Columbia Missourian Newspaper 1980-06-25

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72nd Year No. 241 Good Morning! Ws Wednesday, June 25, 1980 3 Sections 40 I? hk 1 5 Paii
Missouri senators back end to embargo
WASHINGTON ( AP) Missouri's
two UJS. senators Tuesday joined the
bipartisan move to end immediately
President Carter's suspension of grain
sates to Russia.
Support for the legislation from
Democrat Thomas Eagleton and Re
publican John Danforth came despite
warnings from Agriculture Secretary
Bob Bergland that terminating the
grain embargo would be an " unmiti-gated
disaster."
The bill originally was introduced in
the Senate on Friday by 10 fannbett
legislators, led by Sen. Bob Dole, R- K- an.
It calls for an immediate end to
the embargo that already has blocked
the sale of 13.7 million tons ( 17 million
metric tons) of U. S. corn, wheat and
soybean meal to Russia this year.
Similar legislation has also been in-troduced
in the House. Neither Eagle- to- n
nor Danforth actively has support-ed
the grain embargo since it was
imposed Jan. 4.
" The embargo isn't even producing
the desired effect," Danforth said in a
statement. " It appears that American
farmers are suffering the most"
Danforth contended American grain
exports to Eastern Europe are at re-cord
high levels and at feast some of
that gram is reaching the Soviet Union.
He also asserted that the Russians are
buying soybean meal from European
processors who get their soybeans
from the United States.
Both senators also cited reports last
week mat the administration had given
the major American grain exporters
approval to resume selling Russia
grain they obtain from other countries.
" This action further weakened an
embargo that was already ineffec-tive,"
Danforth said. " It is time to re-scind
it altogether."
Eagleton, one of Carter's staunchest
re- electi- on supporters, was even
harsher in his criticism of the embar-go's
ineffectiveness.
" Today, there is increasing evidence
that the dike is not holding, and that in
fact it is acting more like a sieve, hold-ing
back the access of our U. S. farmers
and agribusinessmen to a Soviet mar-ket
while permtting others to flow
through to profit at our expense," Eag-leton
said.
" Lets face it, the embargo has been
. a dismal failure," he added. " It has
succeeded in punishing the Soviet
Union not one whit. It has succeeded in
punishing our farmers tremendously."
Bergland said Monday American ex-porters
resuming sale of third- count- ry
grain to the Soviets was not a reversal
of U. S. policy, and that terminating the
embargo now would tell the Russians
that all they have to do is put up " a big
fuss and the United States will turn tail
and run."
Liand- vam- e tax
urged to develop
city vacant lots
ByKathyCoehrsn
ftfissourian staff writer
Vacant, developable land, excluding
park land, existing within the present
Columbia city limits could support
twice the city's current population. But
the present property tax system dis-courages
development of that land,
said Walter Johnson, a University as-sociate
professor of economics.
Johnson, also a member of the Citi-zens
Committee for Reassessment,
said, " Under the current property tax
system, if we improve the land, taxes
go up, so the incentive is not to im-prove
the land. It pays to hold land
from production."
Giving a California example, John--
ffmsight
son said, " The avocado fanner within
a city in Oragge County pays very low
taxes on land that could be sold as
building lots for $ 109,000 an acre. The
market says the most profitable use
for that land is in residential housing,
and the market is always right. With
low taxes the fanner can afford to hold
on forever, speculating on the certain-ty
of ever- great- er capital gains.'
The same principle holds true for
owners of vacant land within Colum-bia,
Johnson said. He was concerned
particularly about land which was put
to no productive use, other than beaig
stockpiled in hopes of . future specu-lative
price increases.
He said speculators raise the price of
land within the city by keeping large
parcels out of production. Then, devel-opers
move to cheaper building sites
outside the city limits where building
codes are less restrictive and taxes for
prospective buyers are lower.
A city report on annexation said this
peripheral development creates prob-lems
both inside and outside the city.
Within, the city has fewer property
taxes to support streets, parks and oth-er
services. Also, persons developing
land outside the city limits who use
city facilities pay a smaller share of
the costs of maintaining those serv-ices.
