I The Citizen 15 Copy Thursday, j-.. November m... i 01 24, 1977 tnm Vo1- Vol. 21 21S '. No-227 Nn 227 Prince Prinro Cenron George, RritUh British Pnlnmhln Columbia Tfc 1 0,000 WALK OUT Tel workers launch province-wide strike 'PIERRE, PIERRE' Shrug says it all OTTAWA (CP) "Pierre, Pierre," opposition MPs chanted tauntingly Wednesday, as he walked out of the Commons. But Pierre, otherwise known as the prime minister of Canada, could not be bothered. Instead of answering a question from Alvin Hamilton (PC Que'Appelle-Moose Mountain), Trudeau gave one of his habitual shrugs and ducked out, followed by the chorus of "Pierres." Hamilton had been trying to ask a question of the prime minister throughout the daily Commons question period, but was not able to catch Speaker James Jerome's eye. Finally, the Saskatchewan MP was recognized at the same moment the prime minister was leaving the chamber. Allan Lawrence (PC Northumberland-Durham) angrily told the Speaker that it was he and not the prime minister who puts an end to the question period. The Speaker ignored the comment. NORTH LINE Trucks could replace BCR' Citizen news services VANCOUVER Ministry of Transport studies indicate the costs of trucking lumber from Fort Nelson may be no greater than costs of transporting lumber by rail, says the royal commission on the B.C. Railway in a statement released today. The commission said it is now considering making an interim report to the provincial government on the extension of the railway from Fort St. John to Fort Nelson. BCR officials told the commission earlier they are considering abandoning the extension. In its statement, the royal commission said it has estimated capital costs of rehabilitating the line at $28-35 million and predicts continuing operating losses for the future. On Wednesday, counsel for inquiry into railway affairs said the contents of a confidential report that favors trucking as an alternative will be made public Monday. Commission lawyer Martin Taylor said he first learned of the report last week, but declined to say who told him. The report had been kept under wraps by the provincial transport ministry since it was filed Oct. 3. Mr. Justice Lloyd McKenzie, the commission chairman said the government secrecy was absurd. He said he was advised that the report had been handed to railway officials on a confidential basis. The chairman said his reaction to the disclosure was to warn that he would order the railway to release its copy of the report unless Transport Minister Jack Davis could justify the need for confidentiality. As a result of his warning. Justice McKenzie said Wednesday, the transport department released a copy of the r TODAY 7 don 't get It, Jomo. Why on earth do you chaps want to vote?' United GOAL: $235,000 TO DATE: $134,650 report directly to the commission. Taylor said the report, which was prepared by Trimac Consulting Services Ltd. of Vancouver, concludes that the cost of trucking forestry products from Fort Nelson is significantly less than the cost of rail transportation. The royal commission said anyone wishing to deliver briefs or make statements on the Fort Nelson line can write or telephone commission secretary Allison Croft, 668-2961, in suite 1050, 1111 Melville, in Vancouver. The submissions on the Fort Nelson extension are expected to continue until Thursday. Revenue-sharing program outlined VICTORIA (CP) - Eight different types of grants will be available to British Columbia municipalities under the new Revenue Sharing Act, Municipal Affairs Minister Hugh Curtis said today. Curtis told a news conference that regulations approved Wednesday by the cabinet represent the final polish to the government's new revenue sharing program. The act, passed during the last session of the legislature, guarantees that municipalities will receive a fixed share of provincial revenues. The formula is tied to what the economy produces in corporate, resource, personal and sales taxes, and replaces capita grants. Curtis reiterated his estimate that municipalities will receive about $140 million in grants during 1978, an increase of $25 million compared with funding this year. Under the regulations Way hM by JAN-UDO WENZEL, Citizen Staff Reporter About 350 Prince George employees of B.C. Telephone joined 10,000 fellow-employees throughout the province in a walk-out at 10 a.m. today. As a result, all installation of new telephones has stopped, and customers are experiencing delays in completing longdistance calls, say B.C. Tel officials. They said supervisory personnel will keep operations going. A spokesman for the Telecommunications Workers Union said in Prince George today the workers consider themselves locked out from their jobs because the company locked out 3,000 people Monday in the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island. "We will stay off the job until the company is willing to hold some meaningful talks," the union spokesman said. The lockout came after talks between the company and the union broke down Monday and