WILLISTON
  LAKE
Ch»twymf
Dawton Cr*ek
 Sukunka
 (BP)
One
by ARNOLD OLSON
Citizen Staff Reporter
Regardless of the bickering between governments and with Japan, the B.C. northeastern coal is going to come out one day, say people building roads to the coal fields.
Turn right, the first road past Chetwynd community centre, and the road to the Sukunka, the Northeast Coal Block or the Peace River Coal Field (take your pick) opens.
Despite the badgering back and forth between provincial and federal governments; despite the call by Japan togive B.C. coal to them at a loss and despite the difficulty to get that coal down from the mountain tops, obviously someone believes in the eventual coal development.
The road, which for years was good enough for logging, is being improved. A new bridge is being built, the road is being straightened and rock blasting is providing wider corners near streams and rivers.
At the junction near the bridge is a post limbed with signs pointed down the
 Signs on the road to Sukunka show the way to oil
 and coal exploration. _
SUKUNKA ROAD BUILDERS BELIEVE
day, coal is going to come out
dusty trail to mining and oil explorations.
  Kilometres down that dusty road, rock strata showed the classic sandstone layers where coal might be found. Others showed the coal glistening between the sandstone layers.
   In some places, just inches under the mud. a lone road grader had cut into black mud that was filled with granules of coal.
   Little wonder, then, that the plans are for that black lode to be torn out in open pit mining methods, rather than tunnelling down into the earth.
  About 65 km down the road four Territorial Leasing buildings house a crew of 11 Associated Engineering people.
  According to spokesman Greg Taylor, they are there to survey the topography of the existing road, with an eye toward improving a 40 km section, from Gwillim Lake to Tumbler Ridge. The survey is to be completed by August.
  Word is. among people doing the road work, that the final product will be paved.
  At Tumbler Ridge a
townsite for 10.000 has been surveyed
  Open to speculation is the railway spur that would take coal out: will BCR push its link through toward Chetwynd or will the spur go to Anzak and the CNR line?
  Just over the‘ridge from the Associated camp, one company is drilling for oil. Within a 17 mile radius three other oil rigs drill for another type of black gold.
 The Sukunka field reaches from Williston Lake's eastern arm (eastern half), where Utah Mines have holdings, along a broken strip extending southeasterly to the Saxon Mine deposits almost due east of Prince George. That southern tip touchesor goes past the B.C.-Alberta border.
  Because of the proximity to Alberta, apparently there has been some consideration for taking coal in that direction, say the people working on the roads.
  Despite the northwestern coal finds convering the wider area, it is the deeper seams of higher quality coal of the southeastern
 See COAL pnge 2
 Map shows vast area covered by the Sukunka coal fields North and cast of ranee
 George.
Fori St. John
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Reach
Town
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                                                                                           Saion
Coal araaa iniinniiii
The
 Tuesday, July 15, 1980 Vol. 25; No. 137
 Prince George, British Columbia
Citizen
Single copy - 20c
Outside Prince George - 25‘
Reagan
launches
'crusade'
  DETROIT (CP) - Ronald Reagan joined thousands of jubilant supporters at the Republican National convention with a presidential nomination in his pocket and a vision of a bigger victory ahead.
  "AH of us know why we’re here - the need for a crusade here today,” a smiling 69-yearold Reagan told cheering, waving crowds massed Monday at the downtown Detroit hotel where Reagan has set up penthouse headquarters.
  *‘We are determined to make American great again.”
  With Reagan's arrival from the West coast, the Republican convention settled down to the political business of blasting the Democratic Congress and President Jimmy Carter, as well as mending fences in their own party before the campaign push for the Nov. 4 election.
  Gerald Ford, president from 1974 to 1976, placed himself firmly on the Reagan bandwagon in an address to the
1,994 official delegates, and thousands of onlookers, who crowded the spanking new athletic arena on the Detroit River where Reagan will be elected the party nominee Wednesday night.
   “I’ve got news for this convention and Jimmy Carter — this Republican is going to do everything in his power to elect our nominee to the presidency of the United States,” Ford shouted to the cheering crowd.
  But Ford, who not long ago described Reagan as tot) conservative to win the White House in November, offered a caution to the delegates that reflected a fear the Republican party is becoming so ultraconservative that it may suffer at the polls.
  “In uniting our own party, let generosity and goodwill demonstrate for all to see that the Republican party is capable of dealing justly and tolerantly with dissent and minority opinion, for this is crucial in governing a country,” Ford said.
  Well before Ford’s speech, delivered on his 67th birthday and the highlight of the first day’s activities in the red, white and blue-decorated convention hall, lines were forming showing a split between moderates and conservatives that might dim the Republicans’ chances in the fall election.
