By ANN DUNSMUIR Herald staff writer it last - someone has ‘cund something say about Kitimat’s heavy rainfall. Dr. Clancy Gordon, an expert on plant diseases, id a sparse audience at Riverview Ledge Tuesday that a plentiful water suppl hel survive the ei- fect of fluoride pollution. Gordon, director of en- vironmental studies at the University of Montana, has eonducted surveys of damage of vegetation near aluminum smelters in the U.S., Germany and Canada; In September, 1976, at the uest of the Canadian Association of Smelter and Allied Workers Local 1, Gordon collected samples of vegetation in the Kitimat area, Pollution is always bad news, but compared to damage near some other smelters Kitimat has been caused by one aluminum plant which is located in an © area devoted to orchards. Growers had to give up apricot crops entirely - the trees roved ~ highly susceptible to fluoride - and now lose 40 to 50 percent of their cherry crops as well. Orchard owners took the aluminum company to court and collected. _ “The Italco plant near Bellingham Wash. had to . pay $3 million in damages to farmers,” Gordon sald. The com then spent $12 milion in cleaning up their act, ; "In all cases to date government agencies have never made the companies clean up pollution,” Gordon said. “It has always been the result of action by people being damaged by fluoride emmission.” He pointed out that 80 percent of fluorides released - will be taken in by plants. “Fortunately for Kitimat vegetable growers the plume of emissions from the smelter doesn't get to town too often,” he said. Gordon said. “Kitimat Mountain will die over and over again unless the plant is cleaned _as 12,000 parts Kitimat’s heavy r ek. Gordon illustrated his talk with slides showing damage - to vegetation, domestic animals and wildlife near aluminum smelters. Snowshoe hares near a plant at Long Harbor, Nfld, show excessive bone growth with fluoride levels as high er, million compared to the normal rate for animals of 2) parts per million. ~ “The Canadian govern- ment should be doing studies in the Kitimat area,’ Gordon said, “especially on animals because the effects are cululative as you move up the food chain.” He said he had found less damage to vegetation this year than last. “It all depends on the weather,” Gordon said. Animals that don’t drink can’t flush out the fluorides so the concentration in: creases. ainfall keeps Fluoride emissions from the Alcan mill in the background vegetation in the surrounding area, but these Idds don’t seem to think may damage VE rs Q4 Re o Platiu Adm problem's very serious. husy finding all sorts of aquatic life in nearby tide pools. VEV IX Sf a lucky. The same weather Plantsgrowninlocal back Air emissions of fluorides : that leaves Kitimat yard gardens tested at eyentually soak into the soil residents looking pallid aboutthreetofour partsper where the chemical : ives trees an edge in the million-nothigh,buthigher becomes bound up, he said : t against pollutants. | than normal. and becomes harmless. Not ; “of vegatation near He said that his research nearly enough flurides leak smelters. is greater when alsoshowedexcessivelevels into the water to cause i trees must also fight the of sulfur emissions mostly gignificant water pollution. | | effects of drought. _ from the Eurocan pulp mill, 1 animals with high “In dry areas, damage is in plants in the area. “If fluoride concentration: : more severe due to the Kitimatbecomesanoil port, have symptoms that include double stress of drought and the combination of oil, teeth stained brown with the : fluoride,’’ Gordon said. fluoride and sulphur could nerves exposed making it - 1 _ He described damage result in a real disaster,” painful to drink cold water. ad the™"herald Serving Terrace, Kitimat, the Hazeltons, Stewart and the Nass tervention, the suit said the Conserver society Cabinet ‘Says “Bennett said today the Campbell” Has promised’ to” ‘Unproven allegations’ _ U.S. money man WASHINGTON (AP) — the resignation of Lance as director of the office of management and government, He said those quits — just have to accept that,” he said. . VOLUME 71 NO. 99 Price: 20 conts THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 1977 | W: bd ff BCR President Carter announced inva leter to Carter, read . Yl te O iJ television he has accepted hy the president on oatignal television, Lance cited “ amount of controversy and the continuing nature of it” that “my conacience‘ is budget. over his private banking : in e pt debts— . Bennett Carter said the constant ractices and personal | UCP 4) - | vicrorta (cP) — __ Although Prince Edward controversy creates Gout nantes. |? | poanee premice WA. ©. Island. Premier Alex shut nosey of the nee sien cleared and | i i de French schools far i H covermmaent wait have’ tack veterans