NtwporlMtrcvry, Friday, Stptimbtr 27,1974

Saturday, September 3 America's Cup races may be over but memory lingers on of look of Newport harbor during summer and early fall of 1974. Copyrighted photo was taken by John Hopf from helicopter high above Aquidneck Island.

Chamber majority: Island not the place for refinery

Saturday, September 21 Aquidneck Island is not the place for an oil refinery, according to the majority view of a committee formed by the Newport County Chamber of Commerce to investigate the issue. The committee, the Coastal Resources Task force, was assigned last May to help the Chamber's board of directors decide whether it should endorse proposals to build a refinery here. While no final recommendation of endorsement has come out of the committee, its consensus is that the economic benefits of a refining operation here would not override its environmental hazards. Members of the committee agree that potential refinery pollution problems can be overcome by available technology, but they worry about the chances of being a ble to strictly enforce polluton codes. "They are prepared to say this can be managed," said committee chairman Neil P. Flynn on the members' stand on potential refinery pollution, "...but you can be sure than the regulatory requirements would be properly adminitered and adhered to. There seems to be a general disbelief that their fellow men could enforce the code." Another human factor, weighed against the premise that pollution is possible to control is: "Do the people want a refinery," says Flynn. Before becoming a vice president and director of Newport Ship Yard, Flynn was in research and marketing with Esso and Mobil for a total of 32 years. His work in the petroleum industry has included experiences with a number of "clean" refineries, several of them overseas. Flynn disagrees with the majority of his committee, basing his disagreement on his personal experience in the oil industry. But he says those members who don't want refining on Aquidneck Island have good reasons for their feelings. "Maybe some would say that it will be helpful to the community," says Flynn, "but they can't see that it would be helpful to any great extent." He explained that a significant fear of the committee's majority is that the character of the island would be drastically changed if a refinery were to be built here. He.agrees that the area's character would change, but as spokesman for the minority, says it would be changed for the better. New jobs would open up for talented young people who have been leaving the area because of a lack of opportunity. If there were a refinery on Aquidneck Island, says Flynn, "You'd learn that if you consume gasoline and oil, you might as well smell it for a while. I think it would benefit the community greatly from the standpoint of economics." More important economically would be the benefits provided by petrochemical industries that might come to the area because a refinery is here. Flynn calls a refinery with surrounding industries - "a refining complex, that's what pays off from the economic point of view." Not considered by the committee, but of interest to Flynn, is the potential of Narragansett Bay as a port of entry for supertankers delivering crude oil from the Middle East. The crude could be piped from here to inland refineries all over Southern New England and into New York State, he says. Of the nine members who Flynn says have participated in the committee's monthly meetings, two, both professors from the University of Rhode Island, are completely neutral and objective on the issue. The balance of the members stand 4 to 3 against endorsement of refinery proposals. Flynn's committee examined the refinery question from the standpoint of environmental impact, social impact, technical and legal impact and economic impact. While the committee's current consensus is against refinery proposals, it is' not known if this will take the form of a final recommendation to the board of the Chamber.

2 Scouts honored
Saturday, September 21

Two Boy Scouts last night received letters of recognition for heroic action from Narragansett Council Charles Webber and John Richardson of Troop 2, Middletown, were presented the letters by District Commissioner William Tryon during the troop's court of honor in the anchorage center. Webber and Richardson were taking part in a camporee at Colt Park in Bristol on June 18 when another Boy Scout was engulfed in flames while he was trying to light a charcoal fire. The Middletown Scouts beat out the flames with their hands. Last night, Webber was advanced to. Star Scout and Richardson and Francisco Geminez were advanced to first class. Scoutmaster George H. Webber presented Earl Richardson with a certificate of appreciation for service as Troop Committee chairman. Richardson has been transferred from the area.

Congressman prods Ford

NUSC building urged

Thursday, September 19 Rep. Fernand J. St Germain has asked President Ford to urge the House of Representatives to adopt the Military Construction Authorization BiU that will include about $10.3 million for construction at the Naval Underwater Systems Center here. The bill was passed by the Senate last Wednesday and sent to the House. In a letter to President Ford last week, St Germain said the money, if approved by the House, "can well spark the industrial revitalization so desperately needed for the Newport-Aquidneck Island economy." St Germain said Ford has the opportunity to rectify, at least in part, the irreparable harm done to Rhode Island's economy when former President Nixon ordered on April 17, 1973, the transfer of the fleet from Newport to Southern ports. St Germain said NUSC and Raytheon are the principal employers, now that the fleet has departed. Both companies offer an enormous potential for growth, he said, ultimately fulfilling both a hardware and software role in the development of the Trident system essential to the strategic requirements of the Navy in support of the nation's security requirements. In addition, St Germain asked Ford to consider returning all or part of the CruDesI^nt force to Newport, instead of allowing the revitalization and modernization of the Mayport, Fla., naval base. "Reassignment of a number of ships to Newport will clearly support an expanded school concept, assist in fleet training and be on line to participate in Trident systems' developmental efforts looking to the long-range," he said. St Germain called Mayport an obsolete base recommended for closure several years ago by the Center for Naval Analysis in Washington. Navy officials conservatively estimate it would cost $60 million to update the Mayport facility, he said. St Germain said the facilities at Mayport are deplorable in contrast to the Newport facilities, not only for the fleet but also for dependents as well.