 Conservatives	who
dominated policy committees of the party forced the Republicans to abandon a 40-year commitment to an equal rights amendment to the U.S. constitution guaranteeing women’s rights in the workplace and for such matters as credit availability, and adopted a proposal to outlaw abortion.
TODAY
A
“You have the wrong embassy. The American embassy is next door.”
FEATURED INSIDE
J
Iran executes 26 people
Iran has executed at least 26 people, including a former army chief-of-staff, two Bahai religious leaders, a student activist, drug traffickers and persons accused of prostitution and other vice crimes. Page 5.
Lacrosse in trouble
Lacross in Prince George is an endangered species. For the first time in more than 10 years there isn’t enough interest to form at least a three-team league. Page 13.
Index
Uridtfe................................|9
Busines............................8, 9
City, B.C.....................2, 3, 6
Classified.....................16-23
Comics...............................26
Crossword........................1H
Editorial..............................4
Entertainment...........26, 27
Family...............................12
Horoscopes.......................27
International......................5
Movies...............................26
National..............................7
 Sports...............13-15, 29, 30
Television.........„..............27
THE WEATHER
J
Oh what a meteoric blunder.
We’re in for more showers and thunder.
The forecast for the remainder of today is for mainly cloudy with thunder showers. Wednesday’s predictions are for some sunny periods, but cloudy and thundershowers will continue.
Today and Wednesday’s predicted highs are 18 and the lows 7. Monday’s high was 20 and the low 8, while a year ago today the high was 25 and the low 4.
In the last 24 hours 8 0 mm of rain fell — half of it falling within 15 minutes.
Sunset today is 9:36 p.m. while sunrise Wednesday is 4:57 a.m. and sunset 9:35 p.m.
 Details Page 2
•	Discussing the controversial Mr. Pee Gee at council. Mayor Mercier noted that the full logo for the pipe-man showed the wood-chopper standing on an outline of B.C. with one foot on Prince George. “We should put the other foot plumb on Victoria,” Mercier suggested.
Got a news tip? Call The Citizen's 24-hour news line at 562-2441.
TOUGHER OTTAWA STANCE?
PM might use power to get energy policy
  OTTAWA (CP) - More signs of the tougher federal stance on energy issues have emerged with Prime Minister Trudeau’s hints he is prepared, if necessary, to impose a new energy policy on the provinces.
  His comments came Monday during a barrage of questions in the Commons from opposition members still angry at Friday’s announcement of a tax increase raising the cost of gasoline and home heating oil by a half-cent a litre, or 2V* cents a gallon.
  Trudeau said the government would prefer not to use its power to impose a new oil pricing agreement, but later told the Commons that Ottawa may act unilaterally if no agreement is reached on constitutional issues by September.
  Under the Petroleum
Administration Act, Ottawa has the power to set prices for petroleum sold across provincial boundries. But Alberta has recently parried with legislation giving the provincial government control of production levels.
   And in Victoria, Energy Minister Marc Lalonde set the stage for a head-on confrontation with Alberta and British Columbia when he said the federal government is considering an export tax on energy despite opposition from the two provincial governments.
   The government should try to accommodate the provinces, "but there are positions when this is not possible,” Lalonde said.
   Lalonde made his comments when he arrived in the provincial capital for talks with B.C.
Energy Minister Bob McClelland.
  The B.C. and Alberta cabinets, after, a six-hour meeting Friday, agreed to oppose any kind of federal export tax because it would be a "wholly unjustified attack by the federal government on provincial resource ownership."
   Lalonde said he appreciated western opposition, but the federal government must act in the national interest.
  In other developments Monday, Trudeau said the cabinet will decide Thursday whether to approve construction of the southern section of the Alaska pipeline before the rest of the project proceeds. ‘
  Trudeau also acknowledged NDP Leader Ed Broadbent’s contention that Friday’s increase violated the spirit of Liberal election promises to
 avoid tying Canadian energy prices to world levels.
   "We are trying to get agreement on the new policy, said Trudeau. "Until that new policy is agreed upon ... we are not carrying out our election promise.
   "But I hope that within a short period of time we will be carrying it out, and I am saying that there may be some disturbance in the country when we do it.”
   Trudeau will be looking for that agreement when he meets Premier Peter Lougheed of Alberta on July 24 in a final effort to negotiate a pricing deal between Ottawa and the province, which produces about 90 per cent of the country’s oil and natural gas.
   At stake is the federal-provincial split of billions of dollars in new revenues from higher domestic prices.
Time to act, says Trudeau
  OTTAWA (CP) — Prime Minister Trudeau said today it is "bloody well time” the constitution is brought home to Canada.
   But he added at a news conference he does not yet see the need to take unilateral action because of lack of provincial agreement.
