' Page 2, Tie Herald, Tuesday, April 7, 1984 - ‘Tallyheral Gas wars day st 3010 Katum Street, wea ae nf Shezling Publishers Lira, Authorized #4 scond clase mall, Registration Number 1791. Potrppe paid In cxth, return postage quariniend Terraca: Clreutation: 4354557 435-4000 Publisher - David Hamilton’ - Editor: Advertising Sales: BrlanGregg Nick Walton ~ ‘Statt Writers- Photographer Sports: Ralph Reschke 7 _ Holly Olsen * Ruception-Classifled: Circulation: Claire Wadley , Sue Bootan WOTICE OF COPYRIOHT ‘The Heradd ratalrs full, complate and sole copyright in afy advertisement The Terrace-Kitimat ‘nme ‘Herald Newtpaper is Bollticelly independent and a member of the British Columbia Preas Council. eR zi > Letters to the Editor |. To the Editor, I would like to add some new information which should clear up comflicting statements from Bill Homburg and Larry Joseph as to whether or not Cardinal Carter of . Toronto endorses the Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace. In August 1983, Cardinal'Carter ’ published an important Pastoral Letter, from which the following excerpls do indeed show that he supports Development and Peace: “My purpose at this juncture is to commend and encourage the work of the Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace (CCODP) in this Ar- | chdiocese. The basic thrust of CCODP, for brevity called Development and Peace, is not, opinion to the contrary not- withstanding, to raise funds for the dispossessed of the Third World however laudable that may be.. Its . first purpose is the arousing of the consciences of our Catholic people te their responsibilities in regard to the whole realm of social justice, specifically to the inequalities in the distribution of the goods of this earth. With this in mind we have put great emphasis upon the for- mation of study and action groups under the aegis of Development and Peace.” To the Editor, The recent events of Expo 86 and Bill Bennett’s negotiations with the Building Trades seem familiar. At first there is an appearance of negotiation, with each side stating its case. And then if the teachers, government workers, school boards, municipalities, pulp workers, legal aid, building trades or whoever doesn’t agree with Bill Bennett's position, he makes new laws ta enforce his position. Is this cooperation? I guess Bill Bennett never had the chance to watch Sesame Street, “Oh, but,” you reply, ‘‘that's because . many. of these people belong to unions, and they are trouble makers.” Unions are simply democratic ; organizations formed by working people to defend their rights and present their concerns. My question is who presents the non-union workers concern? ~ “Bill Bennett for one” you say, “yea T heard him on'T.V. He was talking about the new “realty” you know selling property! He said union or non-union, we would have’ equal opportunity.” Wouldn't it be wonderful if Bill Bennett would defend the rights of working people especially unemployed working people. However in the recent negotiations, Roy Gauthier on behalf of 17 Building Trade union offered; (A) no atrike at Expo, even though the 17 contracts end April 30 1984. Roy Gauthler also offered (B) that 17 unions would work with non-union on the same worksite, which is ‘amajor change in position. In return Roy Gauthier asked that non-union workers be paid union rates. Bill Bennett missed a grand opportunity to have peace and at the same time enhance the wages and working conditlons of non- union workers and their families, Perhaps Bill Bennett would only like to defend the non-union rights’ to: non representation, non medical, non pension, lower wages and working conditions, and poor safety? The tax payer can pay the difference in medical and pension ete. in the long run. Could it be that Bill Bennett Is really representing the developers, contractors and friends of his new realty? They bid jobs for 2 per cent below union contractors, using . wage rates down to 60 per cent of union rate. Then they pocket the difference and drive off into the sunset in thelr Jaguars and Mercedes with the unions and non- unions livelyhood In the trunk. D.A. Foster OTTAWA (CP) - _ Three months of creeping inflation has heen, halted, at least tetiporarily. Stable oll prices and gasoline price wars are credited with helping push the annual inflation: rate to 4.7 per cent, down from 5.5 per cent in February. That's the lowest level since November when inflation was at an li-year low of 4.2 per cent, Statistics Canada said today. Further, the 0.2-per-cent in- crease in retall prices during the month was also the smallest in- crease since November when there was no increase. — The figures offer a - welcome respite for Finance Minister Mare Lalonde, who has