affairs department doubts are unjustified. clear,” but “I. desire to ; . fo square one if it wants to employees’ children, local Carter said he believes return to my native state of ] , b l get the financially-troubled school board officials were many of Lance’s problems Georgia. enced b er a British Columbia Railway skeptical such schools would seme ry from date ent nee sald he jwas convinced . OTTAWA (CP) — Liberal back on the tracus to De jerbert a British-born we have tried to set in effective budget director but back-bencher Hal Herbert has complained to Prime economic recovery. “They have to do what we Selective growth construction executive, also accused _ the Liberal government,” and from the expectations raised by “because of the amount of controversy and the con- Minister Trudeau that did in the beginning,” i es made during the tinuing nature of it I have Trudeau’s cabinet is inept Bennett said In a telephone overnment of reo. pee presidential campalgh, decided to submit my and contributes to the interview Tom Mis home in rebellion by poor ad- “1 think it was a resignation as director of division of Canada’s two “In 1954 we had te write ministration of dair courageous and also Bed OMB,” linguistic groups. off all ngOsses, all the policies, but treating with patriotic gesture on Rents Carter said he accepted “In the past’ years we debts— they'll have toda it ‘kid gloves the largely- part tor ,” Carter said. the resignation “wi the have seen many of the again in the same way.” anglophone air traffic The prealdent said it was greatest sense of regret an strong men in your “the balance sheet for the controllers when they hard for him to say whether sorrow” and insisted that government leave for vati- crown-owned BCR shows protested the expansion of he might have sought the his friend has done no ous reasons and little or 10 the railway’s accumulated nch at Quebec airports, resignation had Lance not wrong. ; effort has been made to find oficittotalied $197.7 million The department of volunteered it, Carter also SAYS DECISION competent replacements in 1976 ; regional economic ex- ‘aid he doesn't know how CORRECT. cance told : eke ’ area riding of Vaudreuil probing the railway’s af- confidence in federalism by might have suffered as a ¥ a .. Youngsters at the Child Development Centre are enjoying their new plano said in a letter to Trudeau. 4; b ota that 38sisting English-speakin result of the Lance case. planned to quit the ad- which was donated by the Genral Radio Service Club of Beautiful British The letter, dated Sept. 19, BOR’ as a fi t areas of Suatee and “T would guess to some ministration. The president Columbia. The CBers purchased the piano with funds raised a ta Valentine’s Day was released today. bout $12! os on neglecting the poorer degree an unpleasant said he believed Lance i dance in February. ‘Papa Boots” Reynolds, president of the club, presented the “What remains is surely are about $125,000 a Y- French-speaking regions, Situation like this would be made the correct decision plano to the centre yentemaay and inno éme at all the children were singing along the weakest federal cabinet Bennett, who recently Herbert's letter sald. damaging somewhat, friend," Carter told the | y . since prior to the war years. submitted ae written report news conference. wl know e ° | “Undoubtedly, it is a e commission blaming . | personally as well as ; cabinet ready to say yes but moat of BCR's ‘ills on the R [ d he was my own brother. I Oil firms test laws it is not a group tat an railway’s management, ain cou ; Bed tp bea geod and ; . * ot JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — i] companies and shippers Similar Washington state of its deepest trouble,” criticism from BCR lawyer. . honorable man. t major oil companies who Oe franspor ing laws and regulations have Herherf, a frequent critic Darrell Roberts. Qing ge mi Carter, who delayed the . and shi have filed suit Prudhoe Bay oil from the been struck down as UM: eyo rhe cnid that Earlier this week, Roberts news conference two in federal court here, trans-Alsska pipeline ter- constitutional by a thros- “aany TadeFal. government Credit premier for his WASHINGTON (Reuter) "— A radioactive cloud | Pound 80 Lance could dratt challenging the cons ‘minal at Valdez will suffer judge panel, and the case Hor lowe i ded Credit premier for his an d tion in moved toward his letter of resignation with stitutionality of Alaska’s ‘great and immediate currently is on appeal to the two cultures and) en. {Ubmission, | sayintway's {0 fande in the US. Midwest on Wednesday Clfterd said he belleves the new er c § in i ad ‘ Tn | eme ur . - : +, aa . i dards, state — officials hearing date has been Alaska Coramnisaloner of couraged the ery for greater problems stemmed from the pte