City planners currently are trying to
update Columbia's land- us- e plan and
will begin updating the zoning ordi-nance
during fiscal 1981. Senior plan- -
ner Amy Wilson said one of the major
goals will be to encourage the devel-opment
of available sites within the
city.
Johnson and others believe one of the
most effective incentives for devel-opment
of land within the city would be
to separate the property tax into two
components: a tax on land and a tax on
buildings or other man- mad- e im-provements.
Taxes on land could be increased to
make the cost of holding vacant land
higher and taxes on buildings could be
lowered or eliminated to remove the
penalty for making improvements.
With a higher land- val- ue tax, people
no longer would want to hold vacant
lots because they would need addition-al
income to pay the taxes on unused
land. This would put mote lots within
the city on the market and lead to low-er
prices for buOding sites within the
city limits, Johnson said.
Proponents of the split tax say lower--:
ing the tax on buildings would give
owners incentive to build on vacant
lots and improve existing buildings.
Currently, the property tax increases "
every time a person improves an exist--"
xng building. Tims, a higher land- valu- e
' tax and lower taxes on buildings would
help dean up slums, stop urban sprawl
ana create jobs, proponents say.
The late Harry Gunnison Brown, for-mer
University professor of econom-- -
ics, championed the idea of land-- or
site- val- ue taxation from the time he
graduated from Yale in 1909 until his
death in 1977. His closest collaborator
was his wife, Elizabeth.
Mrs. Brown, who still lives at 403 S.
Garth Ave., said the idea for a land- val- ue
tax originated in the 1880s with
Henry George, who favored a tax on
land rather man on what people
earned. It was called a " single tax" be-cause
George thought the land- valu- e
tax should replace all other forms of
taxation.
But Mrs. Brown said a " single tax"
is impractical m 1980.
" We expect so much more of govern-ment
now man we did in 1830 that a sin-gle
tax isn't possible," Mrs. Brown
said. " My husband felt we should tax
the land as much as possible, then
when that is not enough, go to other
taxes."
In the early 1970s, Judge Robert O.
( See LAND, Page ISA)
Inside
I today
g President Carter, the only par--
ticipant at the weekend econom- -
H ic summit to refuse to travel in a
fi gondola, greatly upset the people
B of Venice. See Page 3A.
S Bobby Bonds broke a 0-- f or- 2- 8
m slump with a home run and a
fig double to lift the Cardinals to a 3--
M 2 victory over the Pittsburgh Pi- -
H rates. See Page 11A.
m For the bridegroom as well as
m the bride, learning the basics of
g cooking is essential before at--
Bl tempting more elaborate meals.
M See Page IB.
I IffitOWK
H today
H 7 pan. Concert, University
fill Symphonic Band with featured
gHI soloist Peter Kurau on horn,
m& Francis Quadrangle. In case of
III rain, concert will be in Jesse Au--
m& ditoriom. Free. Ill 7: 3 pan. Theater, " Servant of
Wm Two Masters," Maplewood Bam
Theater, Nifong Park. $ 2 for
gal adults, $ 1 for senior citizens and
KKi children.
Wj& 7: 33 pjn. Baseball, Columbia
gmm ALemgeforincFanielLd. egion against Fulton,
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independent presidential candidate John Anderson speaks in fiansas City """""
KXL samples ' Anderson difference'
By Lynne Appel and Jennifer Hull
State capital bureau
KANSAS CITY, Mo. Monday was
not a typical day at the Kansas City
International Airport. As ISO special
police officers and 25 blue- suite- d Se-cret
' Service agents canvassed Gate
30 of Trans World Airlines, a wiry,
white- haire- d congressman appeared.
Not everyone was impressed. As
presidential candidate John Ander-son
paused to answer questions from
a hovering press corps, a little girt
could be heard asking, " What's all
the fuss about? He's not president
yet."
But to supporters who assembled at
the opening of Anderson's Kansas
City headquarters Monday night, and
to businessmen who shared breakfast
with the candidate Tuesday morning,
Anderson's presence elicited excite-ment
and curiosity.
