- Small-time bingo in trou!

+ os. By BON NORMAN

Small-time hikes could be on its last legs in Castlegar.

The Royal Canadian Legion's Castlegar branch says it
will likely give up its Thursday and Sunday bingos at the end
of this month in the face of stiff competition from larger
operations.

If that happens, it will be the second small bingo in the
Castlegar-area to close in as many months.

+ Last month the Robson Improvement Society closed its
weekly bingo in the Robson Community Hall.

“There's no’ way we can compete,” says Dorothy
MacPherson, chairman of the Legion's Thursday night bingo
committee.

- MacPherson said the Legion's toughest competition
comes from the area swim clubs, particularly the Robson
River Otters which holds a bingo about every two weeks at

“the Community Complex.
‘Our hall is so small you coula lose it in the complex,”
says MacPherson.

But the. swim clubs aren't the only competition.
MacPherson says a weekly bingo operation started this
summer at Playmor Hall, zi

As well, bingos such as those held by the United Steel-
workers of America in Trail's Cominco gymnasium have also
hurt-attendance at the Legion's bingos.

Last Thursday the Legion bingo attracted only 45
patrons, down considerably from the 120 the Legion had in
its heyday.

“A good percentage of the time that hall was full,”
MacPherson says of the good times. “we were giving away
$300 and $400 jackpots.”

Jackpots are based on a'percentage of the operation's
gross — a minimum 60 per cent by provincial law.

The. Legidn’s' jackpot last Thursday night was only $50
— and even at that’ MacPherson said she gave away more
than normal. oe

“Right now, Tm darn near giving away 90 per cent,” she
said. {

That Aéesh't leave. much, room: for,;profit. In‘ fact,
MacPherson said the net profit last week was only $2. And
it’s been like that since last May.

‘The Sunday night bingo is doing even worse. That
bingo, operated by the Legion Auxiliary, had only 28 patrons

last week.

MacPherson says it is the community and local charities
that will feel the pinch.

The Legion must donate at least 20 per cent of its gross
revenues to charities by law.— but more often it was closer
to 30 per cent, she said.

Over the 13 years the’ Legion bingo has been in

MacPherson the Legion. has: pumped
Tote: than $100,000 back into the community for things like

\ the jaws of life ($12,000), a birthing bed for the Castlegar

and District Hospital ($7,000), books for the blind, and
donations to youth groups, the library and seniors.

The Kootenay’ Society for the Handicapped has been a
recipient of a large amount of donations over the years,
including a bus.

“It all came from bingo,” says MacPherson, * “The whole

thing is set up for charity.”

MacPherson said the Legion has given the bingo aa
the end of this month, when the operation will be reviewed.

If it doesn’t hold up, the bingo will be closed.

And it's MacPherson's personal feeling the bingo will
shut down.

“It looks like the community is going to lose us,” she
said”... and it is the community that is going to suffer.”

VOL. 38, No. 83

50 Coan

‘News

WEATHERCAST

Cloudy with Thursday.
Satie celen ng

Cloudy again Friday with o
cossional showers. Highs near
ww.

4 Sections (A, B, C&D)

Arrest.
warrant
issued

By CasNews Staff

A warrant has been issued for the
arrest of a Sons of Freedom woman
after she failed to appear in' Castlegar

. provincial court Tuesday on a charge of
arson.

Pauline Berikoff, 47, of Gilpin, was
charged with wilfully setting fire to a
substance likely to cause damage to.a
building after she allegedly set fire to
an article of clothing and threw it on a
table in the Castlegar courtroom.

The ‘incident occurred at the
conclusion of a preliminary—hearing
Sept: 24 ioe Mary- Astaforoff.

{

fwas Oct. 3 and

sentenced to 10 years iff prison for
setting the fire that destroyed four
buildings at the Doukhobor Historical
Village in Ootischenia. !
Provincial court, - judge Richard
D'Andrea order the warrant issued'for
Berikoff when she failed to appear for

ter g =m=—he e

-_Epp_ ducks—

a

questions

OTTAWA (CP) — Welfare Minister
Jake Epp refused to commit himself
Tuesday to. restoring full cost-of-

“living protection for family allowance

——-once the Conservatives get-the federal—,

deficit under control.

