July 11, 1979

NYS Appeals Ct, in rare action, overturns 3 convictions because of personal behavior of NYS Sup Ct (Manhattan) Justices Arnold G Fraiman and Burton B Roberts; ct overturns manslaughter convictions of 2 men because of 'unwarranted, persistent intrusion' of trial justice on ground that Roberts asked more than 1.300 questions; Ct also excoriates Justice Fraiman for declaring mistrial because of vacation plans; in Fraiman case, man (Eric Michael) was convicted at '75 trial trial of rape, robbery and sodomy, but court rules that retrial was prohibited under Constitution's double jeopardy rule; both Justices Roberts and Fraiman comment; their pors (M)

Trend toward early retirement appears to be slowing; although evidence of turnabout is spotty, some corporations report surprisingly large numbers of workers are choosing to work beyond usual retirement age; Bechtel Corp reports that 168 of 211 employees who reached retirement age in last 18 mos elected to stay on job and Sears Roebuck & Co says 76.7% of its salaried and 60.6% of hourly workers chose to stay past age 65; observers see a combination of contributing factors including inflation, disillusionment of those already retired and belief that work is important to mental and physical health; views of Atlantic Richfield Co senior vice pres William M Read, Phelps‐Dodge Corp vice president Frederick W DeTurk, A Haeworth Robertson, vice president of William M Mercer Inc, employee‐benefit consulting company, pollster Louis Harris, economist James H Schulz and actuary Kenneth K Keene quoted; graph (M)

Price controls on gasoline will be kept. by President Carter because he be. lieves that prices would rise sharply if they are lifted, his press secrertary, Jody Powell, said. White House aides expect the President to take measures to reduce oil imports by four to five million barrels daily next year through conservation and the use of synthetic fuels and alternate energy sources. They were preparing a series of options for an energy program for delivery to

Confessed Son of Sam killer David Berkowitz is slashed in neck by unidentified inmate while on work detail at Attica State Prison (M)

Fiedler, Arthur