Page 4, The Herald, Thursday, November ?, 1975 TERRACE/KITIMAT daily herald General Office - 635-4357 Published by Circulation - 635-6357 Sterling Publishers PUBLISHER - Laurie Mallett GEN. MANAGER - Knox Coupland EDITOR - Greg Middieton KITIMAT - Pat Zelinskl 632-2747 KITIMAT OF FICE - 632-2747 Published every weekday at 3212 Kalum Street, Terrace, 6.C. A member of Varliled Circulation. Authorizedas second class mail. Registration number 1201, Postage pald In cash, return postage guaranteed. NOTE OF COPYRIGHT The Herald retains full, complete and sole copyright in any advertisement produced and-or any editorlal or photographic content published in the Herald. Reproduction is not permitted without the written permission of the Publisher. New column Consumer Comment is a new column which ‘ will be featured on a weekly basis in the Herald. > This column fs provided by the provincial : government department of consumer affairs. ! The column was first brought to our attention. ‘after a column was run in this paper on how to ‘complain, If you are not satisfied with goods :purchased. That particular column was of ‘American orlgin. ! The consumer affairs department wrote the ‘Herald and offered this column, written by ‘members of their staff. They suggested we might ‘be interested in a Canadian, a British Colum- iblan, column on consumer awareness. We were, ‘and we hope you are. CONSUMER COMMENT Knowing how to complain is an important ieonsumer skill. Be firm and persistent, but polite. Your approach can make the difference between a satisfactory settlement and an outright dismissal of your request. Most |ustified complaints can be resolved by following this procedure: '’ ! 1 a ' t a + t ' ' ‘ od eed reer erenen rae aees 1. Have your facts straight. Complain to someone in authority where you bought the item. Provide: ihe name and modet number of the product; the date of purchase; your sales slip. Be specific when describing the problem. State what solution would be acceptable to you. if you write, send: the above Information; a - photocopy of the sales slip; your name, address, and daytime tetephone number, Always keep copies of correspondence for your records. 2, What happens if the seller does not resolve the problem to your satisfaction? Write to the manufacturer, supplier, or the seiler’s head office. Direct your letter to “Customer Relations Department.” (Better still, phone ahead and ask the name of the head of that department.) Include: atl the above in- formation; the name and address of the setler; a description of your discussion with the seller; {be specific) copies of any previous correspondence. 3. What happens if the manufacturer refuses fo help? Depending'on the problem, there are a number of alternatives that may be appropriate: Mediation — If relationships are strained between you and the company, it may be helpful to have a third party intervene as mediator. Check out possible sources of help such as: your local Better Business Bureau; a_ trade association to which the company belongs; a newspaper “action” column. Never involve more than one mediator at a time. (However, you may wish to send carbon copies ta more than one appropriate agency. ) CIRCULATION - TERRACE - Andy Wightman 635-6357 Fr Prices on rise again -The federal anti- inflation board an- nounced this week that food prises were on their way up again and the higher coats are indicated in the October food basket compiled by The Canadian Press. In contrast to Sep- tember when consumers paid less for beef and coffee, prices on those ilems, as well as some fresh produce, began to climb in most of the 12 cities surveyed. . A spokesman for the Beef Information Centre of the Canadian Cat- tlemen’s Association said this week beef is in a de- creasing-supply, in- creasingprice stage of a cycle. Carolyn McDonell, national co-ordinator for the centre, said prices rose abnormally in late spring and summer, pushed up by consumers’ penic-buying and the devaluation of the Canadian dollar. The price dropped duringthe last few months but will rise next year, she said, As in September, sugar prices continued to rise and a spokesman for the industry said an increase | in the foreign currency ~ rate is blamed. Sugar prices, however, .still are well below that paid by consumers several yeats ago. rn au Apple prices dropped in. eight cities surveyed as the new crap came to market. Tomato prices, Lo however, went up as fieltl harvesting ended. Local crops now are being re- placed by hot-house and imported varieties. — The lLi-item survey includes one pound each of , sirloin-tip, rogst, all- beef wieners, ‘Centrecut pork loin roast, top-grade chcken, ground chuck steak, frozen cod fillets, top-grade butter, tomatoes, frozen green peas, drip coffee and apples. Also included are one dozen medium-sized eggs, one quart or one litre of whole milk, a 24- ounce loaf of sliced white bread, 10 pounds of first- grade potatees, two kilograms of granulated white sugar and a 28- ounce can of halved pears. The survey is not in- tended to provide a city- by-city comparison since the product sampling is small. But it shows price trends inspecific stores in certain cities for a limited number of items many familes might buy. FOOD BASKET Le Univeral Brass Syndkote e yi igs hee ai . i, “| didn't like the look of that fish when | gave it to him.” 81976 Unvarsat Pres Syndicate “Today's diet, ‘Twiggy.’ One spoonful of peas and half a carrot.” ©1976 Uaiveral Pew Syndicate “Supper ready?” time,” EFFECTIVE FOR MANY Government: If the problem or company is subject to regulation by some agency or government department, bring the matter to thelr attention. Lega! Action — As a last resort, you may wish to take legal action with the advice of a lawyer. If the claim is under $1,000.00, you could file a claim In an informal court called Small Claims Court, and your lawyer would not have to attend with you. LETTERS *¢ THE ED". ‘ik Dear Sir: Over the past year we have been receiving ten com- plimentary copies of the Terrace Daily Herald for distribution throughout the hospital for patient en- joyment. The paper is distributed as follows—one to the Intensive Care Unit, one to the Maternity sitting room, four to the Psychiatric Unit and four to the main floor day room. The patients, in particular some of our ‘long term’ patients, look forward to receiving the paper in the morning. On behalf of the patients and staff of Mills Memorial Hospital, I would like to thank you for this very thoughtful service. It has contributed greatly to patient morale. Sincerely yours, John Allen, Administrator Mills Memorial Hospital Acupuncture - smoking cure VANCOUVER (CP> — Dr. Carlos Guzman says he has treated more than 200 patients with acupuneke an attempt to cure - air smoking habits +. 2s an 8G-per-rent-srre rate, The Keer wsed on the nureb + say they have re “hey come in fai a +i follow-up. Guan » Spot surveys miun'ts ct treatment have shes cait only a few relapse the first six months A 50-to 60+ ‘vere ary: month success rico ted: sideredgoudi.¥ professionals in th: field. Dr. Leonard jc. wns, head of the dapartment of anesthesiology at Vancouver General Hospital and chairman of the British Columbia acupuncture committee, says he has been impressed by reports of the use of acupuncture on smokers. Jack Brooks, city edilor of Vancouver Sun. says he had a twopack-a-day smoking habit for more than 30 years but kicked the habit with Guzman's acupunctiire treatment. "'T started when 1] was 10," recalls Brooks. ‘'t used to go to school (in England) on the train and you could buy tw., Churchmans or three Woodbines for a penny oul of a railway siot machine.” Afler confiscating Brooks's last pack, Guzman inserted fine nevwlles into what he valled the lung wits just inside the ear anmse the earlobe. “1, vaostevery point in the Indy is represented in the aay" the doctor explained, yisiling to a chart with a turee-foot ear on it and dozens of special points illustrated by drawings of limbs and organs. After the needles were in-- serted—not painful at all, says Brooks—Guzman used alligator clips to cunnect them toanelectric generalor which sent two pulses a second through the leads. Braoks's foreiock twitched two times a second while the current was on but the only sensation he reported was a thrabbing pulsation in his ears. After a 20-minute stimulation (10 minutes is what the dector normally uses), the doctor removed the clips and needles und replaced them with thay needies similar to tacks, He told Srooks lo press them when he felt the need to smoke. Patients wear the tacks for a week or two before being on their own. If Brooks had been smoking afler a week, Guainan would have repeated the whole proce- dure, In this case he merely gave a geulle slimulation to thetacks with a low-powered generator. Brouks, who has tried many times before to quit, hut never sueceeded for more thana day or two, said he felt only a hint of the with- drawal symptoms. There were only a few chills the day altey the lreatment, Guztnan is one of a handful of Vancouver doctors using acupuncture to-help patients deal with smoking, obesity and even habils like nail- biting, Jenkins says a scientific explanation for acupuncture, developed by Chinese physicians by trial and error over many centuries, Is beginning lo emerge. Patterns of nerve con-- nections in the body seem to ‘be related to the system of acupunature meridians which tell the acupuncturist when his needles will affect sensations in a remote organ. The ear, for example, has Many nerve endings in- cluding the. ones from the system of nerves that con- trols the. internal organs, says Jenkins. Recent research has shown (he brain produces morphinelike chemicals, called enkephalins, whieh appear to have a variety of effects on the. brain, in- cluding'pain suppression. There is a possibility, says Jenkins, that acupuncture stimulates the release of enkephalins. The theory explaing how acupuncture relieves pain and why it appears to be effective in easing heroin withdrawal. The new research, he says, is ‘‘a terribly exciting development.” Guzman says he has been doing the smoking treat- ments for three years, charging $10 a treatment, und also has treated people for obesity but with less success, The only people he ex- cludes dre the very nervous. “If you're very, very nervous, forget it," he says. “Best fo treal the ner. vousness first."’ Many retire . | to Canada VANCOUVERA(CP) — For’ - retired United States citizens living in Canada, the beat of both worlds means monthly pension benefils from bo countries. ; Every month, about 45,000 senior citizens living in Canada receive U.S, social security pension cheques. About 6,500 of them live in British Columbia. Those who have worked in Canada before retiring also receive Canada Pension Plan yments. Even US. citizens who re- ceive benefits from only one source consider themselves better off by retiring in Canada, because the higher cost of jiving is more than offset by health care and other benefits. “There is no doubt I am better off in Canada than I would be in the States, with comparable employment said a retired businessman from Kansas. “On top of that, there is the - factor in B.C, of medical care which makes an .old person's security very much better because in the States some catastrophic illness can just wipe out a family fortune.” A landed immigrant who has lived and worked in B.C. for 15 years, the retired Kansan receives three pensions—Canada's Old Age Security, currently $155.79; Canada Pension, based on nine years’ ccntributions, $138; and U.S, social security, $233. To assist U.S. citizens and process their pension appli- cations, Jim Bennett, manager of the social ser- vice division in Bellingham, Wesh., just south of the border, drives twice a month to the U.S. conswlate here. “We do just about everything we 0 Bellingham,” he said, “only we only doit twice a month, A comparison shows that U.S. benefits generally are less favorable than those Canada, though the system does offer the option of early retirement. ! Bennett said benefits begin ~ at age 62 al a 2o-per-cent reduction of what they would be at 65. The minimum payable toa couple currently is $143.20 a month at age 62 and $162.70 at 65, he said, with maximums being $575.50 and $734.60, Te- spectively. Mcphe amount you get depends on the amount you have put in,’ said Bennett. Contributions in the U.S. are much higher than in Canada, A U.S. worker pays 6.05 per cent on a maximum pensionable income of $17,700—a maximum annual contribution of $1,070.85. His Canadian counterpart . pays 1.8 per cent on a max- imum pensionable income of- $10,400 for a contribution of ~ no more than $169.20. Although the Canada Pension maximum monthly payment is only $194.44, Canadian pensioners can draw onsuch supplements as Old Age Security, Guaranteed Income Sup- plement and the Spouses Allowance. Penstoners in B.C. also can apply to the Guaranteed Available In- come for Need plan. The result of ‘these various plans is that no single pen- sioner in B.C. has to live on less than $310.75 a month and no married pensioners get less than $618.28. Those figures look good from south of the border. Getting lost is too easy TORONTO (CP) — Every . fall, thousands of Canadians head into wilderness areas to hunt. Some of those people will. get lost. Most wili be found alive and well. Some will walk out on their own a day or two later, a little thinner and a lot wiser. Others will be found after an intensive and extremely expensive search by police using tracking dogs, helicopters and airplanes. A few may die. “It's very, very easy to get last in the bush,” says Gino Ferri, a wilderness survival instructor at Toranto’s Humber College. “It's the easiest thing in the world, even for the ex- perienced, even for the person who knows where he is going.” Last Oct. 9, Frank DeVuono, 32, a Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., father of two, failed {o return from -a weekend trip and was reported missing. He had walked into dense bush 385 kilometres north of the city, intending to blaze a trail to a lakeside lodge. DeVuono was considered * an expert woodsman. He was lightly dressed and carrying & 16-gauge shotgun, compass and matches when he headed into the bush. He hasn’t been seen since. ‘ “With many people it’s an ego thing,’ says Ron Cherchuk, a map = and compass speciglist who teaches a course for a local school board. “Many people go hunting year after year and say, ‘It'll never happen to me.' Then a storm comes up or they step off the trail for a moment and suddenly they’re lost. Then what?" °.. 4 gare same basic mes everyone should follow before going into the bush. Even more important, there are ways to survive in the wilderness if one does get lost. Survival experts say that before gaing into the bush you should: sos —Informa family member or friend where you're going, how long you're going for, the approximate time and date you expect to return. Once you get into the area, give regional police the same information. —Never go into the bush alone and always dress prop- erly, with layers of clothing that can be put on or taken off depending on the weather. Wear good foot- wear, . - Carry a first aid kit and.a survival kit, The survival kit should include a knife, com- pass, map of the area, waterproofed maiches, a poncho, a few fish hooks, snare wire, some st nylon string, and a sma candle, all of which can be packed in a tin that can double as a cooking pot. Take some foodstuffa like nuts, raisins, Oxo cubes-and dehydrated food wrapped in a waterproof bag. —Take a sleeping bag or blanket wrapped in a gar- bage bag. Take an axe, not a hatchet, which is so small it ean glance off a tree and inflict a bad wound, ~—Make sure you know how to read your map an compass, . WASHINGTON (Reuter) — A University of California scientist has reported evidence that domestic and farm animals can signal an impending earthquake. Animal behaviorist Dale Lott, writing in Science News magazite, told how his team ques- tioned residents of the Little Lake Valley area of northern Californie. three days after a medium- intensity quake, Many residents reported that their dogs and cats remained very close to their sides, pacing nervously. One man said his normally placid horse was found BETTER THAN A MACHINE Kicking the walls of the stall about jour hours before the quake, But Dr. Lott noted that not all animals responded in the same way. For instance, other horses in stalls close to the nervous animal remained calm before and during the quake. Peculiar pre-quake animal behavior often has been reported, with the Chinese the leading students of phenomenon. But Chinese scientists recently told the Federation of American Scientists that “we still are not clear about the relationship.”