recently been battered by news of- rising’ Unemployment, a sagging dollar and higher Interest rates. Opposition party spokesmen also welcomed the slowdown In in- flation. But Chris Speyer, the Progressive Conservative cori- sumer affairs critic, warned the figures are misleading. It’s a snapshot comparison of rising energy prices a year ago and a period of stable energy. prices . this year, the Cambridge MP said in a news release. Manufacturing sector: ft expand TORONTO (CP) — Canadians might just have to accept a lower Standard of living and high. wmemployment in the years ahead if the country’s manufacturing sector isn’t expanded, Donald Macdonald said Monday after releasing his interim report on the economy. Although the report supports the goal. of full employment, the chairman of the royal commission on the economy told a news con-— ference he is “not at all confident" enough jobs can be created within 10 or 15 years to end Canada's high unemployment, . Macdonald conceded that little in the report is new, a statement heartily endorsed by political and business critics, one of whom called it a “bucket of mush.”’ “The message .that came through very clearly is that what has worked very well for Canada over the last 35 years is not going to work so well in the future,” said - . Macdonald. a mee Taka gor hy ‘CAMPERVILLE, Man. (CP) — Taking a page ‘trom western history, this prairie community now calls itself ‘the first modern- day Metis government in Canada.” Mayor Ferdinand Guiboche said Monday this hunting and fishing ‘community of about 350 people has set up its own kind of self- government. “We're probably going to make some rules and Jaws that are in- consistent ‘ with federal and provincial laws. It probably makes the federal and provincial governments unhappy, but that’s their problem. “We're prepared to go to jail if necessary.’ In another interview, however, he said the new government will strive -to follow- federal and provincial laws. Guiboche said he expects. other Metis . communities to - follow Camperville's example. He noted next year is the 100th anniversary of the death of Louis Riel, the 19th century Metis rebel who was tried for treason and executed In. there would be no discrimination ‘Regina: Manitoba Premier Howard Pawley refused comment, saying he didn’t know the situation. Suiboche sald the Camperville WASHINGTON (AP) —The U.S, government is spending $130 million and using Its space shuttle to see once and for all if Albert Einstein was right when he said gravity can bend time in space. The experiment, conducted by Stanford Univérslty. researchers, may solve some of the mysteries of A more: -peallatie’ eveluatiod’ of ‘inflation will be possible: when figures for April ond May are released, he said. Then the effects of the falling dollar, rising mor-. tdage interest rates and the'con- tinuing rise in the underlying rate of inflation will be seen, 9..." Nelson Hiis, the New Democratic” Party Inance critic, was more optimistic, expressing. hope that the figures indleate a .Platea for inflation. . .” The Kamloops-Shuswap MP sald the news should allow the govern- ~ ment to-pay attention to ‘other matters such as those raised by the © ‘Macdonald: commission ‘interim | report into the economyWwhich was” released Monday. . "The commission warned, 6 among other things, that what emerged © . out of a year-long. series of public hearings and study of the economy _ is the question of “whether greater ‘ damage was done by inflation or by the means employed to combat it: ; « We found far. . greater concern | with the cure “than. with . the. disease.” : The.commission said part of that cure is the more than 1.5 Tailllion people who are unemployed... Latonde, Speyer noted, | “wan. “thank a sharp'rise a year ago a nol ° ‘prices which have since remained stabled for the slowdown in in- flation. The Statistics Canada report is a” certain: beef : cuts,’ milk, bread,: - welcome respite’ for. Finance. - “ Miniater.Mare Lalonde, who has recently been battered byt pews: of. ‘rising unemployment, a ‘sagging dollar and higher: interest rates. In. part the minister can thank | the slowdown in the‘inflation rate toa sharp rise a year earlier in ofl. prices which have’ since ‘remained - stable. a ' That year-to-year: piqueeze on oll prices is a reflection: of * ‘federal. provincial -agreement on. the -Pelationahip y between domestic and... world oll prices; | Statistics Canada’ . * Meanviile,” ‘tower “ignaoline’. prices, résulting from price ward’ in. some’ New... Brunswick..