Ai rport. To the editor, I would like to make a ~ comment about the article on the Terrace Airport in the Feb. 4 issue of your ‘paper. The planes that landed in Frank’s field had already been to Prince Rupert having been misin- formed that there was an airport in that city. They had seen the large field while flying quite low over Terrace so they returned to it from Prince Rupert as they were low on fuel. They landed on the bench north of where ‘West Fraser Sawmill is now. Incidentally, if it had not been for World War II there would not have been an airport here or at Smithers until much later. The one in Prince _ Rupert was not built until 15 years after the war was over, and it, like Smithers, has only one runway. Don Cooper Terrace B.C. ‘Letters to the editor will be - considered for publication only when signed. Please include your phone number. The editor reserves ithe right to . condense and edit letters. Opinions expressed are “not necessarily those of the Terrace Review. Terrace Review Established May 1, 1985 The Terrace Review Is publishad each Wednesday by Close-Up Business Services Ltd. Publlsher: Mark Twyford Editor: Mauteen Barbour _ Staff Reporter: Michael Kelly: Advertising Salas: ‘ Jean-Luc Roy . 635-7840. _. Production:. . >> “Jim Halt —- Offlee: ° . Carrle Olson Accounting: Mar] Twyford “Second-class mall registration No, 6895. . Reproduction of this paper or any por- tlon thereof is prohibited without per- ’ mission of ihe publisher, Evora and omlseions. Advertising ja accepted on the condition that in the * event of typographical enor, that por- tion of the advertising space occupied by the erroneous Item will not ba charged for, but the balance of the advertisement wil! be pald for at the applicable rate. ‘Advertisers must assume responelbill- ty for errors In any classified ad which ls supplied to the Terrace Review in handwritten form. In compliance with the B.C. Human hte Act, no advertisement will be ished which discriminates against a pereon dus to age, race, religion, col- of, sax, mationellty, ancestry or plece - of origin. 4535 Greig Avenue, Terrace, B.C. V8G 1M7 Phone: 635-7840 4 Terrace Review — Wednesday; February 25, 1987 Some good news aoe bad in financial report There’s good news and bad news in the finance ministry's third and Finance Minister Mel Couvelier’ § first quarterly financial report. Which do -you want first, the good or the bad? Why not take turns? Bad news: Revenue for the first nine months of the 1986-87 fiscal year, ending Dec. 31, was $131 million lower than expected: Good news: Expen- ditures also came in lower than anticipated — by $149 million. Good news: Revenue was 2.4 percent higher than for the same period last year. Bad news: Spending was up by 4,9 percent for the corresponding period. Good news: The deficit for the first nine months of the fiscal year was slightly lower than’ originally ex- pected. Bad news: The full year’s deficit is expected to be higher than the $875 million forecast in the current budget. - Good news: B.C. Ferries, the B.C. Lottery Corpora- tion and the Liquor Distribution Branch made a profit. ’ Bad news: B.C. Hydro lost money. Good news: Retail sales went up by 7.5 percent and manufacturing shipments by 7.8 percent. Bad news: The unemployment rate still averaged 12.6 percent. What’s all that mean? That economic recovery is still refusing to visit British Columbia. The best one can say for the conditions described in the quarterly report is that things could be worse. And Couvelier’s own outlook doesn’t do much to raise spirits. ‘There are a number of uncertainties in the 1987 outlook, including the effect of the news 15 percent ex- port tax on sales of Canadian lumber, the impact of tax reform in the United States on housing activity, and the extent to which protectionist pressures in the United States may result in further action against exports from British Columbia,’ Couvelier says. Couvelier blames a number of events and circum- stances for the relatively poor showing of the B.C. economy during the first nine months of the current fiscal year. ‘*Provincial revenue has been adversely affected by . the impact_of reduced petroleum prices on provincial “fuel tax rates and petroleum and natural gas revenue, the effects of the labor dispute in the forest industry and lower-than-expected income tax revenue,’’ the minister says. oo interested in heiping the Scouts or Giri Guides, of the com- " munity? Short on time, but still interested? The B.P. Guild will help you help, without necessarily filling your calen- dar. If you don't have the time to become a Scouting leader, you can still help Scouts through the Gulld, or if you wished you had gone Into Scouting, the Guild can get you helping with Scouting events. For more Information, contact Finn Larsen at 638-1377. J Hubert Beyer _ Terrace Review. - Victoria Correspondent y 1 should mention here that Couvelier’s reference to the softwood lumber export tax may be a bit of clap- trap. Now that he’s raided that tax fund, effectively removing at least for the time being the $360 million a year from reforestation and silviculture, his boss will have about a million a day to make. British Columbians happy. Perhaps the lottery corporation’s $118 million profit explains Premier Vander Zalm’s determination to bless us with legalized gambling. And don’t be fooled by the limited extent to which gambling will initially be al- lowed, It may start with slot machines and a card table or two on the Princess: Marguerite which shuttles tourists — mostly American — between Seattle and Victoria, but that’s not where it will end. Sooner or later, encouraged by handsome profits, the government will allow gambling on the regular ferry system, in specific tourist destination spots, such as . Whistler or Barkerville, and before you can say rouge et noir, the roulette tables will be spinning all over the province, and slot machines everywhere will eagerly rob you of your last quarter, . Never mind that gambling i is a regressive form of tax- ation. Never mind that it’s mostly the lower-income earners and the outright poor who gamble in the hope of escaping financial misery via that elusive jackpot. We'll be expected to gamble our way to a balanced budget. Back to the quarterly report. I don’t envy Couvelier his job, While the premier is engaging in lofty discourses about open government, ethics and morality, his finance minister has the lousy duty of telling us that: things aren’t all that well in British Columbia. Couvelier’s report also dims. prospects of an im- aginative budget that might fire up some of the economic engines which stalled during the recession and the restraint period. Incentives of any kind will pro- bably be mere tokens, too insignificant to make a dif- ference in terms of creating economic activity. Judging from the economic picture Couvelier painted in his third quarterly report, the budget will look more like a Bill Bennett restraint document than a blueprint for recovery. No. more beating © - around. the bush To the editor, _ Don’t dare to say: any- - -thing . unfriendly about gays or lesbians. ‘That is ‘discrimination. ‘But a prominent seg- ment of society, named Christians, are to be com- pletely disregarded. ‘At least their feelings. ~ On T.V. and in litera- ture there seems to be | nothing wrong with swear- ing, cursing and profani- - ty. Just because God said, ‘You shall not take my name in vain’? seems to _. make some playwriters and bookwriters do it all the more. : The Christian taxpayers. are having this stuff forc- ed down their’ throats. They are told to shut up and get out of the way. In- sulting God and his fol-. lowers is just. an accepted thing to do. ‘The media do not want censorship, except where it comes in convenient to keep Christianity at a dis- tance. Some editors’ be- come censors. That is why “letters to the. editor’, written from a Christian point of view, are more often refused for publica- tion. ' Who was complaining about discrimination? Is this business of putting down : Christians not in conflict. with human tights? -Human rights at the expense of the rights of others is unacceptable. According to our ‘'Con- servative’ government, the C.B.C. and the Na- tional Filmboard are do- ' ing a fine job. Would you believe it? When it is time for another election I am going to vote for the Christian Heritage Party of Canada. No more dishonesty and beating around the bush. - Bill Homburg Terrace, B.C. efter. Thank you To the editor, On behalf of “The White Heather Club”, we would like to thank all the people who donated their time and valued support at our first ‘““Rabbie’’ Burns Dinner & Dance. The White Heather Club Terrace, B.C. +e mine ek