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SECTION 2 - PAGE 4 - PLA1NDEALER - WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20, 1964 State news National mws Lawmakers move to clarify disclosure Atlanta Zoo under By United Press International SPRINGFIELD - Is a deadline really a deadline, or just a guideline? That's the question that arose when Chicago Mayor Harold Washington filed his economic disclosure statements three weeks late. The mayor blamed the late filing on air administrative mixup. But Chicago Alderman Edward Burke, a foe of the mayor's, saw the snafu as a golden opportunity. He asked Cook County State's Attorney Richard Daley and At­ torney General Neil Hartigan to prosecute Washington. Burke was hoping to oust the city's first black mayor from office for filing his disclosure forms after the April 30 deadline. Daley and Hartigan declined -- not because either one could af­ ford to make any enemies in the on-going political battles in the Windy City (although they can't) -- but because both men thought booting someone out of office for an unintentional late filing was too severe a punishment to level. -"The disclosure statement is aimed at forcing Illinois office holders to avoid any conflict of in­ terest by making them reveal the source of their money. The law applies to all can­ didates and elected officials as well as appointed officers who earn more than $35,000 annually. It came into being in the wake of the Illinois racetrack stock scan­ dal in which lawmakers allegedly purchased stock in racing associa­ tions at bargain prices, used their influence to get good racing dates for the associations, then sold the stock back to itfc original owner at a huge profit. The discovery of a cash hoard left by Secretary of State Paul Powell in shoe boxes in a closet in the St. Nicholas Hotel was another factor leading to creation of the law. A strict reading of the statute gives one the impression that Burke was legally correct and Washington's failure to file a statement on time should result in forfeiture of his office. Former At­ torney General William Scott in­ terpreted the law in that manner. But case law and modifications in the law by the Legislature since its initial adoption cloud the issue. For example, if a person knows he will miss the filing deadline he can state that intention up to 10 days after April 30 and receive a 30-day extension. So that date really is not a deadline. Lawmakers now are moving to clarify the law. A plan under consideration in the Senate would change the filing deadline from April 30 to May 1. The secretary of state would be re­ quired to notify delinquent filers within one week after the ^deadline. Late filers must send in their statements by May 15 and are sub­ ject to a $15 fee. Those who fail to file by May 15 would be fined $100 per day. Anyone not filing by May 31 could be taken to court and removed from office. Although the problem in Chicago was a well-publicized one, it was not an isolated inci­ dent. State officials estimate about 1,200 people in Illinois who should have filed economic disclosure statements by the deadline failed to do so. Just how many people are required to file statements is unknown. Those who do have to file, however, liken the task to sending owed dollars into Uncle Sam at tax time -- it's put off until the last possible moment. It is easy to see with the many duties of government officials how the statements could be overlook­ ed. Besides, if an official was try­ ing to hide something, he still could do so by leaving the in­ formation off of his statement. The argument could be made that voters would exercise their right at election time to oust any official they feel has been less than honest with them. But one of the purposes of the act was to disclose any abuse of of­ fice and to instill in the public, trust and confidence in its govern­ ment and officials. Maybe the law does need an overhaul. But public officials, like any common citizen, must obey the law or pay the consequences. fire for conditions Monticello slated for plant to produce ethanol for fuel By United Press International MONTICELLO -- A plant that will turn corn into ethanol, an alcohol fuel to be mixed with gasoline, will be built outside Mon­ ticello, say officials of the Power Alcohol Co. Construction of the $9 million plant, on a 25-acre site two miles west of Monticello, is expected to begin late this year, company of­ ficials said Friday. The company initially plans to hire about 25 employees to process an estimated 2.6 million bushels of corn annually into 6.5 million gallons of ethanol, the officials said. The ethanol will be sold to 6il companies to mix with gasoline and create a premium fuel. Power Alcohol had considered sites in Champaign, Christian, DeWi t t , Doug la s , Macon , McLean, Kankakee and Vermilion counties. Introducing LA brand from Anheuser-Busch. Here's why itk not just another