The Michigan Daily-Saturday, March 7, 1981-Page 3
U
Wholesale
prices up
0.8% in February
WASHINGTON (AP) - Spurting
energy costs pushed wholesale prices
up by 0.8 percent in February - an an-
nual rate of about 10 percent - while
unemployment declined slightly in
Ronald Reagan's first full month in the
White House.
Meanwhile, despite signs of life from
the auto industry, Michigan's jobless
rate continued to rise last month -
climbing to 14.2 percent from 13.7 per-
cent - it was announced yesterday.
Gov. William G. Milliken - meeting
in Washington with President Reagan
to seek more aid for the state's ailing
auto industry - called the unem-
ployment rate which was nearly double
the national average "further proof" of
the need for action.
IT WAS MICHIGAN'S worst
February since the auto recession year
of 1975 with joblessness nearly three
points higher than in February, 1980.
The Michigan Employment Security
Commission reported 604,000 out of
work last month, compared with 585,000
in January.
The national unemployment rate
dropped 7.3 percent last month, a scant
improvement over the 7.4 percent rate
of January. But it was still the lowest
figure since the 6.9 percent of April 1980
and broke the 10-month period in which
the rate hovered between 7.4 and 7.6
percent.
THE FIGURES released yesterday
by the Bureau of Labor Stastics gave
mixed signals on the nation's economic
health as the Reagan administration
continued to push for large-scale
budget and tax cuts.
The administration argues that the
package will spur investment, improve
productivity and generally put
Americans on firmer economic footing.
If that happens, officials contend, there
will be an easing of the "inflation
psychology" which drives people to buy
more and more goods because they
believe prices will be much higher if they
wait very long.
Administration officials predict that
if the president's program is approved
by summer, results should show up late
this year.
THE CONSUMER FOODS index
declined 0.6 percent in February after
showing no change in January, but
government and private economists
expect food prices to rise substantially
later this year.
Prices for finished consumer goods
other than food or energy rose 0.7 per-
cent in February, compared with 0.8
percent in January, the report said.
Increases occurred for a broad range
of items, including alcoholic beverages,
cosmetics, drugs, tires and tubes,
health products, and newspaper
publishing.
The biggest rise in producer prices,
which usually foreshadow cost-of-living
increases at the consumer level, was in
energy costs, the Labor Deparment
report said.
The 3.6 percent rise in energy costs
included a 6.5 percent jump in fuel oil
prices and a 4.7 percent increasein
gasoline costs at the wholesale level.
However, prices for natural gas
remained even after rising steadily
for 10 months. It was learned Friday,
meanwhile, that Reagan wants to speed
up the phaseout of natural gas controls.
Home-free AP Photo
Aaron Owens, wrongfully convicted of a double murder for which he served more than eight years in California's San
Quentin prison, holds hands with his teenage daughters as he leaves court. His life sentence conviction was dropped by
the same judge who had sent him to prison.
Ii
INDIVIDUAL THEATRES
5th A4e a lberty 761-9700
Reagan presses
for natural gas
*price decontrol
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Reagan administration will
press for a quick end to federal controls on natural gas prices
to make that fuel as valuable as oil, a White House
spokesman said yesterday.
The move would cost consumers billions of dollars. Fifty-
five percent of American homes are heated by gas.
EDWIN DALE, spokesman for Budget Director David
Stockman, said the administration will move for accelerated
phase-out of natural gas pricing regulations, which would let
prices seek their own level.
But, he added, no time has been set for taking such action
and no decision has been made on how quickly controls
should end.
No firm estimates of the cost to consumers have been
made. A consumer group opposed to decontrol recently
estimated immediate removal of gas price controls - which
the administration apparently is not contemplating - would
cost $626 billion over five years and raise the average
homeowner's heating bill by $667 annually.
THE ADMINISTRATION through the Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission, could boost prices of a portion of the
nation's gas supplies without action by Congress. But it
would be up to Congress to decide whether controls on most
gas should be removed, and even some supporters of
deregulation say now is not the time.
The Department of Energy estimated last October that the
average nationwide price of natural gas in the field was $1.55
per 1,000 cubic feet.
ENERGY ACTION, a citizens' group that opposes
deregulation, says that if price controls were removed, the
price would soar to $7.50. The gas industry estimates 1,000
cubic feet would sell for $4.50.
The field price makes up about 40 percent of the price paid
by homeowners.
BARGAIN MATINEES
Wed. Sat. Sun. $2.00
til 6:00 -
Ik
Melvin
(and Howard)
(R)
i
High court rejects
stay of execution
-IAPPENINGS
FILMS
AAFC - Casablanca, 7,10:20 p.m., MLB 3; Play It Again, Sam, 8:45 psm.,
MLB3.
Alt. Action Films - The Adventures of Robin Hood, 7, 9:15 p.m., MLB 4.
Cinema Guild - Kramer vs. Kramer, 7,9,10:50 p.m., Lorch Hall Aud.
Cinema II - The Scarlet Letter, 7 p.m., Aud. A Angell; The Merchant of
Four Seasons, 9p.m., Aud. A, Angell.
