North Carolina Newspapers

2The Daily Tar Heel Friday. March Dy RUTH DAVIS Staff Writer The Soviet Union is experiment ing with dramatic reform projects in agriculture, industry and other parts of the economy, Valerii Makarov, director of the Central Institute of Economics and Mathematics in Moscow, told a standing room only audience in Carroll Hall Thursday. Makarov, a mathematician for the institute, is here consulting with UNC economics professor Steven Rosefieldc and Duke economics professor Vladimir Treml as part of his research on economic reform. In the speech presented by the Russian and East European Area Studies Curriculum, Makarov said, uWe are living in a very interesting time (in the Soviet Union) because things are changing very dramati cally and in a very interesting way." Some of the experiments include the use of contracts, calculating Helms, Sanfordl may By MITRA LOTFI Staff Writer When the U.S. Senate votes to give states the right to increase their speed limits to 65 mph. North Carolina's senators may vote no if the bill is part of a total highway aid package. Sen. Jesse Helms, R-N.C, and Sen. Terry Sanford, D-N.C, both agree with the speed limit provision, but they believe the $88.6 billion highway and mass transit package would shortchange North Carolina, their press secretaries said. "If Sen. Helms votes down the bill, it will not be because of the increase in speed limits, it would be because of the inequity in distributing high way funds," said Barbara Lukens, Helms press secretary. Lukens said the proposed formula for distributing the aid would favor selected projects. It has not been decided if the Senate will vote on the speed limit Town files suit to buy downtown land after owner refuses to sell By HOLLY BAKER Staff Writer ; The town of Chapel Hill. has filed ah lawsuit in '.the.Orange.JCoanty'V Superior Court to acquire two lots ' on East Franklin Street for open recreation space, after the owner of the property refused to sell the land. The town wants the 27,000-square-foot tract "for the purpose of enhancing the entranceway to the downtown area by allowing it to remain open woodland," said assis tant town manager Ron Secrist. ' i t A - :!d f' . !.v ;;t!v pi: . ::.na! :rs 11(0) H jQuQOlis AVTOQDU WfttKBDD LS)staR Add Api)T(p0D(giI(t8 20, 1987 wages and calculating sums of money to develop investments, he said. "The formulas are very compli cated because we needed to estimate the rate of growth of output," he said. The experiments pose difficulties because they are such a dramatic transition from the present form of economy, he said. "Right now the most interesting experiment in our industries is self measurement of capital investment on each enterprise," he said. In this method of measurement, the profits of the enterprise are divided among the government, people from the enterprise and funds for developing the enterprise, he said. Another experiment involves farms selling their produce on the market allowing for higher prices, he said. "There are also big changes in the provision and the highway bill separately or as one bill. On Wednesday the House of Representatives approved both of the bills in separate votes. If the provision does become a law, state legislatures will be allowed to raise the speed limit on rural interstates to 65 mph without losing federal highway funding. Sanford was impressed by the arguments from some western states that the 55 mph limit is foolish in vast rural areas, said Tom Lawton, the senator's press secretary. "He has reservations about the death rate but he feels a state ought to be able to do it (raise the limit) if they want to," Lawton said. Lawton said Sanford favors a trial period after which federal and state officials could study the effect of the higher speed limit on that state's automobile death rate. Sanford doesn't like the way highway funds would be distributed if the package The town offered Dr. John Currie of Glen Arm, Md.. $34,000 for his property, in December -1986, based . on an appraisal and-the approval of the" Town Council. The town filed the suit on Feb. 26, when he refused the offer. Currie is a former Chapel Hill resident and had purchased the lots in July 1983. Currie does not deny the right of the town to acquire the land, but he is contesting the court action because he believes the compensation for DOWNTOWN rw&PPl HILL ifl FRANK LN? : ' CHAPEL HILL "' IB TENNIS CLUB RESEARCH TRIANGLE us to offer i;r,v c; . t: relic:: unts so you can :ci U Xz hr ':i I '. at a price vou'll iv ; i v HI. Vo ..;.-. w - . 