10 PER CENT Grits Project 400 popularity lead Southam News Services OTTAWA - Frederal Liberals stretched their, popularity lead over the slumping Progressive Conservatives to 10 percentage points in the Gallup Poll issued today. The opinion poll, conducted early in April, shows the Liberals atop the party standings Mortgage rate drop predi licted VANCOUVER (CP) -Mortgage interest rates can be expected to decrease to 9.75 per cent this month and could be as low as 9.5 per cent by summer, Trevor W. Pilley, Bank of British Columbia president, said Tuesday. Pilley said in an interview that interest rates should fall across the board as a result of the recently-announced reduction in the Bank of Canada's prime lending rate to 7.5 per cent from eight per cent. He said bank prime rates likely will drop to 8.25 per cent from 8.75 per cent, mortgage rates will fall to 9.75 per cent from 10.25 per cent and deposit interest rates would also decline by corresponding amounts. Some banks have already begun to reduce consumer loan rates as well, Pilley said. The bank executive predicted earlier this year that the Bank of Canada rate would fall to as low as seven per cent before the end of this year. "I am at least half right so far," he said Tuesday. "However, I would like to revise my forecast slightly ... The economy is stronger now than it was in February and the central bank may adopt a policy of waiting for economic recovery in the United States to spill over into Canada. "As a result, we could have stable rates (at the new lower levels) for as long as six months or we could have another drop." TORONTO (CP) - Doctors are no longer the best paid group in the country, says Dr. E, S. Barootes of Regina, deputy president of the Canadian Medical Association. He said the association's economic intelligence department indicates that when the 1976 tax statistics are released, the medical profession will lose its first position in average earnings and drop to second or third behind lawyers and GARBAGE BAG Gus a star OTTAWA (CP) - Gus MacFarlane has been kidded for years about his rotundness but he said Tuesday that the energy department has gone too far in making a conservation poster starring him. MacFarlane, Liberal MP for Hamilton-Mountain and the government whip, asked in the Commons Tuesday why the energy department used his name for the poster depicting an enormous green garbage bag on a weigh scale. The poster says in gold letters "Put Garbage Gus On A Diet." It tells Canadians to be more careful in their purchases and to waste less. MacFarlane, five feet, 5 inches and 235 pounds, said in an interview that he has tried dieting but finds it difficult to fit exercise and balanced meals into his parliamentary timetable. He said the poster could have read Enormous Ed, or Junky Jed or Alastair LeGros after Energy Minister Alastair Gillespie. MacFarlane said his usual nicknames are No-Fuss Gus and Gus the Great. But he doesn't mind being linked with gluttinous waste if it helps Canadians become more conservation conscious. "I don't mind a good joke if it does good." GASOLINE COULD RISE SEVEN CENTS Provinces deadlocked on oil price increases OTTAWA (CP) The federal and provincial energy ministers made little progress this morning in the opening session of their talks to boost the price of gasoline and home heating oil later this summer. Energy Minister Don Getty of Alberta said "I think I can detect some potential progress with some of the provinces." But he said he is not confident the issue will be settled at today's closed meeting. He said if some of the provinces opposing increases do not change their attitudes to the negotiations "I'm not coming any more." The three provinces which oppose increases when the1 negotiations began a month ago Ontario, Nova Scotia and Manitoba said today they have not changed their position. "There will be no consensus here today," said Energy Minister Leonard Evans of Manitoba. "We are against any price increase at this time." Ontario Energy Minister James Taylor and William Gillis of Nova Scotia both said they oppose any increase because it would add to already high levels of unemployment and inflation. They said they would be willing to consider increases when the economy Improves. "Maybe the economy will be able to handle an increase in 1978," Gillis said. The 15' Copy Citizen Wednesday, May 11, 1977 Vol. 21; No. 92 Prince George, British Columbia Energy Minister Don Getty of Alberta, the prbvince which produces 85 per cent of the country's oil, said he still looks on an increase of $2 a barrel up from current levels of $9.75 at the wellhead as rock-bottom. The federal government has said there should be an increase of about $2 a barrel, which would add about