Mediatrics -Hopscotch, 7, 9 p.m., Nat. Sci. Aud.
Revolution Books - Breaking With Old Ideas, 7, 9:30 p.m., R.C. Theater,
E. Quad.
SPEAKERS
CCC, Inter-Varsity Christian Fell., U. Christian Outreach, U. Students for
Christ-Christian Breakfast, Lec., Phil Tiews, "Christian Unity," 9 a.m., 1st
United Methodist Church, 120S. State.
Hillel - Mordechai Ben Porat, "Upcoming Israeli Elections and the
Current Political Scene," 8p.m., 1429 Hill.
MEETINGS
Grad. Christian Fell. -7 p.m., League Henderson Room.
PERFORMANCES
School of Music - Robin Hoss, clarinet recital, 2 p.m., Recital Hall; Gail
Denson, voice (soprano) recital, 4 p.m., Recital Hall; Eileen Flson, violon-
cello recital, 8 p,m., Recital Hall.
Folklore Society - Contra/Square Dance, all dances taught, 8 p.m., SEB,
S.E. entrance.
Canterbury Loft - "The Stronger," opera, concert, Contemporary Cham-
ber Ensemble, 8 p.m., 332 S. State.
PTP - "Mummenschanz,'*' mime and mask troupe, 8 p.m., Power Cen-
ter.
MISCELLANEOUS
Rec. Sports - Children's Sports-O-Rama, 9 a.m., NCRB.
SWE - Professional Development Day, speakers, lunch (reg. in SWE of-
fice), 10 a.m., League Henderson Room.
Women's Swimming - Maize and Blue Invitational, 2 p.m., Matt Mann
Pool.
Men's Basketball - vs. Purdue, 2:05 p.m., Crislet Arena.
WUOM/WVGR - Lecture Series, "New Dimensions: Notes Along the
Way," Ram Dass,11 a.m.
Rudi Foundation - Hatha Yoga for Children, 1 p.m., Level 3, 10 a.m.,
Rudrananda Ashram.
Women's Crisis Center - Spaghetti dinner party celebrating WCC's 10th
anniversary, First Presbyterian Church.
UAC - "Michigras '81," 8p.m., Michigan Union.
Ann Arbor Chess Club - Lec. and exhibition, Dumiru Ghizdavu, 2 p.m.,
Rm. 126 E. Quad.
To submit items for the Happenings Column, send them in care of:
Happenings, The Michigan Daily, 420 Maynard St., Ann Arbor, MI. 48109.
From AP and UPI
WASHINGTON-The Supreme Court
yesterday rejected an Indiana death
row prisoner's request to block the
execution of fellow inmate Steven Judy.
The justices, on a 7-2 vote, denied a
request Eby Larry Williams to delay
Judy's scheduled execution until the
court reviews Indiana's capital
punishment law. Judy is scheduled to
be put to death early Monday morning.
THE HIGH COURT rejected the
request without comment, stating only
that Justices William Brennan and
Thurgood Marshall would have granted
the stay and temporarily delayed the
pending execution.
Williams, convicted in a 1979 robbery-
slaying, had asked Justice John
Stevens to stop the death sentence.
Stevens decided not to take independent
action and referred the matter to the
full court.
Willaims' attorney, Jere Humphrey,
said he will not attempt to bring
another appeal in Judy's case before
the Supreme Court.
I N PAPERS FILED with the court,
Humphrey said, "While Judy may want
to die, Williams does not."
The 24-year-old Judy, confessed killer
of an Indiana woman and her three
children, has waived his right to ap-
peal, stating, "I don't want to spend the
rest of my life in a hellhole."
The Indiana Supreme Court last week
rejected Williams' bid to intervene in
Judy's case.
The U.S. Supreme Court rejected a
similar appeal in 1976 on behalf of Utah
death row inmates tryingto block-the
execution of Gary Gilmore, whose
death by firing squad ended a 10-year
moratorium on executions in the United
States.
HUMPHREY FILED an 86-page
brief with Stevens, leveling a broad at-
tack on Indiana's death penalty law and
the way it is implemented.
His key argument was that Indiana
law violates the Constitution by gran-
ting local prosecuting attorneys "un-
checked discretion" to decide when to
seek the death penalty in murder
cases-causing uneven enforcement
across the state.
Judy, 24, was convicted of raping and
killing Terry Chasteen, 21, and
drowning her three children in April
1979. He told the Indiana Supreme
Court in October he wished to stop all
appeals of his death sentence, saying he
would rather die than languish in
prison.
BELL'S
GREEK,
PIZZA
grinder's £
Greek salad
Eat In or Take Out,
At Packard & State
Convenient Location,
Friendly Atmosphere
FAST, FREE
DELIVERY
995-0232
DAILY-7:25, 9:15
SAT. SUN-i1:45,3:35,
5:35, 7:251 9:1l5 -
7 ACADEMY
I~A WARD
NOMINATIONS
SISSY SPACEK (PG)
DAILY-7:10, 9:20
SAT. SUN.-2:20, 4:40, 7:10, 9:20
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KRAMER VS. KRAMER