PAGE 2, THE HERALD, Monday, May 29- 1978 Editorial Beware the ‘Cyclist Few motorists and few pedestrians, unless they are bicyclists, themselves, are aware how long it takes a cyclist to bring a bicycle to'a complete halt. It takes longer than they think! The switch from the coaster brake to. the fashionable handlebar activated brakes means that in wet weather, braking is less efective still! Automobilists who pull sharply in front of a mobile bicycle, and even pedestrians who suddenly step out in front of a bicyclist can cause distress and damage to both the rider and the machine. Many motorists who feel that bicycles should be banned from the highways altogether, because they are ‘‘dangerous” sometimes show their hostility by their driving patterns, and display a seeming lack of highway courtesy. On the waterways, a power boat, according to the rules of navigation , has to give way to a sailboat-absurd though it may seem. The etiquette behind this is based on the common sense factor that a motor powered vessel has more control than a beat dependent on the vagaries of the wind. A prize winning photo some years ago showed the mighty Queen Mary giving way to a tiny, one man sailboat; an example of the law of the seain practice. The same criterion should apply on the highways. As a number of accidents and a number of near- accidents have occurred lately of this nature, we are asking our readers to word along that today’s very narrow-gauge bicycle tires do not permit sudden stops with safety. Least of all, when it is raining. Since bicyclists (1) save valuable fuel, (2) do not pollute the air with noxious exhaust and (3) help keep the cyclist healthy through outdoor exercise, they are worth protecting. Remember too-Cyclists cannot be re-cycled. Council Report by Dave Pease On the Courthouse | 1 would like to clear up some misunderstandings regarding the location of a courthouse in Terrace. To my knowledge no member of council has ever opposed having 8 courthouse in Terrace. Some members of council, including myself, were concerned at receiving a letter saying in effect ‘we are building a courthouse in Terrace on Kalum street, hurry up and rezone the land’. Adter aeeing local residents fight for years to obtain rezoning I questioned the sense of council fighting any rezoning if the provincial government could completelyi ignore our,zoning maps. _ ; I also questioned the fact that we were in the process 6f- developing an official Community plan, partly financed by the provincial government, but that same provincial _ government can totally ignore that plan and even ruin it's whole concept ifit decides to build in town. To the knowledge of council the government gave no consideration to where in the community would be the best long-term location of a courthouse but based their decision simply on the fact that they owned thelandonKealum. Council were split three ways on the location as I saw it. Aldermen Cooper and Soutar favoured the Kalum location, Aldermen Jolliffe and Giesbrecht favoured a location on Cancel property ¢o the east of town asa start in rejuvinating that end of town, and Alderman Talstra and myself though that a courthowe should be a centrepiece in a community and Favored a location somewhere facing onto Lower Little Park. From the above it was apparent that a motion by Aldermen Cooper and Soutar stating that council favoured the Kalum Street Jocation was unlikely to receive support. In addition council has to sit an independent body at a public hearing before the rezoning can take place, and they could hardly be independent if they had already gone on record as favouring that location. In the above explanation I have stated council’s feelings regarding where in Terrace each member of council would prefer to see a courthouse located, as I heard them, and given reasons for those feelings. ; However I do not feel sufficently strongly enough about the location to in any way prejudice.the location of'a courthouse in Terrace and will support it’s location on Kalum street since that is the only location the provincial government will consider. However it is a sad day for democracy when an alderman saying “that would not be my choice of location if I was making thesole decision” is said by some residents to be sufficient for the provincial gove?nment to up stakes and build in another community. I do not belleve any government in a supposedly free country is that dictatorial. One issue remainign to be resolved regarding the cour- thouse and health centre is the upgrading of Kalwn Street and Olson Avenue. My personal opinion is that the entrace to a joint parking area should be a continuation of Loen Avenue with the courthouse to the south of this entrance road and the health centre to the north. This would mean that no upgrading of Olgon would be necessary if no access was allowed from Olson. Since the provincial government wants access to the courthouse from Kalum it would