European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 17, 1977, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Saturday september 17,1977 the stars and stripes Page 5 people in St. Louis Are just dying to rent Jim Lunsford s fancy coffin which has set him up in a Brand new business. The rent a casket Enterprise got its How to make a killing Start when Lunsford tried in vain to rent one himself As a joke. He finally bought a smoke damaged $1,250 Model for $200. The gag worked out so Well he started renting his casket out for $50 a night which includes delivery an elaborate plastic Floral arrangement and a candelabra. Up photo . Policy geared to soviet threat defense spending hike revealed Washington up defense Secre tary Harold Brown outlined thursday night recent Carter administration policy decisions committing the United states to increased defense spending of about 3 per cent each year for credible fighting capability to face a continued soviet military buildup. As an example of soviet efforts Brown said the russians were now developing four new intercontinental missiles even while still deploying their latest generation of nuclear armed rockets and modifying or continuing work on five others. Brown s remarks in a speech prepared of time for delivery before the National Security Industrial association were the first Public statements by an administration official of Points in a policy directive signed last month by the president setting the nation s defense goals for his first term. The defense Secretary said the administration will continue to seek arms control agreements with Moscow but its main de sense objective will be the maintenance of an Overall military balance with the soviet Union at least As favourable As that which now  deterrence not overbearing Power is what we seek Brown said. To have it we must have a credible fighting  Brown told the defense contractors group that a strategic nuclear balance now exists and that some might even Call it a  he added however that we should make no mistake about one fact the soviet Union is now in process of acquiring military Power which will be comparable to that of the United  Brown said that to insure deterrence we plan to raise the level of . Defense spending by approximately 3 per cent a year in real terms meaning 3 per cent on top of any gains that would be swallowed up by inflation. The 3 per cent figure was discussed ear Lier this year with nato allies most of whom have indicated they would make similar increases. Outlining other Points of the presidential decision Brown noted that in addition to Europe other areas where the .retains vital interests include the Middle East the persian Gulf and Korea. Conflict in one of those areas. Might require the dispatch of some appropriate . Forces to the scene in support of friends and allies he said. Such a Conti gency could very Well precede or even set off a crisis or conflagration in  Carter fears disruption by Panama Washington up president Carter said thursday he believes Panama might try to disrupt Panama canal operations forcibly if the Senate refuses to ratify the new canal treaties. But three leaders of major veterans organizations urged Congress to reject the pacts As a sellout of . Defense interests. Carter commented during a 25-minute Telephone Hookup with the radio and television news directors convention in san Francisco. If this treaty should not be ratified there would be very serious International consequences not just with Panama but with All the nations of this hemisphere he said. If we should fail to ratify the treaty there would be a threat at least of disruption of the peaceful operation of the canal. I believe we could defend the canal against such disruptions but it would be very difficult for us to do. We can keep it open much More surely if we work in partnership with Panama rather than if we fail to ratify the trea  majority still lacking he said it is hard to say what prospects the treaties have of winning Senate approval. The trend is in the right direction he said but we certainly Don t have a two thirds majority  but veterans leaders attacked the trea ties which would give Panama full control Over the waterway at the turn of the Cen Tury in testimony before the House inter National relations committee. Respect is Given to the Strong the assertive the fair said Frank d. Ruggiero National commander of the american vet Erans in his testimony before the panel. Likened to nazi Germany William j. Rogers former National com Mander of the american legion com pared Gen. Omar Torrijos panamanian military regime to that of nazi Germany saying human rights under Torrijos Are no better than they were under Hitler during the 1930s, and yet by supporting this treaty our government is propping up a  National commander John Wasylik of the veterans of foreign wars called the pacts a slow motion act of strategic self  that included the holes too Earls Barton England up Peter Dowdeswell 36, claimed a world record for doughnut eating then hurried to a Hospital with a swollen stomach after eating 113 doughnuts in eight minutes. Sept. 17, 1947 Flash floods in the Wake of a typhoon inundated six prefectures around Tokyo leaving a heavy death toll wrecking thousands of Homes and put Ting some 92,000 acres of land under water. Police and press reports said at least 200 were dead and 2,000 were missing around Tokyo. Sept. 17,1957 West Germany handed Chancellor Konrad Adenauer a thundering mandate to pursue his american backed policy of rearmament in the Atlantic Alli Ance with a landslide re election Over the socialist democratic party. Sept. 17, 1967 . Secretary Gener Al u Thant expressed Hope that . Mem Bers would support new peace initiatives on Vietnam but said for the time being he had suspended his own efforts in the search for a settlement. Thant said until there was a cessation of bombing of North Vietnam he did t see How he could use fully pursue my  2 nurses ordered to prison for tests Detroit a a Federal judge deferred the sentencing thursday of two Fili Pino nurses convicted of poisoning Hospital patients and ordered them to report sept. 22 to a Federal prison in West Virginia for tests. The women were permitted to surren Der themselves to the prison and travel there at their own expense if they wish. The judge set no Date for sentencing but under Federal Law it must be done within 90 Days. Their $75,000 Bond was continued.1 filipina Narciso 31, and Leonora Perez 33, were convicted july 13 on three counts each of poisoning patients at the Ann Arbor veterans administration Hospital in the summer of 1975. Each also was convicted on one count of conspiracy. Narciso was acquitted of one murder charge and one poisoning count. The women Are philippine citizens who have lived in the . For six years. They were convicted of using a powerful muscle relaxant called Paulon to Poison Hospital patients through the patients feeding tubes. The charges were filed under Federal Law because the acts took place at a Feder Al institution. The judge said he was informed by officials at the Alderson w. Va., facility the Only Federal prison in the country restricted to women prisoners that no More prisoners could be accepted for a week. This is completely within the judge s discretion assistant . Atty. Richard Delonis said of the delay. It was a Realis tic  he said it was not an unusual step and that the time spent in the West Virginia facility could count toward an eventual sen tence. The purpose is to give the judge More information about the two defendants As human beings. Pre sentencing does not go into that  the prosecution said they knew of the judge s decision ear lift thursday and did not oppose it. Pratt also said he has granted a defense motion to extend until monday the dead line for filing motions for a new trial. A jury of nine women and three men de liberated for nearly 94 hours Over 15 Days before returning a verdict. The convictions covered a total of five patients who were poisoned at the Hospital. The nurses were charged with acting jointly in Only one Case. More than 50 breathing failures hit the Hospital in july and August of 1975. Sever Al of the victims died but it was never Clear How Many of the deaths were directly linked with Paulon. Most of the respiratory arrests occurred in the intensive care unit where Narciso and Perez worked on the evening shift. During the 13-week trial prosecutors refused to say if they believed the two nurses were responsible for breathing fail ures not included in the indictment