September 18, 1979

plans for commercial and residential building in Hackensack Meadowlands are scaled down amid disagreement between Meadowlands planners and Tristate Regional Planning Commission over whether continued growth may hasten decline of neighboring cities; figures for projected new population by year 2000 are trimmed from 125,000 to 100,000 people and new office space is cut by 2/3, from 19 million to 6.7 million sq ft; outlook for new jobs in Meadowlands is lowered from about 200,000 to about 140,000; Meadowlands district transportation planner Richard Roberts, Tristate spokesman Stephanie DePue and Meadowlands industrialist S J Sisselman comment; map; illus (L)

The Commodities Futures Trading Commission disclosed in Washington yesterday that the United States Justice Department had withdrawn its objection to the proposed merger of the New York Cocoa Exchange with the New York Coffee and Sugar Exchange.

Treasury Dept Asst Sec Donald C Lubick urges Congress impose flat 10% withholding tax on payments to independent contractors, charging ‘unacceptably high’ rate of tax evasion by such workers, Senate Subcommittee on Taxation and Debt Management; witnesses for independent contractors maintain that people who work for them do pay taxes and should not be penalized because some workers cheat; Treasury also proposes Congress strengthen present requirements for businesses to file information with IRS showing how much they pay independent contractors; opposes Sen Robert Dole bill which would establish 5 tests that would have to be satisfied for worker to qualify as independent contractor (S)

Article on paleontological research being conducted at Wannagan Creek, western North Dakota, by team from Minnesota Science Museum, headed by Dr Bruce Erickson; researchers have established that prairie site was steamy semitropical swamp during Paleocene Epoch 58 million years ago; Erickson notes site, at which he has been conducting dig for decade, is remarkable in that it is rich in post-dinosaur fossils; findings detailed; expedition photographer Robert Spading comments; drawing; illus; map (L)

Justice Department announces it is abandoning efforts to prevent publication of articles on hydrogen bomb by Progressive magazine and Daily Californian; Government, acting after Madison Press Connection published text of Hansen letter, determines that any further effort to restrain publication is pointless; warns it is not giving green light to press or anyone else to violate Atomic Energy Act of 1954 by disclosing national security secrets; Justice Department is begining preliminary investigation to determine whether law or court orders against publication of hydrogen bomb information were violated by Madison Press Connection publication; department spokesman Terrence B Adamson says Atty Gen Benjamin R Civiletti had given his general approval to decision while traveling out of town; Daily Californian editor Tom Abate and Progressive editor Erwin Knoll comment (M)