Columbia Missourian Newspaper 1977-09-27

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70h Year - No. 1 0 (.W Morninpl It Tuslm Sops. 27.1977 14 Pages - 1 5 Cents -S- tory on page 14
Sweet solitude
This lonely stretch of railway provides a few moments of solitude
for Linda Sampson. The track is at Park Avenue and Rogers Street,
Rick Shaw
north of the old Wabash Station. Such scenes were common Mon-day
as Columbia enjoyed mild temperatures.
InsigM
Hospitals
fear 4pinch'
of cutbacks
By Charlotte Sykes
Missourian staff writer
A report issued by the Department of
Health, Education and Welfare in-dicated
recently that hospital costs in
America are increasing at a rate of $1
million each hour.
An average stay at the University
Medical Center is eight to nine days and
the average cost of such a stay is $1,400,
about $10 a day higher than at other
Columbia hospitals. The higher costs
are a result of teaching programs in-corporated
into the medical center's
facilities, says Cecil Bennett, director
of fiscal affairs at the medical center.
A recent proposal before the House
health subcommittee calls for limiting
the current yearly hospital rate in-crease
of 15 per cent to an annual rate
increase of 9 to 11 per cent.
The effect of such limitations on
patients would depend on the extent a
hospital already exceeded a 9 per cent
yearly rate increase, Bennett says. Two
areas in the medical center which
would be affected most by such
limitations would be government
funding of Medicare and Medicaid, he
says.
Should the hospital exceed a 9 to 11
per cent increase, there are a number
of ways administrators would cope with
cutbacks. "We would use managerial
skills to handle the problem," Bennett
says. "We would cut back in areas that
least affect patients."
One way to cut costs would be to
shorten the length of admissions,
Bennett says. But this type of cutback
could not effectively be employed
because of the negative effect it would
have on patients.
Another alternative would be to use
substitute medication. But an in-vestigation
of this plan shows most
substitutions for medication to be more
expensive than the original drug,
Bennett says.
High costs in hospital fees are a result
of a number of things, but Bennett says
one factor in recent increases is that
many types of medication &te oil-bas- ed
products. Another cost factor,
especially in Columbia, is the com-petition
to hire skilled labor. Bennett
says Columbia does not offer the kinds ,
of lifestyles often preferred by hospital
employes.
Another reason for rates to be slightly
higher. Bennett says, is that "10 per
cent of our beds are special beds. The
Rational average is 5 per cent." The
medical center also has to offer higher
salaries for staff members who deal
- with special S&32S, he ays.
City board rejects gasification
ByAlanBuie
Missourian staff writer
The city's Environment and Natural
Resources Commission, after trying
unsuccessfully for months to gain a
voice in the proposed coal gasification
project for mid-Missou-ri, Monday
made itself heard recommending
that the project be dropped.
The commission, which never was
invited by the City Council to offer
advice on the matter, will send copies of
its recommendation not only to the
council, but also to the Mid-Misso- uri
Council of Governments, the county
courts of Boone and Howard counties,
legislators, town councils, school
boards and even parent-teach- er
associations throughout the area.
Charles Hesse, chairman of the
commission, said the purpose of the
statement is to inform everyone "about
the negative effects on the area as well
as the promised money. A lot of people
have been thinking about money first,
and negative aspects second."
The statement, product of a three- -
hour work session by some of the
commission members, raises questioas
about the project's "socio-cultura-l,
economic and environmental" impact
on the areas.
The statement says the promise of
increased employment fails to mention
a possible "boom-bust- " effect resulting
from the temporary influx of employes
and services they would require. It also
raises questions about costs of upkeep
on roads and bridges, the effect of strip-minin-g
on the tax bases and the en-vironment
and how much growth the
citizens in the area desire.
Hesse said an important aspect of the
project would be its impact on smaller
communities. "The City of Columbia
would be able to absorb a coal
gasification project better than would a
smaller community because all the
effects would be magnified" on the
smaller towns, Hesse said.
The commission concluded that the
negative aspects of the project "'far
outweigh any benefits to this area, and
therefore recommend that the project
not proceed to Phase HI study."
Carter angered
by oil bill defeat
WASHINGTON (UPI) - Shortly
after a Senate committee killed
President Carter's proposed tax on
crude oil, a centerpiece of his energy
package, the President personally
urged the lawmakers Monday to reject
"narrow special interest attacks"
which he said threaten the entire
energy program.
