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Thursday, January 25.1973
University Daily Kansan
Leaders Bargain on School Taxes
TOPEKA (AP)—Republican leaders of the Kansas Legislature offered Wednesday to compromise with Gov. Robert Docking in a plan for a statewide finance plan under study this session.
Sen. Robert F. Bennett, president pro tem, and Rep. Pete McGill, house speaker, disclosed at a news conference they were planning to announce that come tax increase contained in a joint School Finance Committee's plan on a local option basis, and consider accepting Docking's proposal for an eight-mill statewide property tax to support local
"I don't know that we've changed our minds, but you have to be practical," Bennett said. "There is always room for compromise in the political arena."
Initial response from the governor's office was restrained.
TON VAM CLEAVE, one of Docking's legislative liason men, said, "It is interesting, but I want to see it and go over it with our experts." He said that the GOP compromise would require "complete analysis," with more computer runs made to see what effect the Republican proposals would have.
The joint committee's plan, now before the Senate Education Committee in bill form, would revise the system of distributing state aid to local school districts so that 234 districts would get more state aid and 77 would receive less aid.
The plan also proposes the 1.5 per cent increase in the income taxes of individuals and corporations with all the revenue thus increased to help the districts to help lower property taxes.
Docking's plan, introduced in both the House and Senate Wednesday, also revises the distribution system, with 222 districts getting increased aid and 89 losing some state aid. Docking proposed no tax increases, but proposed an eight-mill-state
wide property tax levy to replace the present 10-mill county levy.
THE COMMITTEE plan made no recommendation on the county mill levy.
Docking's plan contemplates $40 million in new state money and the committee plan $132 million, including $116 million in new education funding of special and vocational education.
The goal of both plans is to satisfy a state district, court mandate that Kansas revise its distribution system by July 1 to bring in new funding for local districts per-pupil support of education.
Bennett and McGill said that they believed the governor's plan and the committee's plan both were aimed at reducing property taxes, complying with the court mandate and providing opportunities to the students of Kansas."
However, they said that they still believed the committee's plan was the better one.
Factions Fight for Pre-Pact Gains
By RICHARD PYLE Associated Press Writer
SAIGON (AP)—The warring sides in South Vietnam appeared to be reducing their efforts Wednesday to gain footholds before the cease-fire and the impending political aggrandement that President Nguyen Nguyen was warned it is as difficult and dangerous as the war.
In increased battlefield action and a variety of other indicators showed the Communist Party was defeated.
because it provides for greater property tax relief.
in areas now contested or controlled by its troops, allied officials said.
The Saigon government was reported planning a security crackdown for the weekend before the cease-fire which begins on Monday. The Saigon government'sSaigon time. That is 7 p.m.: "ST Saturday"
One report from a senior government source said a two-day curfew will be imposed in the countryside and smaller cities. It has been suggested that government's control and head off last-
minute armed activity by the North Vietnamese and local guerrilla forces.
THEY SAID they did not believe the committee's plan should be scrapped in favor of the governor's, but an attempt at compromise should be made.
Peace Commission Faces Tough Odds
BY FRED S. HOFFMAN
AP Military Writer
WASHINGTON - A new international supervisory commission may have to depend on world opinion as its chief weapon against cheating on the Vietnam cease-fire.
The South Vietnamese military command reported 95 "enemy-military incidents" across the country in the 24 hours ending about dawn Wednesday, the most since Jan. 6. Senior South Vietnamese commanders had earlier predicted just such a "high point," citing intelligence reports that South Vietnamese forces have launched one more major effort to gain territory and control of population before the cease-fire takes hold.
Many U.S. military officers doubt this would be enough to deter both sides, particularly the Communists, from maneuvering for advantage in what is likely to be a continuing struggle for South Vietnam.
Seeing that the cause-fire rules are obeyed is the job that will fail to the four-menture supervisory commission composed of the Hungarian, Hungarian, and Polish inspectors:
"All parties must now see to it that this is a peace that lasts," Nixon said.
Announcing the imminent end of the war,
President Nixon Tuesday night asked the
North Vietnamese, the Viet Cong and
the South Vietnamese to refrain from cheating.
The supervisors also may be empowered to initiate searches for cease-fire violations rather than waiting for formal complaints from Vietnamnese or the North Vietnamese.
Although the commission's charter was not disclosed, there have been indications that the inspectors will be allowed to move to other areas of the country and non-Communist areas of the country.
But Canadian sources have said they did not expect the international supervisors to be given any real enforcement powers. Rather, they expect to make public reports
For this reason, we are suggesting that the alternative source of a local income tax be retained in the bill submitted by the joint committee. This is useful in determining the ability of a school district to support its own program, but that the imposition of this tax be left to the local option of the electors of each school district. Barnett and McCollain said in a joint statement.
of violations in hopes of bringing world opinion to bear against the offenders.
The Canadians reportedly have said that they want each nation to be authorized to make such reports separately—without any other national group threatening a veto.
Canadian officials recall it was just that kind of a veto that led to the failure of the old International Control Commission (ICC) in preventing violations of the 1954 Geneva agreement that was supposed to have ended the Indochina war 19 years ago. Canada has had on the moribund ICSC along Communist Poland and so weakly neutralized India.
