Thursday, December 5, 1968
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
13
Coal miner deaths bring safety cries
WASHINGTON (UPI) — The death of 78 coal miners in Mannington No.9 has brought together anguished co-workers, employers and regulatory officials in unprecedented unanimity that new safety laws are needed.
But there the agreement ends Many specialists fear the declining demand for coal makes effective preventive measures economically unfeasible.
There are safety laws on the books now. But the defects of man and nature probably rule out complete remedies to the dangers of this high-risk business.
As the portals of explosion
wracked No. 9 were sealed Saturday with the victims still inside, President Johnson paid tribute to them.
Society owes it to miners and their families to eradicate such "shocking tragedies," he said.
"There is a lot of state and federal legislation on the books and there will be more." said one industry spokesman. "But the real problem is making it work."
He cited a regulation that miners must wear rubber respirator masks when they are underground.
"But the average miner won't wear his mask down there for eight hours," he cited.
Magazine charges graft in Chicago police force
NEW YORK (UPI)—Organized crime flourishes in, around and on the Chicago police force. Life Magazine charged in its current edition.
"A Chicago cop is expected to 'bend' with the political forces of the fix, not push investigations right into it." Life said. "All of this makes for a system that prompts a bright, young rookie ... to shrug and say, 'There is no way you can be on this police
... to shrug and say. 'There is no way you can be on this police force and not take payoffs.' "
Life said a raid made last January on a North Side lottery network also produced some "ice lists" which showed one lottery was paying off police in 10 of the city's police districts and officers in three of the six roving task forces. The tab came to $8,020 per month or nearly $100,000 a year.
The leader of the raid was later
relicved of his command, the magazine said.
The climate on the force prevents commanders from keeping control over their own men and contributed to last August's "police riot" at the Democratic convention, according to the magazine.
"There is a climate around Chicago police in which organized crime thrives like jungle shrubbery." Life said. "There are good cops in Chicago but not enough of them.
"One of the good ones had this to say about the disturbing convention events of last August:
"Hell, there was no discipline and hardly any orders. In a situation like that someone yells charge each man picks his own assignments. Mine is to smash cameras. Yours is to whack hippies. You're on your own."
China pros say change US policy
Many China experts feel the United States should revise its policy toward Red China before it is forced by events to do so, says the November issue of "Your Government," newsletter of the KU Governmental Research Center.
Support of our policies of economic boycott, non-admission to the United Nations and diplomatic non-recognition has lessened recently, the Center pointed out. The Red Chinese have managed to survive, it said, even though they have faced many problems. The United States supported Chiang Kai-shek government, observers have said, is far from democratic anyway.
The Center said the entire validity of American China policy has been challenged by scholars. It fails to admit the realities of the situation, it's charged, and "serious difficulties" might develop if the policy is not modified.
The United States has recognized the Nationalist Government of Chiang Kai-shek since before World War II, the Center said, even after they were evicted from the mainland by the Communists.
The United States maintained a policy of non-intervention in the Chinese struggle until the Korean War, the newsletter said, then actively supported the Nationalists. The Center said this position was taken partially with the idea that the Communist regime would soon collapse.
One solution, the Center said, would be to recognize both Red China and the Taiwan government as legitimate, independent states.
THE HAGUE (UPI) - The Netherlands government asked the lower house of parliament Monday for an extra $62.5 million to bolster its army and navy "in the interest of defense of the Western world."
AUSTIN, Tex. (UPI)—President Johnson edged comedian Pat Paulsen 11-10 in the race for president among write-in voters in Johnson's home state of Texas.
LBJ squeezes by Paulsen
Neither did as well as Sen. Eugene McCarthy, who got 127 write-ins, but both ran ahead of
Bob Hope, John Wayne, Dr. Benjamin Spock, Barry Goldwater, and Sen. John Tower of Texas, each of whom got at least one vote.
The official canvass of the Nov. 5 election turned up 489 write-in votes for president in Texas.
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