Page 4, The Herald, Tuesday, September 11, 1977 TERRACE/KITIMAT daily herald General Offica - 435-6357 Circulation - 635-4357 Published by Sterling Publishers GEN. MANAGER - Knox Coupland EDITOR .- Greg Middiaton CIRCULATION. TERRACE .- 635-6357 KITIMAT OF FICE - 632-274? Published every weekday at 3212 Kalum Street, Terrace, B.C. A member of Verifled Circulation. Authorized as second class mail. Registration number 1201. Postage paid In cash, return postage guaranteed. NOTE OF COPYRIGHT The Herald retains full, complete and sole copyright in any advertisement produced and-ar any ediorlal or photographic content published In the Herald. Reproduction Is not parmitted. EDITORIAL A vote of confidence should be given the Provincial Emergency Program and the local volunteers who went out to search for the light aircraft missing near here recently. While those on board the aircraft did not survive the crash, the quick action on the part of search and rescue personnel In finding the wreck at least prevented prolonged anquish for the friends and relatives who had to endure waiting for news, If there are survivors In such an ac- cldent, the length of time-even a few hours may well make the difference between Ilfe and death for even an uninjured person in this . That there Is an efficient and co- ordinated search effort ready to be put Into action is something that may not be noticed until needed, While the recent tragedy Is still fresh in our minds, we would ‘ike to commend those Involved -and point out to both federal and provincial governments that it is something which requires continued support. EDITOR'S JOURNAL BY GREG MIDDLETON Local labor council and NDP heavy Paul Johnson is especially pleased with a hot declaration by the Canadian Labor Council on Chilean goods becatise the Terrace labor group pressed very heavily for that move. Johnson would have liked to see a permanent em- - bargo on handling Chilean goods because he says the Chilean government has been repressive for a long tame and only considerable pressure will have an effect on the far-right wing extremists there. The hot declaration will be a week-long thing, mean that longshore and other workers will not move goods to or from Chile in that time. Johnson doesn’t yet imow if it will involve communications with that country or not but is pleased that it is a week rather than just the one day the last embargo lasted. Alex Inselberg, the architect for the Skeena Health Unit called to say the building should be ready well before the official completion date of March 1. He says the facility may be ready to be occupied by Christmas. ; ten the last few days. Fulton is expressing his concerns over Unem- ployment Insurance cutbacks, saying it will pul an increased welfare load on the It would, of course, be hard to document, but such cutbacks will also involye more break and enters and petty crime as those in need will be forced to steal when things get difficult. _ Fulton, who has considerable experience in this field, fears for those who are forced into taking the step from collectiig for an insurance scheme they have paid into to accepting relief. He has seen too many people so demoralized by being pushed into accepting social assistance that they never become socially productive again. Fulton feels the cutbacks are false economy and may cost 80 much more in social tragedy. Something to conalder. ; ay if (bc Abde the car veered out of control.” fam to tell the public more. People ph ™ media outlets to find out what had hap, PRISON FEATURE Outside links are needed By DIANE WAYDA KINGSTON, Ont. (CP) — Each Thureday evening within the limestone walls of an institution facetiously known as Disneyland, a group of men led by a convicted murderer gets down to business, Tts business concerns the 300-plus population of Collins Bay medium- security penitentiary, dubbed Disneyland by townsfolk and nera alike because it resembles the red-roofed castle that was Walt Disney's brainchild. Life within the walls is anything but a fairy-tale for the prison population and for a group of 15 bhee as something less than a reformist by modern-day standards, Graham Stewart, director of Kingston's John Howard Society, read the article and decided to visit French, editor of the paper Cor-tact, to set Howard's record straight. “We didn’t reallze that, by 1&th- century standards, John Howard was a reformer,” French gaid in an interview. “I mean, here's a guy who saw cons in arm and leg shackles and said remove the leg shackles.’ The more Stewart talked about John Howard -- the man and the society which took his name — :the re . atahateate ner STATtcare Boainte\ econo, 6,0,0,0,4,0,8,4,6, 0,0, 9,0, %mse aig Nytytatatstat stata tate ta™ avelerarieticirOrerecSebstststgh la tgey faye Ma Fe Rap ee sraraacataceratetecetetetotedetatatateterssvessisagartatonatisersnsestanetcensrentetgeysatatats ta ' “ oo on aa Sixth part of an SRR IS Inan attempt to orient newcomers to prison life from the con’s point of view, the chapter has taped seminars arranged with prison officials such as members of the parole board: The tapes are available to the prison population. “We have established fairly good credentials with the ad- ministration,” French said. “We're not going to jump on administration people when they come in here. That's not what we're here for.” . He sald the chapter also trles to help prisoners they see deteriorating either physically or emotionally. GRAAL PES TORRACLNLACA Ae, I1-part feature on prisons convicts who, in June, formed the first Canadian inside chapter of the John Howard Society. P"4\Jghh Howard is outside helping ‘|’ people on the street to understand what’a going on in here,” Tom French,. chairman of the convict's .