PAGE 4, THE HERALD, Friday, May 26, 1978

Editorial

“What we are going to say here will not be news
to most clergy who take their pastoral care
ministry sériously, It will not be news to social
workers, school teachers, welfare workers,
nurses and doctors who deal with it every day.

The subject will be all too familiar to many--
but especially to little kids who are too small, too
weak, and powerless to do anything about it.

Yet, the subject is one that is almost “tabu” in
polite society. “Nice” people won't talk about it.
Politicians avoid it like the plague--it is too
politically “hot”. Sweet little old ladies are
sometimes the only ones with enoug:'‘guts”’ (not
anice word!) to do anything about it- but then
“society” expects them to, and ignores them in
the process,

Pulpits used to thunder about it, and draw
crowds as a consequence; but after a time the
matter grew too tied in with “revival” religion it
lost is impact, and something went out of its
punch.

Newspapers are believed to be wise to avoid
the subject; or just lightly skirt around it. “It
could hurt advertising” some newspapers are
known to have been advised.

The federal government plays both sides of the
fence, and so do most provincial governments,
because there is a ‘‘profit’' of sorts for govern-
ment coffers, connected with it worth hundreds
of millions of dollars a year.

Have you guessed what it is we are talking
about? The politest expression we can think of to
describe it is “the consumption of spirituous
liquors” and alcoholic beverages—and its effect
on the children in our society. Our society right
here in Terrace, too.

The word is already out — but no one seems to
want to believe it, or pay it much attention—the
attention it deserves—that the consumption of

-- Tackling a Real Problem

liquor--be it beer, wine or hard liquor--is more *punished in a thousand ways for crying because

harmful to our society at large--the average man
in the street and his family, —than the drug scene
-marijuana, L.S.D., speed-the whole bit, put
together, many times over.

There are “kids” every night, in this city who
are neglected because parents are either out
getting drunk, or “out” at home-—passed out,
unable to look after the children, feed the baby,
clothe and change the little ones~and so on.

We'have been told of some of the best fisher-
men in town, making salaries in the tens of
thousands of dollars during a fishing season, who.
are soon on welfare, having blown the whole
catch on booze. This doesn’t break our hearts as
much as it does to learn,of kids locked out in
pouring rain, by drunken parents, or kids left
alone for days at a time, sometimes with a six or
eight year old child in charge-while the adults
are off out at a drinking party, and too drunk to
come home.

Even this might be better, though, than having
those same parents and big brothers and sisters
home when they do their drinking under the
family roof, and then pass out, or act stupidly,
beating, bashing, hurting, shouting and

frightening the little members of their-family—

but in the eyes of their neighbor, no one can in-
teryene because “‘the parents are home, after
_ When a house is on fire and crowds have
gathered, and someone shouts. ‘There’s a little
kid in there’’--and men and women alike, strong
or weak, will brave the flames and smoke and
blazing embers, to risk their lives to save a
single child. . f

But let there be TEN “‘little kids” in ‘there
while there’s a wild, drunken melee, and little

children get beaten up, tied to the bedposts,

Impaired driving — | oo
| Everyone’s responsibility

pairment that makes driving
an automobile with safety
totally impossible, After
only afew drinks, peripheral
vision is reduced by up to

(The follawing is one of the
entries In the Richmond
CounterAltack essay con-
test. The author is Greg
Bruce, a Grade 12 student at

the full blame. Although
“bootleggers”’ procurt
alcohol for minors, which is
illegal, the majority of them
are not fool enough to

against impaired drivers is
rising in tandem with it.

Like the seat-belt before, a
drunk-proof ignition system
is an inevitable automobile

Richmond Senior Secondary
High School.).

Each and every Friday or
Saturday night thousands of
British Columbia's young
people go out to partles, to
discotheques or to simply
drive around. Often, an
automobile is not the only
thing these youths take with
them; alcoho! may be along
for the ride. A ride that
could end abruptly, more
importantly, in tragedy,
Young people are not alone
in their affinity to become
statistles; adulte too must
share a portion of the
responsibility. | Respon-
sibility: perhaps this is the
key, ff so, British Colum-
bla’s licensed drivers are the
most irresponsible people in
the whole of Canada,

Of the ten provinces and
wo territories that make up
this fine, nation, Britist
Columbla has the dubious
distinction of possessing the
worst alcohol-related traffic
accident record, An honour
wecan ill afford Eath year,
fifty-two million dollars of
the public’s money is wasted

