PAGE 4, THE HERALD, Wednesday, October 5, 1977 —(the herald) Published by Sterling Publishers General Olfice - 635-6357 Circulation (Terrace) - 635-6357 (Kitimat) - 632-6207 PUBLISHER... W.R. (BILL) LOISELLE MANAGING EDITOR... STU DUCKLOW Published every weekday at 9212 Kalum St. Terrace 8.C. A member of Varifled Circulation. Authorized +s second class mall. Registration number 1201. Postage pal. «cash, return postage guaranteed. NOTE GF COPYRIGHT The Herald retains full,complate and sole copyright In any advertisemant praduced and-or any: editorial or photographic content published In the Herald. Reproduction Is not permitted without the written permission of the Publisher. ed . Perm \ Interpreting The News Inducing optimism without inflation LONDON (CP) — Britain’s governing Labor party is in the delicate position of trying to convince the public that prosperity is just around the corner—without overselling the message. The problem is that an election is certain within two ears, and possibly much sooner, and Labor wants to go into it as the party which brought back good times. However, Labor strategists are fearful that if the ex- pectations are overstated, it will touch off a wage-price spiral that might turn the British economy back into heavy recession. The situation has given rise to expressions of widest optimism, tempered with warnings that caution still is necessary. WEALTH EMERGING The optimism comes from Prime Minister James Callag- han, who spelled out a glittering prospect of two decades of unsurpassed prosperity from North Sea oil in his keynote speech to the party’s annual conference. Denis Healey, chancellor of the exchequer, told the same conference, however, that the time is not yet ripe to throw off restraint. Hold down wage demands, he said, and there would be two packages of economic concessions within the year. He didn’t say what form these would take, but experts believe ‘they would be in the area of indirect taxes. Even Callaghan admitted that the North Sea bonanza would not solve Britain's basic problems and said it would be wasted unless adequate provision is made for industrial investment and the search for alternative energy supplies. PROBLEM RESTATED Anthony Wedgwood Benn, energy secretary and a spokesman for Labor’s left wing, pinpointed one aspect of his party’s dilemma. If the chancellor reflates the economy, he said, it might bring down unemployment but it would threw the country’s balance of payments into deficit and investors would lose confidence. If the chancellor holds down public spending to create financial security and production falls, however, there would be a rise in unemployment because investment would cease. It was a dilemma which could not be solved in a society where policy was shaped by “market forces, the monopoly of the banks and by big business monopolies." He said the only way out of the situation was for Labor to win an over-all majority in Parliament, enabling it to im- plement left-wing policies to change the basic structure. Today in history Oct. 5, 1917 the Holland Marsh flooded Hurricane Hazel began a 13-day rampage up the eastern coast of North America 23 years ago today—in 1954. Hazel arrived in Toronto, causing ‘many deaths and millions of dollars worth of damage in the western suburbs of ‘Weston, Etobicoke and ‘Woodbridge, Ont. An entire trailer camp was ‘swept away as the Humber River overflowed and the area north of Toronto known as when the Lake Simcoe dikes gave way. 1762—The British took Manila, Phillipines. 1813—Tecumseh, Shawnee Indian Chief, was killed battling the British in the War of 1812. 1879—The first Salvation Army meeting in the United States was held in Philadelphia. 1908—Joshua Logan, American film-maker, was born. HERMAN (ut, My wife wants to read for a while so | thought I'd watch you guys.” C1977 Yrssetsedd Prey Syedeate TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Pi- geons warble and wobble and walk strangly when they're about to eat, but it’s not because they’re stupid, says psychologist Peter Killeen. Killeen, director of graduate studies in physiological psychology at Arizona State University, is using a $50,000 National Science Foundation grant to show that pigeons aren't acting out of ignorant superstition. They’r playing the long shot. When a pigeon repeats any activity that was sometimes followed by food, the behavior is called superstitious, Killeen ex. -. plained. The pigeon may pace and stare before pecking or turn in circles and peck several] times ata