PAGE 2, THE HERALO, Tuesday, February 29, 1976

EDITORIAL: |

Who's the Criminal?

About two years ago I covered a rape trial in
Prince Rupert for a local radio station. The
alleged victim was a wheelchair case, — a young
girl in her twenties, suffering from a crippling
nervous disease, which left very little str in
her arms and legs. Her throat was also affected
making it difficult for her to speak and be heard.

Yet this girl had to travel the hundred miles to
Rupert from Terrace(by' bus) and wait, day
after day, — some times out in the corridor of the
courthouse to give evidence against the alleged
rapist, who sat silent in the more comfortable
looking prisoner's box. The alleged rapist never
once was called upon to answer questions or give
testimony or (as far as I can remember) even to
answer his name. ;

The alleged victim, however, was not only
called upon to answer the usual questions of
identification, and point her finger at the ac-
cused, but alse under strict questioning, describe
in the utmost detail, the act of rape itself, her
movements at the time and that of her alleged

attacker. This she had to do in the full presence |

of the court and in hearing of the jury and
members of the public. She had also to publicly
identify her clothing, underclothing and bed
sheets some of them having circles drawn on
them and holes cut in them.
RCMP members were called in, also, during
the trial, who gave evidence of having listened to

conversations up to 45 minutes during a phone |.

call alleged to have been made to the woman
some time after she had laid charges, in which
the accused had offered money for her to drop
the charges, and threatening to-take her life if
she did not. |

_. The trial lasted a full week, with the wheel-
chair alleged victim having to climb laboriously
up the many marble steps to wait, on a hard
bench in the courtroom corridor.

_ The jury — which consisted of seven or eight
women and five or six men, found the defendant
not guilty. -

Because the accused had been found not guilty,
the judge (and jury) were not allowed to learn
whether or not the accused had a record of
similar charges.

Immediately after the verdict of “‘not guilty,”
was brought down, I was describing the trial to'a
waitress friend in a nearby restaurant. To my
surprise she said she had undergone a similar
encounter — with a similar outcome which, she
said was why she had left her hometown and
moved to the Northwest. Before the day was out,
I had learned, first hand, of several other
“cases” or “alleged” rape. In none of them had a
male person been convicted. One girl had been
an hongurg .eradua’s. at a high school. In her
struggle to'escape after allegedly being attacked

while goirig Hititie,; by a fellow'student (who had

previously been expelled froin the school) her
jaw had been broken when, (her mother said)
the alleged assailant struck her with a rock. Her
cries of help had fortunately been heard by the
police who may have been instrumental in
saving her life. -

The “alleged’’ victims of ‘‘alleged” rape grew
in number that week as I began to make serious
enquiries among my small circle of friends. I
was amazed at the number of similar tales..In
none of the accounts was the “alleged” rapist
ever convicted. In a good percentage of the
cases, charges were never completed; charges
were dropped on the advice of friends, lawyers
and others who explained the humiliation
publicity, ridicule and suspicion the alleged
victim, would have to undergo if their case came

‘There were many, many aspects of the various
accounts that were heartrending, Few, if any,
had ever been told in public. The ‘‘rapes’’ were

‘shrouded in secrecy — as a result — the

“alleged”? rapists were left free to take ad-
vantage of the court processes whereby
the “mnocent” party appears in court of times
feeling that SHE is on trial; that SHE is the
guilty person; that she only got what she
deserved; that she had been “asking for it” — or
that she was taking part in a pornorgraphic
performance forthe purpose of erotic en-
tertainment of the members of the court, and all
who were in attendance.

Surely, our society is at fault when a situation
of this kind is allowed to continue and appears to
be the rule — rather than the exception. _

The crime associated with rape is one of the
most sinister of all. The actual rape itself is but
the beginning of the crime: An even

ter crime continues, it would seem in
which the public participates — even though
unintentionally — once the attacker has gone,
and the victim seeks the support and help from
her “friends”.