Appearing before a Commons com-
mittee and talking to reporters af-
terward, Epp ducked questions about
future changes in family allowances.

But he left the impression that
bringing back fully indexed benefits
won't be a priority for the Con-
servatives.

The committee, chaired by Kootenay
West MP Bob Brisco, is considering
proposed amendments to the: Family
Allowances Act that would limit in-
creases in benefits to increases in the
consumer price index in excess of three_
per cent a year. ; ‘ =

If the index went up four per cent a.
year. for example, benefits would go up
only. one per’ cent.

The limits were announced in ‘the
May 23 budget speech as one, way of
controlling the federal deficit. Finance
Minister Michael Wilson gave no hint
of how long the limits might be needed,
but he.said in the speech, “the gov-
ernment will review the adequacy of

yments in the light of future cir-
“cumstances and will-increase_ them as

resources permit.” 4

NDP welfare critic Margaret Mit-
chell asked Tuesday if the Conser-
vatives might bring back full indexing
of family allowances as the economy
improves. Epp said the government's

commitment is simply to look at im-

provements in social programs.

Mitchell then asked if reduced in-

rs

elfirea |

surefire

By CHERYL CALDERBANK
Staff.

Selkirk College's vocational division
has two years of work lined up in its
Selfire program, where trades stu-
dents gain experience by rebuilding old
fire trucks. _

Vocational director Bruce Meldrum
told the college board meeting in Grand
Forks Tuesday night that the college is

program

has advised p ‘y?
i that budget i and

increased porgrams are unlikely in the _

1986/87 year.

The minist?y says any new programs
must be considered within current the
budget by substituting new programs
with existing programs.

The ministry says institutions should
also expect to see a closer match

a

Prog

tual sand,

TRAC-preapprenticeshi or

individuals seeking retraining in the
applied mechanics field.

Students in the ‘program will be
exposed to fabricating, piping and

profile

Perra also noted in his report “a
recommendation to make changes to
the federal government's Established
Porgrams Funding by which Ottawa

valving and pump r as well as

fund for ed ion, health

practical work in the automotive and
heavy duty mechanics area, Meldurm

“and welfare to the provinces.

If implemented the federal contribu-
: ss a

nire-says

P
—be-reduced.—
The implicat:

ns for Selkirk College

are nol clear—it-th:

*SS.
[eanwhile, college principal Leo
Perra reported Tuesday that further
decreases in apprenticeship classes are

CHIEF FOR A DAY... . David Shingler gets behind the’
wheel of fire truck at Castlegar firehall with Pass
Creek tire chief Brian Bebelman. Shingler will become
fire chief of Pass Creek for the day on Friday.

Shingler’s name was drawn from a number of coupons
d by area y 's in the Plan To Get Out
Alive program. CosNews Photo by Chery! Colderbonk

his year. He said, “Another
25 lines of activity are scheduled to be,
deleted throughout the province.”

A line of activity represents a class
of instruction for 10-12 months. Some
reductions for Selkirk are planned. —
However, Perra said the overall

Editor's Note: Canada Safety Council Safety Week

the Castlegar News takes a look at the issue of seat belts
on school buses.
By SIMON BIRCH
# Staff Writer *
Should school buses have seat belts?
A simple question which one would think would have
_asimple answer. After all, seat belts in private passenger

Seatbelts for buses? .

begins Thursday and runs through Oct. 22. To Mark it, .

operations for Transport Canada, noted at the conference
that, although seat belts will reduce the risk of death or
serious injury “by up to 60 per cent,” a.“ ‘compart-
mentalization’ approach was adopted for school buses to
protect passengers ide the bus, and structural
improvements were required to prevent ejection from
the bus,” the newsletter says.

The Castlegar school district is taking a similar
spore

vehicles and car seats for children are both d. yin
B.C., so why not seat belts on school buses?

