The Michigan Daily
Ann Arbor, Michigan-
-Friday, May 23, 1980
Ten Cents
Sixteen Pages
iii Jbess
rate soars
to 13-year
I Trinity Doly Photo by DAVID HARRIS'
No, local residents were not out to prove yesterday that it does, indeed, take
three Ann Arborites to screw in a lightbulb-one to hold the lightbulb and two
to turn the ladder. The trio was busy washing windows at Tower Plaza on
Maynard St.
Jury acquits former
* Jonestowl11jn cultist
Layton on 4 charges
reeord
From AP and UPI
The number of Americans filing new
claims for unemployment insurance+
reached the highest levels in at least 13
years during early May, a new sign that
the economy is falling into a deeper
recession than the Carter ad-
ministration predicts.
The Labor Department reported
Mobil Corp. cut the price of its gas 3
cents a gallon yesterday but Exxon
raised its price 2 cents as Nigeria hiked
the price of its oil. See Story, Page 8.
yesterday that a seasonally adjusted
616,000 jobless people filed for unem-
ployment insurance during the week
ending May 10, up from 595,000 for the
week ending May 3. The latest figures
represented the highest number of
initial claims for one week since the
government began collecting
seasonally adjusted data in 1967.
THE WEEKLY unemployment
claims information is a good indicator
of changes in the nation's unem-
ployment rate, which shot up from 6.2
per cent in March to 7 per cent in April.
Economists saidyesterday that the new
figures suggest that another sizable
jump in unemployment will be revealed
when the May rate is issued early next
month.
In Washington, the House yesterday
passed a compromise bill ained at
making sure that disabled workers
don't make more from Social Security
disability payments than they did on
the job.
Passage of the bill, worked out by a
House-Senate conference, came on a
389-2 vote. The measure now goes to the
Senate.
THE PURPOSE of the bill is to give
disabled workers an economic incen-
tive to return to work as soon as
possible.
It would limit benefits for disabled
workers and their families to 85 per
cent of, the worker's previous earnings
or to 150 per cent of the worker's.
primary insurance amount, whichever
is smaller. The limitation would apply
to workers who first become eligible af-
ter July 1.
high
The bill also is designed to prevent.
younger workers from receiving more
disability benefits than older workers
with comparable wage histories.
IN DETROIT, more than 40,000 tem-
porarily idled U.S. automakers will
return to their jobs next week but long-
term unemployment-a more reliable
measure of the industry's .
strength-continues to edge upward.
In contrast to the recent pattern of
deep production cutbacks, U.S.
automakers said yesterday they will -
operate all but one car and four truck
assembly plants next week, dropping
short-term layoffs from 53,900 this week
to 11,720beginning Tuesday.
But indefinite layoffs climbed from
217,350 to 219,750, indicating a continued
lack of confidence in real short-term
improvement in the industry's dismal
sales picture.
SALES OF U.S.-BUILT cars so far
this year are down 20 per cent from last
year, but in early May the dropoff was
42 per cent-the slowest for that selling
period in 22 years.
The Federal Reserve Board began
moving to make credit more available
to American consumers and some
businesses yesterday by reducing the
See JOBLESS, Page 8
Prime [ending Rate
Percent
21-
- May22
O- Split Rate
19- 16%
15,2%
18-
17-
16-
15-
_MJ F M A M
From AP and UPI
GEORGETOWN, Guyana-Larry
Layton, a former People's Temple
member, was acquitted yesterday of
attempting to kill two temple defectors
as they fled the cult's Jonestown set-
tlement with a California congressman
and four others who died in the
fusillade.
Layton, a former conscientious ob-
jector from San Francisco, was found
innocent by a Guyanese jury on two
charges of firearms violations and two
charges of attempted murder of the cult
members who had been trying to flee
with Rep. Leo Ryan (D-Calif.).
THE SHOOTINGS preceded the mass
suicide-murder of more than 900 per-
sons at the colony Nov. 18, 1978. Layton
still faces trial on charges of killing
Ryan, three journalists, and another
temple defector at the Port Kaituma
airstrip near Jonestown. Ryan had
visited the settlement to investigate
alleged abuses of cult members by their
leader Jim Jones.
The two-woman, ten-man jury
deliberated 2 hours before delivering
the verdict. Layton's trial on charges of
attempting to kill Monica Bagby and
Vern Gosney, the two defectors, began
May 6.
In view of his acquittal on these
harges, it appeared doubtful that
Layton wouldever be convicted of any
charges in Guyana. However, if he is
set free and is deported, he could face
charges in the United States of con-
spiring to kill a congressman. FBI
_See JURY, Page 7