an re eoeten noc

Terrace Standard, Wednesday, September 30, 1992 — Page A3

is fall

TERRACE — Pine mushrooms
continue to be in short supply and
focal buyers blame the dry sum-
mer for the poor crop.

“We nced more rain and we
need more time,’’ says mushroom
buyer Lionel Scars. ““We’re look-
ing at the middle of October for
the main crop. It might be first
week of October.’’

“Hot August weather has
resulted in fewer mushrooms now
than this time last year. °

“August baked the whoke arca
so the trees are just absorbing
everything that falls,”’ Scars said.

“‘Bverybody thinks its rained so
much but as far as the bush is
concemed it wanted a shower and
we gota bricf sprinkle.”’

The prices are also falling, and
consequently the rewards for the
few mushrooms coming in have
decreased,

The price has fallen from a high
of around $106 a pound here
down to $30.

The price fall has been at-
tributed to the arrival of a new
Korean crop, Sears said, and the
passing of a major Japanese
holiday two weekends ago during

Briefs

It’s delayed

A report on northwest health
care has been delayed, possibly
until later this week or carly
next week.

The report by a sever-

member group created by the
provincial government was to
have been submitted Sept. 21
but delays were experienced in
gathering all of the group io-
gether to go over the report's.
final version.
. The report will examine hos-
pilal and community. care in
Kitimat, Terrace and Prince
Rupert to determine what
levels, of service exist now,
what is. needed and how to
save moncy by creating ef-
ficiencies and eliminating
duplication.

_A planned meeting of north-
west hospitals and other health
care. officials has been delayed
wiitil’ the report is analyzed,
says Terrace Regional Health
Care Society chief executive
office Michael Leisinger.

Young voters

MUSHROOM PICKER Rick Shaw (left), of Terrace, checks out
one of the few top-grade mushrooms coming out of the bush right
now. Above, a picker from Vancouver sets up his tent in the rain

Eighteen-year-olds could be
voting in next year’s local
elections if changes proposed
by Victoria are adopted. ;

Other changes include estab-
lishing a system of voting by
mail, requiring voters to live in
the municipality in which they
vote and ensuring electioons
are more accessible to the
physically disabled.

Easy riders

RCMP ONCE again wara
pet owners that pets should be
secure when being carried in
vehicles. ‘That’s to prevent the
animal from being thrown or
falling out.

The most common violation
is a dog not being secured in
the back of a pick up truck to
prevent. the animal from
balancing itself on the box rail
or tool box.

This offence is covered un-
der Section 66 of the Motor
Vehicle Act and carries with it

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We will now be located at Copperside III, 3309 Kalum. St. and a

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ul ices Bee ~ Yours sincerely,
‘Heather Graydon

at Natural Excellence Industries’ picking camp at Cranberry Jct

from front

“Reality hits them,’’ he said.
“They had a dream. They built

: “on that dream. And then they
".. get upset when reality isn’t ex-

actly like the dream.”’
“You come to a bush camp.

“What do you want?” he

demanded. “A Ritz-Carlton
Hotel???

“We were all as green as
grecn could be,’’ said Janice
Spate, a 28-year-old Vancouver
picker who left the camp to join
some other pickers. ;

She answered the ad and paid
her $1,000.

“Some people put their last
dollar into getting up here,”’ she

ere
nt oe

vt Friday

Equipment;
Etc, Etc, Etc.

Y2

SCHOOLEY’S SPORTS LTD.
360 City Centre, Kitimat, B.C.
; 632-3466

HOURS: Mon. - Thurs. 9
= Saturday

Fishing Tackle; Camping Gear; Clothing;
Footwear, Bicycles & Accessories,
Hockey Skates, Sticks, Pads, etc; Bali
Gloves, Bats, etc; Weights & Exercise
Knives;

Pickers keep waiting
at mushroom camp

said, ‘It was supposed to be
luxurious — it was supposed to
be like -a regular logging
camp.”

She said the company scouts
told them the bears were ex-
tremely dangerous in the area.

“They scared us so badly
saying don’t leave camp at all
because the bears are so bad,”
she said. ‘We're cily people
and we believe these storics.’’

She blamed the problems on
poor planning by the company.

“Tf these people knew what
they were doing, it could have
been OK,” she said. “‘They had
a good idea,”’

am - 6 pm
gam-9 Pm
pm ee

Gun Accessories:

REGULAR
PRICE

Soccer Shoes & Equipment; Golf Clubs &
Balls: Lacrass Sticks & Balls.

AMMUNITION

STILL 25% OFF

which it is customary to give gifts
of pine mushrooms.

He said he expects the price ta
level off at around $20 or $25 a
pound when the main crop here
begins to come in.

The arrival of many newcomers
picking has put a lot of pressure

__ on the area’s few mushrooms.

“Some of these pickers. arc
desperate, they’re starving,”’ he
said.

Most of them are drawn by er-
roncous reports of excessive prof-
its from the business. .

*Mister average picker — he’s
happy if he can buy a TY set or a
microwave with his carnings on
the season,’’ Sears said. ‘There
are a few hotshots out there, but
they all exaggerate what they
make.” -

And in a year like this, he
predicts many will not break even
after paying food and gas ¢x-
penses. 7

'

EXCEPTED