‘and=‘oe Ontario cities, virtually’ offaet thes" ef impact of all jncreasés in non-food prices, the agency. ‘said:. : Pushing: up food ‘coats were. " pigher fresh vegetable prices- and. the ending of promotions on certain ‘ food jtems in several Ontario and " Quebec elties, : “Fresh vegetable prices rose, on average, 3.7 per cent in the. latest tt ‘Interim: report says “If we're going to want to have - that kind of growth we've become used to, there are going to have:to ve be substantial adjustments. He said one of the “myths. and : cliches about the Canadian economy”. his commission heard was that natural resources, such ag timber and minerals, are. inexhaustible, Macdonald said “ “unless . Canadians end their dependence on exports of natural resources, get into new areas of manufacturing | and try to reach broader markets, they will have to put up with being poorer. ; The commission headed by the former Liberal finance minister has spent 17 months and $10 million of its $22-million budget crisscrossing the -country and sounding out opinions on Canada’ 's economic direction. And although its interim report, ; says full employment Must remain; the .government’s ~ fundamental ¢ objective, it, makes no specific, < cttert Tradebrsabeiney thd ite. ~ Metis community has own government Metis Government created itself April 9 and has named five cabinet . ministers” — he is minister of justice, It is designing a flag and — formulating a logo, About 95 per _ cent of the people in Camperville are Metis — people of mixed | Indian-white ancestry. SEEKING AID |_| Camperville is ‘administered by | the Manitoba Department of Northern Affairs. But Guiboche { said, “That department, should be scrapped.” He said the community will write to the federal and Manitoba governments, asking for financial aid and status equal to that ofa provincial government. ' Guibeche said the community, on the shore of Lake Winnipegosis about 325 kilometres northwest of - Winnipeg, ‘isn't breaking away from Canada. “We are not saying we want to be a sovereign nation. ‘ “We view our government :as something. between a municipal government and a provincial government, only with much wider powers than a municipal govern- ment.” Guiboche said the Metis’ main sim is “management of natural the universe and eventually take scientists e step closer to building a spaceship that can travel close to the speed of light. If such speeds are possible, astronauts some day may be able to visit other solar systems and return in thelr Ilfeilme while hundreds of years pass on Earth. % recommendations on how to lower ‘thk jobless rate or keep inflation and interest rates at manageable. levels. _. John Bulloch, president of the Canadian . Federation of Independent Business, said he could have written the same report . - by compiling’ a year’s, coplea of ~” financlal newspapers. » The report takes no stand on the - great economic issues od the. day. ’ Instead, it sets out about. 60 “challenges and choices” for Canada in areas ranging from job creation and industrial and trade ’ policy to education, social policy, government relations and electoral : Teform. ; They include: — Expanding the economy while ‘limiting inflation. — Controlling wages and prices. — Providing greater protection for domestic industries. -~ Encouraging rapid adoption of new technologles. . — Placing areater emphasia on _ resources and control of decisions Site ee fishing, hunting and e_ conservation. ° ” He said the new governing body ~ claims jurisdiction over a I surrounding territory ‘of. about 150° ; Square kilometres. He said a letter _ outlining the community's action is ' being sent to, Prime Minister Trudeau and Pawley. ° : | “The reason we did this is we { don’t feel that there is a collective will between the Canadian and ‘ provincial government, to set up i the aboriginal governments. that ithe Metis have been asking for. H -| “In our case, we've been asking for self-government on a land base.” The. newly proclaimed govern: ment's 20-member administrative council appointed its five-member -tabinet to look into sétting laws -and policies on such matters as education, sdcial services and ‘natural resources. It has already ‘established a policy of official bilingualism. "“L suppose you could call it a challenge to the governments of “Manitoba and Canada,” Guiboche said, “Hopefully, they will respond with some meaningful dialogue. H ‘they don’t, then we'll have to take “y consider thia the most challe test we'll undertake in this millennium,” said Prof, Frank McDonald, chief scientist for the National Aeronautics. and Space Administration. “For the first time, NASA will have gone out to check-one of the fundamental foreés in nature,” No mandatory vehicle testing VICTORIA (CP} — The British Columbla government will not relmpose mandatory testing . of private automobiles, | Tran- sportation Minister Alex Fraser said Monday. And the government