U.S. effort to
produce smaller
cars seen as
threat to Japan
DEARBORN (UPI) - The $80 billion
effort by U.S. automakers to produce
smaller cars poses a dangerous threat
to the Japanese auto industry - and not
vice versa - a Nissan Motor Co.
executive said yesterday.
That remark by Masataka Okuma, a
Nissan executive vice president, turned
the tables on U.S. auto executives who
have complained unanimously in
recent months about Japanese inroads
in the American car market.
"IN AMERICA it seems that Japanese
Group
calls for
students
rights bill1
LANSING (UPI) - Saying school
children are the last group in America
to be protected by due process of law,
an ad hec group yesterday called for
the swift pasage of a so-called "studen-
ts rights" bill.
The group includes members of Gov.
William Milliken's Task Force on
School Violence and Vandalism as well
as representatives of the American
Civil Liberties Union and several
religious organizations.
ACLU MEMBERS said they deal
with more school discipline cases than
any other kind. The organization cited
several cases of youngsters suspended
or expelled for dress or behavior code
violations without a hearing.
Under the bill, schools will have to
explain and distribute copies of a
discipline code. A student who violates
the code must be given a chance to ex=
plain his or her side of the case as well
as to appeal a suspension or expulsion
from school.
The measure - now in the House
Civil Rights Committee - contains
many of the recommendations made
last year by the task force.
University researcher Junius
Williams said students need the bill's
protection in light of cutbacks on
programs which may keep them out of
trouble.
"You're going to expect. more
disciplinary problems when there's no
art, no band and no music program,"
Williams said.
The researcher said cutbacks
resulting in larger class sizes may also
lead to more stress on teachers.
"We need to make sure these
stressful situations don't lead to
mistreatment of youngsters," Williams
said.
imports are perceived as a threat, but
to us Japanese automakers, what is
frightening is the trememdous scale
resources U.S. car manufacturers have
at their disposal," Okuma said in a
speech to the Automotive News World
Congress.
He described the U.S. auto industry's
180 billion capital investment, plan
through 1985 as "an incredible sum."
Much of that money will go to finance
internationally built and marketed
"world cars" by Ford Motor Co. and
General Motors Corp.
"In the short run this investment will
be a heavy financial burden for the U.S.
makers, but just a little farther down
the road, it will arm them with suf-
ficient competitive strength to threaten
our existence," Okuma said.
The world congress, a major annual
gathering of auto executives and exper-
ts, has been marked repeatedly by ap-'
peals to the Japanese to limit imports
voluntarily.
But Okuma said he foresees a world-
wide glut of small cars in the future and
called upon all automotive manufac-
turers to plan their future production
prudently.
A market that has increased dras-
tically in the last 10 years is wastepaper.AP.Phot
sold for export. In,1970, about 400,000
tons was shipped to foreign manufac- President Carter joins hands to emphasize a point while meeting with farm
turers. In 1979, about 2.2 million tons state representatives in the Cabinet Room of the White House yesterday.
was exported-primarily to Japan, According to sources at the session, the president has decided on new govern-
Korea, Canada and Mexico. ment price support loan rates for wheat and corn.
Dems better than GOP
on consumer issue votes
LANSING (UPI) - Legislative
Democrats fared considerably better
than their Republican counterparts ina
rating of votes on consumer issues
released yesterday by the Michigan
Citizens Lobby.
House members, facing re-election
this year, also emerged as slightly
more responsive than their Senate
counterparts who are not up until 1982,
although the organization said the dif-
ference likely was not. statistically
significant.
THE REVIEW of the 1979-80 session
- the first such survey published by the
consumer lobbying group - was im-
mediately challenged by Republicans
who insisted GOP lawmakers are as
sensitive as Democrats to the true in-
terests of consumers.
The organization is distributing 50,000
copies of the legislative scorecard so
members and "other consumers can
evaluate their representatives on.
specific issues and on their overall per:
formance before the Aug. 5 primary,"
said Joseph Tuchinsky, director of the
organization's Lansing office.
The average House member scored
54 per cent on the 17 votes surveyed by
the citizens lobby which included
Michigan Blue Cross-Blue Shield
reform, utility rate reform, item
pricing, interest rates and other issues.
DEMOCRATS averaged 68 per cent
and Republicans 29 per cent.
Top scoring House members were
both Democrats - freshperson Rep.
Kenneth DeBeaussaert of Washington
and second-termer Larry Burkhalter of
Lapeer.
Ranking at the bottom among House
members were Republicans Donald
Gilmer of Augusta, Carl Gnodtke of
Sawyer, Charles Mueller of Linden, and
Robert Welborn of Kalamazoo who had
12 per cent scores.
The upper chamber's average score
was 49 per cent, with Democrats at 69
per cent and Republicans 15 per cent on
19 issues.
Oak Park Democrat Douglas Ross -
former head of the citizens lobby - was
tops in the Senate with a 95 per cent
score and Republicans Donald Bishop
of Rochester, Alvin DeGrow of Pigeon,
Harry Gast of St. Joseph, and John
Mowat of Adrian were at the bottom
with zeroes.