beer A premium pilsner beer with one slight difference. Why a beer with only Half the alcohol? Today you've created new options in the way you live, relax, and play. You've got new priorities in recreation and physical fitness. There are times when you want the taste and refreshment that only beer can provide, without the alcohol content of traditional beer. And now, you have an additional choice. Now you have a real beer choice. Anytime. One smooth taste of LA and you'll know you've found a beer thaf s a good idea anytime. As a matter of fact, LA tastes so good, that if we didn't tell you, you might not ever notice it only has half the alcohol. LA truly delivers all the taste and drinkability of a premium pilsner. Thafs because LA is brewed with the pure natural ingredients and uncompromised quality you've come to expect from Anheuser-Busch. LA. A whole new brand of beer enjoyment from Anheuser-Busch. k I.A is the newest member of Americas finest family of beers which includes Budweiser. Bud Light. Michelob. Michelob Light. Busch and Natural Light. of our regular beers... with only half the alcohoL How we take out half the alcohol and leave in all the taste: The Anheuser-Busch brewmaster has developed a special natural brewing process which produces less alcohol. All other steps, from our finest natural ingredients to our slow natural aging are performed in the same traditional manner as other Anheuser-Busch beers. For the way you live today... Its a whole new ball game out there. And LA is a whole new brand of beer for today's lifestyle. For people like you who enjoy the taste of a great pilsner beer, and the benefits of a little less alcohol. Its a beer whose time has come. ' 'Vrrjwm Pilsner For the way you live today LA. By Wayne Epperson United Press International ATLANTA -- The great cats pace their small bare cages relentlessly but the rest of the animals at the Atlanta Zoo lie in a lethargy befitting tenants of one of the worst ghettoes in zoodom. The cages appeared clean and reasonably well-tended on a re­ cent day, but peacock droppings smeared entrances to the ad­ ministrative building, center of the zoo's burgeoning problems. The problems that led the Atlan­ ta Zoo to be banned from member­ ship in the American Association o f Zoo log ica l Pa rks and Aquariums lie more in its ad­ ministration than in its facilities, a l t hough they a r e c l ea r ly minimal. Since the disclosure last month that the zoo's Asian elephant, Twinkles, had died on the road with a small-time circus, reports surfaced almost every day of in­ ternal strife and animal mistreat­ ment. A plausible explanation of how Twinkles came to be in a circus and why she died has yet to be heard; nor why two Kodiak bears were shipped "for breeding pur­ poses" to a ramshackle roadside zoo, where they were shot to death for being unruly. The zoo's list of recent fatalities also includes two rare mona monkeys, a tiger, a lioness and a bison. On the heels of the deaths came the bizarre news that some of the small animals in the children's petting zoo have wound up on employees' dinner tables. The Bronx Zoo, alarmed by the reports, demanded the return of two monkeys it had loaned to Atlanta. But the Atlanta Zoo ap­ parently lost track of which monkeys came from the Bronx; one of them may be dead. Until the troubles at the zoo got closer to their doorsteps, city of­ ficials seemed to have a hard time taking it seriously. Asked about animal deaths at the zoo, Mayor Andy Young smil­ ed and told a reporter "Don't ask that question. Beating a dead horse is one thing, but kicking a dead baboon is another." The - trouble surfaced Mifr* January, when the national zoo association presented the city with a 13-page report warning of management problems and likely violations of federal regulations at the zoo. Dr. Terry Maple, who has spent a decade researching how zoos can provide healthier surroun­ dings for primates, in January called the Atlanta Zoo "a national disgrace." Parade Magazine said it was one of the^O worst in the nation. The 95-year-old zoo, which sits on nearly 40 acres in Grant Park, contains a collection of many old and infirm animals. No action has been taken on a year-old proposal to establish a "natural habitat' for many of the animals, and the zoo still uses cages for nearly all of its collection, Because little was done about t he zoo ' s p rob lems un t i l zookeepers began resigning and talking to reporters, the city is scrambling to make up for lost time. The zoo is now under investiga­ tion by a Fulton County grand Jury, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Humane Society and the city attorney's office. "I don't want toJmake anybody a scapegoat for this problem," Young said last week. "I take full responsibility for it. Young said the root cause of many of the problems lies in racism, friction caused by the struggle between the black- controlled city government and