WASHINGTON (UPI: —
The federal government
says it has spent nearly $2
million improving Presi-
dent Nixon's homes in
Florida and California, al-
most all of it relating to
“security.” The expenses
ranged from fire sprin-
kKlers'ta gulf carts for the
Seeret Service.

The White House also
disclosed that business-
,man Robert H. Abplanalp,
who helped the President
buy his San Clemente re-
treat, has been getting
some moncy hack in the
form of rent associated
with Nixon's Key Bis-
eayne place.

A month ago the White
House had listed $39,000 in
federal funds for improv-
ing the Western White
House at San Clemente
since Nixon bought it in
1969.

LAST WEEK, after a
further search of record,
it raised this fugure to
$460,300.

On Thursday, General
Services Administration,
the government's house-
keeping agency, said a
still more extensive audit
put the total federal
expenditure at San Cle-
‘mente at $703,367 over
four fiscal years begi:

 
 ning July 1, 1969. This in-
cluded only the residence
there, not the White
House office space.

GSA listed for the first
time the federal expendi-
ture for impravements,
equipment, operation and
maintenance at ihe White
Complex at Key Biscayne,
including both residence
and office space — $1,180,
522, spread over five
fiscal years beginning
July 1, 1968.

 

INCLUDED in the Key
Biscayne figure was $161,-
463 for renting two houses
in the complex for the Se-
eret Service and White
House communications
staff. The total did not in-
clude an estimated $400,-
000 helicopter landing pad
built by the Army Corps
of Engineers.

The White House said
one of the two houses is
owned by Abplanalp and
the other is owned in the
name of Edwin H. Un
derwood, trustee for the
Indiana National Bank
Indianapolis.

The White House saic
all of the taxpayers
money spent in San Cle
mente and Key Bis
cayne was for security

{Turn to Back Pe... Col. 7)
 
| JERSEY CITY, N. J., March 6.—
Climbing through cold biue sxies
more than five and one-half miles
over Jersey and Manhattan today.
Miss Ruth Nichols, Rye, N. Y.,
flier, who holds ccast to coast
speed marks, set an unofficlal alti-
tude record for women,

The altimeter on her speedy
Lockheed-Vega monoplane showed
nearly 30,054 feet. The sealed baro-
[graph piaced in the plane by the
National Aeronautic association im-
mediately was shipped to Washing-
ton for cxamination. If it shows
' 28,074 fect, or more, Miss Nichols
, will be awarded the record now
held by Elinor Smith, young Long
j Island f{ler.

Miss Nichols was informed that
to attain recognition as the record
; holder, she must beat Miss Emith’s
mark by more than 600 fect.

She took off from Jersey Coty air-
‘port at 12:33 p. m., and was aloft
‘90 minutes. There was a 30-mile
‘wind blowing when she cireled the
‘city, swung over Manhattan anc
‘$tarled the long climb.

. “Everything went fine,” she sald

“The engine worked perfectly, 1]
did not suffer any cdiscamiort.’

 

 
 