News stories from Saturday February 9, 1974

Summaries of the stories the major media outlets considered to be of particular importance on this date:

Stressing the need for better mass transit, President Nixon, in a radio address dealing with his administration's transportation policy, proposed a $16 billion federally backed program to improve railroads, subways and bus lines over the next six years. The program, which is to be sent to Congress this week, would about double the present annual federal commitment to mass transportation systems, The President will also ask Congress to approve $2 billion in federal loan guarantees to the railroads for capital investment in equipment and facilities. [New York Times] With private persuasion and public optimism, the Nixon administration intensified its efforts to win drivers' support for a tentative agreement and end the 10-day-old nationwide strike of independent truckers. Across the country, drivers returned to the roads in growing numbers with cargoes of food, fuel and industrial parts, but tens of thousands of rigs remained idle as many trucker groups rejected the agreement Thursday that would allow a 6 percent surcharge on freight rates to cover fuel costs. [New York Times] Across the nation, thousands of Americans are rediscovering the intercity bus. In the last three months, since gasoline shortages and soaring gasoline prices began to restrict the American motorist seriously, intercity bus companies say that, depending upon the route, their patronage has risen by an average of 10 to 20 percent. [New York Times] The United States has begun exchanging ideas with Israel and Syria to find a formula for the start of Syrian-Israeli negotiations and on the separation of their troops on the issuance of a list by Syria of its Israeli prisoners, senior State Department officials said in Washington. They said that Secretary of State Kissinger, who served as the intermediary in the Egyptian-Israeli disengagement talks, has taken an active role in the Syrian phase of the discussions. The officials also said that King Hussein of Jordan had given Mr. Kissinger detailed proposals, including maps, for Jordanian-Israeli disengagement talks. [New York Times] After bitter and prolonged debate, Japan's governing Liberal-Democratic party agreed on a draft of an aviation agreement with China. The party's decision was announced in Tokyo in an ambiguously worded statement that indicated that some details of the pact would still have to be worked out, The agreement could have far-reaching consequences. The Chinese Nationalist government on Taiwan has threatened to bar all Japanese planes from its air space if the proposed accord is accepted. [New York Times] Greece has slammed the door on foreign shipowners who seek to take advantage of Greek-flag privileges to cut the operating costs of their merchant ships. In the last five months, applications for Greek registration of 13 vessels were rejected when it was found that the owners were not Greek. [New York Times]