March 31, 1976

productivity remains key issue between NYCTA and TWU as they strive to reach agreement to prevent transit strike; both sides are reptd to have adopted positions that offer no compromise, mgt saying that productivity will be necessary to pay for cost-of-living raise and union saying it cannot give back anything; NYC Mayor Beame, mediators Vincent D McDonnell, Michael I Sovern, Theodore W Kheel and TWU pres Matthew Guinan comment; McDonnell, and Sovern illus (M)

PLO leader Arafat meets for 1st time in more than 1 yr with Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine leader George Habash; 2 leaders address rally in Beirut to mark Palestinian 'land day' in support for Arabs in Israel, West Bank and Gaza Strip; Habash voices support for Arafat; Israeli planes reptdly fly over southern Lebanon (S)

Sen Hubert H Humphrey is giving subtle assistance to Repr Morris K Udall in Wis Pres primary in effort to head off victory by Jimmy Carter; Humphrey's friends in organized labor spread word that Udall victory would help Humphrey at conv; Udall himself says Humphrey backers should vote for him, lest Carter gain momentum that would rob delegates of real choice at conv (M)

contest to succeed Harold Wilson as Prime Min is narrowed on Mar 30 to 2 men: Foreign Sec James Callaghan and Employment Sec Michael Foot; Callaghan wins 141 votes cast by Labor MPs, Foot, 133, and Chancellor of Exchequer Denis Healey, 38; Healey is automatically eliminated from next round, which Callaghan is expected to win; pol standings of Callaghan and Foot discussed (M)

Univ of Calif psychology grad student Linnda R Caporael suggests in article in Science pub that Salem witch hunts of 17th century may have been result of convulsive ergotism, common condition in those days resulting from eating grains contaminated by parasitic fungus known as Clavicenps purpura, or ergot; component of ergot is hallucinogen related to LSD (M)