Grain Prices, Grocery Bills Grow
By BOB MARCOTTE
BOSS JIM HORTON
Production Costs Raise Bread Prices
Editor's Note: This is the second half of an investigative article about wheat and bread prices.
High wheat prices in the past year and a half have proved a boon to farmers, and it appears likely that farmers will be getting about $4 a bushel for the second year in a row when they sell their wheat this spring.
However, though there is no guarantee that the farmer will indeed, receive that kind of price for his wheat, it is already clear that production costs have been on the rise, reportedly at least double what they were two years ago.
"It's unbelievable." Earl Van Meter, Douglas County extension agriculture agent, said recently. "Production costs for farmers have doubled in the last two years, and that may be conservative."
As an example he cited fertilizer costs which have tripled since a year ago. Fertilizer is still in short supply.
Farmers aren't alone in worrying about rising costs, everyone else down the wheat-farmer-bread chain wants to. They want to know if they're going hungry.
materials and what they, in turn, are paid for for their product that will cover their costs and still provide enough profit to generate a return.
And that despite rising transportation costs, fluctuations in wheat prices on the grain market, increased labor costs
The elevator man, whether he's out in the countryside buying or storing wheat direct from the farmer, or in the big grain centers like Kansas City from where the wheat is shipped either to the millers or the exporters, has to keep the wheat in good condition during the time that it is stored in his elevator.
That often involves fumigating, to control insect activity in the grain, and drying. Stored wheat is a live organism; if it is too moist, mold attacks the grain. Mold growth raises the kernel and causes rot, if unchecked, kills the kernel and deterioration begins.
Paul Gabriel, a grain manager with the Farmers Co-op, Ason, in Lawrence, estimated recently that he was getting about 15-20 cents a bushel more when he sold grain than when he bought it. By the time the costs that go into keeping
the grain in condition and paying the freight for shipping the wheat to terminal elevators are subtracted, he said.
Gabriel said he did most of his shipping by truck and that he hadn't much trouble getting transportation when he needed it. However, he said, it may be a different story for larger terminal elevators in the grain centers.
And according to one elevator supervisor for a terminal elevator in Kansas City, transportation is, indeed, one of the most crucial problems facing the grain industry. It's more critical now than ever, he said, and it primarily involves a shortage of good grain cars for moving wheat from the elevators.
The old box cars aren't being repaired and kept in grain service, he said, and at harvest time the railroades have even resorted to using open-top coal carriers. With the exception of one car that was never possible, he said, even the coal cars are running快.
"Last year the shortage was real critical," he said. "This year it's the same way or a little worse."
Forecast: Fair to partly cloudy. High in upper 50s, low in mid 30s.
See COSTS Page 2
84th Year, No.112
The University of Kansas—Lawrence. Kansas
Tuesday, March 26, 1974
See Story Page 5
Secret Report Goes to Impeachment Inquiry
Secret Report Goes to Impeachment Inquiry
A Secret Watergate grand jury report focusing on President Nixon was to go to the House impeachment inquiry at 8:30 a.m. today Lawrence time. Lawyers for former White House aides H. R. Haladem and Gordon Kriegman were to go to the Supreme Court in a renewed attempt to deny the House Judiciary committee the grand jury report and a sated full of accompanying material.
1974 Diplomas To Be Ready For Graduates
In related action, the White House was permitted to wait until Friday to answer a suboena for more documents.
The White House was to answer yesterday a subpoena issued March 15 by special Watergate prosecutor Leon Jaworski for one of the three Watergate grand juries. But over the weekend presidential lawyer James D. St. Clair asked for more time and Jaworski agreed to wait until Friday.
Kissinger Tells Soviets Nixon Won't Resign
Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger told Soviet leaders yesterday that President Nixon intended to stay on the job for three more years and make his depute policy "irreversible."
But Kissinger also leveled a warning as he began talks in the Kremlin with Communist party leader Leonid I. Brezhnev, trying to clear the way for new limitations on nuclear weapons in a treaty Nixon would sign here at a summer summit.
"If our two nations attempt to take advantage of each other, if we attempt to blackmail each other or deal with each other from a strong position, then we are on the wrong side."
Supreme Court Invalidates Flag Abuse Law
Avoiding a ruling on the First Amendment, the Supreme Court invalidated a Massachusetts flag desecration law, saving it as too vague.