has no in- tention of forcing children under aix to wear seat belts, he added. The. Motor Vehicle. Amendment Act, part of last summer's restraint package, eliminated government inspections of all vehicles in Greater Vancouver, Victoria and Nanaimo, though buses, taxis and heavy commercial vehicles must still be tested, When the government-run In- apection stations were scrapped, Fraser indicated that later legislation would require in- spections by private garages — possibly with fees up to $50, However, he sald Monday, “We're not going to the private sector, and we're not bringing back inspections for the private motor vehicle.” The minister said twice-a-year inspections of school buses continue, and “we're catching all the commercial traffic as much as we can. through roadblocks.” “We will have four or five total roadblocks per year, and I feel | we're a little stronger on that side now than we were before,” he said in an interview, On the Issue of sent belts, use of which Is mandatory for everyone older than six, .‘‘We think that for children under six the parents have | the responsibility there and they can control that,” Fraser said during taping of " the TV public affairs program For the Record, to be broadcast Sunday, “tthe B.C, Medical Association will hasbeen conducting a campalgn to have the beat at belt leglelation apply to all. “Medical 1 experts aay 91 per cent of children's road fatallties and 78 per cent of Injuries ‘could be eliminated by the use of child restraint devices. "month and were up 46.1 per cent over” “1983, reflecting the impact of weather conditions on ‘the. 1983 and early 1984 crops. . “Increased prices were noted for ‘eggs, Sugar and-for soft drinks, ‘primarily attributable to the en- ding of specigis which were in effect { February in certain cities. . “Price increases were also noted for processed dairy . products, largely’. “attributable Janauray increase in the federally “dustrial “Dampening the impact of these price’ increases were lower, prices for chicken, ce 8S Slightly . ‘higher * prices were noted . for. household furnishings Lh and: ie ecaipaient, paper products, "women’s ” ‘and men’s sain Rens. ‘and, ‘tor’ package ° , holiday * lida te press rose in Quebed a i Onitarig,? r while . cigarette pi Tose in. Saskatchewan and: Britis ‘Colimbla.’? °°. oh tt , Statistics‘, Canada’ | consumer “pile j index is based on a monthly survey of price changes ina fixed Abopping: ‘List af t hundreds of, ‘con: . ‘basle ‘education. ; . And instituting: proportional representation in elections * -and | reforming the Senate. REPORT NEXT YEAR A full report, including recommendations on™ social: and - economic policies, Is expected riext year... ; ; ‘Conservative “Industry. Critic Michael: Wilson’.called the. report ' “thin” and said that after more thana year Canadians have a right to expect more than a number of questions. . “We could have told them what the questions were." _ New Democrat House Leader Ian Deans said the commission: should either be shut down im- mediately or told to get cracking ~. with a plan for action. However, spokesmen for the Canadian Chamber of Commerce and the Business Council on National Issues, a group of top executives, had kinder words for the commission. © * ‘.. measures . to ‘bring them to a negotiating table.” He sald ‘if Ottawa and the province don't respond, the Metis - may launch a constitutional challenge to both governments based on sections of the Manitoba Act of 1870. ‘The Metis - may , challenge : changes to sections 31 and 32 of the original act-that relate to them, said Guiboche, mayor for the last four years.” Unlike Indians who come under Ottawa's jurisdiction, the Metis in Manitoba are under the provinelal government, which provides funds for community and social services. Camperville is run by a colncil ‘that must seek approval from the Department . Northern . Affairs: before going ahead with local projects. . Guiboche said that system‘ will remain largely intact, with the'new government existing side by side with the present community council, Guiboche, ‘who has "also been head of @ seven-member com- munity advisory council, sald the Metis have felt they have little control over the fate of their . community, Space shuttle tests.Einstein’s theory McDonald said; “And regardless of the outcome, the teat will have . enormous for technology. " ‘The project, b whlch the NASA . applications budget has supported for the last 20. years, ia called Gravity Probe B. It is scheduled to be conducted in an orbiting satellite in 1990, by a 1988 test in the apace S ohuttle, CURVES FIELD Actually, the experiment ' will teat only a single part of Einstein's general - theory called grdvitomagnetism, That. -part