One curiosity seeker at the cam-paign
headquarters was Dr. Ken Cin-namon,
of Kansas City, Mo. China--
The 1980
1 Elections
mon said he is not satisfied with the
major party candidates Ronald Rea-gan
or Jimmy Carter. " I'm not so
sure the Anderson difference has
been clearly delineated, but at least
in style he is forceful and assured,"
Cinnamon said. " I came to see his
eyes."
Leroy Chadwick, also of Kansas
City, is an Anderson volunteer who
has had his eye on the candidate for
three years. Gathering petition signa-tures
outside the headquarters, Chad-wick
said, " Anderson represents the
kind of Republican I can deal with.
He's a conservative when it comes to
fiscal matters, but a liberal about hu-man
rights."
The THinois congressman tried to
define the Anderson difference in his
two- da- y visit to the city.
Anderson spoke to the Plaza Sun-rise
Group of businessmen Tuesday
morning, which included Missouri gu-bernatorial
candidate Christopher
Bond. He defined the Carter adminis-tration's
foreign, economic and en-ergy
policies as being " somewhere
over the rainbow" and called for a
long- ter- m plan to solve the nation's
economic problems.
" The stop- and- g- o economic policies
of this administration are more re-sponsible
than anything else for the
current recession," Anderson said.
The presidential candidate accused
the present administration of " fool-ing
and hoodwinking" the American
people with " quick- fi- x tax cuts."
Referring to American productivi-ty,
Anderson said American business
lags behind its Japanese competitors
because our machinery is twice as
old as theirs.
" They've got an economic strate
gy, believe me, . . they have seen the
wisdom of developing a long- ter- m
program for growth," he said.
The key to economic recovery, he
said, is cooperation between busi-ness,
government and labor.
" That's the kind of program I'd
support rather than changing my
nund according to the polls and chan-ging
economic policies every six to
eight months."
Included in such a program, Ander-son
said, would be an emphasis on
small business and a concern for the
blue- colla- r worker. When the bond
market collapsed " tears were shed
on Wall Street My tears were shed
for the small businessman."
Finally, the candidate said the big--'
gest obstacle in his campaign so far
is the opinion of many people that his
candidacy poses a threat to the two- par- ty
system. " There is always some
fear of something that is new and un-tried,"
he said. " But we are living in
the kind of environment today where
we must break out of the mold.
Council authorizes funds for excavations
ByTlmHayden
Missourian staff writer
Under deadline pressure the Colum-bia
City Council met in special session
Tuesday to authorize a contract with
Environmental Systems Analysis for
excavation of six archaeological sites
at the hew sewage treatment plant- Environmen-tal
Systems bad bid $ 16,- 51- 5
to perform Phase 2 excavations on
the sites. As a provision of the con-'
terxaccatv, atthioencoomf fpoaunryofmthuestsictoems pblyetJeultyhe2
and the other two by July 7.
Public Works Director Ray Beck
said the deadlines for the work are nec-essary
because construction-- in the
areaisseheduledtoproceedsoon. .
An Illinois company. American Re-sources
Group Ltd., bid $ 1300 to do
the work. Beck said that while he felt
American Resources is an excellent
company, both he and Department of
Natural Resources archaeologist Mi-chael
Weichmann decided to recom-mend
Environmental Systems because
its personnel has better qualifications
and could start work sooner.'
Beck said Environmental Systems is
hurriedly getting its crew together and
might begin work today.
The Phase 2 work will be test digs
and will determine if the sites are sig-nificant
enough to be Kgft? a for the
National Register of Historic Places. If
the sites are eligible, complete Phase 3
excavations will be done.
The council passed an ordinance ap-propriating
$ 40,000 in case Phase 3 ex-cavations
are required. Beck asked for
the $ 40,000 figure so no time would be
wasted by returning to the council for
more money. He also said the contract
stipulates that any Phase 3 work must
be completed within five days.
Beck said the cost of the Phase 2
work could not exceed the $ 16,515 bid.
This would leave about $ 23,590 for any
necessary Phase 3 work.
