Legislative News Prohibition Bill Submitted
Wednesday, March 6, 1963
Kansas United Dry Forces (KUDF) wants the prohibition issue re-submitted to the state's voters, nine witnesses told the House committees on State Affairs and Municipalities yesterday.
Given as reasons for the support of prohibition were claims of increased juvenile drinking and "slaughter on the highways by drunken drivers."
The nine proponents urged the legislators to adopt a resolution to place the prohibition question on the ballots in the next general election.
Rep. John Bower, R-McLouth, introduced the resolution. Under his proposition, prohibition would go into effect Jan. 1. 1965.
Bob Strevey, Clayton junior, told the committee university students are "showing increased resentment against the state's liquor laws because students aren't allowed to drink or have liquor in their living quarters."
"If prohibition becomes the law again it would be 16 years since it was repealed in 1949. There are many signs prohibition would pass again if the voters had a chance. I submit 16 years is long enough to wait." Bower said.
"WHY SHOULD STUDENT parties get the ax when KU alumni bring liquor to the games on campus and strew bottles all around the stadium?" Strevey asked.
The testimony, given in a packed committee room on the fifth floor of the Statehouse, was piped to the Topeka Municipal Auditorium, where about 900 prohibition supporters attended a luncheon in a show of strength behind the resolution.
"Prohibition was repealed by a generation which had forgotten or had never known the evils of the old saloon." Bower said.
Dr. N. J. Westmoreland, executive secretary of the Kansas Southern Baptist Convention, was one of four ministers who addressed the joint committee.
"THE CONTINUED eroding of our adult population because of liquor has become a cause for alarm. We are told, too, that drinking among juveniles has increased 270 per cent in the last five years," he said.
Dr. Arlan Ebright, Hays, a Methodist minister and KUDF president, said. "Our goal is prohibition by the state and total abstinence by the people. We are not asking you legislators to become embroiled in politics. We are asking simply that you put it back for a vote of the people."
Rep. Jess Taylor, R-Tribune, chairman of the hearing, said that no opponents of the two bills had asked to be heard.
Nichols Urges Pension Plan
The plan would provide a supplemental income for retirement.
Raymond Nichols, vice chancellor for finance, urged a pension plan for teaching staffs at state schools yesterday at a Senate Federal and State Affairs Committee hearing in Topeka.
He said it would provide important "fringe benefits" to improve the position of Kansas in keeping instructors and bidding for staff members.
The proposal would allow the state to purchase long-term annuity policies for participating members with deductions from the professor's regular salary.
Nichols said the plan would have a two-fold advantage to participants so far as income tax is concerned.
The actual take-home pay would be less as the professor is building his annuity, and he would benefit because of more liberal income tax exemptions at retirement, he said.
A five per cent salary deduction has been proposed. Nichols said He said Colorado, Missouri, and Oklahoma now have the annuity program and most private schools operate under it.
Final Action on Medical Bill
A bill to implement the federal Kerr-Mills medical program was scheduled for final Senate action today after it was approved yesterday by the Senate committee of the whole.
Debate on the bill, endorsed by both political parties in their platforms, was the longest of the session. During the discussion, Sen. Paul Lamb, R-Caney, demanded that Marvin Larson, state social welfare director, leave the Senate chambers.
Larson, who advised Sen. Clark Kuppinger, R-Prairie Village, while Kuppinger guided the bill through the Senate, remained after a chair ruling.
Sen. Kuppinger, chairman of the Senate public welfare committee, explained the bill as a means of assistance to older people who, if they received help in meeting medical bills, might not become permanent welfare cases.
The legislation will raise welfare payments in Kansas next year by $1.8 million. Federal payments will amount to $1 million (56 per cent), with the state and counties supplying the $800,000.
Single persons would be allowed to have an annual income of $1,200 a year and married couples $1,800 a year, under terms of the bill. Persons would be permitted to retain modest homes and assets.