__. Collin’s Bay chapter, saya in reference to John Howard chapters across Canada. “We atlarted this chapter to help those on the inside understand the outside. We have the same things in 4 bere as you have on the atreet. It's a community — It's a penitentiary but it is stil] a working community.” French, a portly, bearded 42-year- old now serving the fourth year of a life term for non-capital murder, views the chapter as a com- munications link between two communities — the outside and the inside, Ironically, the chapter took root about a year ago in an unflattering biographical sketch about John Howard, written for the penitentiary newspaper by two prisoners who saw the 18thcentury prison reformer more interested French and a few other prisoners became. They learned that the soriety.was . a citizen-fuwided: organization con- cerned with prison reform and community education, helping those coming out of prisons and those who... appeared to be heading for prison. “At first It was a joke,” French said. ''We didn’t think they (the John Howard Society) would accept us. But the more we talked to them, the more serious we got. “The main thing we have to get acroas is that we're human and that one day we're going to be out of here. We think it’s better to make people at ease about us now, not when they find us living next door,” French said the chapter acta as a board of directors for the prison population —- fielding prisoners’ questions and concerns to prison officials and others on the outside, collecting and distributing in- formation to the Inside ‘community - on topics ranging from alcohol addiction centres to half-way houses and employment agencies; .. °°: wit ee ~tete’setePste® Terererererirerererens “Sometimes, the small things that wouldn’t bother anyone on the. _ street, like not getting mail, could ‘end up in a slash-up in here," Chapter members help others write letters, fill out forms for parole, transfers or day passes and... try to find answers to dozens of questions. They have submitted a proposal to prison authoritles to set up their own prisoner-cperated information centre within the walls. “The administration is part of the Canadian government and when the Canadian government gets involved they usually screw things up. We want to run this ourselves." The group is discussing ways to raise funds for office supplies such as postage stamps, paper and en- velopes, : French said membership in the chapter ia limited to 15 ‘‘in order to have a working group.” Fifty other prisoners are on 8 waiting list to join when a vacancy opens due to transfera or relegses, Native school. He ae thd viceprincipal Howard titeen * fitanced by CALGARY (CP) — oe t the Calgary ‘STORY The achoo) is housed in the province. . The Herald welcomes Its readers comments. All letters to the editor of reneral public interest will be printed. We do, however, retain the right to refuse to print letters on grounds of possible libel or bad taste. We may also edit letters for style and jength. All jetters to be considered for publication must be signed. Leonard Crane was 14 yeara dd and growing bitter, The tall, slender Blackfoot en- dured {lve years of insults, name-calling and fighting with clasamates at a city public school where he was the only native student. As his self-respect took a beating, eo did his school work. He began to skip classea and miss aasign- ments, The next step was dropping out. ““then 1 gota real break," says Leonard, smiling with a new-found confidence. Now enrolled in Calgary's _ only native high school, he canatudy his own language, learn his own customs and atl] get the academic credits white soclety demands, “Before I felt like quitting: But 1 don't think I'll every skip class here, It’s too much fun,” Crane is one of 90 studenta attending the Plains Indians Cultural Survival School and says the youth's starf:is a ‘board of education, but the typical one. “ More than 40 per cent of 4 the students were school’ - dropouts, some of them for — years, In Canada, 84 per cent ot natives who start junior high school never graduate and 63 per cent drop oul by grade 8. At Plains, leas than a third dropped out last year and for many the problems were financial, Green said, The se..ool provides the basle academle program for junior and senior high, but it in the cultural side which Is the key to its success. Students study traditional natlve crafts such as teepee- making, leather-tanning and beadwork, as well as lan- gusge studies in Cree, Blacktoot and Sarcee. le the school's purpose is preserving Indian Pature, the school's survival is hy no means ensured. The academic program is cultural component relies on private and corporate dona- Ong. “Without a cultural program we've got no school," Green sald. “We need the stability that comes with sufficient, longterm funding.” . Green is puzzled by the provincial government's reluctance to commit funds: “We're offering a choice. Government can continue to put money Inte integrated sehools for natives but it's proven a4 failure. Or it can aay it trusta natives to run their own schools," However, the government says the Plains school doesn’t fit into the existing grant structure. Ken Hughes, executive aselstant to Education Minister Dave King, says the department ls examining the question of urban native education but can't oromise asalatance in the immediate