"There comes a time when we must
ask: How much is enough?" Carter
said in a special appearance in the
White House press room. "The special
interests are trying to block enactment
of the entire energy program."
On Saturday, Carter threatened to
veto any congressional attempt to lift
federal price controls on natural gas
and, although he did not repeat that
threat Monday, he issued a strong
warning.
"This week the Senate is voting en
natural gas pricing, an issue which
directly affects almost 50 million
American families who depend on
natural gas to heat their homes," he
said.
"Congress has been lobbied con-tinuously
by the oil and gas industry to
deregulate the price of natural gas. The
House has faced this lobby pressure
and has acted both wisely and
courageously to protect the integrity of
major energy policy I presented to
Congress at the beginning of this year."
"The Senate is now faced with the
same challenge. By 1985 the industry
proposal would cost the average
American family that heats with
natural gas an additional $150 per year.
It would cost consumers almost $10
billion every year and would produce
little new supplies."
The natural gas issue is still pending
on the Senate floor, where a strong fight
is being made by both those who sup-port
Carter's plan to keep a lid on
natural gas, prices and those who want
to deregulate the gas entirely.
The Senate voted- - Monday to limit
debate on a proposal to free natural gas
from price controls, but opponents
pledged to keep their fight going with
every other legislative weapon
President Carter "- -
Defends energy package
available.
The filibuster had been mounted last
week against a substitute proposal to
remove all controls immediately for
gas from onshore wells and free off-shore
gas in five years.
Even with cloture imposed, each
senator still had an hour to speak on the
deregulation proposal, and opponents
were ready with an array of other
(SeeLONG.VpageM)
In town
today
S a.m. County Court meets,
fifth floor, County-Cit- y Building.
Movie Listings on page 13 j
iii hi m Index
Opinion. i
Feopse 5
Snorts.., , .7-- 8
N.Y. Stocks 11
Cosaics 12
Cbssifled M0
Warning Resord . . , . II
21 arrested
By Wayne Davis and Ken Fuson
Missourian staff writers
BOONVILLE A seven-mont- h in-vestigation
into drug activities here has
resulted in the arrests of 21 persons,
including two Columbians.
"The majority of our drugs come
from Columbia," said Cooper County
Prosecuting Attorney Mark
Wooldridge.
While authorities already are
labeling it the largest drug crackdown
in Cooper County history, they say it
may not be over.
The arrests, made during the last
three days, came after a joint in-vestigation
by the Missouri State
Highway Patrol, the Boonville Police
Department and the Cooper County
Sheriff's Department. A Cooper County
grand jury, convened in June, handed
down indictments Friday against the
suspected drug dealers.
Robert C. Moehle, 21, a resident of
Reality House, 1409 Rosemary Lane,
and Barrett G. Reichenbacher, 23, of
1206 Smith St., were arrested Saturday
by Columbia police.
All those arrested have been charged
with selling felonious amounts of
controlled substances to two Cooper
County undercover narcotics agents.
Cooper County Circuit Court Judge
Donald Barnes set bond Monday at
$5,000 for each count. Several persons
were charged with more than one
count, authorities said.
Cooper County Sheriff Sam Morns
said Monday that 42 drug purchases
were made by the agents during the
investigation, which began in March
and cost $8,000.
Morris said the investigation isn't
over.
"It's bound to have some effect if you
take 20 people off the street, but I'm not
naive enough to think this will stop the
problem," Morris said. "I do think it
will cut down on the drug traffic here. "
Wooldridge said the 21 persons
arrested were small-tim- e drug dealers
selling marijuana, cocaine,
phenobarbitol and other drugs.
Cooper County sources said more
arrests may be made, involving per-sons
believed to be the main suppliers
of drugs in the Boonville area.
"There's been a problem here for
several years. Maybe . . . there's more
of a problem here than you are aware
of, but we've known of the problem for a
long time," Wooldridge said. "There's
a problem here like everywhere else.
It's not new."
Morris said the investigation began
after authorities noticed an increase in
drug traffic in Boonville, based on
information supplied by local in-formants.
An undercover narcotics
agent was hired in March by Boonville
and Cooper County. Another narcotics
agent from the highway patrol was
added to the investigation shortly
thereafter, Morris said.
