Spring is bursting forth in Skeena.. - VANCOUVER (CP) — Thriller author Tan Slater is blunt about his reasons for writing. "I write for pleasure, fame and fortune, * says the 41-: "year-old Australian-born novelist, --- ; Slater's reputation as a thriller writer is well established in North America and Europe. His novels — — Firespill, Sea Gold and Air Glow Red — have sold more than 500, 000 copied and have been translated into several languages. - He won't say how.much he has made from his books which are published by. Bantam ‘and other Publishers i in THON. an , , “Let's just gay Iam ons of the fortunate few in Canada who can make a living writing," he said. Slater, who holds a doctorate in political science, teaches ot he Univeraity of British Columbia, That job provides a- ancial buffer and also provides him with the intellectual sna fulltime writers sometimes miss... His current course — * technology and literature — is ai ideal environment for nurturing story ideas, His students are aspiring engineers and he takes special pleasure in - overturning such ill-conceived notions 48 nuclear energy being a panacea for the world's ills. His books belie his simple, tongue-in-cheek pronoun. cements about seeking famie, fortune and money: They reveal an abiding desire to alert his readers to the dangers of cure-all technologies. Firespill, which -explores one. of the “possible: con: sequences of North America's insatiable thirst for oil, is his best known and possibly most successful book: Published i in 1977, ‘it was the right book in the right place at the right ‘ time,” one magazine reviewer said. Nightmares of lineups | at gasoline stations were still fresh in the public’s mind: - The novel explores in frightening realistic detail’ an en- vironmental holocaust — the collision of, supertankers: off: Canada’s ~ West ~ Coast “aiid” “the - “Fesulting incendiary Progress made for hostages PITTSBURGH (AP) — Officials negotiating for the. release of two corrections workers got close enough to joke With one of them and reported Progress in convincing a pair of armed prisoners to end a slege that entered its fifth day today. | “They' ré going to have to come out of there at Bome point and they know that,” Kenneth Robinson, spokesman for the state Corrections Department, told reporters Sunday, Fifteen hours of negotiations broke. off shortly before 11: a p.m. EST Sunday and were toresume today, Robinson Bail “We're still optimistic,” he said. “Right now both sides want to end this. It's a matter of coming to terms.” Negotiators. and the prisoners trimmed the convicts’. . original four-page list of items for discussion Sunday, - . Robinson said, Authorities have released ne details about the list. The negotiations were taking place by telephone or ‘through a wooden door in a barricaded basement room of | the State Correctional Institution at Pittsburgh. Richard Henkel, 45, a convicted bank robber awaiting -trial for Murder, and convicted murderer Louls Covielig; 26, held the two hostages behind the door, authorities said. ~ Robinson said one of the negotiators joked with hostage Kostas (Gus) Mastros, a civilian records supervisor, while speaking through the door Sunday. The negotiator teased Mastros about whether he would be paid overtime for the hours spent in the windowless room. The other hostage is guard Danie) Kohut. Robinson said ‘ officials have been able ta see Mastros, 51, and have spoken to Kohut, 39; through the door, and believe both are well despite the fact’ that Kohut suffers from. high blood ; pressure, . Henkel and ‘Coviella seized the. hostages ‘using two. smuggled pistols before they were to be strip-searched fora. court appearance Thursday, authorities said. Their cells | had been searched the previous night after the Allegheny. County Sheriff's Department received a tip that an escape was planned. Officials said they do not know how the. prisoners obtained the guns. — Henkel was scheduled to go on trial today for the May, 1979, shooting and stabbing death of Deborah Geniile, allegedly killed for. the proceeds of an $800,000 i insurance , policy. Coviello was to testify in. Henker’s. pretrial hearing: So Thursday. - . Lebanon complains about airstrips BEIRUT (AP) — The Lebanese government has com-_ plained to U.S, presidential envoy Philip Habib about newly — bullt Israeli airstrips on Lebanese territory, Beirut newspapers reported today. i The independent An-Nahar and the leftist As-Safir said Lebanon is concerned that the new airfields may indicate Israel does not plan a rapid withdrawal of its troops from Lebanon. ' An-Nahar quoted an unnamed government spokesman as saying Yerael has built two airfields in Lebanon, one on 3 beach strip in the fishing town of Damour, 16 kilometres south of Beirut, and one near the central mountain town of Ain Zhalta, 24 kilometres southeast of the Lebanese Capital, An-Nahar carried photographs on ita front page showing Tsraell military transport Planes landing and taking off from Damour, The newspaper ia published by. Ghassan Tueini, Lebanon’ s chief negotiator at the troop withdrawal talks with israel. ; Some Lebanese officials privately express fear -that Israel plans to keep contro] of southern Lebanon under the - | pretext of shielding its northern border against renewed Palestinian guerrilla attacks. .. An-Nahar and As-Safir said the Lebanese complaint WAS | ‘made to Habib during his meeting Sunday with Lebanese - Foreign Minister Elie Salem and other officials invalved in the troop withdrawal talks with Israel. The slaterun Beirut radio said- Habib held another meeting with the Lebanese negotiators today to try to. narrow the differences between Lebanon and Israel for an . agreement to withdraw roughly 70,000 Israeli, Syrian and. - Palestinian troops from Lebanon. ~ The. U.S.