The case involved the Boston conviction of Valerie Goguen for having a small flag sewn to the seat of his pants.
The majority in the 6-3 vote said the law, which prohibits treating the U.S. flag contemptuously, didn't give adequate warning of the kind of conduct
Revamped Hearst Food Program Begun
Thousands of people received cartons of high-quality food in California in a renewed effort by newspaper executive Randolph A. Hearst to satisfy demands of the Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA), which says it abducted his daughter, Patricia.
The $2-million food giveaway was revamped by Heart after the SLA said food distributed earlier was "hog feed" and demanded more and better
Meanwhile, Stafford Buckley, Oakland municipal court judge, denied a request by alleged SLA "soldiers" Joseph Neroiro and Russell Little for a trial.
Justice Obstruction Alleged Dean Savs Mitchell Pressured Jury
NEW YORK (AP)—Former White House Counsel John W. Dean III testified yesterday that former Atten, Gen. N. Mitchell had become alarmed about the zeal of a grand jury that was targeting on him that Mitchell "suggested I take action."
"Mitchell said, you'd better call your Dick Kleindienst (former attorney general) and tell him what's going on in the southern district." Dean testified.
Dean said he had told Kleindienst that Mitchell thought it was a "runaway grand junt"
On that and other points, Dean's testimony at the criminal conspiracy trial of Mitchell and former Commerce Secretary Maurice Stans touched a number of items listed in the indictment with which the grand jury eventually charged Mitchell.
Mitchell was charged with conspiracy,
obstruction of justice and perjury.
He and Stans, top figures in the Nixon election campaign, are accused of selling their influence with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in exchange for a secret $30,000 campaign contribution from the SEC to financier the SEC was then investigating.
One periury count is based on Mitchell's denial that he ever had talked with Dean about subpoenaes for SEC depositions, Dean said Mitchell had.
Campaign Limit Approved
The governor called it "a step in the right direction," but said Kansas needed even more.
TOPEKA (AP)—Gov. Robert B. Docking announced yesterday that he had signed into law the Campaign Finance Act passed by the 1974 legislature.
The finance act was one of 11 bills announced as signed by Docking.
Other major measures included 10-11 per cent pay increases for state college and university faculty members, a greatly increased minimum wage, and a new motor vehicle inspection system.
The governor's office said only an appropriations bill remained to be considered by the state Senate, a legislative before it recessed March 9. The legislators will return to Topaka Tuesday.
The Campaign Finance Act will take effect May 1 and covers this year's election.
"The bill I have signed provides for full disclosure of all campaign contributions and expenditures in elections for state office by all candidates, political parties and committees." Docking said in a statement of his signing of the Campaign Finance Act.
The bill limits contributions to governor-lienquent governor teams to $2,500 for both the August primary and November general elections, and restricts individual contributions in legislative campaigns to $500 per election.
It also sets limits of $300,000 on expenditures in governor-leadman governor races for the primary or general election, or a combined total of $500,000 for both elect-
Docking had recommended a limit of 10 cents a person in a voting district, or about $200,000 an election in statewide elections. Other officers often will have limits of
$150,000 an election, or $250,000 for both elections under the new law.
State senators will be limited to $5,000 in expenditures an election, or $8,000 for both elections, and House members will be limited to $4,000 an election, or $5,000 for both elections.
Other statewide offices will have limits of
The act requires candidates and their committees to report contributions and expenditures seven days before both the primary election and 30 days after the primary election.
KU Faculty Gets 10% Pay Raise
TOPEKA (AP)—Gov. Robert B. Docking has signed into law a bill granting a 10 percent pay increase for faculty members at the University of Kansas for the 1974-75 fiscal year.
The pay increases were included in the colleges' appropriations bill which proposed pay increases of 10 per cent at KU and the University of Kansas. The state, Kansas State University and the three state
colleges at Emporia, Hays and Pittsburg.
The pay increases totaled about $7.6 million, the full amount requested by the Board of Regents.
Docking had recommended an 8.5 per cent increase for all faculty members, who were excluded from the salary increase other state employees received in 1971, but the department cent increases when budget figures showed that the state could afford the increase.
"Mitchell asked me to call Casey," Dean said, to postpone deposition by calling.
