February 13, 1973

NYS Legis on Feb 12 approves Repub majority's modified no-fault auto ins bill by 40 to 20 vote in Sen and 99-47 vote in Assembly; bill, which has support of Gov Rockefeller is expected to be signed into law to take effect in Feb '74; bill's sponsors Sen Gordon and Assemblyman McCarthy defend bill during 6-hr debate in both houses; Sens Bernstein, Myerson, Assemblyman Lewis and NYS Trial Lawyers Assn pres M Block comment on their opposition to bill, provisions detailed

Fed Judge J L Smith on Feb 12 authorizes Nixon Adm to implement emergency order requiring armed guards at bording gates at each of nation's 531 airports; Fed Aviation Adm says it will delay enforcing regulation until outcome of ct hearing on Feb 13

NEWS INDEX

US Repr E I Koch of Manhattan on Feb 12 announces his candidacy for Dem mayoral nomination and declares that crime is overriding issue, news conf; issues detailed acctg that shows his net worth to be $58,834.24 and pledges if elected Mayor to issue such figures annually; strongly criticizes Mayor Lindsay and charges that Lindsay could not be elected 'dogcatcher'; asserts that he would 'love' support of Dem county leaders; holds that 'times have changed' and that county leaders are not necessarily 'evil'; illus

First released US POWs, 142 men, arrive Feb 12, Clark Air Base, Philippines; greeted with cheers; hosp comdr says their general health is reasonably good'; men arrive in 4 evacuation planes; Capt J A Denton is first to step onto a red carpet; makes statement into microphone expressing gratitude to 'our Comdr in Chief and to our nation for this day'; he is followed by Comdr E Alvarez Jr, POW for more than 8 yrs and 1st US pilot shot down and captured; steak, eggs and ice cream are most demanded food items; many POWs phone their families in US and meet mil escort officers assigned to accompany them back to Travis Air Force Base, Calif, after med exams and debriefings at Clark Base; from Travis, men will fly to local mil hosps to meet their families; arrivals complete the first phase of POW repatriation; similar numbers of POWs will be released at intervals of about 15 days, in proportion to US withdrawal of troops; only 4 men are carried off plane in litters; pub affairs officers describe what went on during flights; US officials F A Sieverts and R E Shields, who went to Hanoi for the POWs pickup, comment; pickup completed by planeload of 27 POWs from S Vietnam; illus of POWs debarking at Clark Air Base