also limit the number of busy access streets toKaluminasmaliarea. — TERRACE/KITIMAT daily herald General Office - 635-6357 Circulation - 635-6357 Published by Sterling Publishers PUBLISHER...Don Cromack MANAGING EDITOR...Ernest Senlor ' REPORTERS...Donna Vallieres (Terrace-Thornhill) REPORTERS.,.Scatt Browes (Kitimat Kitamaat) KITIMAT OFFICE...Pat Zelinskl - 632-2747 Published every weekday at 3212 Kalum St., Terrace, B.C. A member of Varifled Circulation. Authorized as second class mail. Registration number 1201, Postage pald in cash, return postage guaranteed. NOTE OF COPYRIGHT s The Herald relains full, complete and sole copyright any advertisement produced and-or any editorial or shatographic content published in the Herald. ‘Reproduction is not permitted without the written permission of the Publisher. . Installment payments 1s My 2° Worth Judy -Vandergucht ‘This 1s the time of the year when hundreds, willingly ana wiwillingly, take off into the wild blue yonder every weekend. You see them Friday night heading out in every directions. I am taiking about the campers and trailers. Some of them go a great distance and some patronize the local campgrounds. Either way, these people leave their homes for two days most weekends and for. what? Being one of the un-willing, I have this reoccurring nightmare in which I am carried off into the sunset by thousands of giant mosquitoes (the kind you find around Usk) never to beseen again. You can all step cheering as I have no intentions of making that nightmare come true, that is unless someone can convince me that camping has just ONE ad- vantage over staying at home, amongst familiar surroun- gS. ; Fresh air you say? Believe it or not my backyard is full of it-lilae scented with just ahint of manure. AAH! Now where would you find that in the country? No, dogwood and moose turds don’t count. Relaxation? I can't get more relaxed than in my recliner watching ‘Country Canada’ and if that is not relaxing enough there is always'my nice comfortable ROOMY bed which is more than I can say for the average beds you find in campers and trailers,. You turn over in one of these things and end up . on the grass outside. Either that or.the trailer comes off it's © ‘and park along with three hitch and -you'roll over yith your head ‘in“the oveyn .- or * worselF St “e No meals to cook? Ha! Whatdo you call sweating it out © over abarbeque? When I see all those people raving over the taste of. burnt hamburger smothered in wood ash’ just boa _THIS WEEK from Ottawa Yona Campagnolo Although the ~pectre of an oil termina] at Kitimat or elsewnere on Canada’s west coast has been put firmly torest as a result of strong action by the federal government, additional concern has now been raised with speculation about an Alaska Panhandle oil port. According to this speculation--which is totally unfounded and unsubstantiated—The Americans are seeking concessions in the Canada-U.8. Maritime Boundaries negotiations which would allow supertanker passage through.Dixon En- trance, around the southern tip of the Alaska Panhandle, and then in to an oil port on Alaskan soil. NO BASIS IN FACT To put it simply, this theory is sheer nonsense. Think before borrowing “Neither a borrower nor lender be’, advised William Shakespeare, some four hundred years ago. While his maxim might have been good advice then, times have changed to the polnt where the extent of our modern-day borrowing would probably leave old Will aghast. Some of us borrow to pay for. luxuries— mink coats, European holidays, or diamond bracelets. Most of us probably have more . practical reasons--the ol¢ car has finally given up the ghost, junior needs im- mediate and expensive dental work, or the roof is leaking so badly you have to unfur] an umbrella to sit in the living room. . ‘Before you borrow, however, you should stop and consider all the factors involved, Is your reason for borrowing sound? Would a cloth coat, or riding to work with a neighbour, suffice until you can afford the more expensive alternative? WII you be able to repay the loan without having to live on bread and water7If the monthly total of your percent of your take home pay, proceed cautiously. Money is like any other consumer product-the cost of obtaining it varies from place to place, Generally speaking, the better credit record you ‘have, the better deal you'll get on the interest charges. It's a good idea to check your credit file with the local credit bureau before - you spply for a loan. That way you'll know what's in the file the lender will be consulting, and you'll have an op- portunity to correct any arrors before they result in misunderstandings. Tf you don't know the name of the credit bureau in your area, ask a bank or depart- ment store toutell you, You cah usually find credit bureaus’ !lsted in the yellow pages - under ‘Credit Reporting Agenctes". Be prepared to demon- -strate to the lender that you are'a good credit risk, Take