seven cents a gallon for gasoline and about 6.2 cents for a gallon of homeheating oil. As the meeting opened, there was a brief discussion among ministers about whether to allow reporters in for the ta'Jis. But only Ontario and Manitoba pressed for an open meeting Project 400 construction worker Lyle Caron takes a coffee break while fellow workers in the background prepare footings for the provincial-city office building project. The construction of the $7 million block-square building at Queensway and Fourth Avenue began last month and is expected to take about a year. increase with 44 per cent of the decided vote. The Conservatives enjoy 34 per cent, while the New Democrats remain firmly mired in third place with 18. Other parties, mainly Social Credit, have four per cent. Over-all, the Liberals gained two per cent from their standing in March, while the Tories sagged by two per cent and the New Democrats gained one. But the Canadian Institute of Public Opinion, which carries out the Gallup Poll sounding in Canada, reports the largest single voter bloc 39 per cent remains undecided. That represents an increase from the 37 per cent level recorded in March when the polling firm asked Canadians which party they'd support in a federal election. wages race QUEBEC (CP) - A live shell exploded on a target range Tuesday at nearby Val-cartier armed forces base, killing two soldiers who had been assigned to clear debris from the range. Nine other men were injured in the incident, three of them seriously. Capt. Serge Quenneville, a base spokesman, said the explosion took place while the Citizen photo by Len Teniscl 5C'?IS 'JLe Forces base blast kills two soldiers soldiers were do in 2 a seasonal clean-up of the target range. "At this period of the year, the soldiers are assigned to inspect the training ground with the goal of eliminating all dangerous devices," he said. The live shell, fired earlier, was lying on the field and apparently exploded after some kind of contact, Capt. Quenneville said. City's legal action hit The Prince George and District Labor Council has become the first public body to criticize city council for taking legal action against B.C. Television with taxpayers' money. "Instead of spending this money on high-priced lawyers, city council should hire more firemen for adequate staffing of the firehalls, said labor council secretary Howard'' Webb. City council retained a Vancouver lawyer to take action against BCTV after the network broadcast an eight-part series on land dealings in Prince George which city council felt was unfair and injured the reputation of the city, Webb said it was more important to give the citizens of Prince George adequate fire protection than to sue BCTV. "I believe our action oppos ing the hiring of a lawyer is reflecting what a large number of people here think," Webb said. This opposition will be made known to city council by letter. The labor council approached city council last month asking for an increase in the number of city firemen. City council replied that money for additional personnel was not in the budget, Gus MacFarlane and poster and the suggestion was set aside. Ontario is in the middle of a provincial election and Manitoba is expected to have one this fall. Federal Energy Minister Alastair Gillespie declined to say what price he would suggest to the meeting, saying he will have no comment until after the talks. John Messer of Saskatchewan, the other producing province, said an increase is needed to encourage exploration and conservation, but it does not have to be $2 a barrel. No increase would be unfair to the two producing provinces and simply not increasing prices would do little to solve the country's economic ills. Messer said he would like the ministers to arrive at a consensus. But like others he was not optimistic that they would. Evans, his counterpart in Manitoba, said he is totally opposed to a permanent pricing formula for domestic energy, saying any increase must be negotiated before it is implemented. He urged the group to put money into conservation programs rather than into production-boosting programs as a method of undermining increasing energy-shortage problems. Taylor of Ontario said the world price for oil currently between $14 and $15 a barrel should not be a factor in discussions over the higher domestic prices. He suggested that the current criteria for setting prices "is all wrong." Increases should be tied to the development costs. If, as expected, no agreement is reached at the talks, Ottawa will negotiate privately with the producing provinces and impose a price. An announcement is to come before June 15, raising crude oil prices July 1. The increase likely would not be felt by consumers until about