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Wednesday, april 3, 1974
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Consumer debate begins - conference
A conference entitled "The Consumer and the
Economy," sponsored by ASUN and the Consumer
Aid Group (CAG) began Wednesday by presenting
professor Henry Manne, a nationally known authority
on legal economic policy, and Beverly Moore, an
associate's of Ralph Nader in a panel discussion.
The conference continues today whan Louis
Rukeyser, ABC financial news reporter, presents a
program on "Nixon's Economy", at 3 p.rn. in the
Nebraska Union.
Moore, a graduate of Harvard Law School, said
there were four basic things wrong with the U.S.
economy: poor distribution of wealth, lack of
sufficient consumer information, side effects of
economic activity and inefficient feovemmental
protection agencies.
Manne, author of many books and sixty published
articles, said he felt that his main differences with
Mcore concerned Moore's ideas on advertising and
monopolies.
Moore, who says monopolies exist, said
automobile manufacturers and oil firms ere in two of
the industries that should be divided to prevent
monopoly,
"In actuality many industries are oligopolies, but
in essence they are monopolies, and should be
prevented," Moore said.
"There is no such thing as a monopoly over a
significant period of tima without government?.!
interference," Manne said.
Manne said he felt that what Moore called
monopolies were concentrations in industry. "Tha
production of government is the only real monopoly
in existence," he said.
The problem with advertising is that it does' not",
present relevant information to the consumer,"
.urn .' .
Legislative debate on the alcohol bill could ba csH a pop-top flop.
Alcohol bill killed for session;
chances for revival unknown
By Greg Wees
It's impossible to tell if the bill defeated last
Friday that would have allowed liquor to be
sold and consumed on campus will be
introduced arjain in the next session of the
Legislature. This was tha opinion Tuesday of
Staff! Son. FfivoW rf jjrwtln unA fitat
Sen. John Cavanaugh of Omaha, sponsors o
the ill fated LB783. The bill was killed by the
Legislature last week.
"It depends on action taken by the Board of
Regents," Fowler u'td referring to the
possibility of the regents permitting alcohol on
campus. It also depends on the make-up of the
Unicameral after November elections, he added.
Durinq debate on the bill last week, State
Sen. Ernie Chambers, moved to "indefinitely
postpone" the measure, which tha Legislature
did by a 33-13 roil call vote. With only four
days remaining in the current tession, the bill
is, for all practical purposes, killed. ' .
Cavanawsb indicated that h would'
introduce tha measure 3sn only if ttedant
from Creighton University, which h In
Cavanaugh't Omaha district, asked him t.
Cavanauyb said Chamber's motion "was no
great surprise to rnc" .
Fower said char&tt that the Leslslature
waited until spring break, when students would
be on vacation, to consider the bill were
"completely erroneous."
Ken Bader, UNL vice chancellor of Student
Affairs, said he was "sorry the issue revolved
around the notion of alcohol as oood or bad.
instead of the legal rights students have as
adults."
Even though alcohol is an emotional and
controversial issue, Bader said, "when majority
age (10) legislation was approved, students were
given the rights that went along with it...and
that includes the right to consume alcohol,"
RHA President Tim Evenscn said convincing
tha Board cf Regents to appro v8 tlcohol on
csmpu fs another alternative open to itudants.
The ASUN RHA lawsuit against the regents
could be refiied with U.S. District Court at
anytime, as it was withdrawn "without
prejudice," Evensen notad.
Evensen charged the reqents wore "hiding
behind the lawsuit" and using it as an excuse
not to discuss the alcohol issue with students.
This is why the suit was withdrawn, he said.
If the regents fail to act on the issue at their
April 20th meeting, thtre is "a good chance"
the lawsuit will be refiied, he added.
Na
Welcom
Moore said.
. He said that industries and advertisers go out of
their way to prevent the consumer from knowing the
actual details about their products.
Moure said he feels that if the advertising used
n.r objective techniques, the trend of the consumer
would drastically change.
Manne said he feels that it is wrong to criticize
advertising on the ground that, it does not contain
valuable information. People are getting what they
,f'r .Vvant to hear, he said.
-' . The main objective of a economic system is to
maximize and distribute the wealth cf the economy
according to Moore.
. However, he said, the top 1 of the population
- , had 33 of the wealth and the top 5 of the
population had 53 of the wealth.
w vice chancellor
ed to UNL
By F.dry Shackelton
April Fool's Day 1974 will prove to be a historic day for
Nebraska, according to UNL Chancellor James Zumberge.
The date marked the official arrival of Duane Acker, UNL's
first vice chancellor for agriculture and natural resources, and the
establishment of the Institute of Agriculture and Natural
Resources.
At a Monday breakfast honoring Acker, Zumberge said he had
sought to find the most qualified individual in the United States
to fill the new position. Acker was the only person offered the
job, Zumberge said.
Before coming to Nebraska, Acker served as dean of the
Cc5Sc?9 of Agriculture and Biological Sciences at South Dakota
& tits University. .. ,,-.,..-u,...- .
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Addressing faculty members end the press at the breakfast.
Acker said, "Consumers ought to be worried about the food
production machine.
"Food production is in the hands of a small number of people
who protect their investor$...Agricufture is controlled by a lot of
people, only a small portion of which are farmers and ranchers,"
he said.
A small number of persons controlling agricultural decision
making and increased food productivity on smaHer land areas,
cause farm prices to rise, according to Acker.
Acker said he believed an "agriculture awakening" has
occurred In the Umtad States over the last several years. He cited
President Nixon's April 1S71 saluta to agriculture as an indication
of the national attention it is drawing.
"Agriculture as a high technology industry has put the United
States in the front seat of the balance of trade," he said. "
State support for agriculture too has increased, he said.
"The people of Nebraska are more interested in the
educational and research aspects of agriculture now than the
have been in the past," Acker said.
The salary scale of the Agriculture College faculty member:
and their teaching loads are two areas needing attention tha
Acker said Zumberge had already alerted him to.
"Tha Cofkba of Agriculture has been on the short end of th
fir.!:l stick. Tha last 15 years have not been particularly
pleasant for agriculture staff people at any university, but I think
this li chsrHrt'j everywhere," he said.
Zurnbere is "about to correct" the salary discrepencia
betvyein Itgrijlturt faculty members and other faculty members
by Asking- fof egriculture f acuity salary increases in the next fiscal
yearV budget, Acker said. This is "jusi a suari" io njiviny ihe
problem,, he added.
1 Acker ' noted that enrollment in central universities'
agricultural colleges has been Increasing since 19S2, but
administrators didn't realize it until recently,
There are more students, and fewer dollars are being spent per
student, he said.
"Agriculture Ss f expensive business to teach," he said. Costs
that other colleges don't have include computer time used in
charting iuch thidgs as arsirnaf heredity backgrounds, maintaining
animals, field trip expenses and staffing separate curriculum for
animsl telme, economy, food science and technology, ha said.
Reducing price-costs risks for the farmer has been a high
priority item in agriculture for the last five years, Acker said.
How much should a university, be controlled oy pressure
groups?
According to Acker, "A university should be a leader, but at
the same tima roll from time to time with pressure groups."
Pressors groups are not a negative force, he said. "They keep
us honest. Tfcay make their needs known and remind us of things
that hra to be dons."
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