WASHINGTON (UPI) — The federal
government says it has spent nearly $2
million improving President Nixon's
homes in Florida and California, all of it
relating to “security.” The expenses
ranged from fire sprinklers to golf carts
for the Secret Service.

The White House also disclosed that
businessman Robert H. Abplanalp, who
helped the President buy his San Clemen-
te, Calif., retreat, has been getting some
money back in the form of rent associated
with Nixon's Key Biscayne, Fla., place.

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

Last week, after a further search of
record, it raised this figure to $460,302.

On Thursday, General Services
Administration (GSA), the government's
housekeeping agency, said a still more
extensive audit put the total federal ex-
penditure at San Clemente at $703.367 over
four fiscal years beginning July 1, 1969.
This included only the residence there, not
the White House office space.

GSA listed for the first time the federal
expenditure for improvements, equip-
ment, operation and maintenance at the
White House complex at Key Biscayne,
including both residence and office
space-— $1,180,522. -pread over five fiscal
years beginning July ', 1968

Included in the Key Biscayne figure
was $161,463 for renting two heuses in the
complex for the Secret Service and White
House communications staff.

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

The White House said all of the tax-
payers’ money spent in San Clemente and
Key Biscayne was for security-related
improvements and that all work was done
at the request of the Secret Service, not the
President.
 
|. derdey, ‘City, . March |, 6.
Climbing . through. cold Dlue skies
more than five and. one-half amiles
over Jersey and . Manhattan. today,
Miss Ruth Nichols, Rye,. N. Y., filer,
who holds‘ coast-to-coast speed
‘marks, set an unofficial altitude
record ‘for women. 4

The . altimeter. on her speedy,
Lockheed-Vega ‘monoplane showed
nearly 30,054 feet. The sealed
barograph placed in the plane. by
the National Aeronautic Associa-
tion, was shipped to Washington
for examination, If it shows 28,074
feet or more, Miss Nichols will be
awarded the record now held ‘by
Elinor Smith, young Long Island
flier, :

. Up. 90 Minutes.

Miss Nichols was informed she
must.: beat. Miss ‘Smith's mark of
'27,418 feet by'more than 600 feet
‘to gain the record. ‘

«She took off from Jersey City
airport at 12:33: p. -m. and was
raloft 90 minutes. There was a 80-
mile wind blowing when she circled
the dity, swung over Manhattan
rand started thelong climb. .
- “Byerything went fine,” she sald,
“the engine ‘worked perfectly. |
did not suffer any discomfort.”

She wore a flying suit lined with.
reindeer skin and the cockpit of
her plane was heated from the
‘motor exhaust. She used oxygen
apparatus and: ‘had: no difficulty In
breathing. The temperature at the
top of her climb was estimated at
50 degrees. below zero by Clarence
Chamberlain, who coached Miss
Nichols. .

The. plane’ ‘was equipped with a
650 horsepower, “‘super-charged nine-
cylinder air-cooled motor. It is the
same ship in which she set east-
to-west and west-to-east trans-
eontinental records.
 