The Environmental Protection Agen-cy
and the Department of Natural Re-sources
will not give clearance fcr con-struction
in the sites area until the
Phase 2 work and any necessary Phase
3 work is completed.
Weichmann said the time schedule
" is going to be very tight." He said the
deadline pressure Environmental Sys- te- ms
wiD. be working under " is not nor-mal
procedure," but he believes the
work can be completed.
Wekhmann is not confident the $ 40.--
000 appropriated will be enough if
Phase 3 work is required. He said he
had recommended to Beck that the
original figure of $ 104,000 be appropri-ated.
" The Phase 3 work is potentially
very expensive," Weichmann said.
" Because of the limited time, they
( Environmental Systems) might have
to work shifts and the city pay a premi-um
price for the personnel. "
However, both Beck and Weichmann
agree Environmental Systems has ex-cellent
personnel and will finish the
work before the deadlines.
" The city got a real bargain,"
Weichmann said. He said the bids orig-inally
were expected to come in at $ 3,- 0- 00
to $ 4,000 per site. Environmental
Systemsbid averages $ 200 per site.
Both men noted fee credentials of the
six- ma- n crew that will perform the
work. Five of the personnel have doc-toral
or master's degrees and one has
a bachelor's degree.
Larry Schmits, who will supervise
the work, was formerly with Soil Serv-ices
Inc. He had supervised an earlier
excavation of a burial site in the con-struction
area that the city had con-tracted
with SSI.
Four of the six sites are on the lower
Percfae Creek adjacent to the sewage
treatment plant. One site is on the up-per
Perche Creek and another is on the
Hinkson Creek.
An additional 17 sites have been
found along sewer line right- of- way- s
but there is not as great a hurry to ex-cavate
them. Beck said the deadline
for excavation of these sites is Sept. 28. Kecent rams too little too late, experts say
By Preston Smith
Mbsourian staff writer
Columbia weather and agricultural
specialists are calling the recent spottv
rains too little and too late.
Ralph Winger, spokesman for the
National Weather Service, said Toes?',
day the .35 of an inch ( 8 centimeters
that fell recently sthe C- oten-bia
area'
has left the area far from normal prer
elation for Jaaewmcfc is asuaHy 4.6,'
inches Ul-- 5 centimeters. Only 105
inches ( 27.8 centimeters) has fallen in
1930, compared with the usual 18.1
inches ( 45.3 centimeters) by this date.
Bob Schottman, agricultural exten-sion
engineer, said the rains have had
little effect on the drought situation.
Schottman said that . if the com crop
gets no rain within the next 10 days,
plant growth wfll decrease, and the
leaves wfll start to roJL He said corn
. will enter a critical growth period the
fifst or second week of July, when the
i
crop is pollinating and needs plenty of
moisture.
Wayne L. Decker, chairman of the
University's atmospheric science de-partment,
said the recent rainfall will
sustain corn and soybeans only an ad-ditional
two days. He said the subsoil
moisture level, 2.5 inches ( 6.4 centime-ters),
should provide enough moisture
to soybeans and corn for another two
or three weeks.
University extension pasture special-ist
HoweH Wheaton said Ghat, with the
exception of die extreme northeastern
portion of the state, pastures are " pret-tydamn
dry."
Wheaton estimated the hay crop has
been reduced 35 to 40 percent and said
the prospects for improvement are
slim, since the weather this time of
summer is usually composed of little
precipiation and high temperatures.
Wheaton said cattlemen with short
pastures can substitute grain for hay,
buy bay, save nutrient content in round
bales bymoving them from the field to
the bam or decrease the number of
cattle on the pasture.
The state Crop and Livestock Re-porting
Service, however, said the rain
should provide same temporary relief.
Significant supplies of soil moisture ex-ist
only in northeast Missouri.
Olinger said the weather service's
six-- to 10- d- ay forecast for the state of-fers
no real relief, since it calls for
above- norm- al temperatures and be- low- ncraalprecip-itation-
" The omy consolation is they '
( weather semes - forecasters are
sometimes wrong. I hope so," Schot-tman
said. .
' - j