TERRACE

daily herald

General Office - 435-6357
_ Glreulation - 635-6357

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Sterling Publishers

PUBLISHER... Don Cromack
MANAGING EDITOR... Ernest Senior

Published every weekday a} 3212 Kalum St. Terrace,
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; Ottawa Offbeat

by Richard Jackson-

Ottawa — It's entirely in tune with official
Ottawa’s sense of humor that the tossing away of
$240 million isconsideredabitofajoke. .

That's what Max Yalden, the government's
new Commissioner of Official Languages — the
Big Bilingual Boss — has called the paying out of
$30 million a year to public servants who can
speak both languages. °

The “can speak” is important,

Important because they don’t have to
necessarily speak both languages but simply
have the bilingual ability.

to the taxpayer, that it must be funny,
What makes it real belly laugh is that it’s going

But it isn’t population that counts any more.
It’s representation m the House of Lommons,
where an ambitious, powerful and utterly united
minority. clique of Francophones continues -to
psyche out an intimidated. majority. of

lophones,

The political payout of it comes in Quebec
holding — far beyond its legitimate right —
almost a third of the total cabinet represen-
tation, oe

Not to lose heart though. _

For while Walter Baker and other pussy-
catting opposition parliamentarians. failed
miserably over the months to move the govern-
ment on the bilingual bonus steal, the ad-
ministration’s very own Language Com-
missioner seems to have shakenit,. =... ... .

‘Word now is that the government, again with
its hand over its heart in sword allegiance to'the
Holdy Grail of “restraint” ‘is © ga second
look at the bonus. a

There’s nothing quite like a kick in the pants
from one of its own mandarins to jolt a govern-
ment that makes.a sport of putting down a.
cream-pulf opposition. . _

The difficulty is that in this unreal world of
“Fat .City,’’.a mere $240 million means no more
to the sleek, well-groomed, well-fed, © well-

- Loyal Opposition than it does to their doubles on

- But Max Yalden is something else.:~ .

When the Language Commissioner says itis an
expensive joke — told at an annual $30-million for

eight years — nobody is laughing. =

‘Terrace

Job-Finder =
INSTRUCTORS, Open, #9.00- 12. a
br. (D.O.E.), in Terrace... _ OC ,
Required for instructing SAWFITTER, 1 vacancy, No-
vocational, for cert. I.W.A.
' Terrace. ;
‘Must be certified. -" ©
AUTO MECHANICS,
various openings, various
salaries, in Terrace.

’ Must be Journey person. |
WAITER-WAITRESS,
various openings, ‘various
wages in Terrace, =.
Should require Ex-
petlenced serving of liquor,
SPEECH THERAPIST;: 1°
opening,

business,
academic and general,
’ SENIORAR: ok
CHITECTURAL DRAFT-
SMAN, 1 vacancy, $8.00-
$1,500-mo. (D.0.E.), in
Terrace. Doe
Must be experianced.
Assisting in producting
agrehitectural working,»
drawings, assisting.. in
cification writing-general :
office work. oy

MANAGER BOOKSTORE; 1
yacancy, $5-§7 hr. (D.0.E),
in Terrace ° :

Must-be experienced, min.

rate, in

Completion of.Grad work

_ REGISTERED NURSE, 2
_ Vacancies; $7.00 per hr..in

surgical shift work, B-4; 12;

2 years should have some
budgeting, planning

=

in speech pathology
essential, Experience in
‘ educational environment an
aaset, ‘

PUBLISHER'S
_ ASSISTANT, 1 vacancy,
$4,00 (D.G.2 ).. in Terrace.

Must be fast, accurate
typist (60 w.p.m.) some
booking, reception work,
Phone. ;

COOKS, various positions,
$3.25-hr. Up, in Terrace.
- Speelality cooking. -

Terrace. oo
Required in medical-

Poa

Mons. Yalden termed it a “comedy of errors.” |
which means, at least to the bureaucracy if not |.

* better:elect
H

paid and pensioned members of Her Majesty’s
the other side of the parlimentary featherbed.

courses such ad crafts, ticket. $9.60 42 br to $9.80-2 -

$1450-1721 per
month, in Terrace. . a

| in December. All: jong. °

Chairman of B.C. Hydro. -
Robert Bonner

Dear Sir:

~

me

| the kaditor.

«and what your mailman‘ brings.”

