Ad - The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, August 24, 1994

TERRACE

STANDARD

ESTABLISHED APRIL 27, 1988

ADDRESS: 4647 Lazelle Ave., Terrace, B.C. * V8G 188
TELEPHONE: (604) 638-7283 * FAX: (604) 638-8432
MODEM: 638-7247

, | a
MP’s meetings
SKEENA REFORM rookie MP Mike Scott has
chosen one very savvy tactic of his predecessor,
NDPer Jim Fulton, by holding public meetings
on land claims throughout the riding. The tactic
is very simple and goes to the heart of political
representation — give the public some informa-

tion on a topic and Jet them have at it.

Mr. Fulton did that with the Charlottetown Ac-
cord. Despite whatever personal feelings he had
on the subject, Mr. Fulton stumped through the
riding in the fall of 1992. In meeting after meet-
ing, Mr. Fulton explained the implications of the
proposed constitutional change and invited ques-
tions.

Mr. Scott is obviously not a fan of land claims.
He views them as potentially very expensive —
perhaps too expensive — and upsetting to the es-
tablished social, economic and political order.
Judging by the response at the first land claims
meeting in Smithers, Mr. Scott has struck a
chord. More than a few tinges of racism sur-
faced, particularly during an address by Gitksan
leader Herb George. °

As ugly as this might be, Mr. Scott is doing a
valuable service. To be sure there is a bit of
politicking in Mr. Scott’s meetings. But he’s
about the only Member of Parliament to ask the
public for their opinions directly and in an open
public forum on the most controversial item in
northwestern B.C. As such, Mr. Scott is
demonstrating that the federal and provincial
governments’ attitude of “‘trust us, everything
will be all right,’’ won’t work.

The provincial and federal governments ap-
proach land claims as‘an academic exercise. Ne-
gotiators don’t live in the north. The ultimate
political decision makers operate from cushy of-
fices in Ottawa and Victoria. All three negotiat-
ing: parties.-—-federal, provincial and-native —
-speak a strange language not easily learned nor
understood by those on the outside.

One of the sad ironies is that natives, treated as
second class citizens for more than a century,
have surpassed the rest of the northwest popula-
tion insofar as land claims are concerned. Na-
tives are far better briefed and understand the is-
sues to a much greater degree;thanks to patient,
diligent and intelligent leadership.

The federal and provincial governments have
quite rightly accepted as just and deserving the
need to change the current economic, social and
political situations of natives. While they have
gotten on the same bus headed down the high-
way of change as the natives, the rest of northern
B.C. can’t even find out where to buy a ticket.

In the absence of real information, fear and
suspicion manifesting itself in anger and resent-
ment will triumph. That’s what was seen at
Scott’s Smithers meeting and that’s what will
continue to be the case unless the federal and
provincial governments change their positions on
providing information, How can there be any
hope of reaching an understanding when there is
no base upon which to build rational and rea-
soned positions?

Mr. Scott rightly says that even if the three ne-
gotiating parties can arrive at a workable deal,
chances are it will be rejected by northwest
citizens because it was conceived in secret and
without complete-public participation.

At the least, at the very least, Mr. Scott is
providing a forum for public venting, a kind of
travelling psychiatric couch. Change can only
come once all aspects, both good and bad, are
identified.

v5)
Gone PUBLISHER/EDITOR: Rod Link
ADVERTISING MANAGER: Mike L. Hamm

PRODUCTION MANAGER: Edouard Credgeur

CONTA D

~ WEMAY NOT BE THE TALLEST, SON...
BUT WE LEARNED TO STAND

‘Big

VICTORIA — In the interest
of keeping traffic congestion to
a minimum, I decided to leave
the car at home two Mondays
ago and walk to work.

The press gallery. is housed
on the third floor of the Parlia-
ment Buildings, and escaping
the legislative precinct by
automobile at rush hour is a
daunting task at the best of
times, particularly at the height
of the tourist season.

But with the Queen arriving
by motorcade at the Parliament
Buildings at 4 p.m., I knew the
precinct would be a madhouse,
“reducing traffic to 4 snarl.

My hunch tumed out to be
right, and leaving the car at
home also gave me an op-
portunity to mip over for a
brew. or two.to the Union Club,
that former bastion of male

“ supremacy. which only recently

decided to get with it-and’al--”

low women to be members.
Stay with me. I promise this
yarn is going somewhere,

After a couple of hours and
half a dozen beer or so at the
bar with four equally ‘thirsty
fellow club members, a new
face joined our group. He
turned out to be from New
Zealand and was in Victoria
for the Commonwealth Games.

In the course of the conversa-
tion, he wanted to know
whether the people of Victoria

FROM THE CAPITA!
HUBERT BEYER .,

had gotten behind he Games,
caught the spirit, as the slogan
goes.

My fellow club members
thought they had, despite the
eight years of bad-mouthing by
the. media. I thought it: might

_.beprident for.me to stay out

of that ‘argument, when our
guest from New Zealand said
he was one of them. One of
whom? I asked. One of the
bad-mouthing media types, he
said.

Tt turned out he was in Vic-
loria to cover the Games for a
chain of New Zealand newspa-
pers and. was staying at the
club.

I never asked him whether he
caught the spirit, but hell, as a
working reporter you don’t
sneeze at a job that Iets you go

Tips to keep

What do steel wool, candle
wax, and silicone have in com-
mon?

