Natl Center for Health Statistics repts US birth and fertility rates in '73 dropped to their lowest points in history; natl fertility rate dropped to 1.9 children per family, below 'replacement level' of 2.1 children; if current trend continues, US will reach stage of zero population growth sometime in 1st half of 21st century; birth rate for '73 was 15 births for every 1,000 persons, 4% lower than '72 rate, which was also a record low; rate of population increase was 5.6% compared with 6.2% for '72; chart showing total fertility rate for '45-'73 (M)

Birth, Fertility Rates At a New Low in U.S.

Nationwide manhunt begins for Peter Phillip Mauchlin, who escaped from Fed Detention Hq on Apr 14 by sawing through air vent; FBI searches for clues as to how he obtained hacksaw blades; he was convicted of 4 NYC bank robberies and bombing of Central Savings Bank on Union Sq, as well as 2 bank robberies in NJ; $10,000 reward is offered by NY Clearing House, group of 12 major banks; escape detailed; diagram of route; Mauchlin illus (M)

F.B.I. Hunts Escaped Bank Bomber

Niger armed forces seize power, Apr 15, and announce in radio broadcast from Niamey that act was committed because of country's 'catastrophic situation'; country has been plagued by drought and famine; broadcast does not indicate whether overthrow was peaceful; says that Const is suspended, Natl Assembly dissolved and that pol orgns have been suppressed; Pres Hamani Diori's Govt had been in power since country became ind from France in '60; was seen as most stable of former French colonies; broadcast credits Lt Col Seyni Kountie with coup leadership (S)

LONG‐TIME LEADER DEPOSED IN NIGER

Cost of Living Council, acting 15 days before all wage-price controls are due to expire, removes all controls over food retailers and wholesalers, largest segment of econ still subject to controls; top council official denies move was aimed at softening opposition to continuation of controls in any form (S)

FOOD‐PRICE CURBS ON DISTRIBUTORS ARE ENDED BY U.S.

Sec of State Kissinger urges greater reliance on science and tech to help solve world's problems, speech, UN Gen Assembly; outlines tech aid US is prepared to give (S)

KISSINGER, AT U.N., TELLS POOR LANDS TO AVOID THREATS

NEWS INDEX

The Supreme Court refused yesterday to review a lower court decision that upheld President Nixon's bombing of Cambodia without approval of Congress. Page 10.

Court Bars War Appeal

FBI identifies Patricia Hearst as participant in San Francisco bank robbery on Apr 15; strongly indicates she may have been acting under duress; 4 of 9 persons who escaped with $10,960 from Hibernia Bank linked to Symbionese Liberation Army; 2 bystanders shot during holdup; Hearst is identified through photos taken by bank surveillance camera, and appears to be holding carbine; FBI agent Charles Bates says it is not known if weapon was loaded; photos show 2 persons with carbines trained on her; arrest warrants issued for SLA members Nancy Ling Perry, Camilla C Hall and Patricia Soltysik; Hearst is charged as material witness to bank robbery and kidnapping; Calif Atty Gen Evelle J Younger accuses law enforcement officials of being timid in probing Hearst abduction and calls for broad re-examination of policies in kidnapping cases, news conf; illus (L)

Patricia Hearst Placed at Bank Robbery

Ex-Atty Gen Mitchell testifies that while he was Atty Gen he willingly contacted SEC Chmn William J Casey in behalf of Robert M Vesco, head of IOS Ltd, under investigation by SEC, but that action was not 'improper,' Mitchell-Stans trial; under direct examination, says that he is not guilty of charges; most of Apr 15 is spent by Mitchell under cross-examination by John R Wing, chief prosecutor; drawing; Mitchell says that he called Casey at behest of Harry L Scars on Feb 11 '72 but did not know of Vesco contribution; says that he does not recall Apr 10 call to Casey; other testimony (L)

Mitchell Admits Call on Vesco's Behalf

Yale School of Drama Dean Robert Brustein repts that annual grant from Shubert Foundation to school was cut from $30,000 to $10,000 in '74 after Irving Goldman, Shubert's pres and owner of Gothic Paint Co, complained that Yale was not buying paint from his co; former exec of Shubert empire who helped prepare grants notes that Catholic Univ in Washington lost its annual $2,500 Shubert fellowship in '71 after Goldman denounced dept head for not buying paint from his co; 2 other drama dept chairmen and Webster Seealley, chmn of Univ of Texas drama dept, rept in ints with NY Times that Goldman idenitified hilself as head of Gothic Paint when informing them of grants from Shubert; other recipients of grants rept that they had recd grants without being customers of Goldman (M)

Shubert's Grants To Drama Schools Tied to Paint Deal

Apr 16-30: White House communications dir Kenneth W Clawson says of over 5,000 lrs recd at White House with cash and pledges to help Pres Nixon his back income taxes, many agree with White House point of view that Nixon is being unduly persecuted in Watergate affair and other matters (M)

President Rejects $47,000 In Gifts to Pay Tax Debt

A collision of union and management compulsions is complicating efforts to end the year&#8208;old contract impasse between New York City's three daily newspapers and their 2,000 unionized printers.

Newspaper Talks: Clash of Compuisions

TOKYO, April 15&#8212;Foreign Minister Masayoshi Ohira said today that he was positive that Japan could work out new aviation agreements with China and Taiwan despite a threat by Taiwan to lian Japanese planes from its air space.