_.“The time has come,”
othe Walrus said,
ue “Totalk of many things...

ots "of shoes and ships. =.
"and ‘sealing wax

84 ALMLADY?
SPuaT Mare ore
Beet

fails to realize that the Quebecois will be [gbo7 ui: ee ae
satisfied with nothing less than half. OO _
And 28 per cent is a very generous sharing,a = — ‘
_shade more than Quebec has coming onthe basis i ie tters to a
of population. oe toe Me .

‘In regard to your proposed Hydro increase due March 1,

To you who live in the south where the weather is much
warmer; also the capital of the province where decisions are
made, you must feet flattered with yourself as you have do
{tagain with no thought of us who live in the north.

During 1969 Hydro advertized Build Medallion Homes, live

ricall

“Hyato eatimbtet asiial cbt at that time $220.00, WA the

new Mereade.w
did for a yen.

will: pay reatly-€3 much'in two month+as.we
Olay over bill tor example: November 40:07
_ to January 20, 1978, consumption 6600 KW houra much lower

than most ofour neighbours. Some of them for the same time
period were over 10,000 KW hours. .

Our increase’ for. example:
; 6600

Service Charge -
3.0) ,

‘ iy :
149.50

10.45

_PS.T.7 per cent Tax fe

4

Total.

| 160.75.

3600 KW hours
Rate prior to March 1, 1078

4,00 re
AIB
4 ee

ot

192.60

:' | “Difference 32.85, increase 20,5 per cent. 61 dayd equal 54
cents ‘a day increase, aac al 5

Peoplelike you should be taken to Court for false advertizing
as stated in‘our paper January 31,1978, =. :

.” Most residential customers
? ‘

rates would increase two to

. Geven cents a day does the above come any where near your

_ Damn it man, use your head for some.thing besides a hat
yack and think of us uphere for a change. . _ 4

Yor

paired driving convictions
involving ‘Saskatchewan
teen-agers in 1977 were down
&7 per cent from 1976.
Gordon MacMurchy, min-
ister Jn charge’ ‘of the
province's highway. traffic’
board, said the improvement
was due to Increased em- |
phasis in dehool driving -
programs against the use of
aleohol, , ° 7
TRAFFIC DEATHS:
AVOIDED oe
SASKATOON (CP) — This .-
clty was among 36 Canadian
communities of more than.
40,-000 population that went:
through Safe Driving Week :
in 1977 without a traffic
death. Saskatoon — will
receive a. Canada ‘Safety
Council certificate.
- PROGRAM COMPLETED
WHITEHORSE, Y.T, (CP) .
— Canadian Natlonal Tele-. -
communications completed
a $6.6-millon..improvement
and expansion program here

distance calls originating ‘in
the Yukon now are handled
by an electronic switching
system that operates under -
computer control. = -
IMPROVEMENT -
DETECTED
EDMONTON (CP)' —.
porder-firm complaints

topped. all categories of
complaints

the end.
‘v marketed in 1977 were sold to
-- Ontario buvers.

to. Better —

Business Bureaus in Canada
in 1974. But. the Better
Business Bureau of Ed-
monton and Northern

‘Alberta reports an improve-

ment during the first nine

months of 1977, when mail-

‘order complaints ‘were sixth
on the list of top complaints.
FEWER SHEEP
MARKETED :
SASKATOON (CP) — The
Saskatchewan sheep and

' * wool marketing commission
‘marketed 17,680 sheep and

lambs out of eight essenbly
yards in the province during

1677, down 3,110 head or 16.68

per cent from the. previous
year, The commission ‘sald
0,820 head or 63 per cent of
‘sheep and. Jambs

AMATEUR FOOTBALL
LIKED.
EDMONTON (CP) — ‘The

‘Alberta. Amateur Football
Association says more than
, 10,000 persons

participated

in organized amateyr

football in ‘the province in’:

1976, including 4,000 at. the .

level. Flag.
4,900 | par-:

high-school
foothall had

ticipants.» -
UNIT PUR-.

pen

SCANNER

CHASED ;
SASKATOON (CP) —

‘University: Hospital has

aged. Saskatchewan's
t scanner unit that can

Hansard

pepewt which would ce iil owith BOM of

Rate after March 1, 1978.