U.S. Environmental Protection Agency warned budget director succeeded osed here Wednesday. set on the complaint. Bonre i tw] Can Provincial autonomy. josing propositions launched be horde by aifecting the amnion the | in clearing his name before The suit filed last Friday “~The suit alleged that the servdtion Ernst Mueller The federal government by the W. A.C. Bennett term nik * dairy be tds by affecting the gr y eat. | stepping aside. in U.S. district court in Alaska tanker safety said, however, that the state stopped & program to-move in office. The agency said its ar monitoring stations are The president referred to Anchorage asked for an @ standards, which went into would “fight as hard as it public servants to Quebec Bennett, whose son bill taking dail y anstremeats to Matern the setent of ‘ - ty re = r teaim ? effect last Friday, and the can to insure the validity of from Ottawa because of the now 1S premier, said his the £ iF oat trom a Sept, 17 explosion, and it plans to ainst Mr. Lance” and order and preliminary in- 1976 Jaws upon which they this law is upheld.” province's restrictions on written submission to the begin testing mill samples nxt week P added: unction against en- jwere based are illegal But Muelier noted that enrolment in English commission still stands, | a nid the radioac ee eee cloud will “T think he proved that orcement of the regulations ‘because they violate the ‘many of not most of the schools. But it “gaye no ‘“‘Readthatmytfriend,"he | | BR Wm THO OACLYE CCE Ol oot nee as ig | Our system of government pending a final decision on federal supremacy, due vessels carrying Alaska oil prior thought tothe plight of said. “I put it out in black | Dri ti A8 oe Ces ear ena a et works because when he was e constitutional challenge. process and commerce meet almost all of the francophone public ser- and white. heeding toward E e No! antic on Saturday, given a chance to testify on Without court - clauses of the U.S. Con- requirements” of the acts vants” being transferred to _In his report, Bennett at- & toward Europe. own behalf he was able stitution. and regulations in question. Charlottetown from Ottawa. tacked the post-1972 BCR to clear his name. the key to licking inflation By ALEX BINKLEY of a council report on actions needed changed, the report says. council committee that prepared the selective growth, There are all sorts and also the need for public transit OTTAWA (CP) — Canadian work to move Canada into conserver Ran Ide, one of the report’s report, said adopting a’ con- of opportunities which we have to have excess equipment to handle practices and. lifestyles have to practices. authors, said a heavy price tag could servationist lifes yle “isn't a outlined in the report." peak periods, the report said. — change to make better use of natural - “I would deplore any implication be attached to undue delay in sacrifice but an act of sanity.” The report calls on government to -More funds should be directed into protect the en- that whatis proposedisanincrease © changing economic habits. Switching to a conserver society research and development of resources and to remove legislative roadblocks to ‘vironment, but that does not mean in Canadian bureaucracies," he However, he said he feared | would help break the twin economic energy saving, such as insurance alternate energy sources and that government bureaucracies said. “We have enough of that Canada will be slow In changing nightmares of unemployment and policies which hinder wad of car. pment. ' havetogrow, Joesf Kates, chairman _ already.” “while therest of the world becomes ation which are gripping Western pools for commuters. Homeowners ome insulation programs need to -of the Increasingly costly and dwindling countries, she said. who want to use solar-heating be promoted, the report said, noting ence Council of Canada, _ Said Wednesday. “A conserver society can lean as ~~ much on individual initiative as does the consumer society,” Kates said at a news conference for the unveiling tha if 70 per cent of ‘anadian homes are insulated during the next 12 yoars, the energy equivalent of 40 million barrels of oil can be saved annually. more sophisticated about the inter- relationship of resources, energy and human needs. If we neglect forces now in action in the world, our competitive position will worsen.” Ursula Franklin, chairman of the equipment need to have their access to sunlight protected by law from ise buildings. moting staggered work hours hours in cities Ide said many people fear a conserver society would mean a no- growth economy. ’ “We're really not in favor of no- growth but we are in favor of natural resources plus serious concern about the environment should tell the public and govern- ments that the wasteful ways of a consumer society. should be would reduce