, Cleaning up the mess this

province's drinking drivers
create. Over one fifth of all

- cases currently before . the

courts concern impaired
driving offences, and in
hospitals, forty thousand bed
spaces are required an-:
nually. The results of
alcohol and the automobile

_ are erystal clear; massive

court tle-ups, an acute
hospital space shortage, and
four thousand needless,
avoldable calamities,

While the victims of
drinking and driving are
either prosecuted or
hospitalized, the real culprit
escapes ‘scotfree’’, Alcohol
ia a proven killer: slaying
more than three hundt
3ritish Columbian citizens
annually, The people of this

‘ province must be made

aware of liquor's potency,
and how to use it within
responsible limits. Alcohol,
a depressant, affects the
brain: slowing reflexes, and
impalring eye and body
coordination. An im-

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TERRACE/KITIMAT |

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NOTE OF COPYRIGHT

The Heratd retains full, complete and sole copyright
in any advertisement produced and-or any editorial or
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eproduction is not permitted without the written
rmission of the Publisher.

thirty percent; the driver
becomes like a horse with
blinkers on. Continued
drinking will assuredly
result in blurred, doubled
vision and impaired distance
judgement. For anyone
driving in this condition
steering becomes a chore,
the eyea begin to get drowsy
(eyelids of lead); four sets of
headlights~which are real?--
the blaring horn; rending
metal...

Liquor alone may not
create the bloody ashphalt
stage that the ambulance
performs upon. The scene
may just aa easily be set by a
eombination of household
drugs and only one drink,
Decongestants, cough
syrups and-a mere one and
one half ounces of spirits
May” create an effect far
moredeadly than the Liquor
Control Board's most potent
“braw’’,

It is immaterial how the
driver becomes intoxicated;
suffice to say that onca
impaired, the driver con-
stitutes a wholly un-
predictable threat on the
road. Each weekend,
between the hours of twelve
and three a.m. every third
ear one passes is piloted by
someone who has been
drinking. Every tenth car,
however, has a drunk behind
the wheel. Watch out! The
grave may be mearer than
the centre line.

But what can be done to
stop this irresponsible mass
murderer? The police, try
ag they might, still need as
much help as they can get.
So after a night out, be a
responsible citizen; hail a
taxicab or catch the bus. In
spite of all these alternate
forms of transportation,
some people still insist that
they know their limit; these
are the people who must be
watched. Man or machine
must intercede between the
drunk and the roadway.

Man's ingenuity combined -
with advance technology
may provide the final
solution. Drinking and
driving accidents are on the
tise, and public pressure

Published by
Sterling Publishers

“necessity. Perhaps by the
next generation, technology
will have surmounted all the
obstacles that have
prevented the extinction of
the drunk behind the wheel.

This, of course, will be of
no help te today’s youth. As
graduation time approaches
once again, police brace
themselves against the
flurry of inevitable ac-
cidents. Although'no one
believes it will happen to
them; some students will
never see the final day of the
school year. When twenty-
aix percent of all drinking-
driving accidents are the
responsibility of this
province's minors, (who only
make up ten percent of all
licensed drivers), the
“hootlegger"’ cannot take

practice drinking and
criving. :

Anyone who questions that
impaired driving is a serious
problem in British Columbia
must face up to the facts.
Three hundred graves
provide mute testimony
against alcohol and the
automobile--the deadlies!
rrovinve’s asbphalt today. I
province's a today. I
is high time we exercised | our
responsibilities as citizens fo
this fine province because
on the roadway, no one lives
a charmed life, and death
rarely takes a holiday.

Reprinted from “Lifeline,” a
publication of CounterAttack
through the Department of
the Attorney-General,

Irresponsible —
recommendations

LABOUR ADVISORY COMMITTEE

“Recommendations made by the Royal Commission on
‘Corporate Concentration are completely irresponsible”
stated Barry Engilsh, spokesperson for the labour advisory
committee. “The report completely fails to recognise that
mustinational corporations have had adverse affects on the
social, political and economie health of this country. It is
nothing jess than a biased apology for monopoly control of
aur economy.” .

’ “The recommendation that corporate profits ba made tax
free is particularly ridiculous, Already working people pay
80 percent of the taxes in this country. The elimination of
company taxes would mean that citizens would contribute an
even greater share.” English Noted.

