Page 4, The Herafd, Thursday, November 1, 1979

TERRACE/KITIMAT

daily herald

Ganeral Office - 435-4357 Published by
Cireutation - 695-6957 Sterling Publishers

GEN. MANAGER - Knox Coupland
EDITOR - Greg Middleton

CIRCULATION - TERRACE - 635-6157
KITIMAT OFFICE - 692-2747 .
Published evary weekday at 3212 Kalum Street,
Terrace, B.C. A member of Varified Circulation.
Authorized as second class mail, Registration number
1201. Postage paid In cash, reiurn postage guaranteed.

NOTICE OF COPYRIGHT

The Herald retains full, complete and sole copyright In
any advertisement produced and-or any editorial or
Photographic content published In the Herald.
Reproduction Is not permitted without the written
parmlssion of the Publisher.

EDITORIAL

It was a Slick move. You have to ad-
mire the slelght of hand.

The regular meeting of the hospital
board members os the society which
governs Mitls Memorial Hospital was
supposed to be Wednesday, Oct. 25. As
the recently resigned administrator,
John Allen, had just been charged with
fraud, the meeting was delayed a week.
That scheduled the meeting for Wed-
nesday Oct. 31.

While we were a little puzzled that the
board would agree to meet on
Halloween, we thought it might be
somewhat appropriate since there were
rumors of skeletons in the closet. We
assumed the meeting would be held as
scheduled,

The meeting was held Tuesday
evening, however. It was as it has been
for some years now, held behind closed
doors.

The chairman of hospital board,
Wayne Epp, has vowed that the board
meetings will not be opened to the
public.

We do not feel that a public institution
should be run by people who meet in
secret,

VICTORIAG
REPORT

by FRANK HOWARD

In the fifth edition, or translation, by Edward Fit-
zgerald of the Rubaiyt of Omar Khyyam the following
appears

Ah, take the cash, and let the credit go,

Nor heed the rumble of a distant drum!”

While Khyyam was referring to a philosophy about
life the quotation, in my view, aptly applies to the
attitude of Socreds Bob Bormer and Premier Bennett
insofar as B.C. Hydro electric power is concerned.

B.C, Hydro earlier this year was criticized by the
legislature’s Crown Corporation Committee for being
too big, monolithic and unresponsive to public con-
cerns. Nothing seems to have changed either in
Hydro's structure or its attitude.

On Oct, 2 B.C. Hydro announced that it plans to
apply for the necessary approvals to proceed with the
development of a hydro electric project at Site C on
the Peace River. That announcement caught the
government by surprise on the part of government we
see the fine hand of Premier Bennett pulling the
strings and playing us for fools.

Point number one in the “surprise” aspect.is that
energy Minister Hewitt promised uc a comprehensive
statement on energy policy which he hoped to have
ready before September but which was obviously nat
ready at that time. So Hewitt is surprised that B.C.
Hydro would go ahead with the Site C announcement
before the government had identified its policy
direction.

Remember that the energy policy statement was
being developed according to Hewitt with B.C. Hydro
as a full participating element in the team. Was it a
“surprise?” T think not. m,

Point number two of the “surprise” is Premier
Bennett's statement in July of this year that his
government is looking at the sale of firm hydro power
to the U.S. Why wouldn't B.C. Hydro want to proceed
with Site C and have that firm power available to sell
to the U.S.? Was Premier Bennett “surprised?”
Certainly not.

Point number three Is in B.C. Hydro’s press
statement of Oct. 2, Hydro tells us that the Site C
project will be connected to the province-wide power
grid system. This meana that the 975,000 kilowatts to
be generated at Site C will be pumped into the
provincial system with the distinct possibility of
taking those kilowatts out of the system closer to the
U.S. border and export them to the U.S. as in the
words of the Premier,”"firm hydro power.”

In the jargon of the electrical energy sales business
firm power means power that Is guaranteed to be
delivered, In other words we won't be able to turn off
the switch as we are when we export what's called
interruptable power.

In applying that portion of one of Khyyam's
quatrains to the current energy proposals we see that
the provincial government is intent upon taking the
cash (U.S.) and foregoing the credit, which we would
have if we paid attention to the future generation of
British Columbians.

That rumble of a distant drum is an environmental
and economic rumble which the short-sighted Ben-
netts and Bonners of this province are prepared to
gniore.

MTA

.

quirt‘’em again’

the Heruld

OTTAWA |
VIEWPOINT

\ | by JIM FULTON

atthe House of Commons is sitting regularly,
it Nowe weful for me to outline what my schedule is,
what works before the House, and what my activities
will be.

Throughout the summer and the fall up to the
opening of the House, I spent two weeks in the riding,
then one week in Ottawa. This gave me the chance to
keep up with events and problems in Skeena, as well
as doing the required correspondence and work in
Ottawa. I visited virtually every community between
May 23 and October 10, from Atlin near the Yukon
boundary to Sandspit on the Queen Charlotte Islands.

