March 6, 1971

Standard Oil Co (NJ) announces $250,000 grant to Harlem Prep, including $100,000 for use in current school yr and balance to be spread over next 2 yrs; school officials note school's financial crisis, hope gift will encourage other corps and foundations to follow suit; students hail gift

BLS repts unemployment rate declined 0.2% to 5.8%, Feb, but stresses drop occurred because of decrease in number of people looking for work rather than rise in number of available jobs; Hodgson contends decline is indication econ situation is improving; Connally says Nixon Adm is hopeful trend will continue; Goldstein describes statistics as 'mixed'; BLS puts total employment at 78,537,000 and total unemployment at 5.4-million, 1.6-million above same period '70; notes 1,069,000 persons were jobless for 15 wks or more; puts jobless rate for black workers at 9.6%; graph shows fluctuation in unemployment rate, Feb '70-reb '71

Sec Laird announces program requiring all servicemen to attend classes in race relations to prevent racial unrest, tension or conflict from impairing combat readiness and efficiency; instruction will be given on entrance into service, with 6-hr refresher courses given every yr thereafter; courses will be conducted by 1,400 instructors to be trained by a Defense Race Relations Inst; program was devised mainly by L H Bennett, who is contributing bibliography of 100 of most important works on black man in Amer; USN has contributed proposed curriculum

Transportation Dept issues compromise standard that calls for front-seat passive restraint system such as air bag on '74 models; 2 yrs later, full protection would have to be provided for all occupants by passive restraints-devices that keep occupants from being tossed around in crashes without their buckling seat belts; cars built after Aug 15, '73, must have passive systems that prevent injuries to front-seat occupants in head-on crashes at 30 mph; lap belts and buzzers and lights to warn occupants to buckle up will also be required under some conditions; on cars built after Aug 15, '75, passive protection in all seating positions in all types of crashes will be required; interim standard, effective Jan 1, '72, calls for combination lap and seat belts with warning devices; Chrysler indicates it hopes to comply with standards by installing padding in shape of old-fashioned bolster; Natl Hwy Safety Adm Dir Toms sees air bag as only practical method of meeting future stiffer requirements; estimates cars could be equipped with complete front and rear air bag systems for $100, but notes auto indus estimates run as high as $500 or $600

blow-by-blow radio acct of bout may be broadcast only to S Vietnam and possibly some other scattered mil outposts as result of promoters agreement with Armed Forces Radio and TV Service to broadcast bout around world so long as transmissions are not in conflict with existing exclusive contracts; commercial contracts now exist in 40 countries; promoters have demanded $250,000 to provide world-wide radio acct to troops and in addition wanted written guarantee of right to sue Govt if Armed Forces Radio broadcast affected overseas commercial receipts