Daily hansan
59th Year, No.64
Friday, Jan. 5, 1962
U.S.-Laos Fighting Reports Disagree
VIENTIANE. Laos — (UPI) The Royal Laotian government charged last night that "hard fighting" had broken out on the defense perimeter along the Nam River, only a few miles north of this administrative capital.
However, official U.S. Embassy sources said they had received "no reports of any unusual military activity during the past few days."
The government, in an urgently-worded communique, said also that a Communist North Vietnamese division was standing by at "ready stations" on the Viet Nam-Laos border to assist the Communist rebel forces in this country.
AFTER CONSULTING with U.S. officials here, diplomatic observers wrote off the "Defense Ministry Communique No. 1" as the start of "psychological war" aimed at winning U.S. support for the strong stand the Laotian government took during recent attempts to form a coalition government.
The communique said the Communist-supported rebel forces had attacked frontline positions along
the Nam River and also attacked a guerrilla post inside rebel territory. It said that Viet Minh (Communist North Viet Nam) forces inside Laos had increased in size while a Viet Minh division was ordered to stand by along the border.
However, a usually reliable source said regarding the government communique: "There is no evidence of new developments concerning North Vietnamese in Laos or on its borders."
THE COMMUNIQUE came on the heels of an order by the Laotian national bank to halt the exchange of national currency into foreign currency.
LAWRENCE. KANSAS
The order, which went into effect today, was expected to send the Laotian kip much higher than the present American-backed rate of 80 to one U.S. dollar.
American officials here were under strict orders not to comment on the reasons for the bank's action, but it was assumed by most observers that it was triggered by an American move to tighten and toughen the U.S. air program.
Museum Director's Art Received From Spain
The Museum of Art has received the four pieces of art found by Mariiyn Stokstad, acting director of the museum, while she was working in Spain last summer.
The pieces include a 14th century French sculpture of St. Mary Magdalene; a carved and gilded column from an altarpiece by a close follower of Jose Churriguera; a pair of
silver Spanish Baroque andl壁ickests and a late medieval Spanish sword.
The sculpture shows the saint holding a jar and book, the symbols of Mary Magdalene. The statue wears a late 13th century dress used by older women, widows and nuns of the period.
The column is a twisted form around which a grapevine is twisted. It represents the style which influenced the development of colonial art and architecture, especially in Mexico and Peru.
"I consider the acquisition of this sculpture for the museum the most important part of my work last summer. However, I was also able to find the other three works which add to the breadth and the quality of our collection," Miss Stokstad said.
Students can learn about protection against radioactive fallout if they pick up a booklet entitled "Fallout Protection" at the Lawrence Post Office, 645 New Hampshire St.
New Book Studies Fallout Shelters
About 1500 copies of the booklet, which has just been released by the government, have arrived in Lawrence.
The booklet deals with the construction of private fallout shelters. A second booklet, dealing with public shelters, will be released later.
Weather
St. Mary Magdalene
Heavy snow warning extreme northeast and extreme east central cloudy and colder this afternoon and evening with snow east portion. Heavy snow with blowing and drifting snow and near blizzard conditions extreme north-northeast and extreme east central this afternoon continuing into night. Total snow accumulation over six inches. Partly cloudy to cloudy elsewhere over the state tonight. Much colder this afternoon and tonight with strong northerly winds 30 to 50 miles per hour this afternoon, diminishing tonight. Saturday partly cloudy. Low tonight 5 to 15. High Saturday 20s southeast to 30s north-west.
Hoping the Snow Will Flake Off
Break out the dogsleds, group, it's snowing like Hell.
Winds of horrendous proportions are sweeping the white stuff from Heaven through the broad expanses of our fair campus, leaving bodies, blood and curses behind.
ONE STUDENT, after a neat prat fall, turned to another and said "%%#$1%$!"
This is typical of the language one finds as he trudges across the snow-befallen campus. Everyone seems to be in a foul mood. Especially noticeable is the language used by the automobile and truck drivers who try to drive through Mt. Oread's fairest roads.
One conversation went something like this:
"I SAY, SIR, could you find it in your heart to allow me to cut in front of you? If I stop, I might get stuck for good?"
The reply was fast in coming:
"Why, certainly, my dear sir, allow me. It would ill behoove one who has cut in front of others to not allow another to cut in front of him.
At your convenience, sir, please."
Elsewhere around the old domicile, students are wrapped up like characters out of Jack London's novels. One student was seen putting up a relay post between Strong and Murphy Hall. He was selling dogsleds, dogs, beverages, coffee and California post cards.
PERHAPS THE MARTYRS in this whole thing are the Buildings and Grounds personnel. They, who would rather be home watching TV and sipping a grog, are instead picking up tons of snow from the streets, walks and the littered bodies of those who didn't quite make it.
Classroom attendance dropped and the students who did manage to make it speak more minutes thawing on one stick the trick again at the sound of the whistle.
One petit young lady said she was wearing her little sister's "legings," and two professors lifted their trousers in the Hawk's Nest to demonstrate that long underwear was still the fashion.
Prospects Bright For Unification
ELISABETHVILLE, Katanga, The Congo — (UPI) — Foreign diplomats said today that prospects were much brighter for ratification of the Kitona agreement by Katanga's national assembly which will formally unite the breakaway province with the Central Congo government.