along any information that will. help you prove your ability to repay the loan, such as pay stubs and records of other income or going to be more than 20 assets, Crazy Campers — For What? . pecause it is cooked outside, I wo;nder if these camping people aren’t all a little strange, - Those same people given the same fare in a restaurant’ would atomp out indignantly NEVER to return, Okay I have to éoneede that some -foods cooked outdoors ARE: BEARABLE. I am thinking of ‘fresh trout simmering in’ butter over an open fire. But it’s the dish washing that gets to me. Greasy frypans and grills washed in cold water ih a bucket does NOTHING for my appetite. It is a miracle that most campers don't come down with chronic indigestion-or advanced malaria from drinking ail that mountain stream water infested with tadpoles. Getting back to nature? If being chased up a tree by a black bear or eaten alive by three dozen different varieties of skin chewers is ‘back to nature’ I will take a friendly romp in the neighbourhood park, any day. I am happy knowing that I am not being stalked by a fiesh-eating mammal when out for anevening stroll, The worst thing that could happen to mein town would be to be attacked by the local bonzo thinking I was the neighbourhood cat, Frankly, a cracking twig in the ~ bush puts me into terminal shock. . Quiet? That is what camping means to you? So hen, why do campers take along, THE KIDS, THE DOGS, CATS, BIRDS RADIOS (Usually blaring) and even TELEVISIONS banks of Lakelse Lake? That kind of qulet would have two men in white coats dragging me off for a long rest. I will tell you what camping is--it's cheap!! No motels, no restaurants to patronize,.no dreas stores for the wife to go crazy in, no nightclubs. .1 mean, a person could save money camping - THAT IS IF HE SURVIVESI - HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE! hundred other campers onthe’ Those who perpetuate it are serving no benefit to our area, and seen: intent on disregarding the clear facts of the issue in favor of creating dissension. i Some of the reasons why a Dixon Entrance oil port does not make sense are:-- - Despite myths to the contrary, the Canadian government has not entered into any agreement to move the A-B line (The Canadian-American border through Dixon Entrance) south. Such a move would only be considered if major con- cessions were granted by the Americans; and one such concession that I as your M.P. would hold out for would be an agreement prohibiting use of Dicon Entrance by supertankers. - Hyder, Alaska—the supposed future oil port in this scenario is not a realistic oil port site— because Canada shares authority with the US. over the entrance waters (Portland Canal) and we would not give an approval to such an en- vironmentally unacceptable proposal. - Other panhandle terminal locations (e.g. Wrangell) are possible without moving the A-B line, but the pipeline would still have to cross Canadian soil, and Canadian government ap-- proval would still be required; and for many of the same reasons that it rejected the Kitimat oil port proposal, the federal Cabinet--of which I am a member —would be extremely unlikely to endorse a pipeline originating from a terminal on American soil that. posed a severe en- vironmental and economic risk to Canadians. __ -Federal government initiatives in the fields of energy conservation and unconventional energy sources (such as biomass conversion and oil sands development) have significantly reduced our country’s future dependency on imported oil- -so much so that I expect the National Energy Board hearings currently underway on this subject will report that our oil import needs until the turn of the century can be met through our existing import facilities on the east coast. ‘ - One such initiative of ‘local interest is the possible development of the ‘hot springs” in the Terrace-Kitimat area, for thermal energies, I have requested my Cabinet colleague, Minister of Science and Technology, Judd Buchanan, to look into the feasibility of this. IDLE TALK .. mo oe _ So while stories of a “Dixon Entrance Sellout” ora Panhandle oil terminal may make good gossip or may be thought to be in the short-term’ advantage of the special interest groups behind them, I want to assure you that they have no basis in fact, they represent a startling degree of ignorance on the part of persons who should know better, and they should be treated as the ill- informed speculations that they are. _ The Post Office BY Frank Oberle MP which epitomizes--and reflects more _ dramatically than any other-the malaise in our general economy--the inefficiency of big government and the decline in the morale of an overgrown public service-it is the Post Office, In the pastseveral years our postal service has become a laughingstock not only to Canadians in all parts of our country—but to foreign observers as well, The Post Office has increased its deficit from $67 million