^ i i y i0mttf. ^'^;'lNl^>■Mnye-.^yy^^f^• • •.A Manchester—A City of Village Charm MANCHESTER, CONN., MONDAY, APRIL 14, U 7 5 - VOL. XCIV, No. 166 TWENTY PAGES PRICE: FIFTEEN. CENTS Xuan Loc’s Defenders Push Back Communists SAIGON (UPI) — Government forces northeast of Saigon on Highway 1. A South reports said they reopened Highway 4, the expanded their perimeter around the Vietnamese Air Force A37 Dragonfly jet vital Rice Road through tee Mekong Delta provincial capital of Xuan Loc today bomber was shot down by a ground-to-air this morning, pushing Communists from despite continuous shelling attacks and missile and swarms of resupply tee outskirts of Can ’Ibo, tee major city in heavy antiaircraft fire from Communist helicopters around Xuan Loc flew through tee region. troops, field reports said. 4ntense groundfire. UPI correspondent Charles R. Smite Both sides were moving reinforcements Government forces also scored gains on reported from Xuan Loc that field com­ toward the flattened city 38 miles Saigon’s southern approaches. Field manders said tee Norte Vietnamese had been pulling back rather than engage elite paratroopers and that the defense perimeter around Xuan Loc had been East Haven Parents enlarged. Huge (teinook helicopters flew in am­ munition and other supplies, including Picket City Hall food and. medicine, and teen left for tee nearby Bien Hoa and Long Binh bases EAST HAVEN (UPI) - Public school Mayor Frank Messina’s offices in City jammed with refugees. teachers and students were locked out of Hall were picketed by a number of parents The chopper crews tossed loaves of school and angered parents picketed City and citizen groups irate over tee school bread and cases of noodles to crowds of Hall today as tee Board of Education stood closings, but Messina blamed tee board of refugees who could not get aboard tee fast by its position that it was broke. education. “ If budgeting limits are es­ helicopters. Smite reported. He said the About 95 teachers and a handful of tablished in any department, teen it is up evacuation of the war homeless was well students tried to enter tee town’s eight to that department to pare down its organized considering tee heavy fighting (Herald photo by Pinto) schools despite the School Board’s an­ requests within its own structure to meet around Xuan Loc. nouncement last we^k they would be the amount of dollars it gets to operate,” President Nguyen Van ’Thieu presented Robert D. Lannan has a tight grip on Manchester. He will become chief Tomkiel. Town Manager Robert B. closed. The teachers signed lists to prove he said. his “ War Government of Union” cabinet in ceremonies at Independence Palace in the hand of his wife^ Roxann, as he May 1, the official retirement date of Weiss, right, announc^ his selection they had tried to work and tee students “ I can’t see why the Board of Education Saigon and vowed to fight tee Communists takes the oath this morning making James M. Fteardon. Administering of Lannan as chief to succeed Rear­ went home, said Joseph Riccio, president is any different from any other of tee teacher’s union. department,” -he said. to tee end. He emphasized “ this is not a h im acting police chief of the oath is Town Gerk Edward J. don, second right. It was tee first time in the recent history Riccio said he and other officers of the government of transition with the view of of tee state that a municipal school system East Haven Education Association were going into coalition with the Com­ declared itself insolvent and shut down. to meet later today with tee Connecticut munists.’’ Education Association to discuss ways of The 30-man cabinet headed by Prime forcing the School Board to reopen tee Minister Nguyen Ba Can is tee Ingest in Weiss Taps Liannan eight years and tee first headed by a schools. The issue may be resolved ’Tuesday, civilian. when school officials are due in New Thieu said tee Vietnamese people and For Chief of Police Haven Superior Court to answer a com­ army were “ very encouraged” by Presi­ NEWS CAPSULES plaint against tee closings by town of­ dent Ford’s intention to seek more ficials. military and econom ic aid from the By MAL BARLOW Academy. Lannan was the first local of­ 3 .1 r Z . ’The School Board vote to close the American Congress “ in face of tee Com­ Manchester’s fifth police chief since the ficer since the 1940s to attend the FBI schools after tee Board of Finance denied munist aggressive peril.” local department was founded at the turn Academy. t. it a $333,000 appropriation to meet its The president said tee new government of the century will be Robert D. Lannan, Since June, 1974, Lannan has been shift Bradley Better Hicks Rebuked operating budget for the remainder of the had four major tasks: to defeat the Com­ Town Manager