nail, for example. It makes as much sense as a person knocking on wood to forestall bad luck or They sure act weird ‘Birds can be superstitious too scratching his head for inspiration. But it’s not stupid, says Killeen. "I call it ‘why-not’ behavior—playing the long shot when there’s nothing to lose.” To demonstrate that pigeons can play the long shot as wel] as humans, Killeen rigged a box with a computerized set of lights and a feeding device. PECKED AT LIGHTS Elaine, one of Killeen's pi- geons, stepped into the box and began king at a white light flanked by red and green lights, After a few pecks, the white light went off and Elaine pecked the red light, signifying ‘I did i ! ‘Indeed, the pigeon, not the computer, turned off the. light,. and Elaine was rewarded with a shot of grain. After a few seconds, the grain hopper snapped shut and the white light went out BALBOA, Panama Canal Zone (AP) Edward Powell, 91, says digging the Panama Canal was ‘very, very hard work.” “We had malaria and we worked night and day some- times.” Powell is one of 665 living West Indian migrants who came to Panama between 1904 and 1914 to work on construction gangs building the waterway across the 40-. mile-wide isthmus. “Sure, I built the canal,” Powell said. “I used a shovel and I did everything. Most times I would come home and sleep for only an hour, It was very, very hard work we did, but I can’t complain. “Thad many friends who died and God has spared my life. God has extended his Butter in’ eggs can be found in the most unlikely places while she was looking at it but not pecking. Elaine pecked the green light for ‘'I didn’t do it” and got another shot of grain. The - kicker came when Killeen programmed more grain for ‘I did it” responses ‘than ‘I didn’t do it’ responses. Elaine ked away at the white ight and it went out, but the timing was too close and she couldn’t tell whether she did it or not. PLAYED LONG SHOT So she played the long shot, pecking the “I did it” light. She might be wrong and get no grain at all, but if she was right, the payoff was bigger than for hitting the “I didn’t do it" light correctly. Killeen has the graphs to show that the pigeons always discern well whether they shut. off the white light or not, but when in doubt, they lean toward the response that offers the greater payoff. Canal-builder remembers: Hard work and malaria all the time hand over me and [ am ateful to Him for what He s done.” . Powell, supported by a cane and dressed in a decades-old Panama suit and safari hat, made the comments in an interviéw after a ceremony in Balboa honoring the surviving con- struction workers. Some 300 workers attended. MARKED ANNIVERSARY The ceremony marked the 63rd anniversary of the waterway and saluted the workers, ranging in age from 930 103, as “recognized cana) diggers.” Powell said he came to Panama from Jamaica with his father and an uncle in 1905 after an. earthquake caused widespread damage in his homeland. Albert Thomas, 82, who came from Jamaica, worked first as a messenger in Gorgas Hospital among thousands of canal workers sick with malaria and yel- low fever. “Tt was terrible,” Thomas said. “‘But this ismy home. I don’t know anything else. And I like it. Eliseo Cortes, 102, brought a canal pin with him to the ceremony and kept taking it out of his pocket to show those seated near him. ~ J] don’t remember exactly what I did,” Cortes said. “I handed out tickets, and locked up tools. I came from Costa Rica.” BUILT RAIL LINE William Cochran, who said he turned 81 “the fifth of January gone,’’ came to Panama from Barbados. Business spotlight “It's better thought of as performance biased: by the payoff,” he said. ‘It seems to be the same in humans and pigeons.” _Qver-all, the pigeons are right in their responses 90 per cent of the time, Killeen said. College students score about 60 per cent the first time they try the same kind of test, but soon do better than pigeons. However, students aren't motivated by grain and become bored with scoring prints. So Killeen said he plans to start paying, say, a nickel for response. “That's $2 a half-hour session, something meaningful to a college student. That’s a six-pack of beer.” Even pigeons know “you've got.to pay attention to the payoffs, or you're oing to be right but ungry,”’ Killeen said. each right- ‘to renew the lease, there is >, eau wat “T helped put water in the canal, and later I warked on the track line moving the rail for the steam shovels. By the time I retired in 1953, I had moved up to being