When Sun reporter Bruce Larsen found a survey crew and drilling equipment in the Stikine River area this sum- mer, he surmised that prelim- inary work for a dam site was was underway. Resources Minister Wil- liston and Energy Board’s Dr. Gordon Shrum say they know nothing about such work, and deny that any plans are afoot to build a dam on the Stikine. Why all the mystery? One reason may be that another power dam mooted for the northern part of the province will bring strong opposition from the fishing industry. A second reason could be that B.C. residents by and large are fed up with hydro developments built for the benefit of foreign investors and foreign countries. Most important, the public is beginning to strenuously object to handing over vast tracts of land along with power rights, mineral rights and timber and pulpwood to build empires a la Axel Wennergren. John Q. Public.wants no more give-away deals. Such facts as are available show that the government handed over a reserve for power and pulp and timber exploitation to Iskut Pulpower Ltd., sometime in 1965-66. Early this year Brinco (British New- foundland Corporation) took it over. : In 1967 Resources Minister Williston, Premier Bennett and Governor Egan of Alaska are alleged to have met to discuss the fédsibility of an Iskut-Stikine hydro project which would supply power for Alaskan cities and industry. Thus a pattern emerges which may well account for the coyness with which government authorities greet any questions about hydro developments up that _ way. The government denies that a dam on the Stikine or Iskut would affect the salmon runs. Federal fisheries officers say differently. They say the provincial government has Why the mystery over Stikine power project? done little research into how fish would be affected and they say it could well create problems for steelhead and salmon stocks. So while Dr. Shrum says “I know nothing about drilling . at Iskut. We haven’t had discussions with Brinco on anything,’ — Brinco’s survey crews are crawling all over the place. The provincial govern- ment’s own Facts and Statis- tics booklets which in 1968 gave no figures for potential “developed power’’ on the Stikine-Iskut rivers, did so in- 1970, demonstrating that somebody, somehow, some- where has done preliminary surveys of the potential power in the systems. What it all boils does to is that there is something big afoot in the northwest corner of our province. If the Columbia sellout is any example of what that some- thing may be, a wary and skeptical eye on every move is called for. TELEGRAPH, Rees Island Labor Day picnic planned as fun affair The 16th annual Vancouver Island Labor Day picnic will be held this year at Parksville on Sunday, September 5, from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. Location is the Community Centre, and the affair will go on, rain or shine. Sports including tug-of-war, races, nail driving contests, a salmon barbecue, a fiddler’s contest and a talent show are just a few of the items to entertain young and old who gather for the labor picnic from the Island and Vancouver. Mayer Roy Young of Parksville will give the welcom- ing address and Alderman ~- George McKnight of Nanaimo ~ PACIFIC TRIBUNE—FRIDAY, AUGUST 20, 1971—PAGE 2 will speak, along with Ernie Knott of Victoria who will talk briefly on the contribution of the workers during 100 years of Confederation. Prizes for the youngest and the oldest holders of a union card, and for the oldest lady at the picnic will be a feature of the affair. DON'T FORGET! Don’t forget the Trout Lake Harvest Moon Fair to be held Sunday, August 29 at Trout Lake’ in John Hendry Park, 19th and Victoria Drive. City police force should be under public control By ALD. HARRY RANKIN It’s fortunate that the police . incident in Gastown on Satur- day night, August 7th, didn’t result in even more serious casualties. It easily could have. Those who thought it couldn’t happen here have had their illusions shattered. The riot police and the riot sticks were used as Mayor Campbell wanted them used. The key problem now is to cool it, to make sure that we don’t have another and even worse inci dent. The big party thrown by Gastown merchants Saturday night, August 14th, was a good step to help ease tensions. How- ever, some further action of a long range nature is needed. A responsible, impartial judicial probe into the causes as well as the events of August 7, separate and apart from any Police Commission investi- gation into its own actions could be useful. Any white wash job at this stage, however, would only aggravate the situation. Another necessary step is to muzzle the mayor. His provoca- tive calls for violence by one group against another must be stopped. They were largely responsible for what happened. A mayor who uses the riot police as a personal weapon against the merchants and people of Gastown is a danger- ous liability to our city. The mass media also has a respon- sibility here — that of ceasing to give headline publicity to every inflammatory remark made by the mayor. : Don’t we also need a new type of Police Commission, one that will be under public control? Today, the commission is composed of the mayor plus three others appointed by the attorney general. I would suggest that the Police Commission be appointed by City Council and that it be a full time job. The attorney general could also appoint a repre- sentative, but control should remain with the people of Van- couver who pay the bills and who should, in the final analysis, be able to decide how their police alt, RIOT” COMMISSION | { ) “WE'VE COME TO ANSWER YOUR CHARGES: _make recommendations © force should or should not used. ; At the same time 4 citiaet : Review Board, composé ; representative citizens, Be be established to heat ct plaints against the police, ie Police Commission 4! Council. Riot police should be us on decision of the Police mission after personal 0%, vation by its, members produced evidence that use is essential. This plac® ‘ responsibility on City ©? where it should be. fe ¥ ts Japan shopping for heal water, uranium in Canad By MAURICE RUSH Japan is looking towards becoming a major nuclear power and is shopping around in Canada for uranium and heavy water. This was revealed in Vancouver last week by one of Japan’s top government leaders. Naka Funada, speaker of the Japanese House of Representa- tives and a man whose war-time record was so bad that the U.S. occupation authorities barred him from public life for seven years after the war, told news reporters that Japanese indus- try is most interested in buying processed uranium and heavy water. Funada headed a parliament- ary delegation from Japan on a visit to Canada. The delegation’s visit to B.C. coincided with a provincial government report which said that by 1980 Japan would become B.C.’s_ main trading partner, ousting the U.S. from that position. Japan imports from B.C. exclusively raw materials, particularly coal and copper, pulp and iron ore. About 50 percent of all Japan’s pulp comes from Canada, mostly B.C. In replies to questions from news reporters, Funada indi- cated that Japan’s main interest is in raw materials and that it will continue to be so, except for some materials such as pulp which will be semi-processed. Funada confirmed what this paper has frequently charged: that by relying heavily on Japanese capital investment in B.C. we are ensuring that B.C. will remain perpetually a raw material province. Heavy reliance on the Japanese market — similarly with the U.S. market — means that B.C.’s people will continue to be hewers of wood and drawers of water. Some Japanese industrialists have in the past indicated an interest in having some process- ing done in B.C. which is asso- ciated with heavy-pollutant industries. This is because many Japanese cities are reach- ing a dangerous level of pollution. It could be economically feasible for Japanese industry to carry through some semi-processing in certain wood, mineral and petroleum products to leave B.C. with the pollution problem. The emphasis by Funada on the fact that Japan is particu- larly interested in processed uranium and heavy water serves to underscore the fear of many Asian countries that Japan, with its sophisticated and highly developed quickly become a major nuclear: power and its military might once again appear as a threat to world peace. If that should happen, Canada could well be one of the major contributors to this dangerous ee > industry, could . } e development through the r “carry its share of UY “containing Commu? Asia. + aqus The spectacular i advance in‘ Japan 10 99 world’s industrial upe has given Japan the become a nuclear ae There is great mt ae throughout Asia ye: dit now moving in th and the process will " up if they can ove political opposition rearmed Japan. «oy if The henge of policy and the threat ° > poli militaristic Japa? ori Asia for world } throws new light OP + in of Funada’s state nes? couver. This ape age? monger is a suita to 5 Japan to send out material resources nuclear armed Japan Canadians shou that crystal rere ote ately are oppose saaieraain heavy Japan become a nu®