Any one of them used fre-
quently during maintenance
can substantially reduce your
repair bills on recreational
equipment.

Zippers and push-on snaps
are prominent components of
most lents, .boat tops, tent-
trailers and jeep tops. Thesc
zippers can become so clogged

with dirt or corrosion they vir- + —
THROUGH BiFOCALS

tually weld together. Snaps,
too, corrode especially in sea
air until they almost fuse.

Somes people cope with
resistant zippers by twisting a
length of wire into the glider
so they can yank it. Others fas-
ten a piece of twine or leather
to the glider to ‘give. them
leverage. That’s compounding
trouble by breaking zipper
tecth, breaking stitches holding
the zipper, or ripping the sur-
‘rounding fabric.

Far better - and less ex.
pensive - to head off trouble by

CLAUDETTE SANDECKI

periodically lubricating the
zipper’s teeth, Liberally spray
the sipper with silicone from
one end to the other, moving
lhe glider back and forth to
distribute the silicone.

A spray can of silicone is
often cheaper then the replace-

‘ment cost of a zipper. The

labour cost or removing the
damaged zipper and sewing in
a new one can be far more.

If you ,don’t have silicone,

ON OUR OWN FEET...

=
eT E

half-way around the world to
cover the Commonwealth
Games.

As for badmouthing the
Games, I’ve got to admit my
friends were right. Ever since
Victoria was chosen as the site
for the 1994 Commonwealth
Games, eight years ago, the lo-
cal media have left no stone
unturned to find things to criti-
cize about the Games.

Call me naive, but I have
supported the Commonwealth
Games from day one. I happen
to like the very concept of the
Commonwealth, a family of
nations bound together not by
force, but by their own free
will, and not so much by eco-
nomic interest as by 2 common
heritage — the British par-
liamentary system.

When I left the Union Club-
that afternoon, I arrived back:

at the’ Parliament Buildings
just in time to see the
“matriarch of the Com-
monwealth family arrive. More
than 10,000 people crowded
the lawn to catch a glimpse of
the Queen, And they were any-
thing but cynical. They roared
and cheered when the Queen
passed by during her

- walkabout.

I'd also advise any cynic not
to go near Charles Merritt and
Ernest Smith. They are the last
two surviving Canadians

take any candle stub and grate
it along the zipper teeth.
Again, slide the glider back
and forth to work in the wax.

Both silicone and wax im-
prave the operation of push-on
Dot snaps. Steel wool is a ihird
option. For while silicone and
wax ease the snapping together
of the Dot snap on its stud,
steel wool polishes corrosion
from the fastener restoring its
criginal clean, lustrous nickel
surface,

Prudent owners pry each Dot
snap loose with a flat-tipped

- screwdriver blade wedged be-

tween the two paris of the
fastener, Imprudent owners
grab one comer of a canvas top
and yank it off like Doug Hen-
ning whipping a cloth off hat.

Applause follows Henning’s
flourish. A sizable repair bili
can follow an unwise flourish
that pops‘snaps like corn on a
griddle. Corroded snaps. will
separate into two parts or tug
the stud and its rivet from the
boat. The result is unnecessary

r the Games

awarded the Victoria Cross
during the Second World War.
They met the Queen that

afternoon, chatted with her,.

and were thrilled.

And then there were the

scores of American tourists
who just happened to be in
town the day the Queen
visited, and once again, their
reaction confirmed my long-
held suspicion that many
Americans secretly wish they
had a queen as head or state.

Tim Mazur of Louisiana had
waited for three hours to see
Queen Elizabeth. ‘I was real
close and it was great, Every-
one needs to see a queen once
in their life,’’ he said.

Well, you blew your chance
to have a queen when you had
your revolution, We decided to
wait a little longer, and in the

énd became just as free and in--

dependent as our. former
cousins in America, all without
a revolution. .

And now that the Com-
monwealth Games have been
officially opened by’ Her
Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

and competitions have begun, I

for one offer my thanks o all
the volunteers, some of whom
have worked hard for eight
years to make these Games a
success,

Don't ever let a cynical
media deter you from your
enthusiasm.

Zippers Zippy

trouble and expense. ‘

Over time, both canvas and
vinyl shrink puttIng undue
stress on window zippers and
canvas fasteners. That in turn
can cause breaking of stitches
or ripping of the fabric along
the stitches holding the zipper
In place. It also damages the
tipper tape, loosening teeth,
Once frayed up to the teeth,
zipper tape is impossible to
Tepair; the entire zipper’ must
be replaced,

Some folks use vaseline to
lubricate snaps. A few try axle
grease. Both lubricants altract
dust and grime which builds
and extra layer of vise-grip
dirt. In addition grease leaves a
messy black residue. on sur-
rounding fabric,

Every spring - and periodi-
cally throughout the summer -
liberal lubrication of zippers
and polishing of push-on snaps
should be part of the ritual of.
readying” recreational equip-
ment for fun in the sun.

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Serving the Terrace area. Published on Wadnasday ofeach waok by Cariboo Prass {1969} Lid. al 464i i. r 4 ia y Wis : Ie. ts
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Reta niente mh MOO Mis Eo esate :
a, ; a yee tee ay F
Speclal thanks to all our contributors and correspondents ut ‘ ii . an
} - i?

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