Of particular interest to me was a week long tour
through Cassiar, Dease Lake, Stewart and the Nass
Valley with Dave Barretf and our new Atlin MLA, Al
Passarell. Those communities are more isolated and
don’t always get the attention fram the media and the

TTERGATE?
~

VA

Editors getting warier

By RON SUDLOW

VANCOUVER (CP) —
Editora and publishers of
British Columbia daily
newspapers vow they won't
be duped again by political
propagandists using fic-
titlous names in letters-to-
the editor columns.

A Canadian Press sam-
pling of newspapers with
smal], medium and large
circulations has revealed
new policies aimed at
authenticating authors of
letters in the wake of the so-
called dirty tricks letter-
writing scandal perpetrated
by the Social Credit party
during the May 10 provincial
election campalgn.

“I've got a sour feeling in
the pit of my stomach that
we've been had and I’m
pretty mad about it," says
Larry Scanlan, managing
editor of the Nelson News.

“The letters-to-the-editor
column is a powerful forum
that reflects public opinions
and we're not going to get
caught again,” .

Scanlan saya a check has
revealed that 12 letters from
people who didn't exist were
published by the News
during the 1979 election
campaign and four fram the
1875 B.C. election.

The tougher line on
checking letters has resulted
from an official Soclal Credit
tape distributed to party
members during the last
election campaign. .

On the tape, Jack Kelly, a
government caucus
researcher, tells a seminar
how to put other people's
surnames on letters critical
of opposition parties and
candidatea and send them to
newspapers.

An existing name and
address is used but the first
name or Initials are changed
in an attempt to fool papers
which check the author's
authenticity.

Party researcher Elien
MacKay Is heard to add that
the names are checked

PHONEY LETTERS

rarely and that ‘it's quite a
bit eater to do than you might

Kelly has resigned his
government job, Misa
MacKay currently is on
leave from her job.

Ron Greig, former
assistant to Premier Bill
Bennett's communications
Planning adviser, resigned
two weeks ago after reports
linked him to a phoney letter
printed by the Victoria
Colonist.

Bennett said he questioned
him about the letter but
Greig refused to comment.

The affair now is in the
hands of police who have
been asked by the attorney-
general's department to
examine suspected
forgeries. Newipapere
looking back to fast
election campaign this week
came up with several letters
whose wrilers can’t be
authenticated,

Nearly all of the letters are
critical of the New
Democratle Party but party
president Yvonne Cocke
says the NDP does not plan
its own investigation.

The Colonist, which has
published an apology for one
letter written under someone
else's name, this week asked

letter writers to include a .

phone number where they
ean be reached during the
day. Previously, letters were

. accepted if they were algned

and included a return ad-

dress, «

“We'll be taking a hard
look at new policies in the
next election campaign but I
don’t know what they are
yet,” saya associate editor
Don Vipond.

“Now, it’s sort of a war be-
tween political zealots who
use the (letters) page, or
part of il, for a propaganda
sheet and guys like myself to
see that they don't.”

Vipond says the fake
letters will stand out more
now that newspapers ate

more aware of them. ."

“They have made us more
alert to being used and we're
golng to make sure that
we're not used.’ -

Scanlan says he feels the
scandal has taught both
newspapers and political
parties a lesson,

"Even lf the long, black
shadow doesn’t extend to the
premiler's office they’ve still
got a black eye from this, [
hope they've learned from
this: I know we've learned
and we'll be doing
everything we can to avold
te? '

John Farrington,
publisher of Nanaimo Free
Press which printed three of
seven phoney letters written
by Norman Hobson, a local
Soclal Credit constituency
association officer who later
resigned, said authenticity
checks have been intensified
to include phoning writers or
talking to them in person,

“Notices of reunions or
letters from foreign coun-
tries asking for pen pals are
the only ones that will get
into this paper without being
checked,” he says

“lm a little disappointed
in people who would use and
con a paper in such a way, It
may mean that some people
will refrain from writing
letters to the editor and I
hope that will not happen."”

Publishers of amaller
newspapera have said they
lack the resources to check
all letters they receive and
Dennis Stanley, B.C, and
Yukon Community
Newspapers Association
president, saya the political
dirty tricke campaigh has
undermined a basic freedom
of all British Columbians.

