« ~ ~The death of five in reportedly “started “by” a ‘careless PUBLISHED BY NORTHWEST PUBLICATIONS LIMITED. Published five days a week at 3112 Kalum Street; Terrace, B.C, A member of the Canadian Daily Newspaper Publisher’s Association and Varied circulation. Authorized as second class mail Registration number 1201, Postage paid in cash, return postage guaranteed, -£D VAN DER LEELIE MANAGING EDITOR GORDON HAMILTON PRODUCTION MARY OLSEN. AGVERTIING P.O. BOX 399, 3212 KALUM STREET TERRACE, B.C. Priced out Market This editorial in a recent issue of the Journal of Commerce deals effectively with a serious problem developing in the B.C. construction industry The inevitable has happened. The 18 building trades unions have been so concerned with squeezing every last cent from contractors and, indirectly, purchasers of construction, that they have started to _prive themselves out of work. Already, a number of forestry and industrial companies are establishing their own travelling work crews to handle simple construction and maintenance work previously done by contractors and the building trades. And this trend appears to be growing, simply because building tradesmen cost too much. Forest firms, for instance, can use International Woodworker members to do the same work at considerable savings in wages and benefits, Though plumbers and carpenters maintain their “brothers” in the industrial unions are cheating in “stealing” work traditionally handled by building trades, the plain truth of the matter is that they themselves are to blamem They, along with other building unions, have bullied themselves into the top pay bracket of all Canadian industry, inflating the ' cost of construction tradesmen out of all proportion to their skills. These extra-high costs have, in turn, prompted construction purchasers to search diligently for ways to cut labor costs, introducing factory-systems that pare on site work to the minimum. Instead of recognizing reality, then when their volume of work first started to slacken, the building trades chose to use this as a lever in pricing even more money out of the public market, arguing that they needed more dollars to compensate for the shrinking work week and work year. Even now, as the Canadian Labor Congress prepares a special executive council meeting to deliberate the Situation building trades across the country are continuing to press wage demands that are so unreasonable that they can only be won by striking contractors and construction purchasers. How can they persist in this approach when other union spokesmen are already warning their members of ‘‘an era of crisis’ ahead? This attitude can only serve to encourage construction users to look for cheaper services, just as they do for any commodity in the competitive market of free enterprise. As the Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu warned in the 6th century B.C.: There is no calamity greater than lavish desires. There is no greater guilt than discontentment. . And there is no greater disaster than greed.” The Big Killer smoker reminds us of one of Canada’s titles: ‘‘Fire champion of the world.” The Canadian Underwriters Association reports that on a comparative basis Canada leads in the number of fires, deaths resulting from them and direct and indirect property oss, Last year fire killed 636 in Canada, including 224 children. There were 68,435 reported fires in which direct property damage was $202 million. Indirect cost (loss of jobs, industrial plant and the cost of medical treatment) was five times greater. This surpasses the old record of 600 deaths in 1964 and the $750 million total for direct and indirect loss in 1965. a local hotel fires _ the suit alleges that the to be curiailed. that this’ type of an ferries s only after. procedures jocal Social Credit constituency {if tenes he B.C. ileal int ait: camer Bennett ‘phomeet, aryeacatt e sie stick’” , any. .. Started by a private - groups, etc. Some Social Cre ait, 'f Fire is‘ the bt Of * Be ‘sunconsti estrain t: shortlyiratter the legislation’. -government a “* arte over - m injun i" = i “Woo ‘indivilive] @*passed the” “loss “of the" “hedids*” of "aiewapaper “Teast-privileged- anadians,~ those wo** companies”. ice Snduct feel ap a live in sub-standard housing, often’ badly fitted with electrical and heating units. Better housing eventually may help the situation. The anti-tobacco crusaders probably will point to the fact that careless smokers are the worst danger of all, causing more than 30 ‘Percent of all fires. Many tragedies arise from smoking in bed or while drinking. Years of . safety-first campaigning do not appear to have made much difference. But it is in this area of education and greater public awareness that the fastest, cheapest and most effective remedy may be found - if someone can devise 4 method of teaching an obvious lesson. Bennett's a gas It’s time Premier Bennett took one of his celebrated second-looks at the whole question of getting natural gas to Vancouver Island. The announcement of a new proposal by Island Transmission Co. makes it clear that the public interest cannot be © properly served by the present arrangement that only Malaspina Gas Pipeline