Page 4, The Herald. Friday. October 13, 1978 TERRACE/KITIMAT daily herald General Office - 635-6357 Circulation - 635-6357 Published by Sterling Publishers | _ PUBLISHER - Laurle Mallett ‘GEN. MANAGER - Knox Coupland » EDITOR. Greg Middieton CIRCULATION. TERRACE - Andy Wightman 635-6357 KITIMAT - Pat Zelinski 632-2747 KITIMAT OF FICE - 632-2747 Published every weekday at 3212 Kalum Street, Terrace, B.C. A member of Varifled Circulatian. Authorized as second class mail. Registration number 1201. Postage paid in cash, return postage guaranteed. ’ NOTE OF COPYRIGHT The Herald retains full, complete and sole copyright in any advertisement produced and-or any editorial or photographie contant published In the Herald. Reproduction is not permitted without the written permission of the Publisher. EDITOR'S JOURNAL BY GREG MIDDLETON You have to give the pilots that fly into the Terrace airport credit, they‘re pros. As | was waiting to fly to Vancouver last weekend the assembled passengers heard the plane fly over but not land. There was a bit of a stir and some grumbling but we heard the plane * come back to make another fruitless pass. Most of the passengers were seasoned travellers and were aware of the problems of getting In here under the ciouds. There was some complaining, mixed with the prayers that the pilot would make another attempt. Some of the rookie travellers started trying to find out what they were going to do. If you miss a flight because of weather, CP Air will confirm you on the next flight if there is space available. They will bus passengers to Rupert or put on another flight if that is feasible. They try to do everything in their power to get you where you are going despite the weather. In this case the pilot made a third pass, this time coming right down almost out of the low- lying clouds to get a look at the alrport. As he pulled back up, spirits lifted tao. He seemed to be doing everything possible to get in. CP Air Manager Peter Chettle, was in the Herald office asking if we could correct an error in a story about flight schedules (On Tuesday and Wednesday, the evening ‘flight arrives at 8:10 p.m. to depart at 8:35 p.m. arriving in Vancouver at 10:45 p.m. via Prince Rupert — not arriving at 8:10 p.m. via Prince Rupert as was printed on page 3 Tuesday). He explained the _gituation here. He sald the pilot had a limit and r that if the clouds were below that it was up to his ‘discretion as to whether to land or not. . Chettle told me that some of the very ex- perienced pilots know that they can fand under conditions a less experienced pliot might not want to try. After all, a number of lives are at stake and itis the pilot’s decision. You can’t fault a pilot for being cautious and going by the book. The planes have enough fuel fo make one pass here if they can‘t get In at Rupert, then they have to go back to Vancouver. if they know they can get In at Rupert they might make several passes looking for a hole or waiting for the cloud to fift as It frequently does. On the occasion when | was out at the airport, anxiously waiting for the plane to land, it made it in on the fourth pass. The plane seemed to drop dut of the sky, still banking slightly as though the pilot was still looking for the landing strip. | understand that the pilot was one of the veterans on this run and Is completely familiar with conditions here. Chettle explained that on the recent trip in which there was a problem, the plane was ac- tually struck by lightning as if was coming into Rupert. At the same time the landing lights on the airport went out. The plane, as | understand it, was unable to land in Terrace. It finally ended up in Prince George. The lightning, of course, temporarily put a good deal of the plane’s electronics out of order, so the pilot was flying mostly with his skill. As the plane | was waiting for made it in, and If they get in they always seem to get out again, | got to Vancouver where I participated in a mugging. That, however, Is material for the next colymn. It has mow been over a year since Parliament approved legislation revising Canada’s gun control laws. And — dire predictions and sen- sationalist scare stories to the contrary — the roof has not fallen In on the responsible hunters and firearms collectors of our country. In fact, for these responsibfe community members, very tittle has changed. What has changed. however, Is the access to firearms allowed to persons who use them for criminal purposes or who have a strong record of mental or emotional instability. These steps are consistent with the government’s determination fo stem the Increasing tendency to use guns in crimes and to reduce the unacceptable toll of deaths and Injuries — accidental or otherwise — which result from the irresponsible or accidental misuse of firearms. With the exception of the provisions for the Firearms Acquisition Cer- fificate and the Business Permit system, which have been delayed for one year, the new laws came into effect on January 1, 1978. Significant changes have been mage to the restricted weapons system and the definition of fete Lous VESQuE? (Ba. “Tell Lougheed my office door’s always open — so if he could get some tools and OTTAWA — OFFBEAT | BY RICHARD JACKSON. en} crams * fix it, I'd appreciate it.” Toronto ridings sewn up © TORONTO (CP) — MV popularity in municipal polities means anything, you can furget about hulding federal byelections Oct. 16 in three Metro Toronto ridings and wrap them up now for delivery. Thal would be two for the Liberals and une fur the Pro- pressive Cunservatives. But don’t bet those results automatically. The byelections are on, and candidates from all parties in the three ridings: are