March 20, 1973

NJ Gov Cahill on March 19 vetoes bill that would have effectively granted absolute immunity to newsmen in NJ, allowing them to refuse to disclose any news information, confidential or otherwise, to such bodies as grand juries, investigating comms or legis coms; bill was widely heralded as strongest news-source-protection legis in US; veto is expected to have impact on Cong efforts to draft parallel Fed news-source protection law in Washington; supports NJ's existing law that protects reporters from disclosing confidential news sources to investigative bodies; Cahill contends that new proposal goes too far; says there are other well-accepted rights of citizens that come into conflict with principle of press freedom; NJ chapter of ACLU calls veto 'cruel blow to a free press'; Sen J E Crabiel attacks veto and declares that he will support any legis effort to override it; Sen J H Wallwork says that he is disappointed with veto but does not intend to lead any fight to override it; says he will push for legis study of over-all problem of news-source protection, as urged by Cahill; rev of jailing of reporter P J Bridge for refusing to disclose his source; illus of Wallwork

J P Sterba series on conditions in southern Asia; discusses plight of hundreds of millions of marginal men in underdeveloped countries who have been unwittingly victimized by population explosion, are untouched by postwar development efforts and suffer from urbanization and joblessness; cites conditions in sec of Jakarta, Indonesia, which most Amers have never seen and would never experience; points out that presently fewer than 25% of Asians live in cities but rise to 50% is seen by end of century if present trends continue; chart compares urban populations; map shows Asia's most populous cities; illus of children at entrance to dwellings made of bamboo and cardboard in Jakarta

A group of major banks, led by the Manufacturers Hanover Trust Company in New York, increased their prime lending rates yesterday by one‐half of a percentage point to 6¾ per cent, thus provoking a new confrontation between the Nixon Administration and the banking industry.

NYC Police Comr Murphy on Mar 19 announces that he will not serve as comr beyond end of Mayor Lindsay's term, which expires Dec 31, '73; says that he is considering number of job offers but has not set date of his departure; Murphy's career revd; Lindsay praises Murphy; illus

news about some NY banks' increasing of prime rate to 6 3/4% from 6 1/4% aids beleaguered dollar on March 19