There was another international agreement which was supposed to have been policed by the ICC—the 1962 Geneva accords that were intended to neutralize
President Nixon has charged that "before the ink was dry on the 1962 Geneva documents, and despite the fact that they embodied most of North Vietnam's own proposals, North Vietnam started violating." Nixon said he would be in defending U.S. air operations in Lace in support of the Royal Laotian government.
A study prepared for the U.S. Arms Control and Disarmament Agency found that the "machinery of the 1962 agreement on Laos, over which there had been many months of struggling, worked not at all in practice."
In general, the arms-control agency study concluded that cease-fire agreements were not likely to stand up if the countries involved don't want them to.
In a 45-minute cease-fire address to the nation, Thieu declared that "the Communists do not have the power or peace to use force, but frequently they agreement will provide a 100 per cent guarantee for peace and no international body may be considered to be able to give us peace."
U. S. and South Vietnamese aircraft continued normal operations. But U.S. sources indicated American bombing would begin tapping off Thursday, although some strikes probably will be flown until just before the truce deadline.
'Wets' Whistle Letter Stop
Legislators to Hear Controversial Proposal
TOPEKA (AP) - Hearings on several items of major or controversial legislation were listed Wednesday for the Federal and State Affairs Committee of the Kansas
TOPEKA (AP)—The head of Kansas for Modern Alcoholic Beverage Control, Inc., accused the director of the Kansas United Dry Forces today of organizing a "phoney letter writing campaign," and urged those who favor a liquor-by-the-drink amendment to the Constitution to start writing their legislators expressing their views.
They said voters could decide in each school district 'whether they want to avail of the benefits'.
"These people do often obtain large refunds for their clients but they do so by omitting income, using wrong tax tables, imposing taxes, or imposingly committing mathematical errors."
Hank Parkinson, Wichita, main KMABC lobbyist, told newsman that he had learned that a "very well-orchestrated letter-writing campaign" had been organized to trick him into drink and that it was pouring hundreds of letters into members of the Kansas Senate.
He said if a professional tax return preparer is to be used, the taxpayer should:
—Be wary of outlandish promises and mercuries.
An aide to Miller, Lance W. Burr of the attorney general's Consumer Protection Division, advised Kanans to fill out their own returns if possible.
"The disreputable preparers attract customers with promises and guarantees that they either cannot or will not honor." Miller said in a prepared statement.
TOPEKA (AP) -Atty. Gen, Verm Miller warned Kansans Wednesday to be particularly careful in choosing a professional income tax aide.
The attorney general said that regardless of who prepares the return, the taxpayer himself signs it and therefore was responsible.
-Remember that he the taxpayer is legally responsible.
-Agree on a complete price beforehand.
-Check the arithmetic carefully.
He said the Rev, Richard E. Taylor Jr., Topoka, and the Kansas United Dry Forces team.
Parkinson said he wanted to "urge people who don't feel as strongly motivated or as emotionally involved to write one or two letters to their senators."
House by Rep. Kemeth J. Winter, R-Prairie Village, chairman.
Winters said the House committee will hold joint meetings with the Senate committee Jan. 30 and 31. for hearings on proposed reform legislation.
A bill to require the University of Kansas and Kansas State University to schedule athletic contests in major sports with the school, to bring up camp for hearing February 12 at 2:45 p.m.
The date of Feb. 13 has been set for hearing two proposals relating to the equal rights for women amendment to the federal Constitution, a year ago by the Kansas Legislature.
A hearing on a "shield" law for news personnel is scheduled Feb. 3 at 3 p.m.
"We assume that the governor would find this a palatable alternative, since it is somewhat similar to the local income tax authorized in his initial tax lid proposal, except that the funds would be limited to school use." they added.
The bill is designed to give newsmen the right to refuse the disclosure of sources of information unless ordered to do so by the Kansas Supreme Court upon the showing that such information is vital to the state and not obtainable through any other source.
Proponents of a bill to put bottoms on the bottomlens and tops on the toplens in private education are calling for a bill.
Proponents of a bill to impose stricter controls on lobbying, the reporting of compensation by lobbyists and the expenditures of money to influence legislation against the hearing at 4:48 p.m. Feb. 14, with opposition for hearing at 1:45 p.m. Feb. 21.
One proposal calls for a study of the ramifications of the amendment, the other would seek to rescind the action of the legislature in ratifying the amendment.
Feb. 8 is set for a hearing on a bill to legalize the possession of marijuana.
Miller Warns Of Shady Aides
BENNETT and McGill said that by their calculations Docking's proposal would mean only about $20 million in property tax relief, while the committee plan would provide over $150 million property tax relief.
On the governor's proposal for an eight-mill statewide property tax, with assessments value to 30 per cent of the market value, the Republican leaders said,
"We intend to encourage our respective committees to give serious consideration to the merits of the governor's proposal," with the governor being out by statute over a period of years.
"It may well be that, as a practical matter and as a concession to the governor, the legislature should reverse a somewhat historical posture and authorize a statewide property tax for general aid," Bennett and McGill said.
This has not been done since the mid-50s and represents a unique departure from gubernatorial recommendations since that time.
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