"We knew the problem was here, so
we hired a man who had experience in
the undercover business for some
time," Morris said. "He took the
average length of time to get
acquainted with the community and the
dealers until the sales were made. ' '
Morris said he was surprised by the
number of arrests. "When we got into
this we found out there were more in-volved
than we anticipated," he said.
Columbia narcotics officers have
been supplied information by the
Boonville investigators, Morris said,
adding that he doesn't know whether
the investigation will lead to Columbia.
Sgt. Jack Wonneman, chief of the
Columbia police narcotics bureau,
would not comment on the arrests or
their possible effects on the Columbia
area.
Carter reduces
fares to London
WASHINGTON (UPI) President
Carter, overruling the Civil
Aeronautics Board in the interest of
consumer savings, Monday approved a
$256 round-tri- p budget air fare between
New York and London and eight other
cut-rat- e fares between London and the
United States.
The budget fare and the eight "Super
Apex" advance purchase excursion
fares experimentally approved by
Carter had been proposed by the major
airlines to compete with the $236, no-fril- ls
flights launched Monday by
Britain's Laker Airways Skytrain.
The Laker Airways DC-1- 0, which can
carry 345 passengers, left London's
Gatwick Airport five minutes behind
schedule Monday with 272 adults and
three infants .,plus Laker himself. It
arrived in New York last night.
Some eager passengers had waited in
line unnecessarily, as it turned out
for as long as two days to make sure
they got tickets, which were sold on a
first-come- , first-serve- d basis. Laker
officials said about 200 were sold right
after the ticket office opened at 4 a.m.
In New York, where people also had
lined up for days for the Monday night
return flight, a Laker spokesman said
about 60 seats remained at midaf-ternoo- n
and these were being sold "in
dribs and drabs."
Many of the passengers who stood in
line for long hours to get Laker tickets
in London said the new low fare was the
only way they could make the trip.
"Every time I saved up enough for
me and my wife and the three kids to go
over, they upped the price," said Nate
Francis, returning to New York after
working two years in Britain.
"I have been trying to leave for a
year and a half. I couldn't afford to go
till now," he said.
The Laker London-to-Ne- w York
passengers paid $103 for their one-wa-y
tickets. The fare from New York to
London is $135. The prices differ
because of currency exchange rates.
Carter's budget fare cuts normal
transatlantic travel costs by more than
half.
City budget set at $31.4 million
By Daniel Hay
Missoesrtea tff writer
After months cf preparation, it took
only a few seconds for the City Council
to pass unanimously a 1977-7-8 city
budget cf $31.4 million at a special
meeting Monday afternoon.
The budget will give Columbia
Residents services similar to those they
received this year but at slightly
higher prices. Most astmleipai em-ployes
will receive a 5 per cent pay
raise next month, and electric utility
rates will rise 5 per cent Jan. 1. The
property tax rate will remain un
changed at $1.20 per $100 of assessed
valuation.
The council moved quickly through
other business at the 30-min- ute
meeting, unanimously reaffirming its
policy of seeking advice from neigh-borhood
groups and approving
amended salary scales for city em-ployes.
The council also passed six ordinance
, amendments.
One amendment permits city police
to impound vehicles whose owners have
received five or mors unpaid sum-monses.
The so-call-ed "scofflaw"
ordinance is aimed primarily at
students whose vehicles are registered
in St. Louis or outside Missouri, where
warrants cannot be served.
Another revision allows Municipal
Court judges to suspend judgment of a
convicted shoplifter if a judge believes
the person will not be a repeat offender.
Assistant City Counsckir Scott Snyder
called it an "additional tool" for judges,
since a suspended judgment doe not
become pert of a person's permanent
criminal record.
In other amendments, the council
officially designated all yellow curbs as
no-parki- ng zones and raised' the
maximum penalty from $100 to $500 for
persons convicted of violating city laws
for which there is no specified penalty.
At City Manager Terry Novak's
request, the council delayed calling for
bids on the proposed addition to the
Fire and Police Building. Novak said
the necessary federal funds had not
arrived.
The council sat 5:30 p.m. Oct. 12 for
the first of Mayor Les Proctor's
suggested sessions to discuss in depth a
variety of city problems. The topic of
the first- - meeting will be tax base
revision.