a chauffeur driving VIP cars for the Panama canal company.” ike others interviewed, Cochran said he didn’t like thinking about the hew Panama caral treaty, which would turn the waterway over to Panama by the end of this century. . The treaty must be ap- proved by a plebiscite in Panama and ratified by the U.S. Senate before becoming effective. “I’m not too happy about it, but it’s no use worryin now,”’ Cochrane said. “Anyway, I don’t have any job to lose by it.” Energy fund provides water for farms LETHBRIDGE (CP) — Big changes are under way for the 6,000 irrigation farmers and 13 irrigation districts in southern Alberta. Money started coming a year ago from the Alberta Heritage Savings Trust Fund, built up with the province’s energy bonanza, to improve and modernize irrigation facilities, some of them more than 60 years old, and to replace wooden structures with concrete. The irrigation districts were given $5 million in 1976 on a cost-sharing basis, distributed according to need, acreage irrigated and nature and size of facilities’ : says Jay Purnell, director of irrigation of the agriculture department nother $9 million was to be distributed in the current fiscal year ending next March 31. In total, $90 million ofthe $200 million set aside in the fund's irrigation kitty is to be spent over a 10-year period ending in fiscal 1985, or rehabilitating southern Alberta's irrigation systems. SECURE SUPPLY The other $110 million is to be managed by the Alberta environment department to secure water supply and repair, operate and maintain irrigation head- works, Purnell said. Securing water supply may include a new dam on the Oldman River—a controversial proposal in southern Alberta, in view of opposition raised over the overnment decision tc wild a Red Deer River dam against the recom- mendation of its own en- vironment authority. Purnell said the $90 million to be distributed to conservatior the irrigation districts is about half the estimated need to improve the irri- gation systems. He said irrigation farmers are moving toward more el- ficient, mechanized sprinkler systems due to fficulties in securing farm help. About 80 per cent of southern Alberta irrigation farmers already use the modern systems. The other 70 per cent of the 800,000 acres in the irrigation districts are irrigated by traditiona] and labor-intensive method: such as furrows, corruga- tions, boarder dikes and boarder ditches. DUES ASSESS= The 6,000 irrigation far- mers are assessed annual dues for the services provided, based on the acreage under irrigation. The farmers pay between $3 and $6.50 an acre annually, depending on their districts and irrigation ., requirements. Crop _— production = in irrigation districts is generally three to six times igher than on dry land. Southern Alberta irrigation farmers also produce spe- cialty crops such as onions, sugar beets and potatoes. Murray McLelland, Leth- bridgedistrict agriculturalist, says Slightly above-average yields from irrigated vegetables anc specialty crops are expected in southern Alberta this year. But the situation is poor with drought-stricken dry land crops and helow- average yields are ex- pected. ‘The only thing we were short of this year was water,” McLelland said, as there has been plenty of sunshine.’ VOICE OF READERS Credibility drops — after daycare story ' [regret toinform you that this statement. “This is not your credibility as a news to say we will negate our medium has greatly fallen affiliation with you if you in our extimation. On can not locate other Friday of last week your facilities.” That is not aper carried these eviction either. It’s hardly headlines: even termination. It ap- Church evicts daycare pears that you are reporting ' i the news with a facttonal eatefollowing newest, bias. Therefore your 7 credibility must suffer. I Matthew's Church woult tee regret this loss af credibility ' because Terrace needs a Society's Pate, end of ttustworthy newspaper, ember. Non-renewal is Now all reports in your hardly eviction. The bulk of ditions must be examined the article was devoted to carefully. Your reporting is the fears of staff if alternate Suspect. premises were not found. A newspaper should report all the facts not just Your reporter did not dig those which further its ends. far enough. In the letter Rev. Lance Stephens declaring our intention not Rector of St. Matthew’s Terrace. | Ottawa Offbeat - Looking for Anglo leader BY RICHARD JACKSON Ottawa-With Prime Minister Trudea said by his intimates tobe planninng