'i I r. , ' (0 Jones structure of management of the Soviet economy," he said. "The main change is in the power of the ministries. The ministries have been joined to create complexes." A project to protect industries from the ministries and complexes has also been established, he said. He said the reform movement is a topic of controversy and discussion in the Soviet Union. "Every person has the possibility to express his opinion on this topic," he said. He said a special commission of scientists advises the government on creating the complexes and eco nomic reforms. "Before, it was impossible for the government to ask scientists and economists what to do," he said. Other reforms have changed the country's policy from constant pricing to equilibrium pricing, from rationing to trade and to getting rid oppose - 65 bill is passed because North Carolina puts more into the federal highway fund than it gets back, Lawton said. First Sergeant B. F. Smith of the N.C. Highway Patrol said he does not see any benefits in raising the speed limit to 65 mph. "We're going to see fatalities increase as a result of it because you're going to have a more severe crash at a higher speed," Smith said. Smith said he doesn't agree with the argument that the limit should be raised since everyone drives over 55 mph anyway. ' Dr. B. J. Campbell, director of the UNC Highway Safety Research Center, said the current limit is a reasonable balance between safety and mobility. When the speed limit was lowered to 55 mph in 1974, the purpose was to save energy, but it also decreased the number of traffic fatalities, Campbell said. Raising the limit to 65 mph would taking his land is insufficient, said town attorney Ralph Karpinos. The tax office -appraised the property at $54,000 and has required him to pay taxes on that amount, said Currie. He has also invested $25,000 in moving a house onto the lot. The town hired a Durham appraiser because property value in Durham is less than in Chapel Hill, Currie said. The town also gave the appraiser instructions to estimate the land only, not the house. eve shorter :;,n- 1 w k ft ..... , ' " ""! - V f t f ; ( r . ' vf-lr '- i "of tui!'Jin.;'i.t u .. in t :c : res sen;.'.'.- Fcrrv r V, v. . ' -I. . - -" " -1 - ' " s WW I M.",'.I.U "'.M," M.'W .1 1 . II ! 1 1 n 1 1 1 I 7- 3 W Vff Valerii Makarov of the surplus of money in the Soviet economy. Starting May I individuals in all spheres of society will be able to own an automobile and build houses, he said. "So many people wanted to be involved in such individual activi ties," he said. "They wanted to see the results of their labor." - mph not only cost in terms of deaths and injuries but also in terms of road maintenance, Campbell said. "If a tire collides with a pothole at 65 mph it's going to do consid erably more damage to the roadway (than at 55 mph)," he said. Smith said interstates are not a significant portion of the N.C. highway system. There are 625 miles of rural interstate in North Carolina, said Harold Steelman, a field support engineer with the N.C. Department of Transportation. There are 76,459 miles of primary, secondary and urban state highways. "The interstate is the safest road way system in the state, but it's even safer at 55 (mph) than at 65 (mph)," Campbell said. In 1985, there was an average of 50.5 accidents per 100 million vehicle miles on rural interstates in North Carolina. The lot adjoins five other tracts totaling 1.6 acres, which the town purchased irf January for $87,200. -" "As a taxpayer, I thinMhe project..., is an outrageous use of "public funds for such a large, expensive area of land," said Currie. The town can claim land with other projects such as the extension of streets or water and sewer lines, and the owner cannot contest the action. The town owns the property as soon as it files the lawsuit. But in this procedure involving a recreation and open space project, Currie can contest and seek the payment of a higher price, said Karpinos. Once he makes this statement, the town is the legal owner. Currie is in the process of with-1 drawing the $34,000 that the town deposited in the district court for the land, but he can still contest for a higher offer. The two parties are attempting to settle out of court and a court date has not been scheduled. American Heart Association WERE FIGHTING FOR VDUR LIFE bill Turmoil continues in Beirut; bomb kills two, wounds five From Associated Press reports BEIRUT, Lebanon Syrian soldiers deployed in Moslem west Beirut have threatened severe retaliation if kidnappers kill any of the 25 foreigners held hostage in Lebanon, police said Thursday. In Christian east Beirut, a bomb killed two occupants of an automobile and wounded five other people, police reported. They said the device that exploded in the Zalkaa district at 1:45 p.m. was not a car bomb. No group claimed responsibility. Israel bends to U.S. pressure JERUSALEM Heading off a confrontation with the United States, Israel announced Thurs day it would not sign contracts for new weapons