per year to $567 million per year during the last ten years’ and the price of mail has risen from 4 cents to 14 cents, Even many postal employees will agree that the service one can expect from our national Post Office has never been worse. The accumulated Post Office debt now’stands at an incredible 2.8 billion dollars and this is, of course, still rising. I find this personally disheartening because I believe that with competent management, intelligent and cooperative industrial relations, and some fundamental structural adjustments, we could provide Canada with a model and efficient postal service. The Labour Picture . My office is flooded with complaints about the Post Office; most refer to-either unreliable service or they talk about the poor labour situation. Who do you know that does not have a horror story to tell about their mail delivery? In the past eleven years, the staff of the Post Office has grown from 26,000 to 72,000, which, con- sidering the diminishing quality of service, amounts to an enormous increase. The Canadian Union of Postal Employees has never been regarded as a timid union, but they have some legitimate reasons for their hardline + stance. The Post Office was established by.an - Act of Parliament and is operated directly from the Federal Government. As is the case with many federal departments, the Post Office suffers from too much bureaucracy, fragmented jurisdiction, and poor morale. Postal employees are not covered by the Canada Labour Act or by the Public Service Commission guidelines which apply to most federal departments. The Post- master General is their avenue to Parliament and the succession of Ministers in this sensitive and troubled portfolio has not helped restore confidence in the Post Office. . The CUPW has been accused of militancy and adversary policies for years and an examination of the case that can be made to support that contention proves it to be somewhat valid. Last summer I was secretly forwarded a letter sent _from, the office of Mr. Andre’ Beauchamp; Vice" . « President of the Postal Union: which spécifically" instructed all Post Office workers to refrain from any involvement. with management during off hours. The letter went on to list activities which implied involvement, including all sporting events, and virtually everything else. I stated at that time and I will repeat now that this totally -unacceptable behavior for any responsible union, let alone a major government union. Certainly postal employees have some legitimate grievances, however, the radical approaches they adopt only add to conflict—they do nothing to solve’ the We Have Some Answers _ It is for these reasons and corresponding inaction by our government, that we have our- selves undertaken an indepth study into the affairs of the Post Office—and we are suggesting some solutions. _ Our Party has some significant recom- mendations that warrant examination. We believe that the Post Office should be tran- sformed into a crown corporatinn. This is hardly a new idea, as it has been advocated by most of the 17 major studies into the Post Office in the last 20 years. ; What it would do is remove the fragmented authority and overlapping jurisdiction which has plagued postal operations. Most of the problems are due to management labour strife and systems breakdowns. The establishment of a crown corporation with instructions to hold the deficit to a minimum would certainly help to alleviate both —‘those difficulties, | ' We would also allow private courier services to operate in direct competition with the Post Of- fice, They provide legitimate services and in a small way help our unemployment problem. The very fact these services can exist and make a profit is a tribute to the inefficiency of our Post Office. Nonetheless we fee] that if the postal service is upgraded and improves in efficiency, there is no reason to suspect that these private - - operations will endure. . ; We would retain the right of Parliament to set general guidelines, to determine wage set- tlements, and prohibit strikes. Wages would, of course, be tied more closely to the private sector under a-Conservative administration. It Will Take Time , ; The kind of approach we would adopt would not ctire the problems of the Post Office over- night. In actual fact the process of restoring the Post Office to its previous efficiency will take'a good deal of time and a great deal of com- prehensive plannirig. The entrenched privileges of the political, managerial and union elements within the Post Office will resist the challenge, but eventually will he changed. As with small: business which I spoke to you about two weeks-ago, we have the ideas and the will to ° institute - positive. changes. Most of our {postal emplyees ware - hard working and ded cated servants of our country. The constant criticism they are subjected to is - not always warranted. - If there is one Department of Government . problems. N