That jury was the one that eventually indicted Mitchell and Stans. The indictment claims that the conspiracy began March 1, 1973, and continued until the indictment, May 10, 1973.
The testimony about Mitchell's efforts with the grand jury was designed to show that a conspiracy to obstruct justice—including attempts to cover up—was operating as recently as two months before the indictment was handed down.
Another perjury count accuses Mitchell of lying when he denied knowing that Dean had talked about the Vescque case with William Casey, who was then SEC chair.
Dean testified that when Mitchell had asked him to get in touch with Kleindienst, he be called Kleindienst and had said, "I have been the captain of John Mitchell, and he said he had gone before the grand jury in the southern district of New York and he said they were all over him and he wanted me to relay that He said it was a runaway grand jury."
Dean said his phone conversation with Mitchell was March 20, 1973. He told a trial judge that he was suicidal.
"Mitchell called me and told me he had been before the grand jury up here in the district of justice. He turned a bell of a rattle and be said that 'Those little bastards in the southern district are all over the lot.' He also told me that he was a jurist and jury and suggested that I take action.
Dean expanded on talks he had with Casey on the Vesco matter.
Dean finished his direct examination and was undergoing defense cross-examination when the trial recessed for the night. He then resumed to resume his testimony at 10 a.m. today.
Med Center Strikers Back on Job
KANAS CITY, Kan.- Striking workers were back on the job yesterday at the University of Kansas Medical Center even though their grievance demands weren't met. After a meeting in Topeka between union officials and a legislative delegation, the employees decided to return to work while meetings on their demands continued.
From Kauai News Services
A representative of the state Public Employees Relations Board was at the Medical Center today to study the strike. Officials at the center had asked that the agency review the case when the workers first went on a strike a year ago.
Officials at the Medical Center said all departments were back to normal by midday.
The Medical Center service employee walked off the job last Tuesday to press their demand for a 25 per cent across-the-board pay raise. Lloyd Rose, business agent for the 750-member Public Service Employees group, will return after an return after the meeting in Topeka Sunday.
Lecturer Education that some employees llederers University that some employees wldef
Bennett said that all employees would receive a minimum 5.8 per cent pay increase and many would receive pay increases of 10.5 per cent under terms of the bill.
Parking and Traffic Court Declared Illegal at Hearing
House Speaker Duane McGill, R-Winfield, said the legislative leaders didn't believe one state institution could be singled out for criticism. He said that, uniformly to all state institutions, he said.
the president of the Kansas Senate,
Robert F. Bennett, I-Overland Park, said
that his administration is "ready to
At the meeting Sunday night, William O. Rieke, executive vice chancellor the Medical Center, warned that employees absent for five consecutive days "will have been presumed to have abandoned their jobs" and would be "very upset" by others whom we will hire immediately."
which could be handled only by the State Department of Administration and the State
Bennett said some of the grievances were related to civil service pay classifications,
The KU Parking and Traffic Court is operating illegally because it doesn't have jurisdiction in misdemeanor cases, according to an order issued yesterday by Jee McNish, adjunct professor of business and chairman of the hearing division of the University Judiciary.
Bennett said a union proposal to advance the effective date of the pay bill from July 1, 2004, was delayed.
The judiciary enjoined the court from any further adjudication of cases, but the injunction was suspended pending appeal of the decision. If the decision isn't appealed within ten days, the court will be restrained from hearing cases. McNish said yesterday.
*Ou instituer au tissé tifi et au appeler
to其 Instituer au tissé tifi et au appeler
Junictary," said Charles Oldfather, university attorney.
McNish rulet that the collection of misuse fees represented a criminal prosecution, and therefore, a misdemeanor, which should be tried in the county court.
In arriving at this decision, McNish overruled a motion by the university attorney's office to dismiss the case on the grounds that the university didn't have his jurisdiction over the case.
"The judiciary has an obligation to provide a formal name of the members of the Court."
The ruling doesn't necessarily prevent the university from collection misuse fees paid under it.
New Bike Signs
Kansan staff Photo by DAVE CRENSHAW
A student pedals past a new international picture sign marking bicycle routes at the corner of W. Roads Campus and Jayhawk Blvd. The sign is part of a city project to place 135 signs along routes throughout Lawrence. George Williams, director of city public works, has said that no special bicycle lines will be painted on the streets because the streets are too narrow.