the mos t ly wh i t e A t l an t a Zoological Society, which raises money for the zoo but has no authority. Most of the problems apparent­ ly revolved around Dr. Emmett Ash ley , t he zoo ' s b l ack veterinarian, who held his post even when the state veterinary agency put him on probation for allowing a non-veterinarian to operate on a puppy at his private clinic. Zookeepers claim Ashley was incompetent, impossible to get along with anjl seldom available when needed. Ashley, complaining the mostly white zookeepers have "always been against me," finally suc­ cumbed to the fire last week and went on unpaid leave of absence. Young moved swiftly to appoint Maple, a former deputy director of the Audubon Zoo in New Orleans, as interim director, and a prominent authority with the Yerkes Primate Center of Etfiory University agreed tot art* as WKfcflttlry consultant to fatte. "I think wt have togeUfcrv$lan of action which essentially gives us an opportunity to take some im­ mediate corrective steps in the care of animals," Young said last week. t Young said work would begin within a couple of*wee& to reopen the zoo's clinic td treat animals. Problems cited for World Fair's financial failure By Rob Gloster By United Press International NEW ORLEANS - Visitors to the World's Fair praise its culture and art exhibits and non-stop entertainment and say the exhibi­ tion is enormous fun -- from a Kid Wash to a gondola that spans the Mississippi River. So Why is it such a financial flop? The fair cannot pay its bills. \ Contractors have been owed $14 million since May 20, employee paychecks have bounced and debts to suppliers are mounting. Fair officials have been forced twice to beg state legislators for a financial bailout. Layoffs of fair employees have begun. Financial backers have sacrificed their in­ itial investment of $40 million. L>? appointing attendance has been the biggest culprit. Turn­ stiles had been expected to turn 70,000 times a day, but the average daily attendance has been about 40,000. Dozens of tour groups have canceled visits to the 84-acre fair. Fair officials, politicians and visitors say several major pro­ blems have crippled the six- month, $350 million exposition: The KnoxvUle Factor - Fair researchers called 200 people each in Houston, Atlanta, Tampa, Fla., and Birmingham, Ala., to find out why residents within driving distance of New Orleans are not buying fair tickets. The single biggest problem cited by respondents was'the ex­ po's proximity in time and distance to the unpopular 1982 fair in Knoxville, Tenn. "People say a world's fair is a world's fair," said one official of the New Orleans exposition. "They say, 'I went to one and I * don't have to go to another.'" Poor promotion -- The fair con­ centrated too little, too late on advertising and did not hire key marketing and public relations ex­ ecutives until months before the exposition opened. Only $5 million was set aside for advertising and promotion. Fair General Manager Petr Spurney has ordered a new marketing program to attract middle-class visitors from Texas, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Arkansas and Loui­ siana. * "We built a great product, but we didn't advertise or promote it properly," he said. Too little cash -- The fair started with too little money, spent more than it could afford and was unable to finish construc­ tion by its May 12 debut. "The thing was woefully under­ financed from the beginning," said Gov. Edwin Edwards. "I don't know how it could have started with such limited capital." The fair budgeted $68 million for construction, but spent nearly $100 million. It cost more than $15 million t6 adapt the international pavilions for a developer who will pay about $4 million for the facilities. "We spent everything we had, and plus some, in the beginning and had nothing left," said one fair official. "I don't think we had a handle on what we were doing." Negative madia - Fair officials and visitors are nearly unanimous in their condemnation of media coverage, saying reporters have ignored the. fair's features and concentrated on financial pro­ blems. Jim Turner, a fair musician, claims reporters are too cynical to understand the "fantasy" of the event. . . "If it doesn't succeed, I think the news media is to blame," a south Louisiana tourist official said. "If they had concentrated on selling the fair rather than putting it down; there would have been people flocking to New Orleans." Poor management -- Ex­ ecutives had unrealistic atten­ dance expectations, said Ed­ wards, who charges there is a great deal of dissatisfaction with management. Several fair executives have been fired or demoted in recent weeks, and morale among of­ ficials is said to be miserable. "I don't think (Spurney) will see it through, and not by his own des i r e s , " one o f f i c i a l s a id . "(Spurney*s firing) is going to be the banks' way of exacting their pound of flesh."