The Michigan Daily-Friday, July 31, 1?81-Page 3
BROAD RANGE OF BOOKS KEPT OUT OF SCHOOLS
Study shows censorship 'growing'
the book describes her working life as a
From AP and UPI study made by the Association of "an advanced biology text," "all scien- prostitute. Terkel said that if he were a
WASHINGTON - Efforts to censor American Publishers, the American ce books," "history books," and "books school principal, be would try to have
books occur in a fifth of the nation's Library Association, and the on divorce, evolution, English, children first exposed to the best of
schools each year, succeed in half the Association for Supervision and creationism, health." writing and then have no fear when
cases, and often are initiated by Curriculum Development. "Not surprisingly, contemporary fic- they were exposed to the worst.
teachers or principals seeking to avoid The educators listed more than 200 -tion was the category of material most "The very experience of having been
trouble, a study released yesterday books that were subjected to censorship frequently challenged on the local exposed to works of human and artistic
says pressures in 1980 - ranging from the level," the report said. "By far the merit will enable them to throw out the
The study - the most extensive of its American Heritage Dictionary to most frequently challenged aspects had schlock," he said. "Good stuff would
kind ever undertaken - found pre- "The Merchant of Venice" by William to do with sex, sexuality, obscenity and put the bad stuff out of existence."
censorship common in schools which Shakespeare; basketball player Wilt objectionable language. THE SURVEY found that schools of-
have been the scene of book controver- Chamberlain's autobiography; "Stuart Studs Terkel, the Chicago street ten gave in quickly when a parent or
sies. Having gone through one battle, Little," a children's book by E. B. philosopher whose ,book "Working" someone else raised questions.
principals try to omit books that might White, and such novels as Mark was one of the books censored, said "In exactly half of 500 challenges
cause'ripples, the report said. Twain's "Huckleberry Finn'," J.D. such instances make him feel sad specified, the challenged material was
"CENSORSHIP pressures on books Salinger's "Catcher in the Rye," because they tell of people frightened altered, restricted or removed prior to
and other learning materials in the George Orwell's "1984" and Alexander by ideas. a formal review," the report said.
public schools are real, nationwide and Solzhentisyn's "One Day in the Life of "THEIR OWN fear takes it over and On the other hand, the report did not
growing," the study concluded. Ivan Denisovich." they put it in their kids,' he said. argue that the selection of books was
In all, 1,891 librarians, principals and OTHER SCHOOLS listed categories "Working" is about the working lives not a legitimate area of parents' con-
superintendents participated in the of books that had been challenged - of ordinary people. One of the people in cern.
No reason
found or
$4 billion
c:.O
OUav tof
WORDPROCESSOR'S, A LOCAL print shop embroiled in labor controversy for two years, has closed its doors per-
manently and plans to file for bankruptcy, owners say.
Local print shop out of business
gov't trips
WASHINGTON (AP)-No purpose
can be identified for 27 percent of the
trips made by federal employees,
whose journeys likely will cost the tax-
payers $4 billion this year, the Office of
Management and Budget told 4he
Senate yesterday.
Edwin Harper, OMB deputy director,
cited a 10-month study launched last
year by the agency. His report, to the
Senate Governmental Affairs Commit-
tee, did not single out individuals.
BUT HE DID say there was
widespread abuse of travel privileges,
"due largely to the inappropriate use of
travel authorizations that did not
require management attention to the
purpose and need for the trips."
Chairman William Roth Jr. (R-Del.)
noted that a similar study by the
General Accounting Office in 1977 found
that 17 percent of the conferences at-
tended by federal employees were not
essential to their jobs.
Harper'replied, "Unnecessary con-
ferences should be eliminated. Overall,
we have to have managers and super-
visors to look at the reason for a trip.
That is the most important single step
we can take. We must know where
people are going and why they are
going."
THE INTERAGENCY Travel Im-
provement Project report disclosed
that executive agencies spent about $2.9
billion for travel in Fiscal Year 1979 and
about $3.2 billion in 1980. Harper said
the figure should reach $4 billion this
year.
As expected, the Defense Depar-
tment which, counting both- military
and civilian employees, constitutes
over 73 percent of the federal workfor-
ce, spent over 63 percent of the travel
funds.
The Agriculture Department, with 2.3
percent of the federal workforce, had
the second highest level of travel ex-
penditures, with 4.7 percent of the total.
By MARK GINDIN
Daily business reporter
Wordprocessors, a local print shop
which has been at the center of labor-
management controversy for the past
two years, has plans to file for bankrup-
tcy and will not reopen, owners said
yesterday.
There was no chance of survival after
looking at the books, said owner June
Smith. "In essence, the union destroyed
the business," she claimed. The union
either wanted to own the business or
to destroy it, she said.
"THE PLACE has been mismanaged
for some time," countered David Her-
mann, shop steward for the Employees
Against Arbitrary Action union at Wor-
dprocessors. "They have done some
sleazy things in the past," said Her-
mann, who assessed the present crisis
as a premeditated move on the part of
the owners.
"They destroyed the business them-
selves by screwing their workers,"
Hermann said. The closing of the shop
is "only a matter of tactics" to avoid
their obligations, he said.
Creditors, including workers owed
back wages, can claim them in court,
Smith said. Wages and taxes have the
highest priority, she said, adding.that
"eventually they'll get them (wages), it
just may take a while."
"THIS WHOLE thing came about
because of the union," Smith said. After
the Industrial Workers of the World
tried to organize a union shop at Wor-
dprocessors, there was a secret ballot
and the union lost, she said.
"We are dealing with a left-wing
revolutionary Communist group of.
people" who are against capitalism and
American business, Smith said.
Basically the union is to'blame for the
collapse, she claimed.
Jim Smith, who was also an owner of
Wordprocessors until the labor
disputes, then started JMS Office Ser-
vices and has been running it for the
past year. He said he plans to use some
of the Wordprocessors equipment in his
operation, which is run from his
basement.
SEVERAL UNION members have
expressed concern that JMS is actually
part of Wordprocessors, and they say
they have a claim to wages and benefits
there, Hermann said.
"Everything the union did was legal,
unlike what Wordprocessors did," said
Stacy Eisenbrey, a union represen-
tative. None of the actions taken by the
union would have happened had the
business talked in good faith in the first
place, she claimed.
June Smith said she expected the
paperwork for filing bankruptcy to go
through today or Monday, but the court
date is uncertain. Some unsecured
creditors will not get their money.
because it isn't there, she said.
IN ORDER TO satisfy some of the
union demands, such as 35 holidays a
year, six weeks paid vacation each
year, and 100 percent profit-sharing,
See LOCAL, Page 11