Global interdependence theme picked by University Women

The Newport County branch of the American Association of University Women welcomed new and prospective members at a coffee hour last night at Honyman Hall of Trinity Church. The theme for the year will be "Global Interdependence: Budgeting for Earth," with emphasis on economic and ecological problems. Officers are Mrs. Richard Austin, president; Mrs. Daniel Sullivan, program vice president; Mrs. Leo Peck, membership vice president; Mrs. Richard Stengel, recording secretary; Mrs. William Haney, corresponding secretary; and Mrs. Melvin Holda, treasurer. Committee chairwomen are Mrs. David Leys, fellowship; Mrs. Dunbar Hall, legislative; Mrs. Gilbert Taverner, topics; Mrs. Jan Armor, hospitality; Mrs. Richard Plotkin, publicity; Mrs. Duncan Ingraham, newsletter; Mrs. Frank Maguire, nominations; Mrs. William Abromitis, Navy liaison; Miss Elizabeth Hussey, historian; Mrs. John Hoyle,' telephone; and Mrs. Herbert Epstein, eic-officio. Area representatives are Mrs. Ascanio DiPippo, community; Mrs. Edwin Connelly, cultural interests; and Mrs. George Kirk, education. Prof. Sygmunt Friedemann, chairman of the political science department at Providence College, will speak at the Oct. 3 meeting at Honyman Hall.

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Scon Is hold court of honor

l Daily News)

William Tyron, Boy Scout district commissioner, presents letters of recognition for heroic action from Narragansett Council to

Charles Webber, center, and John Richardson last night at court of honor held by Troop 2 of Middletown in Anchorage auditorium.

Senator asks open minds

Saturday, September 21 Sen. Philip Hart, senior Democratic senator from Michigan, asked "Do We Need a Man of Principle?" and then surprised his young audience at Portsmouth Abbey School last night by replying that he didn't think we did. While the students and a sprinkling of adults at the school were recovering from this unconventional reply of the senator to his own question, he quoted a remark of Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. in explantion. "I don't trust a man of principle," Holmes once said, "but I do trust a man of principles." Main thrust of the speech was a pleas for tolerance of other people's opinions. The senator told the students that "moral, social and political problems can't be solved from a single viewpoint." The senator cited the problem of war as an example and said there were two major issues involved, those of peace and justice. "Except for the majestic claim of justice, pacifism is the obvious solution for the problem of war. But justice can't be ignored. And if we look a little deeper, we see that if we slight justice, we are inevitably slightin peace, because these two virtues are intimately connected. Peace is the work of justice," the speaker said. Hart gave the questions of freedom and security as his second example. "Hero again, there is a delicate relationship. What we are trying to keep secure is our freedom - our freedom is our security," the Michigan Democrat said. But Holmes' men of principle, on both sides, distort the issue by oversimplifyiny it, the senator claimed. Finally, there must be recognition that there are times in history, just as in one's personal life, where tragic choices can't he avoided, the speaker said. A tragic choice is never humanly satifisfactory. One can never be sure he's made the correct choice. In such cases no matter how one acts evil inevitably results, he concluded. Adding a personal note, the senator said he had eight children and though he and his wife did their best to consider all of them, some decisions probably favored some children over others. The senator urged his young listeners to go into politics. Some persons may say that politics is not a "laudatory profession," but they are "dead wrung", he maintained. Sen. Hart said that as he looked around at his colleagues in Ihe Senate, he saw no giants. He said that he used to watch the Senate in action when he was a student at Georgetown University in the 1930s and he observed men like George Norris and William Borah. They seemed like giants to him. And when he looked at history he saw even greater men like Madison, Jefferson and Hamilton. Why weren't they men like that around now? the senator asked. Well, for one thing, "history's air brush" gently cleaned away their blemished judgments and untidy motivations." Without attempting to "debunk" them, the senator listed a few of their failings. "Ben Franklin was a tremendously effective diplomat for the revolutionary government, but it is not totally prudent to forget that he was coowner of 10,000,000 acres of land in Ohio that the British government would not allow him to develop. " T r e a s u r y Secretary Alexander Hamilton was so distrustful of Secretary of State Jefferson that he conducted his own secret negotiations with the British government.

Seoul Troop 5 finish carnpoul

Friday, September 20 Boy Scout Troop 5, which meets Mondays from 7 to 9 p.m. at Carey School, recently returned from a campout at Yawgoog Scout Reservation. Activities included swimming, an overnight canoe hike, nature hike and frontier marathon. Scoutmaster Dave Goodrich presented these awards: Peter Murphy and Chris Berluti, environmental science; Scott Erickson, Brian Earnhardt and Brian Duck, swimming; Erickson and Duck, mile swim; Barnhardt and Duck, tenderfoot progress; and Mark Pachico, pro marksman. Skill awards were presented to Murphy, Barnhardt, Pachico and Duck.

nurse changes her job

Friday, September 20 Miss Helena Ruggeri, visiting nurse at the Navy Relief Society in Newport for 16 years, resigned today to accept a fulltime nursing position at the Naval Regional Medical Center. Miss Ruggeri, who will begin her new duties Monday, has been working on a part-time basis for Navy Relief for the past two months because of a decreased workload. Mrs. Dorothy O'Reilly, executive secretary of the Navy Relief Society office, said a study is now underway on the feasibility of hiring another part-time visiting nurse. "Miss Ruggeri has been an outstanding nurse, very faithful and conscientious," Mrs. O'Reilly said. "We're sorry to see her leave."

Saturday, Septemb

Senalor says: Co inlo politics

Sen. Philip Hart, senior Democratic senator from Michigan, urged students to KO into politics in talk at Portsmouth Abbey School last night. With him is Father Paul McDonald, instructor at school. 'l>,l,ly News)

Friday, September 20

AAl'W hcgins new year

(Daily News)

American Association of University Women had coffee in Honyman Hall of Trinity Church last night to welcome new and prospective members. Sampling refreshments are, from

left, Mrs. Richard Austin, president; Mrs. Daniel Sullivan, vice president for programsMiss Ann Morrison, new member; and Mrs. l*o Peck, vice president for membership.