talking up a storm of cun- fidence. The ridings are York- Scarborough, sprawled over Metro's northeast corner and Canada’s largest single riding with 160,000 voters, Bruadview in Toronto's east- central area and Parkdale in the west-central section. The candidates with the highlevel municipal backgrounds are: Paul Cusgrove, Liberal in York-Searburough, mayor in the borough of Scar- burcugh for the last six years; —Art Eggleton, Liberal in Parkdale, sine years alderman for Ward 8, which makes up one-third uf the federal riding, six years chief of Turonte’s §210.4- million budget; —Tum Clifford, Con- servative in Broadview, 14 years alderman for Ward 3, which takes in two-thirds of the federal riding. Cosgrove in York- Scarborough and Eggteten in Parkdale have the ad- vantage of running in established Liberal ridings. Clifford in Bruadview is irying lo take away a longlime NDP seat. York-Scarburough, — in addition to being Canada's largest riding, has a OR ARE THEY? reputation for being a bell- wether fur voters. In nine elections since the riding was crealed in 1952, volers always have been un the winning side. . The riding is su big thal Paul MeCrossan, the Con- servalive candidate whu has been knucking on duors for three months, says an in- dividual can'| have much . impact on voters. As a result, the three major pariies have armies out pushing literature and lawn signs and organizing car puuls on valing day to gel peuple lo the polls. More than 3,000 workers, mustly volunteers, have been used. Cusgruve agrees that his having been mayer shuuld give him a big identificatiun boost in part of the riding— Scarborough makes up about 60 per cent of its tolal area. There's une area of agree- ment between McCrossan, a 36-year-vld insurance ac: luary, and the NDP can- didale, Ivan Junes, 37, an accuuntant. Beth say there is a strung feeling against Prime Minister Trudeau. McCrossan was alsu buuyed by the announcement uf his party's prupusal lo allow partial writeuffs of ‘ rhurtgage payments against persunal income taxes. “There are a lot of houses out there with murtgages, and a lot of high-rise apart- ments filled with peuple wanting to buy houses,” he says. “Huw du you expect them to react?” Cusgrove on the other hand, says fewer than five per cent of the peuple he has talked to have had anything ly say agains! Trudeau. Jones criticizes his two opponents for trying to appeal to what he calls the right wing element abroad in Canada at the moment: “They’re trying to blame the country's problems on the unemployed and the unions,” he says. The NDP admits it has an uphill struggle in the riding. It came a poor third in the 1974 general election. Liberal Robert Stanbury, who quit to return to private business, won with 47,500 votes; the Tories got 38.700 and the NDP 11,500. In Parkdale, the Liberals are happily confident. In addition to his awn municipal popularity, Eggleton has the advantage of running ina riding with a strong Liberal tradition. Stanley Haidasz, now a senator, held it from 1982, winning the last time with 18,100 votes while the Con- servatives got 7,100 and the NDP 4,400. Conservative Yuri Shymko and NDP candidate Doug Littte—both teachers~—say the heavy Liberal vole in recent elections was a reflection of Haidasz's personal pupularily. “1 don't think there's any question there's a huge anii- government vole aut there,” says Litue. “The only real question is who's going to be the recipient." Shymkov says that Eggletun has made the biggest mistake uf his life by lying his campaign 19 Trudeau. Eggleton says he’s prov lo have his campaign lied to the prime minister. “Sure, there’s sume anti- Trudeau stuff but I think it’s over-rated and = uver- exaggerated.” In Broadview, the NUP has had a. determined campaign to held the riding won in 1974 by Jolin Gilberi, now a judge, with 9,400 votes. The Liberals had 2,-100 and the Conservatives 5,600, Running for the NDP this | time is Bub Rae, a 30-year- ald articling Jawyer and a Rhodes scholar. He has been uperating a strecl-front office for mast of the year to help peuple with their problems and says the reaction he has found against Trudeau is ex- iraurdinary, “There’s 2 complete with the government, It gues back (a wage-andprice controls~ ‘Frudeau got a lat of support here last time by opposing them, then he shafted the peuple.” Clifford hopes his pupularity as an alderman will translate into federal voles, He ran federally in 1972 and just by 1,200 votes lo NDPer Gilber!, but says the voles went to Gilbert because he was sa well knewn, Nuw, he says, he's guing against an unknown. He also finds a large anti- Trudeau and anti- government feeling, His officials also hope to benefit from a sharp split among the Liberals. Philipp Valeris is the Liberal candidate, but he had a iough fight to win the nomination from — Low Yackou. who ran in 1974, Valeris, a 41-year-old sense of aecountant, is a native of — Greece and came to Canada in 1969. He has werked closely with immigrants inthe riding for years, helping them through the amaze of government paperwork they — find themselves invulved with. He figures that background gives him an advantage in (he yoting. A Jona comments on gun control _by no means guaranteed. .. And disillusioiment restricted and prohibited weapons. Controls in this regard are much tighter than before, but persons with legitimate reasons will still be able to obtain restricted weapons. The criteria of need include the protection of life, use In a lawful profession or occupation, use In target practice, as part of a bona fide collection, or as a relic. Handguns are restricted weapons — and have been so in Canada since 1934. Severe penalties for the criminal