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Page 4, The Harald, Friday, March 6, 1981

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daily herald

General Office - 635-6357 Published by
Circulation - 435-6357 Sterling Publishers

Publisher — Garry Husak
Ealtor — Pete Nadeau

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The Herald retains full, complete and sole copyright in +
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photographic content published in the Herald.
Reproduction is not permitted without the written

permission of the Publisher. f

7 There may be
‘good news’

‘To most Canadians, the federal government
report charging that major oi] companies used
“predatory and restrictive practices” io reduce
‘competition and increase fuel oil and gasoline
prices likely means just one more consumer ripoff.

But there may be some good:news to come out of
the report if the Canadian Labor Congress and the
Consumers’ Association of Caitada have anything to
say about it. to

The two organizations called Thursday for
compensation to consumers for the extra $12 billion
the companies are alleged to have charged for oil
and gas products between 1958 and 1973, The
government report, released Wednesday, said that
if the money had been invested elsewhere it would
now be worth $89 billion.

The government, believing existing legislation is
too weak to ensure convictions, has noi laid aay
charges, but a public inquiry is to be held under the
restrictive trade practices commission.

The congress said each Canadian should be
reimbursed for the ‘$12 billion overcharge, which
works out to about $500 for every person in the
country.

“Considering that their net profit increases over
1980 will once again be considerable, these oil giants
shouldn't be too troubled at the thought of having to
e@itect such a minor refund to Canadian con-
sumers,” congress president Dennis McDermott
said in statement.

“The federal government should take steps to
enforce such a move.”

McDermott sald the report bolstered the labor

ment's case for Canadianization and eventual

mediate strengthening of the Combines In-
vestigation Act so that more direct action can be
taken against the companies.

The corisumers association also called for some
form of compensation toconsumers, but research
officer Steve Jelly agreed it was premature to
expect compensation from the oil companies.

“'T imow we won't see a cheque this year or next,”’
Jelly said. “We probably won't see any money ever
... but I think consumers have every right to expect
compensation.” .

He said the government must shoulder some of
the blame because the report implicates it asa |
culprit in benefiting through taxes paid by ol] com-
panies.

The law should be strengthened so ‘‘companies
know that when they engage in a practice that is
considered illegal and unacceptable and they are
found out, they shauld pay back,”’ said Jelly. .

Meanwhile, reaction from provincial politicians
continued to trickle in, Saskatchewan Premier
Allan Blakeney said regular business in the Com-
mons should be set aside and new legislation in-
troduced to protect Canadians from ripoffs by oi]
companies. f

Blakeney, who said he wad not alleging anything
itlegal had taken place, added, “I entertain no doubt
that the major oi] companies have increased their
profits substantially over what they would have
been if there was a competitive situation and not a
semi-monopoly situation.”

He suggested that new legislation would not be
retroactive, but would protect consumers from
similar action in the future.

Quebec Energy Minisler Yves Berube said the
report was a ploy by Ollawa to distract attention
from its own policies.

“There have been I don't know how many
inquiries, trying to paint the petroleum industry as
the bad guys,” Berube said. ‘The federal govern-
ment is just doing this to make their own oi] policy
more palatable.”

Spokesmen for the major oil companies continued
to deny any wrongdoing.

omer |

‘nationalization of the oil industry. and called fér im-- ~ -

: Th e world of Raeside

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CONGRATULATIONS, MR. HANSON |
YOU MANAGED TO GET THEM TO “y
‘LIFT THE PICKET UNE f

ITWAS EASY, TAKE, T
GOT BL. TEL. TO Doug

HANSON?S

A

Davis

=="
MWA

vention. were anxious to be where the action was,
_ but they didn't want to be part of the band. .

It took &
a couple oe
 oftries ~~

OTTAWA (CP) — In honor of the visit of us. _
President Ron-akd Reagan, they've painted the
gothic-styled plywood structure surrounding .

and entrance to Parliament. _ ‘
at ittoak a couple of tries before they gotit right .

The temporary structure, erected during the 19
month, $3.5-million renovation to the Peace Tower ;
originally was painted a beige color.