Sept. 1 after existing oil company stocks of low-priced oil have been used. MOOSE THREATENED Instant7 town plan opposed by ELI SOPOW Citizen Staff Reporter The Citzen has learned the provincial government favors construction of a northeastern instant coal town in the middle of an environmentally sensitive animal migration corridor. A provincial government source said Tuesday that studies last year narrowed down potential sites to Tumbler ridge, 50 miles southwest of Dawson Creek, and the Bullmoose property, 35 miles south of Chetwynd. The Tumbler ridge site was chosen as the likely site for an instant town of about 10,000 people because of "geographic and economic reasons" although it is located in the middle of an animal migration corridor. The government source said the site still needs some "town planning work" and said "no real formal decision has been made on the location because the private sector hasn't decided ye t to go ahead on coal development." On Tuesday, a $10 million agreement was signed between the federal and provincial governments to jointly fund another year of studies in the region. About $1.3 million of that amount will be spent on town-site and community development and $1.1 million on environmental studies. The northeast of the province is being studied as a possible source of coal development. There are more than a billion tons of proven coal reserves in the area. Depending on economics, development could get underway by 1980. The government source said although market availability will determine if the coal project will go ahead, an internal government report, completed last fall, indicates the Tumbler ridge area "as the best site to date." The internal government report has not yet been released to the public. Meanwhile, a provincial source said Tuesday in a telephone interview, that the provincial fish and wildlife branch is opposed to the Tumbler ridge site. He said the site sits on important winter range for major game species and is a critical migration corridor for animals moving to the Rocky Mountain foothills. Construction of the town, he said would act as a barrier and would "severely reduce the numbers of big game animals in the area and particularly knock back moose populations." He said the Tumbler site is where the Wolverine River, Flatbed River and Bullmoose Creek tributaries flow into the Murray River. The source said there will be a noticeable decrease in animals, particularly moose, in the area soon after construction begins. Besides being an important migration corridor, the source said Tumbler ridge also represents one of two winter grazing areas for moose in the northeast coal development region. The other area is in the Sukunka Valley, where transportation links are planned. Meanwhile, Charlie Lasser, mayor of Chetwynd, says he approves of the Tumbler site although he recognizes the threat to wildlife as a concern, See also page 3 4 TODAY The Palace? That way I And speaking of famous people, how's Billy?' (featured inside) Star dies. Page 5 The difficulties experienced by battered wives in Prince George are examined in the first of a three-part series. Page 54. Bridge 22 Business 8, 9 City, B.C 2,3, 6, 49 Classified 18-28 Comics 12 Crossword iO Editorial 4 Entertainment 12-14 Family 64,55 Gardening column 6 Horoscopes 13 International .....5 National 7 Sports 15-17 Television 13 THE WEATHERj A cool, moist disturbance is moving across the province today, which will bring Prince George cloudy skies and frequent periods of light rain. Thursday will be sunny with afternoon cloudy periods. The expected high today 15; the low3.Thehigh Tuesday was 22; the low 3, with a trace of precipitation. On this date last year the high was 11; the low 1. ( NOW HEAR THIS) Mayor Harold Moffat's opposition to 'athons became infamous in February when he said 'athons are turning youngsters into"prostitutes". But he does make one exception the Prince George YM-YWCA walkathon that starts Saturday at 8 a.m. However, there's no point rushing to Northern Hardware for pledges the mayor is backing the same two women he's been backing for years. Ah, B.C. liquor laws. At the Inn Coffee Garden last night, one good citizen wanted a rye and seven but was told she must order something to eat with the drink cheese cake for example. How about rice pudding instead? said the citizen. No, said the waitress, rice pudding is a dessert. Confused? So are we. During an argument over the danger of pollution in the Nechako River from Nechako bench residential areas, an alderman said percolation in the gravel bench was really good and pollution isn't a problem. "Yah," answered Harold Moffat, "percolation is good alright, You can see the green running out of the banks in to the river."