use of firearms are an Important feature of the new laws. Use of a firearm while committing or at- tempting to commit an indictable offence naw carries a mandatory prison sentence of one to fourteen years, and this sentence must be served consecutively to any other prison sentence imposed. Carrying a concealed weapon or possessing a prohibited or unregistered restricted weapon is punishable by up to five years’ imprisonment. Police now have the power to search for and seize weapons without a search warrant if there is immediate danger to the safety of a person and it is Empractical to obtain = warrant. This ex- fraordinary power is balanced -with the requirement that police must furnish an im- mediate report to a magistraie in such cases, whether or not anything ig seized. It is the alm of this provision to allow police to intervene in incidents — such as severe domestic agruments — where tife is being threatened, and hopefully through this to reduce the number of tragic killings which occur as a result of emotional instability. Two other sections of the new law, dealing with Firearms Acquisition Certificates and the operation of firearms businesses will be brought into effect in January 1979. These sections have been delayed in order to atlow for consuliation and co-ordination with provincia! authorities and tralning of police officials. | wil! discuss these sections In detall ina report to you clo-c: to the time of their introduction. One point | wish to make fully clear, however, is that this new law does ret require the registration of ordinary sporting and hunting OTTAWA - Simply because Prime Minister Trudeau and Treasury Board President Robert Andras say that federal spending Is being cut by _ $2.5 billion doesn’t make f¥'so. In the first place, the cut, they ‘said, sort of glossing it over, is to be spread between now and the end of what they call the ‘1979-80 fiscal year." Which means, in the federal system of bookkeeping, by March 31 of — 198). So the very timing of it —‘stretched out over the next year and a half — even to the trusting taxpayer makes it a bit ‘‘Iffy.”- im For one thing, unless the federal Liberals proclaim their self-perceived divine-right-to-rule as law, an election will intrude, And evenif the Liberals should win it — which, in the present anti-government mood pervading the nation as manifest in recent political elec: tions, could be a tass-up — things will not be the same. . - _ Liberals coming out of an election — like any government retaining power — are seldom the Same as they were when campalgning. _ Priorities change. Promises, well you know, political pledges. , . And if the Liberals should lose, the whole game — and all the players — will change along with what happens by March 31 of 1980. That's the first of the big “ifs” in the coming year-and-a-half, two-and-a-half-billion dollar chop. The second — and perhaps bigger “if — in the now-you-see-it and by-March-of-1980-you-don't — is that even cuts on the modest scale currently promised by Trudeau, Andras and Company are Modest, because $2.5 billion out of a better than a projected $53.5 billion is little more than a nick, not a cut. ; Nobody's bleeding, although fram the screams you hear bouncing off the bureaucratic walls, you might think this was a slaughter house. ~ likely few will be bleeding. There’s just too much administrative protection against any real damage to allow any major surgery on the overfed and over- weight federal spending bady. oS Like the emergency measures taken for the 5,000 public servants whose jobs are supposed ta go. ; They have been glven a monopoly on any new government jobs that come up, Nobedy else need apply. epee .And- if things don't work out as thé’ public service demands — not just its monopaly, but Its preferred pay and privileges position as com- pared to business and industry — well, they'll strike, of course. ; Resistance to spending cuts is always fierce from interests, both in. and outside of govern-: ment, that benefit from high and rising spending. Bigger and better spending has been the government way of life for so many years now that a secondary industry of sorts has been based: upon federal spending. ° The civil service and its unions, of course — the artistic and cultural community — the federal welfare establishment — some of the provincial governments —- certain industries, especially subsidized housirig — and not only Parliament itself, but even powerful elements in both the Conservative and yes, the Liberal caucuses. fi in this particular situation, the last shall be irst. Trudeau, Andras and Company may ignore or partially appease some ofher protesting in- terests, but not Parliament. Can't you hear all those Honorable Members and Senators crying about the human havoc these still largely illusory cuts are causing? — First to the wailing wall, of course, will be the New Democrats, closely followed by the Liberals and Conservatives frantically elbowing for space on the newspages, and airtime on radio and TV. 4 So, compromises there will have to be. As always. : : HIS WEEK from Ottawa weapons, and the government has absolutely no intention of introducing such a registration process. tekk The Constitutional amendments | the Prime Minister in no way ere ey Monarchy or reduce the effective authority of the Queen. In fact, Her Majesty’s current role as symbolic head of state in Canada will be -en- shrined in the constitution based on the current practice in Canada wherein the Queen acts as Head of State while in Canada and the Governor General exercises her powers when she is not In the country. This is a formalization and af- firmation of the role played by the Queen in Canada today.