English continued by pointing out that These corporations
already enjoy overly-generous tax laws and certainly do not
deserve further concessions, Perhaps these multinationals:
should be made to repay the billions of dollars in deferred
taxes that are owing the canadian people instead.”

The Labour advisory committee cannot underatand how
the cémmission failed to notice that it is monopoly contral of
our economy that has lead to price fixing and inflation. In
every field, commercial and industrial glants regulate what
we purchase and how much it costs. Further mergers can

* only lead to complete domination. Already ail, auto, food and

other sectors are completely controlled by cartelg.

The report alco suggests that Canada will need up to $520
billion in investment in the next seven years. It fails to
mention that much of this money is destined for projects that
are unnecessary and not in the Canadian intgrest. Many of
these projects are in the energy field and are designed to
meet American and not Canadian needs.

Nor does the report mention the many hundreds of millions
of dollars exported from Canada each year, Canadian banks
and corporations have invested heavily In projects in third
world countries. This money is lost to Canada and projects in

this country,

To the Labour Advisory Committee, as taxpayers, the $3.
million that the Federal Government wasted on this com-
mission “boggles the mind,”’ It is a high price to pay just to
employ a corporate lawyer and a businessman for a three
year period,

TODAY IN HISTORY
By THE CANADIAN PRESS
May 26, 1878 :

. h +

Samuel Pepys, the great’ Pepyc stopd by his friends,
English diarist, died .275 although sme (including his
years ago today—in 1703— wife) werg Roman Catholics
aged 70. He had been the andhewads several times im-
equivalent of minister of

prisoned and falsely accused
food during the plague of

of complicity in “Popish
1666 and was one of only a plots.” ,
handful of the government
who did not flee London. In
1486 he reorganized the
Royal Navy along modern
lines and restored ita ef-
ficiency. Throughout his life

1883—Susanna, the first
‘ child of William and Ann
Shakespeare, was baptized.

1799—Alexander Pushkin,
Russian poet, was born.

they are wet, or hungry or both--and not one man

or woman will normally dare to intervene in the

“family matter’.

An entire social ‘‘ethic” surrounds the liquor
trade, from the time it first feceives its stamp of
“acceptance” by having a government “stamp”’
affixed across the cork, that is mistaken all too
often as a “‘seal of approval’ by authority.

This ‘‘cult” extends all the way down to the
lowliest inhabitant of Skid Road, his eyes bleary,

his mind befuddled, while his whole family may -

remain, cowed, starved and in a constant state of

é

irate, drunken and dangerous parent or relative.

When we talk of plans for a better City of
Terrace, let us not beat about the mountain of
rhetoric and nonsense, ignoring one of the
biggest obstacles to progress, happiness and a
high “quality of life”.

Let us--somehow, and from somewhere, draw
the strength to tackle the cause of over half our
automobile accidents, many of our fires, much of
our accidental deaths and suicides, quantities of
our illnesses--and perhaps 75 percent of our
welfare problems--not to mention divorces and

other forms
problem!

-of broken homes. The liquor

a
TPZ

Oa

nes vr

. thinking about the price I paid for it

por

“Forget it — coffee keeps me awake nights .

Ottawa Offbeat

The Public’s going to Win

Ottawa,- In one. reassuring sense, suggests
retiring veteran Conservative: MP. Douglas

- Alkenbrack, the public is going to ‘win the next

election...whenever it comes.

Win it, that is, whether the Conservatives or

the Liberals come to power.

This being so, he says, because since the last
election, Parliament and most of its Honorable
Members--and more important, both major
‘parties-have come down from their self-exalted
position of imposing their will against the
majority wishes of their electors.

Doug Alkenbrack is speaking specifically of
Parliament's bull-headed insistence on the last
so-called “free vote’’—dictated by the party
leaders-that capital punishment be abolished
“once and for all.” ,

Since then, under increasing public pressure,
just about everyone concerned--including Prime
Minister Trudeau and Conservative Leader Joe
Clark—has been having second thoughts. ;

In the dark shadow of the continuing killing of
police officers, and the increasing threat of
terrorism around the world, both leaders are on
the record as saying they wouldn’t.object to a
national referendum on capital punishment if
that is the accepted majority public sentiments.