But because it reflected light and would cause.
problems for television cameras covering the
ceremony, a coat of shocking mid-blue was slapped

on. ;
it stuck out like a sore thumb and the committee
in charge did not approve.
So now the whole thing, including a plywood
canopy covering the stone stairway, has been
hastily painted again — ina sombre, midnight blue.

When Senator Healt MacQuarrle ran into a
bureaucratic stone wall over the harvest of frish
moss in Atlantic Canada, he treated the upper
chamber to a flaming demonstration of towering
imlignation. .
ard made him doubly angry was that when he
sought such information as an MP in 1978, he got it,
That revived one of his pet beefs — that the Senate
is treated differently than the Commons. ;
~ "Who is making that kind of invidious distine-

“tion?” he thundered.

What the Tory senator from Prince Edward
Island wanled to know was the volume and value of
Irish moss, a kind of sea weed, landed in the
Atlantic provinces.

He was told that some of the information was
confidential, the rest unavailable.

Railing against “bureaucratic effrontery,"" he
said: ‘I donot like this flim-flam. this snow job, this
disdain for a decently appointed and properly ac-
credited member of the upper house of our néftional
legislature.”

‘The question of Irish mass "may bea joke to some
people, but it is no joke to fishermen in Prince ©
Edward Island,” who harvest the sea weed used in
the manufacture of jellies, chocolate milk and other
Boods.

Senator Ray Perraull, government leader,
agreed.

Seeing no reason why such information should be
“considered as a slate secret,” Perrault admitted -
the reply “appears to lack the usual precision and
detail.”

He would get back to the source, heaven help him,
“and convey to that source the eloquent words of the
honorable senator.”

Radio reporters covering the recent Tory,con-

They were furious when they discovered space
had been reserved for them on the convention floar
directly in front of the blaring brass band that bel-
ted out campaign songs and Dixieland numbers full
blast. They were left shouting into microphones and
straining to hear cue calls through their headsets.

When some reporters complained, media co-
ordinator Mi-chae) Krauss shrugged and said,
“Well, you guys wanted to be close to the action.”

When former external. affairs minister Flora
MacDonald ran for the Tory leadership five years
ago, she got a lot of media altention and her noisy
supporters seemed legion,

But when Lhe votes were counted she fell far short

of predictions and the phenomenon became known

as “the Flora syndrome."

Buttonholed at the recent party convention that
gave Joe Clark — affer much chanting and many
standing ovations — a less-than-hearty en
dorsement, a reporter asked if she thought Clark
had been afflicted with the Flora syndrome.

“You make me sound hke a communicable
disease,"’ she cracked, ;

Later, when MacDonald rose in the House to give
her Iongawaited speech in the historic constitution
Gebate, a strange and unsetiling clicking sound
could be heard in the chamber.

Reporters strained their necks over the press
gallery railing to discover its source.

There in the corner of the Liberal benches they
spotted MP Yves Demers of the Montreal riding of
Duvernay calmly clipping his fingernails.

There's nothing quite so embarrassing as being
muert of honor at a series of farewell recties and

inners and then discoveri ’
outer. ring you aren’t going an-

Such is the plight of Ambassador aleveki
of Yugoslavia. Miko €

He had all but packed his bags after a four: |

4 ‘ . ear
stint here, when hegot word tostay put. *

‘It sbeen a bit embarrassing, bul it's one of those
things,” he said philosophically, It now seems his
move wou't come until later this year,

Despite the efforts of such slick stick-handlers a:
Sports Minister Gerald Regan, Senator Al Graham,
former Liberal campaign manager, and Housing
Minister Paul Cosgrove, the press gallery scribes
defeated the pols 5-2 tn their annual hockey game.

They don’t keep very good statistics but it's
Generally agreed the MPs and senators hold the
over-all lead in these encounters,

LETTERS TO

L

THE EDITOR ©

Sir,
On behalf of the Catholic

Women’s League, I should
like to thank you and your
staff for the coverage you

have given to our activities,

including our Bazaar and

Tea, during the past year.

This publicity is very
much appreciated, :

Lesley Nelms

Secretary