March 6, 1976

NYC Investigation Dept says that it has received allegations of bribery in leasing of Bronx Terminal Mkt to Arol Development Corp; asserts that Patton signed lease over opposition of Econ Development Adm Counsel; statements are made by Scoppetta in affidavit opposing motion by Arol in NYS Sup Ct (Manhattan) to quash subpoena of records; affidavit includes 1st official suggestions of criminal conduct in Bronx leases now under inquiry by number of agencies (M)

Polyansky is dropped from ruling Politburo, apparently as punishment for disastrous grain failure (S)

VITORIA, Spain, March 5—A general strike was called for next Monday throughout the Basque country in protest against the police killing of three men and the wounding of dozens of others in Vitoria Wednesday.

US BLS repts natl unemployment rate declined to 7.6% in Feb from 7.8% in Jan, 4th consecutive monthly decline; peak unemployment rate for recent recession and for entire period since Wold War II was 9.2% reached in May '75; total employment increased slightly in Feb, after strong Jan surge, by 125,000, reaching July '74 prerecession peak of 86.3-million; number of jobless workers, as calculated by Govt's monthly sample survey of households, dropped slightly, by 154,000, to seasonally adjusted figure of 7,136,000; Pres Ford, campaigning in Ill, calls figures 'extremely encouraging'; AFL-CIO pres George Meany contends official figures 'seriously understate' US unemployment rate; other data; charts (M)

Brit pound falls below $2 for 1st time, closing at $1.975 on London Exch; decline comes after Bank of England cuts lending rate; graph depicts decline in value of pound on yrly avg between '65 and '72 and on monthly avg between '73 and '76; London Exch illus (L)