Tokyo Still Confident on Peking Air Pact

Gwynne Roberts dispatch from behind Kurdish lines in Iraq; Kurdish officials say on Apr 13 that 4 Iraqi Air Force Soviet-built MIG jets bombed Kurdish ground forces near Kirkuk on Apr 12; attack comes on 3d day of clashes near Chamchamal, 15 miles northeast of Kirkuk, as Kurdish troops resist army attempt to break through rd blockade to Sulaimaniya and relieve Iraqi troops; some 2,000 Iraqi soldiers are supported in attempt by armored cars, tanks and artillery, and casualties are reptd heavy; Idris Barzani, son of Kurdish leader Gen Mustafa al-Barzani, says his troops expected Iraqi Army to start major offensive around middle of Apr; says 3,000 Iraqi soldiers were moved from Baghdad to Kirkuk this wk and that tanks and soldiers are also reinforcing Mosul, in north; Kurdish intelligence believes 50,000 Iraqi forces are in northern Iraq; Iraqi Govt has accused US of supplying Kurdish guerrillas with arms through Iran; Kurdish officials deny that US is financing them; say Iraqi Govt plans to execute 11 members of Gen Barzani's Kurdistan Dem party on false charges; say 83 Kurdish party members have disappeared in Bahgdad during last 2 yrs and are believed dead; map (M)

Kurds Say Iraqi MIG's Attacked Troops

Apr 16: diplomats say on Apr 15 that Sec Kissinger believes he can narrow gap between Syria and Israel on separating their forces in Golan hts on his coming Middle East trip; say Kissinger decided to make another trip because certain factors lead him to believe progress can be made; say primary element in Kissinger's thinking was approach made to him recently by Egyptian Foreign Min Ismail Fahmy, whose suggestions on disengagement were more moderate than those of Syrians; say Egyptians have talked of less substantial withdrawals by Israeli forces than Syria has proposed up to now; say Kissinger was heartened by strong wish expressed to him by both Israel and Syria that he make another stab at 'shuttle diplomacy' (M)

Syria and Israel Are Firm; Kissinger Is Still Hopeful

explosive device is set off on Apr 15 in bus en route from center of Jerusalem to Haddasah Hospital on city outskirts, slightly injuring passenger; explosion takes place several yds from Israeli Premier Meir's residence; several suspects are detained (S)

Blast Hits Israeli Bus

DAMASCUS, Syria, April 15 (Reuters) &#8212; Syria and Israel today kept up their artillery and tank duel on snow&#8208;capped Mount Hermon, with the Syrians claiming to have inflicted heavy losses.

Syria Reports Success in Bombarding Israeli Units on Mt. Hermon

Gaullist candidate Christian Fouchet withdraws candidacy from French pres campaign on Apr 16 and throws support behind Jacques Chaban-Delmas; pol sources notes Fouchet would not bring significant number of votes to Chaban-Delmas but would help to close conservative ranks; Chaban-Delmas and rival Valery Giscard d'Estaing ignore call from influential Gaullists to allow Premier Pierre Messmer to carry Gaullist standard; Fouchet illus (S)

A Gaullist Quits and Backs Chaban

Cambodian insurgents fire 6 rockets into southern suburbs of Phnom Penh Apr 15, killing 1 person, wounding 5; insurgent defector says 2,000 insurgents are attacking Govt posts around Takhmau with intention of assaulting city itself (S)

Cambodian Rebels Attack With Rockets South of the Capital

NEW DELHI, April 15&#8212;Just before the Foreign Ministers India, Pakistan and Banglade sat down to sign their agre ment last Tuesday night, they abruptly decided to take few moments for a &#8220;kulfi,&#8221; frozen cream cot It was one the few relax and spontaneo gestures of the meeting, first ever between India, Pal stan and Bangladesh.

And Now the Biharis

LONDON, April 15&#8212;The British Government is moving toward canceling two major prestige projects&#8212;the supersonic Concorde airliner and third London airport.

BRITISH PREPARED TO DROP CONCORDE

Article describes dispute between Greece and Turkey over potentially rich oil deposits near island of Thasos, which both countries are eagerly claiming; says no one disputes that Thasos is Greek territory, but notes problem is that in eastern Aegean, 'shelf' of some Greek islands overlaps Turkish shelf; says reconnaisance flights have increased along with levels of rhetoric and speeches; map of area (M)

Greeve and Turkey in a Dispute on Oil

Private foundation announces plans to raise about $2-million for museum based on USS Constitution near ship's berth at Boston Naval Shipyd; Constitution Museum Foundation pres Rear Adm Joseph C Wylie comments (S)

Museum Sought for Warship

Saigon Govt on Apr 16 suspends pol talks with Vietcong in France, alleging stepped-up Communist violations of cease-fire; Saigon Min Vuong Van Bac cites N Vietnam's seizure Apr 12 of ranger outpost at Tong Le Chan; calls capture gross violation of cease-fire and dangerous escalation of hostilities; Saigon has contended outpost was overrun, but mil sources rept that garrison was evacuated at night; Saigon, despite contradiction by intelligence analysts, also has been asserting that Communists are about to launch an all-out offensive; Saigon Min Hoang Duc Nha says pattern of fighting indicates offensive is about to begin (M)

SAIGON SUSPENDS TALKS IN PRANCE

Soviet leaders L I Brezhnev and Premier Kosygin go to Poland Apr 15 for meeting of Warsaw Pact Pol Consultative Com, seen possibly significant to deadlocked Vienna conf on Central Eur troop reductions and Geneva conf on Eur security (S)

April 16, 1974

Headlines from April 16, 1974

Birth, Fertility Rates At a New Low in U.S.

F.B.I. Hunts Escaped Bank Bomber

LONG‐TIME LEADER DEPOSED IN NIGER

FOOD‐PRICE CURBS ON DISTRIBUTORS ARE ENDED BY U.S.

KISSINGER, AT U.N., TELLS POOR LANDS TO AVOID THREATS

Billboard 200

Band On The Run

John Denver's Greatest Hits

Tubular Bells

Court And Spark

Love Is The Message

Historical Context for April 16, 1974