8
Monday, February 26, 1973
University Daily Kansan
Kansan Photo by LESLIE RISS
Making Life Liveable All the Time
More than 60 million Bank Americand Master Charge in circulation . . .
A new ruling by the Kansas Bar Association which allows the Douglas County Legal Aid Society to handle misdemeanor cases has substantially altered the society's caseload, the annual report released last week showed.
"Misdemoneman cases will probably be the largest category of cases we'll handle in the future," said Louse Wheeler, director of society. "Society and assistant professor of law.
The Legal Aid Society, a clinic for University of Kansas law students, has handled 160 misdemeasure cases since the bar ruling gave it jurisdiction over the area in July. This was second only to the 260 misdemeasure cases, out of a total caseload of 890 in 1972.
Before the organization was allowed to handle misdemeanor cases, family cases involving divorce, annulment, alimony and other domestic problems were always the largest category. Wheeler said. In six months, she said, the misdemeanor cases handled only 45 fewer than the family cases for the entire year.
The organization also handed 117 consumer and employment cases, 58 administrative cases, 83 housing cases and 66 unrelated cases, according to the report.
Legal aid, supervised by the director and members of the Kansas Bar Association, is required to go into court to argue cases, Wheeler said. Although the society is not a part of the KU law school, students receive three credit hours for each semester of work in the office.
Legal Aid's Uses Grow
The board of directors of the Legal Aid Society consists of Lawrence businessman, headed by James L. Postma, president and Lawrence lawyer. Wheeler said she and Lawrence associate professors were the only KU faculty members in the organization.
Convenience...
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At the same time, various members of the Interbank system begin issuing their own cards: Bankcard and credit card area. These cards, however, differed from area to area, and often a holder of one card encountered problems trying to use it in a different part
America and other independent banks, the BankAmericasystem of charge credit banking.
So in 1970 Interbank began consolidating all the individual cards in its system under an umbrella card, Master Charge. Today, the majority of Interbank cards are Master Charge.
one blossoming forth of BankAmericard and Master Charge created a revolution in the credit card industry. For the first time a credit card that was good almost anywhere was available, places around us were available free of charge to just about anyone who wanted one.
Travel and entertainment cards had long been issued to upperclass businessmen and were honored throughout the world. But those were issued for a fee and an applicant was submitted to a rigid credit check. As a result, only 2 per cent of the credit cards in circulation in the country in 1970 fell within that classification.
With the advent of such easy and versatile credit plans, the use of credit cards in the United States boomed. In 1970, there were an estimated 300 million cards in the country. That number is expected to double by the end of 1973.
Half of that 1970 total were affiliated with independent retailers, some 80 million were oil company cards and over 20 million were bank cards. The remaining 60 million are miscellaneous cards. Only 50 million of the 1970 figure were bank cards, but BankAmerica and Master Charge officials estimate the combined total of their alone totals nearly sixty million today.
According to Gene Mahaffa, assistant manager of the BankAmericard center at the Commerce Bank in Kansas City, Mo., he said that bank customers were BankAmericards in circulation throughout the world in 1972. More than six and one-half million of these were in 75 foreign countries. Mahaffa added that these were honored in two 11,400 bank outlets and 11,400 bank outlets.
Master Charge, said Collins, is accepted in well over 900,000 merchant outlets and in some 15,000 bank outlets in the country. Collins said that there was a smattering of Master Charge cards in almost all of the free world, except Africa.
Both Mahaffie and Collins said that obtaining either a BankAmericard or Master Charge card was reasonably easy, that applications could be obtained in member banks, that other member banks sent out applications to persons who had accounts with them.
At one time cards were sent unsolicited to people in the mail, which many oil companies did, but a 1971 federal law prohibited that practice.
Mahaffie said that the BankAmericard credit requirements were not stringent.
"We look for the minimum criteria," he said. In Kansas, you must be 18 to graduate. You must have been employed for two years, but this is waived for the college graduate who has a job laid out. We also have a requirement of ten years of the applicant and verify his rating."
Collins said Master Charge required that a person's annual income, any additional income and his financial statement appear on his application.
*You have to go by a customer's ability and willingness.* Collins said. *You can't be right without thek
The payment plans on BankAmericard and Master Charge purchases are identical.
dependent retailer systems. Bith allow repayment of the debt within 25 days of the billing date without incurring a finance charge.
At least $10 must be paid on the first installment, and if the debt is over $200, 5 per cent must be paid. A 1½ per cent finance charge is incurred on any outstanding balance after the first payment and on the remaining amount every month thereafter.
On the other end of a credit card transaction, the merchant must also deal with the credit card company. Every month he must turn in slips for each of his credit card sales and for these he receives cash. He buys an amount, which usually runs from 2 to 5 per cent.
Under this arrangement, said Maahaffa, the merchant would obviously prefer cash.
"But under this system, he can often get to work." He is increasing his volume. Let's face it. he's increasing his volume. Let's face it.
People are a lot less reluctant to use Master Charge or BankAmericard than they are to sit down and write a check every time. And he (the merchant) doesn't have to worry about losing a check because he cuts down on paperwork. He probably gets back that 2 1/5 per cent right there."
Although $1\frac{1}{2}$ per cent is the most common consumer interest rate, there are a few states in which it varies from $%$ of a cent to 1 per cent, and several other states are considering lowering their rates.
Collins, however, said no one would real-
saving money if the rates were lowered, "We are just like anyone else," he said. "We must have an adequate return. If we are forced to lower our rates, we'll have to supplement our loss somehow. We could have paid less directly dismount on the merchant. And what would his logical move be if we did that? He'd be forced to raise his prices."
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The organization primarily serves persons with low incomes, either temporary or permanent, according to Wheeler. An individual must earn less than $250 per month and work for the organization he said. A couple must earn less than $250 per month to receive legal assistance.
About 30 per cent of the organization's clients are students, who support themselves or have a poor family background to receive legal aid.
According to Wheeler, many of the student cases involved housing and were usually cases in which the student has not been treated for drug-related problems. Many cases are referred to some other agency, said Wheeler, because the client either makes too much money or does have a real legal case. Between June and December of last year, 83 cases were filed with the district court and 23 because they were not within the organization's jurisdiction.
During 1972, the organization received $14,500 in funds from the Council on Legal Education for Professional Responsibility, $4,450 from the KU Student Senate, $2,941 from the KU Career United Fund, and $10,050 from the KU law school, according to the annual report.
LUNCHEON SPECIAL 99
The KU Student Senate has provided funds for the organization the last two years, Wheeler said, and it is one of their most important fund sources.
In addition, the organization charges each client $1 for an initial interview, she said. If the client is accepted, he must pay a $5 fee and if the client is accepted, the organization received $84 from fees last year.
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