues to sup-
port the need for a national influenza immunization
program," Ford said. "We have developed a safe and
affective vaccine with a very low risk of adverse
reactions."
He directed Secretary of Health, Education and Wel-
fare David Mathews "to move as expeditiously as pes-
sible to insure that we keep our original commitment
om making this vaccine available to all Americans."
FOUR DRUG companies have produced about 120
million doses of flu vaccine in bulk form.
"We have four months before the peak of the next
flu season," Dr. Delano Meriweather, director of the
national immunization program, said Wednesday.
He said the first vaccine would not be available before
late September. When the immunization program is in
full swing, he said, more than one million Americans
a day will get shots.
Vaccinations will be given on a first come, first
served basis. They will be voluntary and the vaccine
itself is free, but private doctors can charge for their
services in giving the shots.
CONGRESS last spring appropriated $135 million for
the nationwide vaccination program after scientists
warned of a possible outbreak of a strain of influenza,
similar to-and believed by some to be the same as-
one that killed nearly W0f,000 Americans in the 1918-19
epidemic.
But the drug companies refused to make the vaccine
available until they received the protection against
damage suits, as provided in the bill signed yesterday.
The insurance industry refused to insure such a large
program against suits claiming injury from tihe vac-
cine.
THE LEGISLATION provides that any injury suits
be filed against the federal government. If a plaintiff
won a judgment, the government could turn around
and sue the drug maker for a bad batch of vaccine or
the administrating physician for a dirty needle, for
negligence.
This would relieve participants in the program from
bearing legal costs of meritless court suits, which is a
major concern of drug manufacturers in the present
climate of big malpractice judgments.
Sen. Javits' aide killed in
Palestinian hi jack attempt
ISTANBUL, Turkey (A')-A staff aide
to Sen. Jacob Javits (1-N.Y.) was
among four persons killed in an apparent
Palestinian attempt to hijack an Israeli
b airliner at the Istanbul airport, the U.S.
Consulate reported yesterday.
The attack Wednesday night ended
with the surrender of two Palestinian
terrorists. The El Al jet flew safely to
Tel Aviv.
OFFICIALS at the U.S. 'Embassy in
Tel Aviv said the dead American was
named Ilarold Wallace Rosenthal, 29.
They said he was a former aide to Sen.
Walter Mondale of Minnesota, the Demo-
cratic vice presidential nominee, and
was on his way to Jerusalem for a con-,
ference on the Middle East.
x r The Anatolia agency said 26 persons
were wounded or injured in the attack,
including two American women in a
party of' Presbyterian tourists to the
Holy Land from Portland, Ore.
The American Hespital said Margaret
Shearer, 40, had a bullet wound in the
ankle and was "considerably improved."
But Shearer's family in Portland said
the injured woman was her sister, Nona,
who was traveling with her.
ANOTHER MEMBER of the American
party, Lucile Washburn, 52, suffered
bruises on her arms and thighs, a hos-
pital spokesperson said.
AP Photo The other dead were a Japanese, an
Airides aga in Israeli and a fourth man believed to
have been a Spaniard.
Alf Landon, 89, who was the GOP Presidential candidate in 1936, sits on The pilot of the Israeli plane said he
his horse yesterday at his home in Topeka, Kansas during an interview was told the- attack was made by four
with a reporter who covered Landon's acceptance 40 years age terrorists, but accounts of the informa-
tion given police by the two captured
'U',GEO rehash oldgripes
Palestinians indicated they acted alone.
The two tien said they smuggled their
guns and grenades through the Rome
airport, which has been the scene of
numerous hijackings and terrarist at-
tacks. The newspapr IInorivet said their
plan to hijack the El Al jetliner, which
was waiting to load passengers, was
foiled when police began searching the
luggage of transit passengers.
AS THE TWO terrorists approached-
the end of the line before boarding a bus
to the plane, they opened their bags,
hurled a grenade into the lined-up pas-
sengers and began spraying the room
with submachine guns, police said.
Try, try again
County voters may have another
chance to vote on park onillage this No-
vember. Despite the defeat of the pro-
posal by only 300 votes last week, the
Ways and Means Committee of the Coun-
ty Board of Commissioners decided by
a vote of 10- to recommend that they
board place the- issue back on the bal-
lot. In last week's election the margin
of victory was a narrow 50% per cent
to 49%/2 per cent, a small enough amount
for a mandate to be in doubt.
Happenings
. . are always to be found on a Fri-
day . . . begin at noon with a meeting of
the Ann Arbor Tenants Union in Rm.
4110 of the Union, the proposed consti-
tution will be the topic of discussion..
at 7 p.m. Tyagi Ji, a cosmic transmit-
ter will give a presence at the Friends
Meeting House, 1420 Hill . . . also at 7,
the musical group Selah will appear in
Curtis Park on the west side of Saline
on U. S. 12, their music carries the
message of Jesus "without resorting to
emotionalism or hardsell," . and at g.
p.m. Julian Moody will lead a discus-
sion on "Nutrition as Healing Energy"
at Canterbury House, located on the
corner of Catherine and Divisin
Weather or not
It will be partly sunny with highs in
the low to mid 80's. Chance of that long
expected rain is 20 per cent.
Uy GEORGE LOBSENZ
mental programs are "haphazard" -
adequate in some instances but sadly
University and Graduate Employes Or- lacking in other areas.
ganization (GEO) bargairters yesterday The University has opposed the GEO
rehashed old differences concerning proposal on several levels.
Graduate Student Assistants (GSA) On the broadest level, the University
training, with neither side moving sig- has said it does not believe GSA training
nificantly from previous positions-, - calling it an "educational issue" -
GEO has offered a proposal that calls should be in the contract,
for a program organized and taught by "Proposals that talk about formalizing
experienced GSAs to replace present (training) programs - either existing
departmental programs run predomin- programs or new ones - we don't be-
antly by faculty. However, the proposal lieve should be in a labor contract," said,
also contains a provision that offers chief University negotiator John Forsyth.
GSA's the option - to continue depart- THE UNIVERSITY has also consistent-
mental programs if they find them ade- ly denied that current departmental
quate, rather than entering into the programsa inadequate while-citing
GED programsconsiderable faculty resistance to the
GEE HAS maintained that depart- GEO proposal as evidence of faculty
interest and pride in training programs.
According to Forsyth, although ade-
quate training programs, are mutually
desirable, "the crux of the problem is
control." f
GED bargainers reiterated their posi-1
tion. "Our concern," said GEO bargainer
Bazel Allen, "is that if GSAs in a de-
partment feel that training isn't good
enough, that there be a mechanism
wherein their concerns can be registered,
that something will be done."
"In terms ofthaving some mechanism
to set up a meeting to discuss problems
-we'd be willing to agree to something
of that nature," answered Forsyth.
HE ADDED, "As for something that
requires a department to take a certain
course of action-we can't accept that."