The bill will provide a standardized payment to hospitals and physicians, with benefits amounting to the minimums allowed under Blue Cross-Blue Shield. Sen. Kuppinger said.
Daily hansan
About 2,400 cases could come under the proposal.
Sen. Fayette Rowe, R-Columbus, described the bill as a method of helping those who have "always helped themselves and are trying to keep their family dignity."
LAWRENCE, KANSAS
60th Year, No. 97
Weather
Mostly sunny skies and warmer temperatures are in store for Kansas today with high readings expected in the 40 to 50-degree bracket this afternoon.
Weathermen said skies would continue clear to partly cloudy today with northwesterly winds of 10-15 miles per hour. Tonight's lows were predicted to range in the upper 20s northwest to about 30 southeast.
GENEVA — (UPI) — The Soviet Union today charged the United States with disrupting nuclear test ban negotiations in order to equip West Germany with atomic weapons.
Sunny skies prevailed over much of western Kansas yesterday while light snow or rain fell until late evening in some Eastern counties.
Soviets Blame U.S. In German Failure
Soviet disarmament negotiator Semyon K. Tsarkin said it was "obvious" the United States was not prepared to reach agreement since its foreign policy "is aimed at the nuclear armament of (West) Germany and the creation of a NATO multilateral nuclear force.
The Soviet negotiator said American insistence on negotiation of the technical aspects of inspection was merely an excuse for delaying fruitful discussion.
"THOUGH practically disrupting negotiations," he charged, "the United States does not want to accept responsibility for this . . . but procrastinates and attempts to complicate negotiations."
Tsarapkin's speech followed a United States appeal to the Soviets to drop the "numbers game" in the negotiations in favor of parallel talks on both the number of inspections and the technical details of them.
U. S. Ambassador Charles C. Stelle told the 17-nation disarmament conference that the fundamental requirement to break the East-West nuclear deadlock is some flexibility on the part of the Russians to match "Western reasonableness."
"WE FEEL we have proceeded and are proceeding in an open and rational way to arrive at the terms for a reasonable agreement," he said. "We do not believe that the same can be said for the Soviet Union and its highly arbitrary stand on many issues."
Stelle urged the Russians to review their position and seek authority from their government if necessary, so that negotiations could be resumed on a nuclear test ban treaty.
THE CONFERENCE has bogged down because of differences on the number of on-site inspections needed to police a test ban. The Russians have assumed a take-it-or-leave-it attitude and have refused to bargain the question.
Stelle said the Russians should agree to discuss the hows and whys of international inspections instead of first trying to determine how many such inspections should be included. The West wants seven annual inspections, but Moscow will permit only three on Soviet territory.
"It seems . . . the Soviet Union must have a well-worked out position on all these issues — a position which it is unwilling to discuss until the West capitulates on a number of on-site inspections so small as to be an ineffective deterent." Stelle said.
HE PRESSED the Soviets to spell out their position on such issues as how the inspections will be carried out, by whom, where, with what authority and to whom the results of the inspections would go.
Though the Russians have refused to negotiate, Britain was reported convinced the Kremlin eventually will make further concessions. Sources close to the British delegation said British negotiators regard the Soviet "hard line" attitude as just another move in the "chess game" on disarmament.
JFK Rules Out Cuban Blockade
WASHINGTON — (UPI)— President Kennedy today ruled out a blockade against Cuba for the time being at least on grounds that it might lead to war with Russia.
Kennedy told his news conference he is satisfied that the United States is heading in the right direction in dealing with the Fidel Castro's regime question despite some strong criticism of administration policy.
THE PRESIDENT also said the four U.S. fliers killed in the 1961 bay of pigs invasion were "serving their country" on a completely voluntary basis. He did not say specifically whether they were employed by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) or some other government agency.
In response to other questions, the chief executive said:
The problem of Cuban-based Communist subversion in Latin America is one "that must be handled in each country" involved. He said "the wisest thing...is isolation of Communism in this hemisphere."
He sees no prospect for resumption of friendly relations between Cuba and the United States.