the union stated at that time that job actions such as rotating strikes would not be escalated. But the lockout of people in the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island prompted the union's executive to change its mind resulting in a total walkout in B.C. At presstime, the union was preparing to picket the downtown and Ferry Avenue facilities as soon as pickets were ready. Pickets are also to be posted at the Phone Mart in the Pine Centre shopping Mall. Merchants express concern While permission had been given by the mall's administration to post pickets in front of the store inside the mall as not to inconvenience other merchants, the union will post its pickets at the entrances to the shopping centre. The union said it will observe all legalities and one of these is not to post pickets on private property. Some merchants expressed concern this morning that pickets at the entrances will prevent numerous customers from shopping at the centre because they do not want to cross picket lines. At issue in the dispute in the company's unwillingness to accept the non-binding report by Dr. Noel Hall. This report recommended an across-the-board wage increase of 45 cents an hour and the establishment of a joint committee to study technological changes. Hall also recommended the contentious issue of contracting out of work be left as it currently is. Work which cannot be performed by B.C. Tel employees is contracted out. The company wants wider discretion in contracting out, revealed today, $110 million will be available through an unconditional grant, calculated on a municipality's relative population, per capita assessments, and expenditures. The minister said $10 million will become available through the Municipal Incentive Grant, which provides $1,000 for each housing start meeting certain standards. A water facilities grant will provide $7.4 million in 1978, A basic municipal grant of $30,000 to each municipality will amount to $4.2 million for distribution next year, he said. A fifth type of grant is designed to help municipalities ease traffic pre ssure on provincial highways and develop their own major road systems. The grant has a ceiling of $15 million a year, but is expected to total only $4 million in 1978. The last contract expired Dec. 31. The union accepted the Hall report and charges the company wants to negotiate items not granted by Hall. The other issue in the dispute is the purchase of equipment in Eastern Canada by B.C. Tel, which says these purchases are cheaper than manufacturing this equipment in B.C. In an effort to back up contract demands, the union conducted rotating strikes in various centres and the Prince George employees walked off their jobs for 24 hours Oct. 5. Today's was the first full-scale strike action by the union, and came after B.C. Tel had announced a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of anyone responsible for damaging company property. A cable south of Nanaimo on Vancouver Island was cut Wednesday, disrupting telephone services on Gabriola Island. The damage also disrupted services for about 75 customers in Nanaimo and knocked local radio station CHUB off the air for two hours. It was the third cable-slashing incident near the Vancouver Island city since 280 union members walked off the job there earlier this week. "It was an emergency situation over there," said Matthews. "Those people were completely isolated. They rely on Nanaimo for hospital services." Matthews said services were restored early this morning. He also said Wednesday's snow storm increased the load on already-strained services. Ministers get changed roles LANGLEY, B.C. (CP) Premier Bill Bennett announced a change in the areas of responsibility involving three cabinet ministers. Bennett told a news conference that Recreation and Conservation Minister Sam Bawlf will assume responsibility for the British Columbia Ferry Corp., replacing Transport Minister Jack Davis and Provincial Secretary and Tourism Minister Grace McCarthy assumes responsibility for the B.C. Steamship Corp. Davis will take over respon-sibilty for provincial air services from Mrs. McCarthy. Family 36-38 Horoscopes 32 International S National 7 Rolling Stone 35 Sopow Column 31 Sport 13-18, 28, 29 Televlson 33 FEATURED INSIDe) The Edmonton Eskimos are preparing defences for both Montreal quarterbacks in practices for Sunday's Grey Cup. Page 13. Prince George's two major ski areas are ready to open. Page 15. Bridge 20 Business 8 City, B.C 2, 3, 9, 26, 31 Classified 16-29 Comics 34 Crossword 18 Editorial 4 Entertainment ............32-35 WfJl V V3ii9lSSSSSS sbbbbbhbbYsbbbHbIbbbbbbbUbbHI . U'0 '' ' Mill" IBfl kj tAwKBF .jr -. . Helene Sundberg, president of Local 0 of Telecommunications Workers Union Stahl set up strike headquarters here today. VALEMOUNT SCHOOL PROBLEMS Small-town 'frustration' by JOHN POPE Citizen Staff Reporter VALEMOUNT -The secondary school principal has been re-assigned and two teachers have resigned in the wake of a meeting here Monday between 80 parents