European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 10, 1978, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Thursday August 10, 1978 suit claims Levi s fixed leans prices Hartford Conn. Up the state of Connecticut tuesday filed an antitrust suit charging Lovi Strauss & co. The nation s largest jeans maker with coercing retailers to fix prices. A i Atto general Carl Aiello charged in the class action suit the firm told retailers to sell Levi blues cans at fixed Price and failure to comply led to the coercion intimidation and harassment of  he said the alleged Price fixing occurred from some time before 1971 through 1976 and he estimated potential damages in excess of $6 million. An official at the firm s Headquarters Insan Francisco denied the charge we emphatically deny the  Roy c. Johns director of corporate communications for Levi Strauss the at Torney general should know Price fixing 1 refers to conspiracy Between competitors and he s not accusing us of that. What he s the stars and stripes Page 5 accusing us of is Price maintenance which is not such a Handy headline As Price fix  Ajello said he Felt the state had a Strong it is my judgment that the necessary elements of a resale Price maintenance scheme outlawed in Connecticut Are pre sent Here. What we have Here is the most flagrant kind of economic leverage applied by a giant in the clothing Industry exercised wit the Clear intent of bringing recalcitrant retailers into  Ajello told  also said any citizens who bought jeans from the firm upon a finding of liability by the court would be allowed to share in the proceeds of any award  Ajello said the suit filed on behalf of the stale and its Consumers alleges the exis tence of a conspiracy Between Levi Strauss and its retail full Els to fix prices 24.7 Mill Ion below poverty level in 1977 poor dipped in . Against 75 Washington a there were 1.2million fewer poor people in the United states in 1977 than in 1975, a government report shows. The census Bureau report obtained bythe associated press in Advance of its offi Cial release shows there were about 24.7million persons below the poverty level in 1177, compared with 25.9 million in 1975.however, the change Between from 1976 to 1j77 was  report outlining the income of peo ple in 1977, shows that 11.8 percent of the population was below the poverty level 16,191 for a non farm family of  poverty threshold which rises with increases in consumer prices increased 6percent from $5,815 in 1976. The report to be released officially late this week coincided with another census report showing that the number of poo people in the United states decreased 3.5 percent in 1978, from the previous year dropping from 25.9 million to 25 million. The number of poor people increased by 1.3 million in 1974 and by 2.s million in 1975.the latest report also shows that the me Dian family income in 1977 was $16.010about 7 percent higher than the 1976 medi an of $14,960, but inflation of 6.5 percent gobbled up most of the gain. Median income reached a Peak in 1973 at$16,430. Median income is the Point at which Hal the families made More than that amount and half made  in which the household head worked full time had a median income of$20,080 in 1977, an increase from $18,444 in 1976 up 2 percent after adjusting for inflation. Also White families had a median in come of $16,740 in 1977, up from $15.537 the previous year a 1 percent increase after accounting for inflation. The 1977 median income of Black families was $9,560, and twas $11,420 for latin american families in the United states neither significantly Dif Ferent from their respective 1976 median incomes after adjusting for inflation. Yawn along the report shows that of the almost 25million poor people in 1977,31 percent were Black 11 percent were latin american 13percent were 65 or older 41 percent were related children under 18 and 37 percent were in families headed by a woman with no husband present. Horse Trainer arrested in fatal shooting new York a _ controversial horse Trainer Howard buddy Jacobson was arrested on a charge of murder Mon Day and his former mistress cover girl Melanie Cain indicated she was the motive for the killing. Jacobson 48. Who was once president of the new York division of the horsemen s benevolent and protective association but later was barred from the sport is accused of the fatal shooting of a 34-year-old Busi Nessman John Topper. After Jacobson s arrest Cain 23.showed up at the police station and told a newsman she had lived with Jacobson forgive years. About a week ago she said she had moved in with Topper who lived in the same posh East 84th Street building where Jacobson and Cain had snared an apart  described Topper As my  a detective of the 8th homicide squad said police still were not giving a motive Tor Topper s slaying but conceded that Cain had told of the love Triangle. Topper was found sunday at approximately 4  in a wooden Box on vacant mud at Bartow Avenue and the new eng land thruway in the Orchard Beach Sec Tion of the Bronx a police spokesman  Box had been set afire. Firemen Dis covered the charred body when the snuffed out the fire. Police said Jacobson was seen in the area during the fire. He was picked up for T toning that Day and was arrested on the Sale of Levi Blue jeans pants an Slacks manufactured by the clothing company. B Ajello said he suit alleges that retailer were forced to advertise and offer to sell Lear 8" at he fixed Price established by Levi  the suit charged that coercion took the form of delaying shipment orders to non compliant retailers by restricting the availability of Levi Blu jeans. By limiting the frequency of salesmen s visits and finally by the termination of retail agree ments with Levi  said we be never terminated retailers for pricing policies. For a num Ber of years we had suggested retail prices at what we thought was a fair retail  but the company dispensed with that around 1976 because it did t want it to appear the company was trying to improperly maintain prices Johns said. Survey finds most support gun control new York up the National Rifle association has the clout of a highly organized Washington lobby in its Mission to head off any form of Federal gun control but the latest Harris poll indicates it May not have the support of grassroots amen the Harris Survey released monday said 80 percent of the 1,500 adults polled nationwide favored required registration of handguns and 73 percent said registration also should be required for  pro handgun registration response at 80 percent in favor and 18 percent opposed was up from a 1975 Survey in which the response ratio was 77 to 19. The ratio i favor of Rifle registration was 73 to 24 per cent up from 66-30 in 1975.highest ratio among the 43 percent of those surveyed who said they own guns mandatory Feder Al registration of handguns was favored Faya ratio of 71-27 percent. The Survey indicated the highest ratio of gun ownership is in the South at 57 per cent with the West next at 46  areas reported 61 percent gun ownership followed by Small towns at 50 per cent and cities at 34 percent. Rines appear to be the most popular of firearms with 72 percent of those surveyed reporting ownership a figure the Harris Survey said indicates nearly one third of All families in the nation now own one or More. Shotguns were second at 65 percent and 47 percent of gun owners polled said they owned a pistol or  finally 8 percent reported owner ship of muzzleloader. One of the nation s Premier Trainer throughout the Early 1960s, Jacobson ran afoul of authorities in the Spring of 1969when be led a horsemen s strike that closed Aqueduct for nine Days. Jacobson was seeking a pension fund for Backstretch i a James Thompson mimics recently born daughter Samantha Roe during a photo session in Spring held. It was Samantha s debut before the press but she she just seemed bored by the whole thing. Up j after he was suspended indefinitely from taking part in Maryland racing be cause he allegedly sold and transferred horses illegally. In february 1970, the new York racing association found Jacobson guilty of mis representing sales and Purchase prices of horses. Jacobson maintained his inno Cence but he was sentenced to a 45-Daysuspension and was denied stall space in definitely. Of time aug. 10, ims Safe pilots flying out of Riel main and Wiesbaden carried a re Cord 2,466 tons of food and applies la one toy of Airlift flights to Berlint aug. 10, 1958 although conceding that development of nuclear Energy Forwar and peaceful uses had raised a Wuagon level throughout the world the Patata Energy commission declared that Man most learn to live with new risks even Asbe accept new  aug. 10. Hot Republican  Richard Nixon announced that he would meet with president Lyndon John son and Diplomat Cyrnik Vance to get n run Down on the prop in of the .-Northvietnamese talks