KENNEDY said the United States showed during the Cuban crisis last October that it was willing to take such drastic measures as a blockade when U.S. security is in danger. He said, however, a blockade is "an act of war" and such measures should not be taken lightly.
During the blockade several Soviet ships were stopped by U.S. Navy warships. In addition, Russia recently warned that any attack against Cuba by the United States could lead to world war.
TO A QUESTION about charges that the administration had withheld information about Cuba, the President said it could not possibly answer all the charges being made.
He said that "hindsight" might indicate that the Soviet missile bases could have been detected a few days earlier than they were last fall. He said the missiles did not arrive in Cuba until the middle of September and that not until Oct. 16 and 17 were pictures taken clearly indicating that missile installations were being built.
The President said in reply to a query about criticism of administration policies that Cuba "continues to be a problem" but he said he felt the administration was proceeding on the correct path.
KENNEDY said the missiles and long-range bombers were discovered and removed and that everyone should be satisfied that a good job was done.
"We have made it clear that we will not permit Cuba to become an offensive threat," he said.
THE PRESIDENT said, "The answer would be no to all of them."
The President was asked whether he had any additional information on the rate at which Russian troops were being removed from Cuba, and whether he was satisfied that they were being taken out fast enough. He also was asked whether there had been any agreement with Russia regarding the schedule for removal of Soviet troops.
The President was asked what new steps could be taken by nations of this hemisphere in handling the Cuban problem. He said a prime effort should be made by each of the Latin American countries to control the movement of people in and out of their borders for training in subversion in Cuba.
"This is a problem that must be handled in each country," Kennedy said.
The chief executive said there are other ways for the hemisphere to deal with the Castro regime from standpoints of "trade, diplomatic recognition, and all the rest."
"The wisest thing . . . is isolation of Communism in this hemisphere," Kennedy said.
'Orfeu Negro' Plays Friday
"Orfeu Negro," a Portuguese language film which recently played at the Varsity Theatre, will be at 7:30 p.m. Friday in Hoch Auditorium. The film, "Black Orpheus" in English, will have English subtitles.
Orpheus is a street car conductor. Living in the adjoining cabin is Eurydice, a country girl who has come to the city to see the Carnival. The two meet and fall in love. But Death, in the guise of a persistent suitor in skeleton costume, stalks the girl. In terror, she flees into the Carnival crowd with Death pursuing.
"Orfeu Negro" describes 24 hours during which a young Rio de Janiero Negro couple relive the tragic story of Orpheus and Eurydice, in the setting of Rio's famed Carnival.
Eurydice seeks refuge in the street car depot where she first met Orpheus. Orpheus himself, by switching on the current to find her in the darkness, brings about her death.
The film won the Golden Palm, the highest award given at the Cannes International Film Festival.
St. Patrick to Wheel Down Jayhawk Blvd
St. Patrick is coming to KU this year.
He will arrive at 11:20 a.m., March 15, down Jayhawk Blvd. in a wheelbarrow.
This is all part of this year's St. Patrick's Day celebration by the School of Engineering, St. Patrick is the patron saint of all engineers.
AFTER HIS ARRIVAL at Marvin Hall, assisted by John S. McNown, dean of the School of Engineering and Architecture, will crown the queen.
She will be chosen March 13 by a student-faculty committee from candidates chosen by each department in the School of Engineering.
The queen will reign at a dance that night at the Eldridge Hotel and at the Engineering Exposition, March 19-20.
ST. PATRICK WILL be chosen by the Engineering Student Council from the faculty of the Engineering School.
Bob Eaton, Arkansas City senior and vice-president of the Engineering Student Council, said this is the first year KU engineers have observed the holiday.
"We were one of the few schools that has not celebrated the holiday and this year we're going to observe it," he said.
THE USUAL CUSTOM is for St. Patrick to arrive on a manure spreader, but because of the impracticality of this, a wheelbarrow has been chosen as his means of conveyance. Eaton said.
The School of Engineering is canceling all of their 11:30 classes that morning.