December 19, 1972

NY Telephone Co on Dec 18 asks NYS PSC to authorize $306-million a yr in new revenues; co petition seeks to raise basic coin phone charge from present 10c to 20c and to impose timing of single-message-unit calls; co says it needs new intrastate revenues to recover increases in wages and taxes and other committed costs; co spokesman says immediate increase sought by co would raise avg phone bill from $15.40 monthly to $17.22; co also proposes allowing customers 60, rather than 50, message units a mo as offsetting factor to imposition of change in single-message-unit pricing system; introducing 'off-peak' pricing to reduce cost of message units from 7.1c to 5.5c between 10 PM and 8 AM; introducing 1-min rate for direct-dialed long-distance calls within state that are made between 11 PM and 8 AM; co repts that charges for private lines, Centrex systems, some switchboards and most data equipment would be increased; PSC chmn J C Swidler says co's claims for rate relief will be subjected to thorough and careful investigation through public hearings; phone co pres W M Ellinghaus comments

In sharply-worded speech at journalism soc gathering in Indianapolis on Dec 18, Dir of Telecommunications Policy C T Whitehead reveals tough new legis drafted by White House which would hold individual TV stations responsible for ad content; illus

Apollo 17 astronaut Dr Schmitt says he and Capt Cernan 'apparently did look at some of the oldest lunar rocks that it is possible to see,' during traverses on lunar surface, news conf aboard spacecraft on Dec 19; says oldest samples of lunar rock were coarse-grained breccias, which were discovered at base of mts in Taurus-Litterow Valley landing site, and that dark material covering much of area was 'apparently of relatively recent age'; holds orange-colored soil discovered at site does not 'necessarily have to be volcanic in origin'; says material resembles an 'alteration' associated with hot water, which on earth is usually the result of volcanic activity, and could be result of fluids seeping up from within lunar interior; news conf illus

Moody's Investors Service on Dec 18 raises evaluation of NYC credit from Baa-1 to A; cites 'wealth' of NYC and fact that bond interest and principal are 1st lien on city revenues as main reasons for upgrading; Moody's spokesman J Phillips declares NYS hearings into methods of rating services did not influence upgrading; says number of adverse developments feared when agency cut rating in '65 have not materialized; Standard and Poor's does not change evaluation; holds some persistent problems prevent rating upgrading but asserts it is encouraged by recent signs of credit improvement; table shows different designations assigned by Moody's to munic credits

HANOI, North Vietnam, Tuesday, Dec. 19 — American B‐52's bombed the northeast suburbs of Hanoi last night for the first time while fighter‐ bombers carried out an all‐ night raid—the heaviest and longest yet—against the city, it was announced.