Safety experts- and government officials have
baridied back and forth the pros and cons of the issue for
several years. As yet, no government has made a clear

FEATURE

REPORT

policy decision, but the trend of school boards appears to
be to shy away from ‘seat belts on school buses.

The reason is that tests to determine the effective-
ness of seat belts on school buses in preventing injuries
have been inconclusive.

“When regulations requiring seat belts on all buses

were being there was
centred around cost of installation, lack of evidence of

of schools, Terry-Wayling. says the
district ‘currently has 10 older buses that it is replacing at
the rate of one or two a year.

Instead of seat belts, the new buses that the school
board orders have seats with higher and cushioned backs,
providing a soft surface in case of an accidept, Wayling
says. ia -

He adds the board made its decision not to install
seat belts because of the “mixed reviews” seat belts on
buses have received.

“(Seat belts)-are not nearly as effective on busew asin
cars.” Wayling says.

He also-says the fact that students could use seat
belts as tools Of vandalism and as “quasi-weapons”
against each other influenced the board's decision.

Despite Castlegar school disirict’s decision — which

Wayling says reflects the decision of other districts
the province — there is no provincial government policy
on seat belts in school buses”

“The only way to describe it is it's still under

dexation could become a
feature of the family allowance pro-
m. The minister said he wouldn't
answer that question. .
Epp was the first witness on the bill
to appear before the committee. Later

and P as

from Safety Canada says.
During a Canada Safety Council conference at St.
John’s, Nfld. in. June, recent tests were cited that show

head and neck injury in frontal collisions when school bus

in the day, Tory suc-
ceeded in'trimming the amount of time ~
they would spend hearing other wit-
nesses. _ zs

use lap belts,” is increased, the newsletter
says.
Barry Kershaw, director of planning and regional

that the type of seat required on school buses, “the risk of |

ion,” says John Randle of tbe Ministry of
Education's facilities division of the seat belt issue. ~

“We've got more paperwork than you can shake a
stick at,” he says:

Randle adds that the ministry could only adopt a |
policy and that legislation would be under the jurisdiction
of the department of motor vehicles.

“Any legal moves. would come from the MVD.”
Randle- says. *

SER NS

LABEE

SuSE

are minimal since the
college has very little apprenticeship
training left.

In other news, the Ministry of

—inside

Perra says that several alternatives
have been suggested which would be
tied to some form of cost-sharing based
on the provincial portion.

In addition to these changes, the
federal government is attempting to
reduce. the total contribution to the
provinces by $2 billion over the next
five years.

Perra also said the Canadian Jobs
Strategy is attempting to redirect
federal resources from institutions to
third parties, such: as employers.

UNION HISTORY: CasNews
reporter Cheryl Calderbank
talks with Mike Solski, co-

author of Mine Mill: The History
of the International
Mine, ‘Mill and Smelter Workers
in Canada since 1895... .C1

STUDY DUE: The provincial en
. AZ -

MORE MONEY: Castlegar council
Expo 86 pie... AS

THE BIG GULP: EULESS, Texas —
“have got theirman, but they're sti
diamond swallowed by’a Dallas
~potent laxative to. help them.

the store.

McClendon.

don said. * L

NO PLANNING: Castlegar is pul

Union of |

Inonooklin Creek fish ladder impact study by the end of this month .

Police said the man entered the Euless Gold" Silver Exchange on
Tuesday and ‘asked to look at diamonds. When clerks dealt with
other customers, he grabbed a three-carat stone and waiked out of

An employee stopped the man just outside the store, but police
said he had already swallowed the diamond.

“He was X-rayed, and there it.was,
“They gave him something to make him throw up, .but
by then the diamond had moved to the intestines and they said
there was only one way to get.it then.” ’

- Charges will be filed once the siamond is recovered. McClen.

department — but maybe not forlong..

vironment ministry expects the

says it wants a bigger slice of the

Police-in this Fort Worth suburb
I after the loot — a stolen $10.000
man >and. they're employing a

" said Euless Police Sgt. Bill”

ling out-of the-regional” planning

the S