December 5, 1974

HR Dem Caucus adopts Repr L Meeds's proposal that bars chmn of a major com from serving at same time as chmn of another major com: either a standing com or a joint Sen-HR com; in 94th Cong it would be turn of HR to seat a chmn of Joint Cong Com on Internal Revenue Taxation and present vice chmn, HR Ways and Means Com Chmn Repr W D Mills, would have reed chmnship automatically had change not been voted; Sen R B Long is current chmn (M)

A plane carrying 182 Indonesian Moslems to Mecca and nine crew members crashed and burned near Colombo, Sri Lanka. All aboard were presumed dead. Page 15.

WASHINGTON, Dec. 4—Leaders of the United Mine Workers will announce tomorrow that the coal miners' strike will end on Friday as a result of ratification of the industry's contract offer. About 55 per cent of the union members voting are expected to have approved the offer.

NYC School Chancellor Irving Anker, acting on evidence of fiscal mismanagement and payroll padding, suspends elected Bronx Dist 9 community school bd on Dec 4, first time Chancellor removed elected bd without ct order to do so; supporters of community school bd in dist, whose enrollment is 95% minority students, assail move as racially motivated and attack on decentralization; Parent's Assn Council pres Rebecca Rollins says bd's suspension will lead to boycott of dist's 28 schools; Anker's lr to school bd outlining situation detailed (M)

FPC fixes uniform price of natural gas at 50c a thousand cubic H, an increase of 8c, and projects that new rates, which will be applied retroactive to June 21 and will be increased each yr by a 1c escalator, will mean that prices paid by residental consumer will increase by 8-16% by '78; Chmn John N Nassikas, in testimony before Cong Joint Econ Com, urges decontrol of all gas price controls to head off dangerous shortages; Interior Sec Rogers Morton, in testimony to Sen Commerce Com, says natl gas shortage will deepen this winter and cause widespread unemployment unless gas prices are decontrolled before Christmas; denies deregulation would automatically mean huge increases in consumer prices; Ralph Nader estimates that homeowner's annual gas bill could rise to $420 under decontrol; Sen Henry Jackson and John E Moss request full GAO study of a residential costs before vote is taken on deregulation; Sen James Buckley has introduced 3 amendments to deregulate price of new natural gas; opinions of FPC Comrs on rate hike noted; Morton illus with Sen Ernest F Hollings (M)