B.C. Hydro Debris Control Fleet Recelves New Tughoats “Here let the press the people's rights maintain, unawed by CASTLEGAR NEWS Burt Campbell Publisher and Editor influence and unbribed by gain” Page Four — Thursday Morning, September 13, 1973 Strike Has its Place - But Not Just for Wages As this editorial is being written (last Saturday afternoon), representatives of Local No. 1, Pulp and Paper Workers of Canada, and Can-Cel officials are meeting with regard to the strike which was then in its 39th day. The mediator from the provincial Mediation Services had met with both sides separately on Thursday and Friday, and then on Friday night both parties had held a bargaining session, There were no talks on Saturday morning and optimism was detected with regard to the joint meeting scheduled for Saturday afternoon, With the strong hope, therefore, that the strike may be over before this editorial even sees print, our comments are sparked by a remark made by the president of the AFL-CIO :, in the United States, George Meany, that the _ strike has become an obsolete weapon—at least insofar as straight wage disputes are concerned, (In our local situation, the leadership of the Pulp and Paper Workers have maintained that the main item is not wage rates, but rather some 35 unresolved local issues.) Ifa man earning $5 an hour goes on strike as a result, management to increase its last wage offer by 10 cents an hour, it would take him two years to for two weeks and, break even, That is why strikes—in wage disputes— have become an obsolete weapon, As Mr. Meany Evening Course Variely Elsewhere in this newspaper are two advertisements informing the public of the evening .courses available locally this year, either at Selkirk College or through School Regional District No. 9 and Commission No. 1. We suspect that nowhere else but in the City of Vancouver itself can a B.C. resident find such a large and varied a program of worthwhile courses as is being offered here. And probably nowhere in the entire province can evening courses be obtained at such reasonable registration fees. Selkirk is offering both credit and non-credit courses, while Schoo! District No. 9 and the Recreation Commission are offering a total of 43 adult education, recreation and vocational night school classes. Are you interested in astronomy? You can get it at Selkirk. Or how about conversational . Russian, or chess, or even yoga, or perhaps the subject People vs. the Law whets your interest. In the School District says: “Strikes of people getting $7,600 or moren year just don't make sense." In the example of the man earning $5 an hour going on strike for two weeks and gelling 10 cents an hour better than the company’s final offer, Uhe extra 10 cents will not repay the $400 in lost wages until he has worked 100 weeks, aboul the time the contract he signed’ runs out and he starts over, A working man simply cannot afford to give up $400 and have it repaid in dribbles over that length of time. Yet, while the strike is obsolete in a straight wage dispute, we disagree strongly with those who believe that the use of strike action should be outlawed. Members of our Canadian working force (with the important exception of those in such vilal public-service jobs as, for example, ferry employees, postal personnel and railroad workers) should always have the right to withdraw their services. Sometimes this right is used in a way that many consider foolish and stupid, but we have yet to forces learn of any acceptable allernatives. We hope the Can-Cel strike is now over, and—if it isn't—that it really is important local issues that are preventing agreement and nol, as some have charged, an attempt to get a few cooking, Recreation cents more an hour than the international unions so that the all-Canadian union can look good, a Feast for Taxpayers for youngsters, cake decorating and Russian typing, blueprint reading and car- pentry upgrading. The courses are just about as varied as anyone could imagine. When the Commission of Inquiry inte Post in the K held one ofits hearings her Bruce Fraser said his college was proud that it has the highest participation or adulls in evening programs of any regional college in the province, yet it has the smallest population base of any college. The answer-is probably quite simple: the college's evening programs, like those of the School District, are interesting and varied and are decided ‘upon by what people would like, t month, Selkirk principal rather than being dictated by what someone sion offerings there are gymnastics and crafts Commis- atchi bed. thinks would be “good” for people to take. We suggest our readers look the offerings over carefully. A night school course is a far better way to spend a winter's evening than the clock §o around