THE ASSEMBLY THEN SET UP a committee to study the implications of the agreement as it affects Katanga's international and domestic affairs.
The diplomats said they were heartened by President Moise Tshombe's unexpectedly mild speech which urged the assembly to ratify six of eight points of the Kiton agreement that he signed with Congo Premier Cyrille Adoula.
Despite the fact that Tshombe was against the points dealing with acceptance of the "fundamental law"—the Congo's temporary constitution—and Katanga's adherence to United Nation's resolutions, consular officials here were optimistic that the agreement would be passed.
TSHOMBE'S SPEECH contained little anti-United Nations or anti-United States talk. But he accused them both of "bungling" interference in the Kitona talks with Adoulia.
A number of Katangese ministers appealed to the United Nations to assist in getting more deputies to Elisabethville from the more remote regions of Katanga. Only 35 showed up at yesterday's meeting — just three over the quorum.
It was after 17 hours of talks with Adoula that Tshombe finally signed the agreement on Dec. 21. However, he immediately made it clear that his assembly would have to ratify the pact.
Of the 35 deputies who heard Tshombe's speech, only eight were members of the anti-Tshombe Balubakat party. A few of the 17 remaining Balubakat deputies have expressed fear for their personal safety in Elisabethville.
MC, Skits Chosen for Rock Chalk Production
The master of ceremonies and the skits for the 1962 Rock Chalk Revue March 2 and 3 have been chosen.
Hoite Caston, Independence junior, has been selected the master of ceremonies.
The four fraternity-sorority skits chosen are: Kappa Sigma-Delta Delta Delta, Phi Delta Theta-Gamma Phi Beta, Beta Theta P-i-Kappa Alpha Theta, and Alpha Tau Omega-Kappa Kappa Gamma.
The theme is "Classics Awry."
THE FOUR PARTICIPANTS were chosen from eight entrants. Each group submitted a complete skit script by which they were judged. The judges were in different cities and passed the scripts through the mail. The judges were men who are familiar with speech and drama, and who have had experience in similar productions.
Caston is a radio and television major. He played the male lead in "Greensleeve's Magic" and was Ito, the Japanese houseboy, in "Auntie Mame" last fall.
THE PRODUCER AND assistant producer of the revue are Jim Scholten, Salina senior, and Sharon Kay Dobbins, Lawrence junior.
A new attraction of this year's show, according to Miss Dobbins and Scholten, will be the continuity of the skits, the in-between acts and the master of ceremonies to one another. All will directly tie to the theme of the show.
Music for the show will be handled by a 13-piece band under the direction of Charles Snodgrass, Lawrence junior. Music for the show is now being arranged and composed by a former KU student, Gary Foster, in California.
THE SHOW'S SCENERY WILL differ from last year's production. Most of the scenery will be "flats" in comparison to last year's "three dimensional" props. This will make
Hoite Caston
handling easier and will provide for a smoother running show, according to the student producers.
Rural Areas Fear City Control of Legislature
(Editor's note: This is the second in a three-part series of articles dealing with reattachment of the Kansas Legislature.)
By Clayton Keller
"We have watched those city slickers operate. They want us country fellers to pay for their local projects."
The editor of the western Kansas weekly newspaper who made this statement in a recent editorial was expressing one of the attitudes held by opponents of reapportionment of the Kansas Legislature solely according to population.
This editor went on to say he wants no part of a system where a western Kansan's vote "cast after much study and careful weighing of the issues" does not count more than
MUCH OPPOSITION of this type has been heard as a result of court actions by four Kansas newspapermen — John McCormally, J. P. Harris, and Peter Macdonald of The Hutchinson News and Ernest W. Johnson of The Olathe News — to force reapportionment solely according to population.
the vote of "an almost illiterate person in the slum area of a city whose only interest in government is the size of his relief check or more liberal unemployment (compensation)"
They have filed a "friend of the court" brief in support of Tennessee citizens who have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to force that state's legislature to reapportion according to population. In addition, they have
filed a petition in Shawnee County district court to force reattachment of the Kansas Legislature. A pre-trial hearing in this case is set for Feb.2.
Mr. McCormally explained in a speech at Emporia State Teachers College last summer why many people oppose majority rule in the legislature. He said:
"IMPORTANT LEADERS in both parties, prominent editors, a minor but fervent segment of the electorate, simply do not want city people to have full and equal representation. They fear the irresponsibility of such a legislature; that it would bankrupt the state in a spending spree for more services; that it would tax the wealth of the state more heavily to
The Salina Journal, however, has opposed the reapportionment of the legislature solely on the basis of population, contending that at least one house should be based on geography.
educate the children of the state because such a legislature would represent the parents of the children more than the owners of the wealth."
Whitley Austin, editor of The Journal, in a letter to this reporter, said reapportionment of both houses according to population would destroy the system of checks and balances.
"HISTORICALLY, this republic has operated under a system of checks and balances, giving rule to the majority while safeguarding the
interests of the minorities," Mr. Austin said. "This is the system adopted by the Kansas constitution, although the concept of the Senate-House is reverse that of the U.S. Congress."
He suggested that the present situation could be corrected by reducing the House membership to 105, thus giving each county one representative, and apportioning the Senate according to population.
"The House would then be able to represent regional, local and minority interests, particularly rural and western and agricultural interests that are often different than those of urban and industrial interests." he said.
(Continued on page 4)
He said the Senate, while it should