and teachers and the school district administrative staff. "It was basically a cumulation of frustrations over the years only nothing was ever done until Monday," said school district 57 trustee Eva Kettle, during a telephone interview from Valemount today. "And now the parents are quite taken aback to see something done. They are becoming disheartened because they didn't know what the repercussions would be." Kettle said many of the children have complained in the past of not being "challenged enough" by the education taking place in the classrooms. But she said part of the problem is also with teacher training. "They're (teachers) taught to teach subjects, not students," said Kettle. "But they need to relate to bodies, not courses." Prince George school district superintendent Carl Daneliuk said Wednesday the problem in Valemount is typical of many similar small communities where a variety of ( THE WEATHER ) A south-westerly flow of moist Pacific air over the province is expected to bring Prince George cloudy skies with some periods of snow today and Friday. The forecast high today is 10, the low -16. The high Wednesday was -16, the low -21, with 5 cm of snow. On this date last year the high was 2, the low -6. needs are being met with a limited amount of teachers and students. "It's easy to have a multipurpose program in a city the size of Prince George," explained Daneliuk. "But it's hard to cater to all the needs in a town the size of Valemount." Valemount has a population of 878 and is located 296 km ( 185 miles) west of Prince George. Daneliuk says a study will be conducted in the community next year to determine what programs the parents and teachers believe would be best for the community. He says the secondary school has about 175 students 'Saint' VANCOUVER (CP) - The Saint is on the trail of the horsey set in an effort to rein in people who adorn their mares, geldings and stallions with smuggled United States refinery. Cpl. Cranston de St. Remy, nicknamed The Saint by fellow members of the RCMP, gained fame last year with an unrelenting pursuit of duffers putting British Columbia greens with smuggled clubs. His golf course investiga $ and 15 teachers which gives them a student-teacher ratio of 15 to 1 compared to 20 to 1 ratio found in most larger schools in Prince George. But the small size of the classes means the teachers have to teach different courses. It was the pressures of administering a variety of programs in the school that resulted in the school's problems, according to Daneliuk. Former Valemount Secondary School principal Vince Rabbitte is now on a leave of absence and will be reassigned to a school in Prince George. Citisen photo by Dan MOno and B.C. Tel worker Ken erupts Daneliuk said the reassignment was requested by Rabbitte for "health reasons." "It's just a matter of cumulative pressure in the community starting to affect his health," said Daneliuk. Both students and teachers complained Monday about the scheduling and re-scheduling of class and course assignments. Band teacher Leon Bishop was expected to double as an English and social studies teacher at both the elementary and secondary school while Bill Mahoney did double duty as a counsellor and math teacher. Last week, he began checking owners and the first three checked all had smuggled tack. One paid more than $1,000 in unpaid duty. De St. Remy is offering a deal for owners with smuggled tack. If they turn themselves in, they'll be assessed only unpaid duty and taxes. If he's forced to go out and get them, however, they risk paying duty, taxes and a fine equal to full value of the goods. hits horsey trail tions have produced $110,000 worth of customs duties and taxes for federal coffers. De St. Remy moved on to the horsey set after learning that horse owners were doing much' the same sort of smuggling as golfers good tack is much cheaper in the U.S., and owners are bringing a lot back without paying duty. He got so involved in the project that he bought a couple of show horses, and now is an expert on horses and imported and domestic tack. ( NOW HEAR THIS) ' The driver of that small Japanese car skidding sideways down Brunswick Street this morning was probably wondering why those brand new snow tires weren't helping. Someone should have pointed out that they were on the back and that car is a front-wheel drive, Municipal election results from throughout the province are published in the Lower Mainland dailies and reading about the number of votes for one losing Prince George candidate makes the mind boggle. Mike Bundock, according to the report, received 17,661,503 votes and still lost the election., Gosh, nearly all the people in Canada must have voted for Mike . . . Two B.C. Tel workers were asked why they were busying themselves with a project in a downtown office when the union was on strike. "Strike? What Strike?" they said. After being told of the rotating strike here today, the two quickly packed up their tools and headed out, grumbling about never being told about anything.