Going even further, Defence Minister Barnett
Danson has come right out with the hard—as
compared to the previously prevailing weak-
kneed bleeding heart position--declaration that
society to cope with terrorism has to return to
capital punishment. ’

Quite sanely he observes that if there hadn’t
been jailed terrorists in Italy before the courts—-
if, in fact, they had been summarily tried,
convicted and executed—there would, have been
no incentive for their fellow anarchists to kidnap
and kilt former five-times premier Aldo Moro.

Cnada has had its own taste of terrorism—the
Quebec Liberation Front’s kidnapping and
killing of Labor Minister Pierre Laporte and the
‘Snatching of British diplomat Jasper Cross—so it
is not beyond the bounds .of possibility that
politicians are changing their minds about
capital punishment for reasons of fear and self-
preservation. .

If it happened here before-during the FLQ
October Crisis-what’s to prevent it happening
again? ,
Little but sure and swift retribution for
terrorists. .° -

So Barney Danson's out of the capital punish-:

ment closet and in favor of execution for
terrorists,

‘With ordinary MPs--and likely, most can-
didates--it goes further than terrorism.

It comes home to the riding where the’ con-
stituents, almost since the day Parliament
abolished capital punishment, have been upset
by the arrogance of their MPs “I know best
what’s good for you’’ attitude.

Some of these know-it-all MPs have retired or
gone to their government rewards~and these
include some leftist-Liberal-leaning Con-
servatives. -

‘Among those who still remain and are feeling
the pressure-of public and organized police

opinion—is Flora MacDonald, the ‘Red Tory”
from Kingston and the Islands.

and a ‘stronghold’ of law and order.

She, especially, but a lot of other MPs too who
will be running again, now find their crusade for
abolition could cost them their seat.

Losing their constituencies, they’ll be further
depressed to know that the next government--be
it Liberal or Conservative--is all but committed
to a referendum on capital-punishment.

intsind

~< ‘Kingston’s a city“of prisons and the military |.

Women

Oppose

Brotherhood

The National Action
Committee on the Status of
Women has written to the
Minister of Indian Affairs
and Northern Development,
protesting any se of
government funds for the
National Indian
Brotherhood’s Conference,
June 27-29 in Morley Alberta.

The Brotherhood is holding
a national All Chiefs’ Con-
ference on these dates and a
major item on the agenda’
will be the rights of Indian
women. Under section 12 (1)
(b) of the Indian Act an
Indian woman who marries
a nonIndian loses all her

Letters

Expensive French 7

Dear Sir:

It was noted in a recent -

C.R.T.C, announcement
carried in your paper that it

is the Intention of the C.B.C. -

to broadcadt the C.B.C.
French service on Channel
11. This will be a repeater
process from the present
programming broadcast in
Vancouver and will be
relayed to Terrace via
micro-wave facilities.

’ . It should be realzized that:

the cost of this relay service
would be at least $270,000 per
year. This service will also
require the installation of a
transmitter (to be located on
Copper Mountain) at an
equipment coat of at least
100,000 plus the labour and
technical services required
for installation. These
figures are very con-
servative and this seems to
be a high price tag for all the
taxpayers to pay in order to
eater to such a small local
minorlty.

It appears that our
priorities are out of line a8
the cost of this unecessary
T.V, service would alleviate

‘status and rights as an In-
_ dian. No members of Indian

Rights for Indian Women, a

national Indian women’s

group, have been invited to

the conference as the

National Indian Brotherhood

has gefused to consult with
em.

NAC is urging Hugh
Faulkner, Minister of Indian
Affairs and Northern
Development, to oppose an’
use of funds from the

government for the Morley .

meeting until. participation
of Indian Rights for Indian
Women is assured.

the transportation problems .

that are causing so much
hardship to our coastal
peoples. .
Yours truly,
J.B. Jahour

Dear Sir:

The Hazelton Area
Homeco is planned for
duly 27, 26, 29, 1979. =

Weare trying to contact all
ex-Hazeltonians and would
appreciate your assistance
regarding names, addresses
etc

this big event or can help

with addresses of old friends, —

Please contact:
Anne Reid,

Looking forward to seeing -

you all in "73! .

1989—Thor Heyerdahl set
sail in Ra, a boat, inan
attempt to prove that anclent
Egyptians could

to the Americas. _,

If you wish to register for -

have sailed

Be tN OT EMR Rahal Ae OMS a St