retirement after a decent interval following next Spring's expected election, the Liberals are full of lamentations that there is no English candidate-successor in sight. aig the Liberals have a tradtition other than their well- based conviction that federal power is theirs almost by divine right, ir is that the party leadership shall rotate from French to English and English to French in turn and order. So there must be a strong English lNeutenant waiting in the wings to take the centre of the Liberal stage when Trudean bows off. But there isn’t. John Turner, long the Crown Prince to the Imperial Emperor, has gone and his memory and his once- considerable paryt following slowly fading beyond reasonable recall. And gone, not just from Cabinet and the position he inherited from John Turner as the party strongman in Ontario and Trudea’s replacement but going from Parliament itself, former Finacne Minister Donald Mac- donald leaves a future Liberal leadership vacuum. None of the other English-speaking members of the Trudeau cabinet have waht Macdonald confessed he was lacking the “Royal Jelly”, ashe phrased it, that s the touch of political magic, mystique, charisma or whatever it is that makes a leader and a Prime Minister. ies There are two reasons for the-lack of English candidates ‘ to take over the power from the Prime Minister. The first is the most obvious: not far short of one half the Mmebhers elected by the Liberals in the last campaign were from Wuebec. Tobe exact, 60 came from Quebec, 71 from the rest of the couthry, and even a few of these from Estern Ontario, New Brunswick, and the West were French rather than English - Canadians. So there simply isn't the English manpower among the Liberal parliamentarians to churn up another leader afer the departure ot two of the more ‘possibles” Turner and Macdonald. Deput Prime Minister MacEachen or Exteran] Affairs Minister Jamison might be long shots. Each has a measure of prestige that comes with ex- rience and a Senior Cabinel post, but neither has anything ke a national following,in Parliament, or out of it. Nor do any of the other English ministers. The second factor in the critical shortage of Liberal English leadership talent has been the Prime Minister's unwillingness to go out and recruit top-calibre new talent. . As he said,“I'm am not inclined to go outside the party to bring people in.” “Tam.told that the business world thinks it doesn’t have a real spokesman in the government ore ven inthe party it- self. Welllam not going to get one elected in order to say we have a spokesman for business. . “If business or any other group thinks it should be better represented, let it interet itself in politics and Jet it send in some people,”' The Prime MInister has made it sound as if there are only two kinds of Canadian: the professional politicians and all the rest of us. Perhaps that’s both arrogance and at the same time just the plain truth and the way itis. He’s telling all the criticial non-politicians that if they don’t likethe way things are going in Ottawa, then get into the action. ' ‘ ; _ But he's handing out no invitaitons, and so the Liberals inPrliament more and more have become a club, a sort of closed society. _ And as a result, fast running out of the precious ‘Royal Jelly” talene ssential to national leadership. Noisy playtime damages hearing LONDON (CP) -- Your leisure activities may be damaging your hearing, says the British Noise Advisory ouncil, a A warning about the dangers of noise accompanying leisure activities is contained in a leaflet issued by the | council, an official advisory body reporting to the depart- ment of the environment. . The leafiet, Hearing and Recreation, is not just an attack an discotheques but includes cautions about shooting, motor racing, do-it-yourself machine tools and even indoor swimming pools. Pop music involves a ‘‘smail but definite risk’ but so might listening to a large and powerful orchestra playin, Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture with cannon and mortar ef- fects, says the leaflet. The danger to hearing is related to the amount of exposure to excessive noise levels, The noise at a disco can peak at 120 decibels (a weighted noise level reading) equivalent to the sourd of a jet plane taking off, while average levels through an evening are frequently higher than 105 decibels or the noise level produced by road drills. Fifteen minutes at that level would potentially do as much damage as eight hours working subjected to 90 decibels. .