-sponsored withdrawal negotiations, . ‘which " began Dec, 28, are scheduled to resume Tweaday in the” iach resort of Netanya. Walesa meets with Glemp GDANSK, Poland (Reuter) — Lech Walesa, former — leader of the banned trade union Solidarity who was questioned by police last week about secret talks with the urilon’s underground wing, has met with Roman Catholic primate Jozef Cardinal Glemp. No details emerged of Sunday night's 30-minute meet: ; which took place before the Installation of'a new bishop, bit Walesa’s close friend, Father Henryk Jankowski, told reporters they discussed the Polish situation. Walesa waa given a hero's walcomie earlier Sunday when he entered the St. Mary's Bastlica, Poland's largest church, © which was packed with about 25,000 people. He gave V-for-victory signs as they sang the old religious anthem Boze Cos Polske (God Protector of Poland). And as he left the crowd chanted his mame and: “No freedom without Solidarity." However, church sources said there | was concern about’ an underground appeal, following Walesa’s meeting with Solidarity's- underground | ‘leaders, for mass worker demonstrations May 1 to rival traditional Comimunist- led: May Day marches which were described by Solidarity: supportera a8 a mockery to workers, . "fhe church’s sights are tocused on the June pluigrimage by, ' Polish-born Pope John Paul, and it ia aware of repealed statements by Polish authorities that “appropriate consi: ditions” tust be created for the visit, : ’Glemp called for action; not words, Sunday to reconcile’. the divided Polish people. He told an open-alr service ai-_ tended by 10,000 people in Warsaw it would “be a decisive’ year for the future of the country. ” ‘maelatrom, fuelled by a’‘massive “mixture of crude ail and gasoline in-the ships” holds: ; The book ends when the inferno touches the heavily-. forested shores of B.C. and spreads inland. _ “Slater considers an oil spill likely if supertankers: ply - coastal walters and a firesplll plausible bat he also knows peaple quickly tire when lectured. - : . “T want to alert people to the danger but I don’t want to . Come. across as heavy-handed. ° * “T don't consider myself as an ‘environmental troubador, They are well ‘intentioned people, but they sort of welgh you . down.” Sea Gold, raises what Slater considers to ‘be one of the. most potent international issues of ail time — the race to- claim the mineral riches onthe sea botterii: : ‘He said his thesia was later reinforced When a geologist “a B.C. point referred to in Slater's book —dnd found them rich in marketable minerals,: 4 : Hig latest book, Air Glow Red, has perhaps the most ominous theme of his three major works. It combines the business directory A mild winter and a warm spring provide hope for a fine summer in the area. - Canadian author writes thrillers for his horrific possibilities of warfare conducted from vantage points in the earth's atmosphere and. the danger of microwave radiation. After thorough, research, a trait highly visthte in his books; he says, “I wouldn’t have a microwave oven in my. - house. Mee. . Slater is. negotiating publication of a fourth book with a _ New York publishing house. He will only say that it involves . international intrigue. - The major distouragement Slater has faced in his career -ishisinability tofind anyone interested in buying the movie - rights to Firesplll. The National Film Board made a modest’ animated short of the thriller, which pleased Slater, but he still dreama of full movie treatment of the book. ““4f phoned someone: with. Stanley Kubrick's company (the producer of 200}: A Space Odyssey) juat to ask them if the - friend analysed samples taken from the’ seg bottom — near — special effects: necessary. could be produced, ” Slater said. ‘He was told it was entirely possible. - With any luck and the current craze over movies filled with special effects, Firespill could become the right movie, in the right place at the right time. ABVAN BUILDERS LTD. Residential -eCommercial oe °Custom Homes _ Your tot-- 635-5628 South Remodelling Renovations Abe. VanderKwaak 3671 Walnut Dr. Terrace, B.¢: “RLR.No. 4 — Custom car stereo Installation —- Service on most brands _>.. tv’s and stereos +: Service on Sony, RCA and . *. Sanya video recorders TERRACE ELECTRONICS | 635-4543 | ~ ia TOLD SUPPLIES SMALL MOTOR SHOP SALES AND SERVICE FOR MOST Chainsaws. Lawnmowers & Pumps (Howenre) : AUTHORIZED HOMELITE DEALER 4818 ghey. 6 West | eee rOCe,, 639-0358 ry Windshield & Auto Glass (CBC Claims povecialists _ | ianded | ALL-WEST Promptly a ge” “Serer “TERRACE OKETIMAT | _ 638-1166 SIRT Specializing in Quallty Services ROD TAYLOR 635-2744 ‘PHOTOGRAPHY days or evenings For information on running your. ad in the bis directory call 635- 6357_ _ - MANAGER/ PARTHER available - MICHAEL ROY retail, sales, food ee “un PEAR st, TERRACE, B, c. VEG RS RES. 69356 ~~ Stephen’ s General Repairs: . TUNE-UPS TO MAJOR OVERHAULS it * Autos (Cars and Trucks), ' . * Franamiasions, Engines, atc.’ . ee : ahaay Duty industrial Equipment non : ering Engines (inboords an . -AReasonabte Rates and ple a ‘ _ —Gavernment. Licenced Mechanic PHONE Asan dR DENCE: PHONE 495.2911 SHOP " PREDL. STEPHENS oo SHOP ACDRESS: | 4643 Goulet Ave;- . - 4452 Railway Ave... Terrace. B. c. veg 1a ; Terrace, B. c. pe pleasure