Robert B. Weiss an­ commander of the patrol division. LOS ANGELES (UPI) - Gen. Omar N. BOSTON (UPI) - City Councillor school year. School board members said munists, prepare counterattacks to retake nounced this morning. , ' "Chief Lannan will provide outstandii^ Bradley, tee nation’s only living five-star Louise Day Hicks, speaking at Women they feared they could be held personally lost territory, “ stabilize tee rear in all Weiss announced at a press conference leadership to one of the top departments in general, was said,to be “ much better” Veterans Day ceremonies, reiterated her accountable for the schools’ debts. aspects’ ’ and strengthen the fighting spirit in the hearingroom of the Municipal the state carrying on the excellent work today, but there was no indication as to position against court-ordered school of the South Vietnamese people and army. Building that Lannan was his choice “ for started by Chief Reardon,” Weiss said. when he would be leaving UCLA Medical busing — and was rebuked for it. the most critical appointment a town Weiss noted Capt. George P. Center. Mrs. Hicks, the principal speaker Sun­ manager makes.’’ McCaiighey’s work as acting chief during Bradley, 82, was hospitalized March 17 day, called forced busing an infringement Lannan, who will be 45 on May 5, was the weeks since Reardon left his office in after suffering a cerebral stroke. He was of the rights and “ fundamental human Busy Night Ahead sworn in as acting chief this morning by February. operated on for a brgin tumor on March 26 freedom of parents t^ send their children Town Clerk Edward Tomkiel. Police Chief “ He has done an exciellent job as acting and was released from the intensive care to neighborhood schools.” James M. Reardon will officially retire as' "chief. He has served in that capacity well unit four days later. Robert Groccia Of Oxford, Mass., a of May 1, Weiss said. He has b ^ n taking also in the past and has done weU. I’m member of the American Legion’s vacation time since Feb. 28. most appreciative,” Weiss said. Job Programs Urged Executive Committee, said his group dis­ For Town Officials Reardon attended the morning press Lannan’s salary as chief will be |18,- COLUMBUS, Ohio (UPI) - United claimed the remarks as inappropriate for Meetings are scheduled for tonight by present proposed plans for the Washington conference and added his praise of Lan­ 333.90, the lowest set for the position and Steelworkers President I.W. Abel said it is the occasion. three Manchester agencies — the Board of and Bentley School projects. nan. the figure recommended for it by the time to do jobs that should have been done Directors, Board of Education and The board is expected to approve final “ I’m extremely happy about this, more Board-of Directors. ’The high for the posi­ 10 years ago “ now teat we have tee man­ Black Cotton Queen Conservation Commission. plans for the Regional Occupational tion is $22,000. so since Bob started with the Manchester power, skills and ability.” MEMPHIS, Tenn. (UPI) - The The Board of Directors’ meeting, ac­ Training Center. Department,” Reardon said. Lannan placed first in exams for the Abel, addressing the annual George Memphis Cotton Carnival has its first tually, is its first full-scale review of the Wetlands, open spaces, and old “ I’m happy to pass the reins over to a chief’s position conducted by the state per­ Meany Awards Banquet Saturday, said, black queen, Debra ’Trammell, 21, of budgets and tax rates being proposed for newspapers are on the agenda for man who has been trained in the sonnel department, Weiss said. A dozen “ Congress and tee administration cannot Memphis. She will reign over Cotton Car­ 1975-76 by Town Manager Robert Weiss. tonight’s meeting of theConservation department.” men had applied for the job, four of them think the job has been done by passing the nival festivities May 3-10. Present at tonight’s budget workshop — to Commission at 7:30 in tee Municipal from the local force. Reardon noted Lannan’s extensive tax refund bill,” Abel said. Miss Trammel was choseq by lot from be held at 7 in the Municipal Building Building. Lannan joined the local force as a police training and recalled a story that Abel said among the best ways to eight candidates at a crown and sceptre Hearing Room — will be town department The Planning and Zoning Commission patrolman in 1957. He was promoted to Lannan said he could%ot deny. provide jobs included rebuilding the U.S. coronation ball Saturday. heads, on call to answer questions. (PZC) gave the conservationists a sergeant in the patrol division in 1963 and “ It was about 14 years ago when we sat railroads, constructing rapid mass transit “ I think it’s wonderful,’’ , Miss The dijectors will conduct another proposed regulation on wetlands.