today in brief
30c
Thursday, June 2, 1983
JOHN CROSBIE’S machine appears to be gaining strength as the Conservative leadership convention approaches, but the Joe Clark team says that might be good news for the former prime minister. Page
EMPIRE STADIUM was the site of a professional sporting event for the last time with a Vancouver Whitecaps victory. Page
FRASER LAKE may be hurting, but the town isn’t out yet. Page
THE CREATOR of the best-selling Travis McGee series, John D. MacDonald, is a firm believer in the work ethic. Page
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Index
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........... S-10
City. B.C........ 3,11.12.25,29
.......... 16-22
.............. 18
Entertainment .......... 34-36
..............27
International.. ............... 2
................ 5
...............35
.......... 13-15
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Hiatus ends Page 35
Sadrack says
Cloud and isloated showers are in store- for the area during the next few days. Tonight will be mainly cloudy with isolated showers. Friday offers much of the same, except there’s a chance of thundershowers in the afternoon. The low tonight will be 6 and Friday’s high will be 19.
More clouds and showers are predicted for Saturday while Sunday should have more sunshine. Wednesday's high was 23 and low was 11.
Last month was the second-warmest May on record with an average
high temperature of 11.7. May of 1958 was slightly warmer at 11.8. The last four days of last month were record highs for thoses dates.
The
Prince George
Citizen
Serving Central B.C.
EBBXBKrtl
Grads
offered
unique
event
by ARNOLD OLSON Staff reporter
An organized move is afoot to offer this year's high school graduation class an enjoyable alternative to a' drunken brawl after the official graduation ceremonies.
The Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship is organizing a night trip to Ness Lake Bible Camp. June 10. when four senior secondary schools have their graduation ceremonies.
Dietrich Desmarais, is co-ordinating the event with Loren Pullman of Fort George Baptist church and Henry Schade and Steve Jen-bey of First Baptist church.
Desmarais said the Prince George Ministerial Association has given full backing and funds to support the venture.
“We’re not going to thump them (the gradsi with the Bible, or try to convert them. Nevertheless. there won't be any liquor or drugs allowed.”
He said the grads and their companions can enjoy a music concert, an earthball game and other sports, fireworks and a sunrise barbecue ’ He said he is confident adults with the financial backing of local churches can do what a succession of students in past years have not.
The students’ inexperience at organizing has led to poor reports of similar no-booze parties.
“I want to do this every year — to make it a tradition, if possible,” he said
Those who take part ($10 for singles, $18 for couples i will gather at Spruceland shopping mail’s parking lot at 11 p m. for the trip to the lake.
The first concert by ( Roy i Salmond and (Mike) Mulder of Vancouver will start after the grads arrive at the lake.
The singing duo is well-known in Canadian and U.S. church-oriented circles, and when performing with their band have drawn audiences of 20.000.
Only grads and companions are allowed to attend the after-grad party, but many people who want to hear Salmond and Mulder have pressed for an opportunity.
Desmarais said because of this, the two will perform for the public from 11 p.m., June 11. at the Full Gospel Christian Fellowship chapel.
The BVOM barbecue < bring-your-own-meat i is scheduled for 3 a.m. and if conditions and authorities permit, fireworks will be set over the lake.
He said tickets for the after-grad party are available at high school, through the Christian Fellowship clubs and tickets to the Salmond and Mulder public concert can be bought through Switzer Sewing Centre, King's In Book store or by calling 562-0127 or 563 0542.
B.C. STATISTICS
No. 2 industry:
Unemploymen
by Canadian Press VICTORIA — Unemployment was B.C.’s No. 2 industry last year — at least in terms of the number of people drawing paycheques, says an analysis by the B.C. Central Credit Union.
Federal government figures show about $1 billion in unemployment insurance was paid out last year when the jobless total averaged 163,000 people in B.C.
In terms of numbers of people getting a chcque, the figure "ranked just behind retail trade and just ahead of accommodation and food as the No. 2 industry in terms of equivalent employees on the payroll.”
The report is one of the most detailed public probes ot the province’s economy ever taken and reaches back to 1961 for data.
It shows rough sledding for job creation in B.C. It also shows that industrial changes now unfolding — such as a move toward more efficiency but
School exams will go ahead
VICTORIA (CP) -Education Minister Jack Heinrich said after meeting with representatives of B.C.’s school system Wednesday that province-wide government examinations will go ahead.
Heinrich met with representatives of the B.C. School Trustees Association and the B C. Teachers Federation.
He said the major issue decided at the meeting was that provincial tests of students in Grades 3, 4, 7 and 10 will go ahead as planned
There has been some opposition to the tests, particularly from the teachers, who were worried about confidentiality-
However, Heinrich said the results of the tests will be kept confidential and will not be used to determine the final grade of the students involved.