“] think it stinks.
(Members of the) Soclal
Credit party are supposed to
be defenders of freedom and
free enterprise and here they
are undermining one of the
baele freedoms of free ac-
cena to letters-to-the-editor.”

again,’

Y’ politicians that they deserve. There are a lot.of im-
portant issues in the works in that region: uranium
exploration near Atlin; the possibility of hydro dams
on the Liard, Stikine and Iskut rivers; the continuing
questions of Indian land claims; the Alaska gas
pipeline. It was an excellent trip and I want te par-
ticularly thank Dave Barrett for joining Al and
myself. [should alsosay that both the fishing and local
hospitality ‘were very enjoyable.
includes about 100 With the House silting regularly, my schedule will
munity. newepapers base be changed. I have arranged with my fellow caucus
turned over to RCMP members to be absent from the House three or four
suspect letters published by days every third week, so that I Hl be in the riding on a
hls Arrow Lake News inNa- regular basis. Naturally, I will also try to get to
kusp. : particular events that require my attendance. My
“T think everybody's golng representatives in each community are keeping me’
to have to be more careful informed of riding news and are very ably handling
when they're thinking of the problems and requests that come to them.

Stanley, whoee association

running a letter to the editor M ;
F ' y duties, over and above representing Skeena
and think that’s rather constituency, include sitting as the NDP represen-

tative on two House committees: Northern Pipelines
Citizen editor, has foundtwo and Natural Resources, and acting as our party’s
polltically-sensitive letters spokesman on mining and small business. The Con-
whose authors cannot be  seryativeshave promised to expand the role of the all-
confirmed. He also plans - party commiltees. ] expect both of my committees to
more thorough checking cf he yery active with a large number of important
lellor writers, Sun and questions coming before us: the oil and gas lines from
Proviwe were on strike Alaska, energy self-sufficiency, the prices of energy,
during the election cam- tC. Took forward tethis work a great deal as we must
paign but the Sun published a clearly start developing alternative energy policies.
fake letter in August that The House of Commons sits every day and during ©
was criticlal of an appoint- the evening on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. As
ment by the former NDP well, the committees sit frequentiy during the week to
government. consider legislation, examine witnesses, and

Tony Skae, Prince George

- ‘The Sun apologized for the scrutinize the budget requirements of government

letter and publisher Clark. departments. The procedure is not easy to grasp at
Davey believes this will give first, but veteran MP's such as Stanley Knowles have
greater credibility to its been very helpful to me and I'm now feeling more
letters pages. comfortable in dealing with House rules.

peer ole will say lthey've Question period, now televised, has been the most
don't. want to be bitten active part of most day’s business, I have directed a
again.’ Leece H ‘Humber of questions ‘to the Prime Minister and the
Both he.and Provinceypub- . Minister of the Environment about the movement of
lisher Paddy Sherman say Alaska oil near our shores or through our territory. As
the curr ent letter-writing we are restricted to only four or five questions each
scandal wl | die down ut day (based on a party’s number of seats and at-
tenaifying Pore to verity tendance in the House), our members take turns as
the identities of authors, the issues and opportunities present themselves. With
Sherman says letter. committee work, my portfolios, question period, and
writing campaigns by the on-going riding concerns, I find my days (and
politica! parties are not new nights) quite full.
pat the dirty ticks deter «ic AS 1 mentioned, my representative in Terrace is
normal process... . they're a ‘always available to you at 638-1818 in.order to solve
forgery, period.” - problems, provide information, forward requests to
And phoney lettera aren't me in Ottawa, and arrange for local appointments or
restricted to politics, says meetings. Please do not hesitate to call or you can
Sherman who recalled a write me directly in care of House of Commons, Ot-
celebrated case where his tawa
paper's letters colurnns were :
used by two writera to attack
each other,
A subsequent check
revealed both names were

phoney.

"We were gonna soap the guys
windows, when he gave it to us!"

The smiling face of Evan Wolfe announced Monday
that once again the provincial government has run up
‘a surplus. ; .

The government acts as though making money was
the purpose of government. They seem to think that
making $200 million a year is something to be proud of.

Well, it isn't. Not when you do it by cutting back on
services to the people you are elected to serve.

It is a businessman's function in society to make
money. That is what businesses are for. If they don't
make money, they fail.

Governments appear to operate on the same basis in
this country nowadays.

The Socreds in B.C, run up a $188 million budget

surplus by cutting back money services such as debt
councellors in Terrace.

The Lougheed government in Alberta threatens the
unity of the country of which they are a part by telling
the other provinces that oil prices will rise to world
levels, whether they have to or not, and if the rest
don’t like it, they can go somewhere else for oil and

gas.

Whatever happened to government for the le?
What do the people of B.C, gain when servicesvare cut
back in order to create budget surpluses?

What do the people of Canada galn when Lougheed’s
Tories raise the prices of ofl to pad the Heritage Fund
further and further into the billions of dollane? ‘

And what do the people of Canada gain when their

business resources are
materpriser sacrificed on the altar of ‘free
It gives one to wonder what our elected officials are
really doing. We all know they want to get re-elected. °
In their recent efforts to do so, they are hurting us.
Perhaps we should look beyond the dollars and cents
next time elections roll around, and concentrate on
what we really want from government.
& if itt is good government, let's have it, If it’s fancy
figures an charts on easels, well, then we already

It sure isn't my idea of government, though,