produce precise, cross-

_ in Arabic, Chinese, English,

SUREGINA ~
- Saskatchewan - Telecom-
~ munications will spend

--house with some thievery of -

More Grain for

Prince Rupert?”

| ‘AGRICULTURE GOVERNMENT PROGRAM TO IM-
" PROVE GRAIN HANDLING

MR. F, OBERLE (PRINCE GEORGE-PEACE RIVER);

_ Mr. Speaker, my question is supplementary to a number

which were asked earlier. It is directed to the Minister of
Argiculture. A little over a year ago, [ asked the minister
what his position was with respect to his responsbility for the
grain commission regarding the port at Prince Rupert
which, Lf brought up to its potential could save farmers in the
northern af out country, in the Peace River region of
British Columbia and Alberta, $25 million in freight rates. At
that time, the minister said that the elevator was to-be
upgraded gpid-opld"Canetietell iw thday tl whale extent hie
program-has (progressed, and whether he has an updat
j tie Verbiagélibe
Minister of ‘Transport gave us today? ae 2 tF
HON.E.F.WHELAN (MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE);
Mr. 5 r first of ail 1 want to put.a correction on the
record, because the hon. member indicated that I said ‘it
would be sold. Wesaid that we had asked for tenders. None of
the tenders that we received Was satisfactory. We asked
another engineering group to make a atudy of the elevator
facilities, That has been finished now and we will be making
a decision on what to do with the elevator, whether we should
upgrade itto bring it up to the standard the hon. member and
I think it should reach. That decision will be made. shortly.
- Tam sure the hon. member is aware, but in case he is not!

. . should say that the elevator has been used this year than in

‘the past. It 1s provi ood service at the present time. We
think ft sh daven betes and itisour intention to make it so
in thal Port. area, 7 ; .

MR. OBERLE: Mr. Speaker, having lived through another
season of incredible bungling where we have seen 600‘ rail
cars, piled up on the main line trying to get into Prince
Rupert,.and 40 ships in Vancouver harbour trying to get
loaded, can the minister tell us when he expects a decision on
this most important issue which has plagued the grain:in-
dustry and the western transportation system for s0 long?

MR WHELAN;

“Mr Speaker, I think the hon, member knows full well that

. lot of ships that went into the port of Vancouver, went in

there without placing orders ‘within the proper time limit.
They went in there ‘asking to be’ loaded with grain.

sectioned images of nearly
any part of the body, The --
$750,000 unit, called a com-

puted tomography. or, CT.-
scanner, will. be used to
investigate brain: tumors,

head injuries and various

other conditions of the body. .

SHUG (Rew

) — New- - . sas
comers Guide to Services in Pickup truck, grabbed the
Ontario, published by ‘the Fey ow of the idling track -
ministry of culture and
recreation, is being revised, «
and the new English verelon
will be ready in March. The . id
new guide will be available

French, German, . Greek, -
Hindi; Italian, Korean,
Portuguese, Serbo-Croatian, -
Finnish and Polish. 7
_. IMPROVE | FACILITIES
(CP).

But the pair tumbled off b:
‘the time the truck reache
dhe road. So Mra. Taylor
: drove to.a ‘neighbor's house
-to call: police, who later
om found the keyless pickup still
wv. e driveway. oe
raillion toimprove facilities ..° y ee)
gn the province's section ‘of . . NEW YORK (AP) — Ini the
thetréns-Canada microwave throes of the winter of: '78,
‘route. The work, which will. the clty is quietly setting: a

new ‘trivia. record. every

take two years to complete, :
involves installation of::a.. day—most consecutlve days
digital microwave radio without street cleaning.’ <.
channel as part of the Trans- Wednesday was the dist
Canada Telephones System day since the streets were
project... . = ,,_~— > free enough of snow to allow
~“ HASLETT, Mich, (AP}:—. the sanitation department to
A jfutsy high school teacher operate its big brooms over
foiled the burglary of her any of the's9,585 kilometres
of curb. pavement. that are
‘her own—she swiped the mechanically cleaned.; . ~:
re EE Sb a a ae

NE ae