News stories from Saturday November 16, 1974
Summaries of the stories the major media outlets considered to be of particular importance on this date:
- President Ford, retaliating against Canadian quotas limiting imports of United States cattle and meat, imposed a quota system on shipments of beef and pork from Canada, charging that it had placed "unjustifiable import restrictions" against United States products. [New York Times]
- The Democratic National Committee proposed a tentative economic program that would prepare the way for congressional action on mandatory wage and price controls and fuel conservation as an alternative to the policies of the Ford administration. The program, prefaced by a stinging attack on President Ford's leadership, was prepared by the Democratic Advisory Council of Elected Officials, an affiliate of the National Committee. [New York Times]
- Because of the murder Friday night of a union official, a spokesman for the United Mine Workers said that efforts to obtain ratification of the tentative agreement with the coal industry would be delayed at least until Tuesday. Instead of resuming deliberations on the contract, the 38-member bargaining council held a brief memorial service this morning for Sam Littlefield, president of the union's District 20 In Alabama, who was shot in a robbery attempt at his Washington hotel. It is virtually certain that a third crucial week will be added to the nationwide strike that began last Monday. [New York Times]
- Colleges across the country are adopting strategies ranging from the destruction of documents to congressional lobbying to avoid what they describe as "unintended" and "unethical" consequence of a new federal law giving parents and students the right to examine school files. A major objection to the law, which becomes effective Tuesday, is that it seems to require educational institutions to make available letters of recommendation and other documents that were solicited under a pledge of confidentiality. Senator James Buckley, Conservative-Republican of New York, sponsored the legislation, which is an amendment to the Elementary and Secondary School Act. Supporters of the new law concede that some of its language needs clarification. [New York Times]
- Experiments conducted independently on the East and West Coasts have revealed a new kind of atomic particle whose properties are so unexpected that there are differing views as to how it might fit into current theories as to the elementary nature of matter. [New York Times]
- The World Food Conference at the final session of its 11-day meeting in Rome approved the formation of a new United Nations agency that will supervise programs intended to give the world -- particularly less developed nations -- more and better food. The agency will be called the World Food Council. It will have a secretariat in Rome, associated with the Food and Agriculture Organization, but it will report to the United Nations in New York. [New York Times]
- The Israeli Defense Minister, Shimon Peres, described a partial mobilization of Israel's reserves and Israeli movements in the Golan Heights as a response to "unexplained movements" by Syrian forces. This was the first official confirmation by the Israeli government of a partial mobilization on Friday of the Israeli reserves. [New York Times]
- Military activity in the Middle East precipitated warnings and expressions of concern in Tel Aviv, the Arab capitals and Washington and the United Nations. Tension and talk of war increased during the day, but both sides denied any hostile intent on their part, saying they were merely reacting to intentions of the other. [New York Times]
- Recent pronouncements, enigmatic though they were, by Prime Minister John Vorster of South Africa and other leaders of the National party brought a flurry of speculation and of optimism that the White-supremacy policies -- apartheid or separate development of the races -- might undergo important alterations. Their comments raised related questions: What is the real status of the more than 19 million people who have black or brown skins in South Africa and what is the state of mind of their four million white neighbors? [New York Times]