December 14, 1973

NY Yankees on Dec 13 sign D Williams to 3-yr contract as mgr; Yankees action is expected to result in legal retaliation by Oakland Athletics owner C O Finley, who has demanded compensation from Yankees for signing Williams; Amer League pres J Cronin issues telegrams to both Yankees and Finley to appear in Boston on Dec 19 to work out solution to controversy; Yankees and Detroit Tigers will also meet with Cronin to work out status of R Houk; Houk por; illus of Williams; chart of Williams' managerial record

Sen Permanent Investigations Subcom asst counsel, in sworn testimony based on deposition and sworn statements of 6 former energy policy-makers, on Dec 13 office of Emergency Preparedness (OEP) OEP officials ignored or never read '72 study by staffer P L Essley Jr asserting US production had peaked, demand was expanding and imports were essential if shortages were not to result; says former Dir Lincoln and his associates were highly critical of their policy-making role; says few OEP planners were versed in oil indus and that they consistently missed opportunities, gambled and lost and allowed bureaucratic comfort to take priority over need to create distribution formulas for increased oil imports; says participation of P M Flannigan at Apr 25, '72 result in eventual posting for lower import quota than originally proposed by Dir Lincoln; Flanigan, in telephone int, defends propriety of his attending meeting and view of limiting imports; Lincoln testifies that plan for civil ration was drawn, forwarded to GSA and subsequently lost; responds to J A Love allegation that Govt never had contingency rationing plan; Sen Jackson finds posting of plan to GSA 'incredible'; Duffy illus

The Federal Environmental Protection Agency yesterday gave Consolidated Edison approval to burn coal in its Arthur Kill generating plant on Staten Island and city officials said they were prepared to approve the change quickly. Con Edison was denied its request to be allowed to use coal in its Ravenswood plant in Queens. Page 23.

US officials traveling with Sec H A Kissinger says scheduled Paris meeting with Le Duc Tho developed from their recent exch of messages; Tho reptdly 'implied' he was interesed in a meeting to discuss the Vietnam cease-fire situation and Kissinger indicated he was agreeable 'in principle' to a meeting; Tho will travel to Paris and Kissinger will stop there on his way home from opening of Geneva conf on Middle east; Amers believe meeting will last about 5 hrs; Kissinger reptdly interested in finding way to prevent fighting from expanding; has said, in private statements, he does not believe a major offensive is likely

Prime Min Heath on Dec 14 announces that 3-day workweek will be imposed on Brit indus beginning Jan 1 '74 in response to sweeping disruptions in energy supplies; new and sudden initiative to cope with econ crisis will mean sharp pay cuts for 13-million workers, higher unemployment and jolting halt to econ growth; Heath limits commerce and indus to total of 5 working days between Dec 17 and Dec 31; Heath confirms that his policy of continued econ growth has been temporarily abandoned; charges that coal miners, electrical and rr engineers, whose work slowdowns have reduced or threatened supply of coal for GB's power generators, have contributed to energy crisis; coal miners and rr engineers, in effort to win wage increases that Govt contends will break Phase 3 guidlines, are involved in work slowdown; as result, coal production has dropped 40% and flow of remaining coal to power plants has been interrupted; Heath holds that if country continued use of electricity at normal rate there would be complete break in electricity supply within weeks; J Gromley, pres of Natl Union of Mineworkers, charges that Heath is misleading nation; blames energy crisis on restricted flow of Middle East oil and high oil prices; pol opponents charge that Heath is shifting blame for failure of his econ program to unions and that ample evidence exists which shows that econ has failed to respond to Heath's program; Dept of Trade and Indus spokesman says Govt's powers to impose 3-day workweek exist under legis enacted earlier in month and under state of emergency declared in Nov; Govt exempts certain industries where production cannot be stopped and easily restarted from work cutback, but subjects them to 35% reduction in power consumption; industries exempt from cutback listed; businesses that can operate without electrical power can remain open while power is cut; restrictions are expected to cause retail trade calamitous Christmas season; commerce is expected to be affected by whatever measures Govt announces to deal with balance of payments deficit; plans will be announced Dec 17 by Chancellor of the Exchequer A Barber; Trades Union Council Sec Gen L Murray says that granting unions their wage demands would be less damaging to econ and living standards than newly announced measures; new measures detailed; crisis revd; illus