February 28, 1978

start of direct airline service by Braniff between Dallas and London is blocked by Brit objections to low-cost fares; CAB to prepare plan for reciprocal action against Brit air carriers; proposed action could be taken against Brit Caledonian Airways, private carrier that serves US and which has been most vocal of those opposing rate cuts; CAB rejects Braniff request to raise proposed fares on London route to pacify British; protest by Amer carriers against Brit opposition to lower fares noted; fares proposed by Braniff reptdly are 6% lower than those advocated by Brit (M)

3d of series on race relations focuses on expansion of black middle class and its relationship to those who failed to break loose from poverty; holds upward mobility of blacks to middle-class soc has resulted in much tension between middle-class blacks and poor blacks, who believe their protests and rioting made possible gains by middle class; Alfred D Smith, soc worker who moved from inner-city Boston to affluent suburb of Newton, Chicago Urban League exec dir James W Compton, Dr Alvin F Poussaint, psychiatrist and dean at Harvard Med School, Dr Leon Chestang, who teaches at Chicago Univ, and William L Taylor, dir of Center for Natl Policy Rev, comment; illus of Smith and friends (L)

BLS repts that new urban-oriented Consumer Price Index, prodded by sharpest local Jan food price increases in 5 yrs, registered rise of 0.9% in Jan in NY region; figure, seasonally adjusted, is based on new Govt effort to pinpoint workings of inflation on city dweller; old index surveyed limited number of products purchased only by urban wage earners and clerical workers; new index adds tech and managerial employees; new method also discloses one other difference: under old system, local residents were found to be spending 29% of their income on food and 33% on housing; new figures come up with supposedly more accurate percentages of 22% and 42%; chart; graph (M)

Feb 28: Egyptian Prime Min Mamdouh Salem says special privileges granted Palestinians over past 2 decades will be withdrawn and that they will be treated as other Arab aliens, speech to Parliament; move is in response to slaying of Al Ahram editor-in-chief Yousef el-Sebai and criticisms of Pres Sadat by Palestinians; Salem says Egypt will deal firmly with Palestinian terrorists; War Min Gen Mohammad Abdel Ghany el-Gamasy defends commando raid; Egyptian officials say assassination was part of larger plot to kill Egyptian journalists who accompanied Sadat to Jerusalem; Gamasy illus (M)

rising food prices are one of main reasons that consumer prices rose rapidly in Jan (M)