He said the aim of the tests is to measure the performance of the education system.
Federation president Larry Keuhn declined to comment on the decision to proceed with the tests.
Bank rate up slightly
OTTAWA (CPI - The Bank of Canada rate continued its slow but ominous climb Thursday, reaching 9.53 per cent, up from the 9.5 set last week.
It was the third consecutive weekly increase in the rate which generally sets the trend for lending rates to businesses and consumers. However, observers say the increases in this case have been too slight to push up other rates.
Nevertheless, Finance Minister Marc Lalonde warned Thursday there will have to be a decline in U.S. rates before there can be any lowering of rat«js here.
But Kuehn said Heinrich’s co-operative style should be better for the education system than that of his predecessor, Bill Vander Zalm.
Heinrich appears prepared to sit down and talk to people who are involved in the system, Kuehn said, and that’s a positive development.
He hopes to have future meetings with the minister, he said.
fewer workers — will put a major squeeze on government tax revenues.
One of the problems is that B.C.’s populate expected to balloon to close to five miluo year 2000 from the current 2.7 million. The total has grown by 71 per cent since 1901 The report says 40,000 to 50,000 new job.' i yeai are needed just to keep unemployment froi i soaring above 14 per cent.
But Richard McAlary, the union’s head econo mist, said in an interview the province cannot rely on forestry and mining to meet the ne< d.
“Governments should be aware of where job creation is occurring and take that into considers tion when they provide incentives and grant s His report snows tourism “will likely be the number-one industry in B.C. within 10 years ”
Also, rapid job-creation spots like finance, in surance, real estate and the entire business and personel services sector are facing dropping pm ductivity and may introduce new tech:
That happened in forestry and jobs disappeared
The report says, “B.C. was far more successful at creating jobs during the 1970s than other n gions of Canada.”
But it also says,"The challenge now is that, with the population projected to increase more than the Canadian average for the 1980s, will B.C. be able to generate new jobs necessary for acceptable levels of employment?.’’
The report shows some surprising facts about past ana future population and employment trends. For example:
The “much-touted resource sector" is shrinking both as a job creator and as a contributor to the value of all goods and services produced in B.C.
"At least 70 per cent of the value now occurs outside of the resource sector."
The service sector — including restuarants, hotels, motels, resorts, dentists, and thousands of other personal and business services — now accounts for 66 per cent of total wages and sala ries.
Women filled more than half of all new jobs created in B.C. during the past 20 years
\NFLATjOtVS TOLL
New pair of shoes was all we gained
by Canadian Press
OTTAWA — Average family income increased by only $72 bt tween 1976 and 1981 when intlation is taken into account. Statistics Canada said today.
Although the average family was fractionally better off in 1981 than in 1976 despite inflation, all that a family would have to show for this extra wealth would be a new pair of good shoos or a toi:,. le more fill-ups at the gas pumps.
Expressing income in constant 1971 dollars, the average l'ami!.. income in 1981 was $12,846, compared with $12,774 in 1976.
Family income increased by almost 24 per cent in the 1971 .'5 > period, but 23 per cent of that increase occurred in the first halt 1 the decade.
Inflation ate up all but $72 of the income increases in the five years.
Unattached individuals fared better than families
People living alone or with unrelated people saw theil I in 1971 dollars, increase 31 per cent to $5,712 from $4,346 in the 10 year period. The rate of increase remained fairly constant throughout the decade.
Statistics Canada also released Wednesday revised figures <>i< real income for 1981 as expressed in current dollars. Prelimit. figures for 1981, which presented a gloomier picture, had Ihvi . ■ leased last September.
The new figures show the average annual family income in 1981 was $30,440, a 10-per-cent increase from 1980. However, aftei adjusting the figures to incorporate the effects of inflation, actual income fell by two per cent.
The earlier figures said average family income in 1981 \\v $29,923, which represented a four-per-cent drop from the previoi: year when inflation was factored in
The later figures show Alberta as the province with the highest family income — $34,546. Prince Edward Island was the lowest at $23,163.
About 51 per cent of families headed by a university graduate had incomes of at least $40,000. Only 13.8 per cent of familk ; headed by a person with eight years of education had incomes of $40,000 or more.
The average income of unattached individuals increased to $13,535 from $11,435. After adjusting for inflation, the increase was five per cent.
After the fire
A clean-up truck drives by one of the six areas where a fire storm broke out during forest fire in an area about 20 kilometres south of Houston. Winds from the inferno were so violent they uprooted trees. (Below) Chickens and ducks scavenge for food around all that remains of Lee Rose’s ranch house, one of six houses destroyed in the fire. FMames were so intense only the chimney stands among the ash and twisted metal. Stories,
page 3. Cilizcn photos by Kir Ernst