Ltd. can seek approval from the: Public Utilities Commission to. build the line. i. . The plan now disclosed by. Island Transmission Co, seriously questions the whole assumption by the government that the northern route to | Vancouver Island is safer and better than the southern route. engineer who worked on surveying both routes says that. the southern route is better. It is also half the cost, ‘and has a bigger capacity than the line A senior = . a accordingly. proposed by Malaspina. There are many compiexities i in the way of an economic comparison of the ~¢apital cost of the:two lines and their relation to the final price of gas delivered to Vancouver Island: - But. the proposals by Island raise enough questions to demand that their .. full case be presented to the public before any decision is made to give the ‘franchise to Malaspina. ’ As things now stand, the. PUC says : that Malaspina is- the. only prime a- pplicant, and that the other bidders-can _ appear at hearings only as interveners to ask ‘questions: ~ ... Mr. Bennett must surely. see that all the alternatives to Malaspina are good enough to be judged competitively:on their. merits and instruct the. PUC _ Pastor ‘ Ss Pen i always: ‘wonder why: “the Its our choice. ‘peo who deny: the ‘existence When we do this we ‘are only: ‘ blame: ‘God for He: -. infraction. of: the act. * ub “cruel to the victims. ‘of. chaté.: rd a -of a: God. will back Gp‘ their arg-. “ument . with. the accounts of famine. ‘in India, wars’ in Viet’. ae egal :for anyone.” § to print; p ublish,’. +2 n° a splay ; ‘publications. which: contain - § te for: ‘tobineco statement at Prince. George, i Attorney General Les- Peterson #9 urged all newstands anda distributors, however, tof continue ‘handling the’ out-of- #4 province’ publications, which} editorial writers and reporters, particularly in view of the big stick that Premier Bennett has already waved at.the distillers and brewers of the province. WARNING |. ‘ Mr. Schatz, on the basis of public. comments. made. by. hewspaper revenue would be offset to some degree by an advertising program by his government aimed at educating the public about the use of drugs alcohol,- and tobacco. A $25 million perpetual fund. was established by the provincial products. The bill gives ‘private citizens the right to apply for an injunction against anyone who contravenes the act and stipulates that the courts must grant the injunction, There are no penalties provided but a contain liquor and ‘tobacco second offense would constitute advertising until after a court contempt af court for which government, the income from .members- -of < the -. B. C." ‘decision has been made. These ! fines and jail terms can be which is to be used in a broad Legislature, “including types of publications are still ij imposed, educational campaign on drugs, members of the Social Credit being purchased for high school 74 When the legislation was first including newspaper Party, has watned the public Jibraries throughout’ the { introduced, BCWNA submitted advertising. So far the and publishing assqciates - province. _ Mr. Peterson has campaign appears to be a very good one as far as public education is concerned. Many of the smaller weekly newspapers in B.C. apparently - willreceive much more revenue from these ads than they- received from liquor and. tobacco advertising. This is not _the case, however, for the larger papers, And the point that BCWNA president Jim Schatz stresses is repeatedly that this type of legislation is apt to be extended to other products which -are manufactured” ‘and. sold - legitmately; thus giving the government? a-bigger than ever _ Stick tohold aver the freedom of the-press. - When the legislation became. effective Sept., all magazines and ‘newspapers from outside ‘the province were: removed from the B.C. government a positional paper to Premier Bennett stressing that the legislation appeared to be an infringement on freedom of the press, freedom of cnoice, and freedom of expression. Jt was also pointed out that loss of revenue by B.C.’s weekly papers would amount to the equivalent of about 50 men's . jobs and that service to most ‘communities in the province by the weekly papers would. have stipulated, also, that B.C. printed publications must adhere to the new legislation. On occasion. he has: been adamant that the legislation will be enforced, Resolutions. opposing. the legislationhave been forwarded to Victoria by the B.C; Chamber of Commerce, Cigar Institute of | Canada -. B.C... Library } Association, ‘Association of t Canadian Distillers, several et ET ee i ae With every purchase “of a new or used car _ from: Roum Motors Ltd. until December 15, 1972, NEW 1971 MODELS — 1911 ‘New Chevrolet. Pickups: a aan 1971 ‘New Chevrolet 2 door hardtops 1971, How Camaro. 2 door harittop 1971 Hew Pontiac Hardtop ALL THESE.‘ 1971 ‘MODELS. HAVE BEEN ‘REDUCED 7 TO CLEAR: ($0) FOR A REAL. SAVINGS SEE & DEAL. ON ONE OF THESE ‘V97T. ae, TODAY! i f 1970 VOLKSWAGON . ile 1970 DATSUN W...... 1969 PONTIAC... 1969 PONTIAC . 1969 BEAUMONT 1988 PONTIAC Parisionne 2 dr. Hardtop Vé,- auto, mo, su | “a PS. PB. Mechanics soeclat tatede eters ww. Twa Doo? Heratop ‘Sedan V8 Auto,:F 2 dr. i Red.