The Mchigan ay
Vol. XCI. No. 48-S
Ann Arbor, Michigan-Saturday, July 25, 1981
Ten Cents
Twelve Pages
Mideast truce
violated by
PLO shelling
From AP and UPI
TEL AVIV, Israel-Palestinian gun-
ners violated the five-hour-old U.S.-
mediated cease-fire twice yesterday by
rocketing the Metulla area and villages
in Christian-controlled southern
Lebanon, the Israeli command repor-
ted.
It said three Lebanese villagers were
wounded in the first barrage but there
were no casualties from the second and
the Israeli army did not return the fire.
A PALESTINIAN source said the
bombardment along Israel's northern
frontier had been a mistake and that
guerrillas acting on their own had been
disciplined for violating the cease-fire
aimed at ending the 15-day war.
The Israeli military command said
the PLO "violated the cease-fire ap-
proximately five hours after it had
begun" by firing on the northernmost
Israeli villages of Metullah and a
Christian militia enclave in south
Lebanon.
Israeli Television said the Israeli-
backed Christian militia forces in
southern Lebanon also held their fire
after rockets hit the villages of Klea
and Marjayoun just north of the fron-
tier.
THE TRUCE was announced by U.S.
special envoy Philip Habib after 15
days of cross-border fighting that left
more than 450 Arabs dead in Lebanon
and killed six Israelis in northern
Israel.
The White House said shortly after
the standown was announced: that it
was a "hopeful and encouraging sign,"
but held off resuming F-16 jet deliveries
to Israel.
In Heirut, Yasser Arafat's Palestine
Liberation Organization made no men-
tion of the U.S. initiative and reiterated
earlier in the day it would abide by a
truce called by the Unitel Nations if the
Israelis stopped fighting. It also denied
Israeli reports that pressure from
Saudi Arabia on the PLO brought about
the cease-fire.
EARLIER, THE PLO issued a
statement denouncing "the continuous
Zionist, racist genocide" but also
saying the PLO agreed to U.N.
Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim's
appeal for a cease-fire "provided the
other side adheres to it."
Neither Israel nor the PLO-bitter
enemies who don't recognize each
other-referred to the other, and
Habib's formal announcement spoke
only of an end to fighting "between
Lebanese and Israeli territory." Israel
even refused to permit the word
"cease-fire" in the announcement
because of its legal connotation usually
referring to an end to hostilities bet-
ween countries.
Spreading the word
This man, one of several bearing religious placards, marched through the
Art Fair along State St. yesterday to alert passersby of the dangers of false
religions.
I
GOV'T GETTING TOUGH IN COLLECTING STUDENT LOANS:
Debt collection bill ne
By CHARLES THOMSON
Daily staff writer
special to the Daily
WASHINGTON-Legislation that would relax con-
straints on the federal government's efforts to collect
money from its debtors-including citizens who are
delinquent in paying back government student
loans-inched closer to passage this week.
The Debt Collection Act of 1981, one version of
which has already passed the House, received a
warm reception last Monday from the Republican-
controlled Senate Internal Revenue Oversight Com-
mittee last Monday.
Senate staff members said yesterday they expect
the bill to be sent to the full Senate before the August
recess. And, according to one staffer, passage by the
end of September seems "likely."
IF PASSED, THE bill would allow the federal
government to hire private debt collectors to try to
collect delinquent payments from individuals. The
bill would also allow federal agencies to release some
extremely accurate IRS files to private debt collec-
tors and credit-rating bureaus, a move which could
seriously damage the credit ratings of students who,
do not repay government loans.
Currently, only other federal agencies have access
to IRS address files for the purpose of debt collection.
If the Debt Collection Act is passed, however, gover-
nment agencies will be able to contract with private
collectors and give those collectors current IRS ad-
"The federal government's
failure to collect billions of dollars
in unpaid. . . debts is a national
outrage-a slap in the face to the-
taxpayers of this country."
- U.S. Sen. Charles Percy (R-Ill.)
dress information on debtors.
As cited in testimony Monday, this provision would
allow the Department of Education to release ad-
dress information on persons delinquent in paying
back student loans to both collection agencies and
ar passage
private companies that maintain personal credit
rating files on individuals.
IRS address information is several times more ac-
curate than any other source of data available to the
government, and according to committee testimony,
it is substantially less expensive for the government
to maintain.
SUPPORTERS OF THE bill claim it is a necessary
step toward efficiently collecting billions of dollars
owed the federal government.
"This legislation addresses the most shocking
example of waste and mismanagement of public fun-
ds I have encountered in my 15 years as a United
States Senator," said Charles Percy (R-Ill.), primary
sponsor of the Debt Collection Act. "The federal
government's failure to collect billions of dollars in
unpaid loans, taxes, and other debts is a national
outrage-a slap in the face to the taxpayers of this
country."
PORTIONS OF THE Act, however, have been
criticized by the American Civil Liberties Union as
invasions of privacy.
An ACLU spokesperson said yesterday that the
group opposes the provisions in the Act which would
See DEBT, Page 2