_ twelve months previous...’
-percentage of. the “labour
" compared-favourably with ‘tt
. March. rate of 7.6 percent and
“othe? April: 1972 “rate of ° 7,
‘percerit. The following tabl
“provides -\i‘comparisons .'-o!
“quarterly labour force®figures:
oe . aga Be ae 2 for. 1971, 1972, and 1973.-Higher,
The provincial ¢conomy.
xpanded on a'’broad front in the: ..th
first two -months of. the. year. “|
‘Sectors showing a good growth --
ate compared with last year
neluded: value of factory. -

Janurary and February of this:
. year affected'the 1973 firs!
. quarter averages: The marked
‘improvement in - March © an
en . services.. we fe April statistics suggest fruthe
hipments, uP 25.7 percent a improvement in unemploymen
awn. lumber: and tie ": Employment’. | trends.
roduction, up 11.5 percent in y og mpey ent virenes
lume: volume a pulp os 3S Labour Income __.. |
i , Up 31.1 percent; coa nr See a
: production” in: tons, up 51.4 | . April ‘employment: statistics a wy
. -showed .. a decided -pritish Columbia
improvement, W me ean ut tuo consumption of electric powe
number emp ry M o sh’ and - continued to grow in February:
compared wre d with ‘April, With net generation 15.7 percen
2 ‘Onemployment Was higher than a year previo:

oS ~~ o : > mE A 2hipped in the first three. reduced, with a: drop -of 5,000
BUSINESS REVIEW aetna fom ile a on om

Logging

 Bleétrie Energy:

“.. Continued strong market
demand for forest products has
kep logging. activity at a high
evel.-The March. timer scale
was up 55.4 percent over the .
same’ period ‘last year, and
totalled :121.1 million cubic feet
more than the February scale of
185.2. million cubic feet.

_ Ournew"Fieet Commander” |
 gadio-telephoneisnotonly |
one of the most flexible

Fishing

“British Columbia enjoyed ©
improved catches for most of
lhe. major species of fish in
February, with the .value of [
landings amounting to $816,000 -
an increase of $378,000 over last
year, The major gains were in
‘herring,’ cod .and . other .,
--proundfish. Higher prices were |
‘important in. boosting landed —
“values,” .

Mining

“Mineral fuels showed an
‘overall advance in January’
although crude oil production
. declined 5 percent. Natural gas
-production was up 8.4 percent

~20:> and coal production rose 65.6
“la: percent. February © coal
_-=production. at 617,301 tons _
».¢ompared favourably with

* : 609,198 tons in January, 1973 and
~ . 442,689 Lons in February of 1972.

_ Shipments in January of other’
-.fhinerals showed substantial §.
— gains, . with copper,
molybdenum, iron. ore and.
-- nickel recording large volume:
| vsinereases. ‘These advances
more . than compensated for
“". “detlines“ in. lead, zine. and:
| _»*“asbestos shipments. .Improved
“~~ market conditions in Japan and
_ western Europe are expected to
-“gupport increased activity in: —
_ mining during the year.

it's rugged, too.

7 “Mam facturing

parked: by higher prices and *

“increased demand the value of |

- = British Columbia manufactured

- ‘product shipments in February

““"Fege to $441.1 million, compared

“with $432.2 million in Janurary, .
previous.
manufacturing. sector was :

'.: registering the

-and $357.5 million a year

“. The forest product
February,
. following
changes in volume: lumber and
tie production,. up 7.7 percent;
paper. and

“buoyant. in’

pulp production, up 8.9 percent;

pulp shipments, up 138.7

~ British © Columbia

percent. . a
“’ January crude oil receipts at
based

-'pefineries were 4 percent higher
.. dhan a year ago. -

. paperboard .
. ‘production, down. 5.3: percent; |

The Fleet Commander, designed to.

serve large or small fleet operators, can
be installed in any type of vehicle —
under the dash, the seat, or in the trunk.
It’s small, reliable, solid state, and an
external speaker provides strong clear
reception for noisy locations. It can be
equipped to handle. up.to 8 channels

and there is a choice of handset or

microphone. | :
it’s tough — designed for the. most

rugged conditions but when. it needs _

repairs, prompt service is available ~
at our service centre nearest your
operating area. There are 50 located
throughout the province. :
It’s inexpensive ~ each mobile unit
costs just a little over $1 a day. Installa-
tion charges vary depending on the
type of installation and the number of
channels required. .

For more information, call our Market-
ing Department. Soon. -_