of the theory predicts that masses, .. like the Earth, generate a. field of gravity that distorts, or “curves,” . the field of gravity aboard an or. biting space vehicle, | If gravitomagnetlam |p proven, then scientists will have some ‘evidence that gravity can make Hime pass at different speeds in space, relative to Earth, “To check gravitomagnetism, we've built apecial gyroscopes that work with spinning quariz balls that are believed to ba the roundest objects ever ‘made on Earth,” Stanford physicist Francis Everitt said in an interview. -to the regulated ‘produce: price for in- ° ‘milk, ‘ pork cuts and ° ‘for. fresh “tga te agency sald. average increase In Ottawa-prices? preceded, néraber. seata, ig ito wait and cigarettes to bene heating and _ sumer items: ranging me ‘index ‘is based on'100 points a being equal’ to the average price ;* peices ‘tems in 1981. In March : _ the index was 121.2, up | from 120.9: ‘in February.’ and 158: in “March 1983. : This means that the same gotds - and services which cost $100 in 1281. - would have cost $121.20 last month, . $120.00,in February and $115.60 in: March 1983. . ‘ on f ab “DOLLAR SHRINKS Pat another way, the purchasing | power of; the’ consumer 7 frank to 82.5 cents- last’ ‘month *: irom (82.7 cots in on — ts ~ three-month eeried. By -that :meadure, ‘called ihe=' “current annual rate of ch . the inflation rate was'49 per ¢ _, However,: - Statistics - at “argues” the“" figure. “iss. ys - gpeculatve use conditions affecting the consumer price index: “are subject to - significant: Al tuations. A breakdown by city shows thal "prices showed no overall change in, ’ St. John's, Nild, and Calgary: ‘Dut: . rose by 0.8 ‘per cent in: Ottawa: - Price changes In other cities werd “ somewhere In between. ~ 9°07 's% The higher than. national’ 3 was due primarily to the end oft specials which had pushed , food | : prices down in February... -° Lower electricity charges in’ Bi John's and a decline in ‘shelter - costs in Calgary helped dampen, price increases in those cities. ° “é The following table compares the’ annual inflation rate in March With" the February rate. (in brackets): — St. John’s, Néfld., 4.5, (5.6):° * Charlottetown Summerside, 47 (6.2). i — Halifax, 4.3 (5.3). . ; — Saint John, NB.67 (7.8). — Quebec, 4.4 (5.2), — Montreal, 4.9 (5.6). . — Ottawa, 5.6 (6.1). — Toronto, 4.8 (5.6). - = Thunder Bay, Ont., 4.6 (5.8), — Winnipeg, 3,9 (4.8). oa — Regina, 4.9 (5.5). ye — Saskatoon, 4.8 (5.4). — Edmonton, 3.5 (4.0), - Calgary, 2.7 (3,4). _ = Vancouver, 4.4 (4.8). Lae REPORT | by FRANK HOWARD Skeena MLA tog. oo Ryne The Social Credit government is . once again playing the old game of. moving the goalposts. Proposed‘ changes to the provincial electoral -, system introduced last week will” have the effect of reinforcing the bias which exists in the current distribution of seats in the’ Legislature. ’ ‘The Bill does have the merit of ° creating a permanent and. im- partial Electoral Commission, as | exists in most modern political + jurisdictions. This is long overdue — and, if properly done, would take ‘ the important issue of represen- - tation out of the political arena. The problem is that the current — distribution is based on the now - infamous Eckhardt Report of 1978 ° which wiped out three NDP seats | and introduced some highly - questionable boundaries between . constituencies, such as “‘Gracie’s . — finger”’ in Vancouver-Liltle Mountain, Before the last. “dlection; ‘the | government introduced the Warren Report which, ina series of | startling recommendations, ; proposed adding new members to - thinly populated (but Socred) seats such as North Peace, The . resulting outery prevented im- plementation. : * The new Bill puts forward a ; formula for adding new members « to existing seata where justified by ° an increase in population to a level of 60 per cent above a base figure.’ The formula -does not give a fair * recognition to the position of rural - and isolated seats, . . . Under the new formula, ning fs existing: single member con-, . stituencies -- mainly in the Lower | Mainland and Okanagan - wilh :. * become.double member seats, and’: . the double member seat of ‘Surrey! “WIL be“ divided dnto three single. ‘There'is @atrong: bias in fi of utban areal ro be bias avs compounded by the addition of nevi : MLAs. _ As an exainple, the”, population base for the formula ‘is - derived solely from the five ridings in the on of Vancouver, ..° 'e need a thorou im tial: and . independent ach i 7 the current distribution of seats in the . Legislature, anda re-éxamination. of questionable boundaries. ‘The : hew Electoral Commission would | be an appropriate agency to carry ; out this work, but has not been given the authority, :