until it’s time for Electric Power Emergency: ‘Now we find out-!" Sugar and Spice by Bill Smiley Home But Locked Out Swatting Mosquitoes Yep. We're home. Met a chap yesterday and he said. “Hey, | thought you were going to England. Better get a hustle on. You go buck to work ina week.” Perhaps | should explain that this column is written about two week: usually or sometimes or occasionally or when the situation calls for it. The last two, for example were written in London and Chester. | swear I had the only possible typewriter in Chester. My wite went out to get some dry-cleaning. spotted this office supplies. and finagled a Mpc. mn old beat-up one, therefore. by the time you read about me and the Sit ‘Cufhack Ordered by Washington Stale Gov. Dan Evans’ Gov. Dan Evans has declared an electric power emergency in Washington State and ordered a stiff cutback to conserve current. State agencies have been ordered to reduce power consumption by 10 per cent, and an over-all cutback of seven per cent is called for to avoid a collapse of the state energy system. A spokesman for Bonne- ville Power Administration in Portland said the shortage was caused by a light snowpack in the Columbia River basin last winter and below average rainfall during the summer. “If we continue drawing down water at the present rate the reservoirs will be empty by March,” the spokesman said. BPA, which supplies most of Washington State with hydro power, is running 15 million kilowatt hours short of demand, he reported. He said the administration has been buying extra power from B.C. Hydro and other power agencies tied in by a grid, but can’t get enough to meet the demand. He and a spokesman for B.C. Hydro in Vancouver said § Avoid the Rush Friendly Frank Says: Now is the Time! Winter is Coming?!? ESSO ANTI-FREEZE RAD no figures are readily available on power exports, They explained that the: demand varies from day to day depending on load factors and generating capacity. In one recent case, the BPA spokesman said, B.C. Hydro .was asked to release water from its Mica Dam on the Columbia near Revelstoke, but supplied power instead. The current shortage is not reflected in B.C. because 60 per cent of the B.C. load is produced by the Peace River system and Lhere was a good snowpack in Lhe Peace area last winter. B.C. Hydro has no generat- ing facilities on the Columbia, although it stores water for the U.S. generators under the Columbia treaty. B.C. Hydro also has. gen- erators on the Bridge River near Lillooet and has about one million kilowatts of backup thermal generating capacity. In the Washington state emergency, residents are asked to cut down on household power use wherever possible. Gov. Evans also plans to submit a bill to the legislature which would give him authority to pull the st ‘itch on industry if necessary, s the state of emergency will last..al least through April 15, 1974, 300 Concert Workshops = To be Held Throughout B.C. The Festival Concert Soc- iety this coming season will sponsor some 300 concerls and workshops throughout British Columbia and will co-operate with the Playhouse Theatre Centre of British Columbia by sponsoring a Lour of a play for adults, This collaboration was fell to he a most rable one in taking advantage of the organi- zational setup of Lhe Festival Concert Society. by Tennessee Williams. Diree- tor is John Woo Any community in the interior . of British Columbia which does not have member- ship with the Festi Society is urged to contact the office of the Festival Concert Society, 3307 Denman Place, Vancouver 5, B. C. Concert * ol Lady living it up ‘on the re actually sitting ick yard, swatting mosquitoes. hich we did. We hud left the key to the house with the neighbours. Neither they nor we knew when we'd be home. You can guess the rest. We pulled in, absolutely pooped, Neighbours out for the evening. { tried every window any self-respecting burglar would have a crac! at. Nothing doing. We satin the backyard, it exehanging quips “nike. inane of these mos- eh. something to be ational, traveller. se) masquitaes, Dew te eetully befare they sink HH didn’t bother me mich Bue it was almost the ery © wile. to avoid it, From the moment I threw her onto the plane. bodily, she forgot her rotten kids, her kitchen floor, the set work that needed cles Hs rugs and all the reste of wea few pl where she because she fun, had se much This is the kid who couldn't anders’ anyone wanted to el, Perhaps you re td hout these bomb i London. They: mi the Irish Republican Ar IRA my foot. F planted those bomb scares in the English papers because it ft ynly way Eoould get my wife lo leave the ountry. And 1 don't blame: he She wi ed to ae in, wi er Savoy. Without e kissed, or was kissed hy Welshman ia Llane gollen, Without me, ¢ walked in Hyde Park :