WHITE HO USE Good ere nin g. FelJr11a,·J I, / !_172 \ I I c ,, .J a c I.• s o ,: From the While Hous e toda y confirmation that President Nixon is co 11sid e1•i 11 g a ne, "value-added lax" - w hich s om e c all a form of Natio11al s ales tax - 1 •1t 1111in g to someuhere around Sixteen Billion-a- y ear . White House P1• es s Secretar y Ron Ziegler - sa y ing that p 1· es e ,it p 1• op o s a ls "a 1· e s i m ii a r to th al f i gll re : " w i th the idea ; of course - that of relieving pro{Jert3 , holders of some of the current cost of school fi nance. Ziegler st · ressed, however that no final decision has yet bee11 ,nade . n i\SHINGTON The big e 1 1 en t Io da y i II Wash in/:! Io 11 - I he Nineteenth Annual Nalionlll Pra ye r Br eak.fas / : in att e ndance - more than three lhousanil go1er11menl, ci, ic and religious leaders from across the la11d ; a11d, President Nixon - who v oiced a fervent plea that he will be "011 God's side" - during his fo1·lhcoming trips to Peki,ig and Moscow. The P1·esidenl pointed out - some of the many difference between the U.S. and Cot11m1,nist nations. Saying: " It is n a i v e t o th i 11 k t h a t t h e s e _,if f e , , en c e s w il l j " s t evaporate - if only we set out to know each other b•tter." "Indeed" - said he - "the differe11ces are because we do know each other better." Bttt the U.S. wants nothing from any other country - he continued; and, therefore, "ou1 • role may be - to lielf, build a new structure of peace in the w orld." The President addi11g: "We must all learn to live together - or we will die together." RUR A L FOLLOW PRESIDENT On anolhe · 1 • front , lhe Presid e ,it toda y proposed to Congress - a new One-point-Thr e e Billion-Dollar program to "re v italize" rural Am e rica . Th i s to include t he establislnnent o f a new Rural De v elopmetit Credit Fund - to underwri t e bus i ness loans, thereb y spurring economic growth in rrtral areas . It also calls /01· Federal financing of C I com r 11101.ity projects - s1tch as w ater'/ sewage systems, industrial parks, comm1tnity centers. Ultimate goal - said the President: To end the present "dramatic dist,arities" between metropolitan and rural areas - in per capita income, housing, education . . and medical care; in the process - / stemming mass migration. The Presiden t adding : "Tit.is doesn't n ecessaril y mean 'keep them down on the farm' - but to keep them down in the country - by providing practical a,id viable employment . " CH IC ,l G 0 Al Chicn,:o's packed McCormick Place - a memorial service today for famed gospel singer Mahalia Jackson. Friends and admirers present - i11c/11ded Sammy David Junior. j Ella Fitzgerald and Mrs. Ma1•li11 Lullle1• Ki,zg, to name but a few; with Mayor Daley of Chicago - deli v ering a main address. The Mayor said of Mahalia Jackso,z: "She was given the opport11nit), to sing in night clubs - to become a popular blues singer - but she knew what she wanted; she iuanted to share her deep religious feelings - through song - with all the people who heard her." And every song she sang - he said - was ''an expression of life - a story of faith." BELFAST In I I, c II a k e of No ,, Iii e r II I r e l a n d ' s "b l o o d .v Su n d a y " a second straight day of widespread v ioleuce ; including a s nip e r a I tack i II Be If r, s l - k i I I i II g s Ii l l an o the ,. 8 ' r i tis h s oldie r. In London, the appoi11tment of Lord Widger,,, Lord Chief Justice of England - to act as a one-man inquiry commission i,ito Sunday's bloodshed. House of Common speaker Selt.(yn Lloyd also ser ve d notice - to Bernadette Devli,i et al - in tile wake of yesterday's ou . tbtlrst that he will not t, ermit a,iy more uproar tliere. Said speaker Lbyd: "Tlae reputatio11 of the House and the chair are now al risk - and that is something I cannot tolerate." VIENNA F,·om Vienna - an announceme11l today that the Sixth , • ound of SALT talks U'ill terminate - as of the e,ad of the week. This - a s11rprise de elopme11t; leading to s p e c u l a t i on t h a t t h e re m a y I, a v e b e en a •' b re a k do w n " in th e SALT parley - or else a "breakthrough," an agreement at last. But which, if either - well, we!ll just have to wait and see. .. .~ 1 ( " " I I :.._ l • , • I I r t n t f l t - ( ,. ' , , r- ' t : I • t ( ' { 1J f • : 1 L : , , ' ' I • • P t ,, t .. : f • • 1' t 7 r • t t • - P & : - ~ T 'I ' { '-' - SUGGESTED LEAD-IN TO THOMAS TAPE "THINK TANKS" . And now - it's lim e agai11 for LoHell Thomas. Sub j ect to11ight : Think ta,zks. Lowell . . . L. T. Tap e In se rt THINK TANKS The word's "Tlli11k Tank" - do the y co,rjure ttP an image of double domed b1·czi11 tr11slers hammering o,ct insf)ired solutions to minumen/al problems? We are told it's seldom the case. Allthor Paul Dickso in a nett book aptly titled Think Tanks - tells about some highly r aunted research institutions ; citing case after case of seemingly senseless projects; as, for examf>le, a study of the nervous system of the Cl1ilea11 Squid - an investigation of the aging process in rocks - an inqrliry i,ato quote Communist vulnerability to the use of music. I met w h o had bee n roam in g th e world - s t udying turle& one chat> at The ryors on~ui -: ;n Trawa H - ">-------- Says Author . Dickson - these projects are sponsored mainly one administration - after a11otlier with the Der,artmelll of Defense - "'ne undisputed king of irrelevant research;" at a cost - running into the millio'1s a,id millions every year. Think Tanks b)' Paul Dickso11 - a book to make you stop TH INK TA N K - ., aud lhi'1k. But - 11e mus/ do res e arch into almost ererylhing - or we'll vege tate - don't )'Olt think? SUGGESTED FOL L OW TO THOM _ 4 S TA PE "TH INK TA N KS " Thank y ou. , . Lowell - 1 think. A final thought - in a moment. ( ------ FORT WORTH F,·om a m arriage liceuse h11r e <111 al Fort Worth, Texas - II, c s to 1· ·' ' of a _,, o 1111 g m a II a 11 d w om a 11 11 II o cam e i 11 1· e c en tl y ; a,zd oblai11cd a ma,•riage lic e nse - at a cost of Five Bucks. Except lite man 1·et11rned alone tile next drz y - trying to get Iii s F i i 1 e r b a c k • Exf)l:aining : "We broke up." Where1tf>on he was told : "Sorry - no refunds." Ah, but there's mo · re. A da:; , later - the young man returning again; armed with a new blood test report and a new girl - now asking for a mere change of name. Explaining - he didn't want to "toaste" his licen,;e. Whereupon he was told : "Sorry - no transfers · ." Thus faced with another Five Do l la r o u tl a y - the y o u n g man s a id s o m e th in . g a b o u t ''good money after bad" and away h 1 e went. For some reason, all this called to mind Socrates' sage · advice - when he was asked whether ii was better for a man to marry or remain single . Said Socraties : "Let a ma11 take which course he will - for either wa_v he will' repent of H." And now for Lowell - so /o,,g 1111til tomorrow.