future, basement of a public school. Green hopes for larger facilities and a more cen- trally-located bullding promised by the school thia summer. Atmosphere at the school is relaxed. There are no bella, students can smoke and drink coftee In class and - teachers are called by their firat names. Cultural teachers are recruited from the city and neighboring reseryes and many are parents of studente, Grace Daniels, tor example, learned teapee- making from her mother and grandmother: ‘‘I’ve taught my famiiy, but who will teach these kids? 17 1 hadn't learned thess things [ might have been roaming the streets, ta0,’” Grade 12 student Hod Scout says it’s the firat time he's feit comfortable in any school and predicts that he'il be better prepared for Ilfe outside. COMMENT BY LYNNE SALTER Reprinted from the Prince Rupert Dally News Within each community, the media has two jobs to. perform, We are here to inform the public of events that are going to take place and we are here to report on occurrences that have taken place. We run into no difficulty when we want to tell the public of upcorning events. In fact , we are often approached by various community support services to promote activities they have planned. Public education and awareness often have thelr own departments within organizations such as hospitals and law enforcement agencies. The media co-operates whenever possible. It is our job to distribute information. However, it is sometimes much more difficult to fulfil the second part of our obligation to the public , that of reporting on events that have taken place. Suddenly, the same support service organizations that came to us for our co-operation will not co-operate with us. Arperfoct example was the tragic Trans Provinelal plane crash last week. The hospital and the police would release little in- formation ta. the media. When the RCMP finally made a statement late in the evening, they said there had been a plane crash. By this time, everyone knew there had been a plane crash. : The public wanted to know more. The media wanted oned the various ed. We couldn’t tell them because no one would tell us. T’m sure the hospital and the police were flooded with phone calls too. . Of course there are some sal that cannot be released until the appropriate people have ad- vised, but there was no need to keep the public waiting for hours to find out where the plane.was coming from , who owned it, how many survivors and how many fatalities were involved . ; The public has a right to know when a crisis occurs within their community . . This is not an isolated incident. Every day the media telephones the RCMP for a new report. We are given tidbits, acar accident here, a petty theft there, a breaking and entering at some home or store. It is through the public that we learn we are not getting the full story. They tell us of accidents of which we know nothing. They tell us of bodies found that the RCMP fail ‘to mention. It was suggested that possibly ‘the RCMP are keeping information frorh the media,’ attd hence the public , for our own good, that if we knew how much trouble really exists within our community, it will make us uneasy. We don’t need a government agency , such as the RCMP, to censor our knowledge of what happens within our city. It is only through public awareness that we can assess our problems and act upon them. The RCMP do work for us. The local police are supposedly overworked. 1 don’t doubt the reality of this, but what I’d like to know is what they are doing that is keeping them so busy? They cannot expect community and media-support, and co-operation while continuing to keep us in the rk, ATRILL THINKS | By THOMAS ATRILL oe and that was the news..” So that was the news, was it? An item about bank closures in this province, a quote about something Ed Broadbent had'to’say, mention of a plane crash , and on to the sports. Nothing else. ; One minute of news, a few sports Items and perhaps the weather. Nothing of any consequence, and yet I know that there are a lot of interesting things going on in the world, It makes me wonder who manages the news, anyway. I wonder why Broadbent is in the news so often , when it was the Conservatives wha were elected, and who one knows that Ed’a policies, lf implemented, would complete the’disaster that Trudeau began. I wonder why pollution, especially oil spills, dominate the news. [ wonder why pollution is always news , no mater how small the spill. Why does McDermott and his CLC get so much coverage, And why do Parrot of the postal emplyees , get so much publicity. Why is every leftist quoted word for word, while the important people are generally ignored? It reminds me of the election, several years ago, when Trudeau and Stanfield were neck and neck. I watched the CBC news coverage of the event and was amazed to see David Lewis completely dominating the show. .He was trailing like the proverbial cow's tail, yet he was the hero of the whole contest, or so it seemed. It was only much later that we knew why; a8 Dief said, Lewis and Trudeau get into bed together to form an informal coalition. Yes, 1 wonder why some news is not mentioned and why some news is. It seems to me that it is managed and edited to accomplish a desired result. We would . become a nation of socialists if we swallowed all the rews and current affairs programs without any salt. Perhaps that ls the aim. I think so. . Do you ever wonder what is really going on in the wor ERMAN “Dobson, I've just figured out a way for you personally to save this company $750 a month.”