sales to South Africa and would reduce its close trade and cultural ties with the country. The Israeli decision, announced by Prime Minister Shimon Peres, followed pressure from the United States to end military trade with a South African government that main tains a policy of apartheid. N.C. Senate Approves holiday RALEIGH The state Senate gave final approval Thursday to a bill establishing a paid Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, but delayed enactment by amending Bill to propose funding for political campaigns By PAUL CORY Staff Writer Candidates for political offices in North Carolina may have the option of receiving public funding for their campaigns if they agree to abide by state-set spending limits, a represen tative in the N.C. General Assembly said. State Rep. Walter Jones, D-Pitt, said he plans to introduce the bill to cap spending in an effort to keep middle-income people in the political process. The cost of campaigning is so excessive that middle-income people cannot seek political office, Jones said. I do not want it so that only the well-to-do enter office," Jones said. "I want everybody to have the opportunity to get into politics." Under the provisions of the bill, the state would match some candi dates' privately raised funds on a Black police chief takes post despite council's racial conflicts From Associated Press reports CHADBORN, N.C. - After four days of dispute over whether the town would have a black police chief, white Mayor Dick Tyler swore in black Kelly Rogers as police chief Thursday, then resigned from the town government. Rogers said he had the support of most residents of the community, both white and black. As for his support on the council, he said only, "I was sworn in as chief. That's about all I can say about that. I feel rotten about (the situation) to tell you the truth. I'm hurt more than anything else." Town Clerk Lois Hope said Tyler announced at 10:30 a.m. that he was resigning immediately. Tyler couldn't be located after he quit. Tyler's resignation came a day after he told the Town Council that -WW-- 1986-87 Martin Luther King, Jn Memorial Lecture Randall Robinson Director of Trans-Africa 8 p.m., March 23, 1987 Memorial Hall University of North Carolina - Sponsored by Chancellor Christopher C. Fbrdham III and the Established Lectures Committee Free Admission ) For more information, contact: Office of Public Information South Building, Room 2 (919) 962-0045 r News in Brief the measure to assure that Vete- : rans Day will remain a paid holiday. PTL chairman resigns FORT MILL, S.C. - Televi sion evangelist Jim Bakker? resigned Thursday as chairman of his PTL ministry organization, ' saying he had been blackmailed by "treacherous former tfiends" about an alleged sexual encounter. Fellow television evangelist Jerry Falwell has taken over his post, and a new board of directors that includes former Interior Secretary James Watt was elected, according to a news release from PTL. Ex-General cited for Contempt WASHINGTON - The Senate voted Thursday to cite retired Air Force Maj. Gen. Richard Secord for contempt in an attempt to tighten the vise on a key figure in the Iran-Contra affair. The action, intended to provide a tool to compel Secord to produce records of bank accounts he is said to control in Switzer land, was taken by voice vote and without debate. dollar-for-dollar basis up to the spending limit, Jones said. Jones said he would like to see the gubernatorial, legislative and council of state races funded. Ulti mately, it would depend on the monev available, he said. The money would come from either a "check-off" on income tax returns, which would allow the taxpayer to designate part of his tax refund to be put into the election fund, or by an "add-on" system which would allow taxpayers to add a certain amount of money to their income tax return for the fund, Jones said. Jones said he plans to introduce the bill in about three weeks. "The chances of this bill passing this session are not great, but it is time for discussions and debate about this," Jones said. it was making a mistake in firing town manager Steve Wyatt, a 27-year-old white who wanted to elevate Rogers from acting chief to chief. During a meeting closed to the public, the council voted 3-2 along racial lines Wednesday night to fire Wyatt. Three white members voted to fire Rogers and two blacks voted against the motion. Before the vote, white Council man Bobby Tedder read a statement recommending Wyatt be fired because he had not been responsive to the wishes of some council members in making personnel decisions. Council members said after the meeting that their offer to have Tyler appoint the same chief proved their action wasn't racially motivated, but Wyatt and Tyler disputed the contention.