  The prime minister was asked whether in view of the attitude of Premiers Bill Bennett of British Columbia and Peter Lougheed of Alberta he is convinced he will have to act unilaterally to bring the British North America Act — the constitution — to Canada from Westminster.
   "No I’m not,” said Trudeau, who in the past has made clear that the Liberal government is prepared to act alone if there is no agreement with the provinces on bringing home the BN A Act and including a bill of human and language rights in it.
   The question was raised as Justice Minister Jean Chretien, the government’s constitution negotiator, and his 10 provincial counterparts opened the second stage of summer-long negotiations in Toronto.
   Trudeau, who said Chretien told him he is optimistic there will be a consensus emerging from the negotiations, said the government still holds the position that there should be a division between peoples’ rights and the sharing of powers be-
 tween the federal and provincial governments in negotiations.
 "I still believe and it will remain my belief until my dying days that bringing home the constitution doesn't give more power to one government or another and therefore it is bloody well time it should be done.”
The prime minister said Chretien and Environment Minister John Roberts said after the first week of constitutional negotiations, in
Montreal, that a consensus is possible on the majority of the 12 points being discussed.
  That did not mean unanimity. B.C. and Alberta might be "off side” on some points, Quebec and Manitoba on others and the federal government on others, he said in giving some examples.
  Trudeau brushed aside suggestions that western premiers were ganging up on the federal government on constitutional and energy matters.
 The B.C. and Alberta cabinets met in joint session in Victoria during the weekend and warned Ottawa of opposition to any energy export tax. The premiers of both provinces have linked progress in energy matters with progress in constitutional negotiations.
 Lougheed is to see Saskatchewan Premier Allan Blakeney on energy matters before meeting Trudeau for energy negotiations July 24.
 Trudeau said it is normal for . premiers to consult each other.
DECEMBER SHOPPING
Wide-open Xmas ahead
   Prince George will have wide-open shopping hours for the entire month of December to let Santa Claus go hog-wild.
   •it’ll be an interesting experiment in American culture,” commented Alderman Jack Sieb at Monday’s council meeting where aldermen voted unanimously in favor of extended hours.
   Stores will set their own closing hours and it's expected the shopping malls and larger department stores will have late-night shopping for the entire three weeks prior to Dec. 25.
 Council ordered the city clerk to prepare a shopping hours bylaw amendment. The bylaw will be ready later this summer and passage of it will likely be routine. Merchants bid last year to open for night
 shopping early in the Christmas season but the request came too late for council to respond.
   Thus stores were open for extended shopping for only a week prior to Christmas Day.
   A number of downtown shops and a large department store challenged the law and opened one day early. Altltough they were charged by the city a provincial court judge refused to penalize them when they pleaded guilty.,
   A survey of 600 shoppers by random mail showed 119 were satisfied with present shop hours at Christmas, 123 wanted unlimited shop hours and the balance didn't care enough to return replies to the question air re.
Jobless
rate
is steady
  OTTAWA (CP) — The unemployment rate in June remained at 7.8 per cent, the same level as in May. Statistics Canada reported today.
   The number of people unable to find work dropped for the third time this year, to 887,000 in June from 904,000 a month earlier.
  However, when seasonal variations — such as the number of students entering the market and the number of jobs usually created in the summer — are taken into consideration, this did not result in a drop in the unemployment rate.
   The work force, including those who have a job and those looking for work, increased to
 11,828,000 from 11,516,000 in May.
  The highest unemployment rate was among young people, ages 15 to 24, who attended school in March but did not plan to return to school in the fall.
   This group had an unemployment rate of 19.8 per cent. This broke down into a 21.1 per cent unemployment rate for women and 18.6 for men.
   The rate for students who plan to return to school in the fall was 16.5 per cent. For men in this group the rate was 17.1 per cent, and for women. 15.6 per cent.
  The seasonally-adjusted rate for all men 15 to 24, including students and full-time workers, increased to 15 per cent from 14.4 per cent in May. The rate for women in this category increased to 13.3 per cent from 12.9 per cent.
  Unemployment was lowest, 4.6 per cent, among men over 25, traditionally the least vulnerable group. For women over 25 the rate was 6.8 per cent.
   Newfoundland continued to have the highest seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate, up to 13.8 per cent from 13.6 per cent in May.
   But there was good news in Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Ontario, Manitoba and British Columbia, where unemployment rates dropped.
   Alberta continued to have the lowest unemployment rate, but it was up to 4 per cent from 3.8 per cent.
Youth held after chase
 A 15-year-old boy is in police custody after a high-speed chase about 10:30 a.m. today.
 Police said the chase went on for about four miles through moderate traffic and several cars were forced off the road. The chase took place in the Victoria Street area and ended at Pine and Ford Streets.
 Charges of dangerous driving will be recommended to the probation service, a police spokesman said