Secretary Coleman Foresees SST Failure Within a Year

The supersonic transport plane (SST) will be proven unprofitable within a year, William T. Coleman, Secretary of Transportation, said last night.

Coleman said that the 3 1/2 hours saved on an intercontinental flight is not worth the extra cost.

"After a year, I think, the SST will be pulled out by the British and French," Coleman told about one hundred people in Science Center B.

The main theme of Coleman's speech, sponsored by the Mather House Black Table, was that blacks should get involved in the political process.

He said that the political reality is that blacks need majority support for needed social programs, but that the majority of Americans are not willing to pay more taxes to provide governmental aid.

"It costs the government $30,000 to create a $10,000 job. The best solution is to get involved in the private sector," he said.

Responding to a question, he said that if Congress would allow it he would use Amtrak funds to provide rail commuter service for Boston, New York, and Washington, D.C.

Coleman also said, "President Ford is wrong about busing. Fifty-five per cent of all school children in the U.S. go to school by bus. It is a phony issue. What is a viable alternative?"

Coleman practiced law in Philadelphia before entering Ford'scabinet.

He made the controversial decision in February to permit the Concorde, the joint British-French supersonic jet, to land in New York and Washington. New York State has moved to stop the landings, but Dulles Airport in Washington, being a federal facility, is bound by Coleman's ruling.