ICEY JUNGLE . . . Members of the Castlegar Figure Skating Club take a breather during
rehearsal for their ice pageant Safari on Ice, coming up March 18 at the Community

Complex. Pictured here are a tiger, tropical bird, na

e, tourist and monkeys.

NO CUSTOMER COMPLAINTS

WKP did ''reasonably well"

By CasNews Staff

A-West-Kootenay- Power’ official
said this week the utility ‘fared
reasonably well’? in the week-long
B.C. Utilities Commission hear in
to the company’s application for a 6.7
per cent rate increase

“i's Hot a pleasant experience for
Steve Ash, WKP’s

ustomer relations said in

ve company,’
manager «
an interview with the Castlegar News
**Overall we think we fared
reasonably well

Ash noted that there were no in
dividual customer complaints about
the utility which was purchased in 1987
by Missouri-based UtiliCorp United
He said nobody: told the commission
West Kootenay Power doesn’ Listen or
provide good service

That was really good

Much of the criticism launched
against the company focused—on
WKP’s financial forecasting and what

should be a proper rate of return on the

utility’s investment

“Some thought our forecasting is
not as good as it should be,"’ Ash said

Bob Bauman, representing West
Kootenay Power's major industrial
Power customers-and West Kootenay
municipalities such as Nelson, said in
his closing arguments Wetinesday the
utility has a ‘history of poor
forecasting” and compared the finan
cial forecasting to a “public utility
game show

Bauman said actual power costs
were 12.8 per cent lower than forecast
ina test year following WKP’s last rate
increase in 1986. The com, any's
capital spending, he said, ran 20 per
cent lower than forecast from 1981
1986.

Meanwhile, West
Power's counsel Jack Wilson called

Kootenay

the utility's requested 14.1 per cent rate
of~return—on— investment **
vative’’ in light of the 14.25 per cent to
14.75 per cent range suggested by ex

‘conser

Cominco

continued from front page
following more than three years of
negotiations with Labour Relations
Board and later IRC involvement
Saare said the two Trail locals in
stituted a process to solve jurisdic
tional disputes following the problems
in the electronics division but have not
the process. He accused
devious

ints

hey couldn't get
g table, they're trying to get

back dooratthe TRE,” he

Basically, I think this is Cominco’s
way of getting a cheaper contract,” he
added

One thing the USWA represen
tatives and Cominco officials agree on
is that_operations_in Kimberley are
winding down

“That operation has a finite life to
it; whereas (the smelter and-refinery in)
Wilkins

hat workers in

Trail is going great guns,”

said. But Saare say

Kimberley and Trail have always
‘piggybacked"’ each other through
hard times.

Trail local 480 representative Ron
Schmidt said dividing the bargaining
Units in Kimberley and Trail is Comin
co's way of lowering labor costs
throughout the Kootenays using Kim
berley bargaining precedents

“Kimberley is on its way down, and
they figure if they can get a cheaper
contract, then they can bring it to
Trail,”’ Schmidt said

Both Saare and Schmidt accused
Cominco of being stingy now that ear
nings are improving after a number of
lean years from 1981-87

‘Cominco is making money hand
over fist, and it really angers us,”
Saare said. But Wilkins pointed out
Cominco gave a $1,000 bonus to-its
employees worldwide after doing well
in 1988

Our collective agreements have
always reflected our ability to pay,"” he

said

pert testimony introduced by the com:
pany earlier in the hearings
However, intervenors at the hearing
introduced their own expert testimony
which suggested a fair rate of return
should be closed to 12 per cent
ty.

“That's obv

Jobs teach students
in new SHSS program

By CasNews Staff

Coraline Cheveldave spent
Education Week learning about the
real world — and she loves it

The 17-year-old Stanley Humphries
secondary school student began doing
office work, using a computer and
doing accounts this week as Anderson
Insurance Agencies Ltd. in Castlegar
She said: the atmosphere is ‘really
relaxed” and after just one week she
feels “like! fitin.””

Cheveldave is taking part in a new
program at SHSS: career training
Open to Grade 12 students who have
attained a certain skill level, the new
program allows students interested in
business or mechanics to learn first
Hand about the career they want to en
ter

Each student spends 100 hours
working in the field and must also
complete a set of courses tailored to
that area as well as the courses required
for graduation

So far just two courses
and mechanics, both with four studen.

business

“That was our intention anyway,”
he said. ‘'The hearings encouraged
that.””

Seasonal. rates, promoting better
winterization of homes and insulating
water heaters are three. conservation.

asures-identified as feasible at the

decision for the commission to make,”
Ash told the Castlegar News.

Ash said West Kootenay Powet will
likely pay more attention to conser
vation asa result of the hearing

Jobless rate down, business up

VANCOUVER (CP) A major in-
crease in retail and. wholesale trade in
this area in February contributed to the
creation of 14,000 jobs and a sharp
decline in the province’s unem.
ployment rate over the month, an
analyst with Statistics Canada said

“There was a huge increase in retail
and wholesale trade,"’ said’ Mare
Levesque. ‘‘That’s where the largest

hearing

Ash said the commission will likely
have a decision on the rate increase
request in about six weeks:

increase seems to be.

The jobless rate in Vancouver fell to
8.3 per cent from 9.6 per cent in
January. Across the province, em
ployment rose by 23,000 jobs

The largest increase in jobs was iii
the 25-and-older category, Levesque
said.

Job, growth in manufacturing,
communications, transportation and

continued from front page

‘minor’? and will cost about $15,000.
He added that the crowding is not a
direct result of the Russian bilingual
program or its expansion. The closing
of—four—rurat—schoots—during the
restraint period of the mid-1980s as
well as more special-needs classes have
also contributed to the crowding. The
Russian program will need one of the
two new rooms, he said

Anderson's group was formed and
the meeting called following the release
earlier this year of a report by the
bdard’s language committee. The
report listed three recommendations:
extend the Russian bilingual program;
expand the core Russian and French
programs from Grade 5 down to Grade
4; and implement a French-immersion
program for older students

A revised list from the- school

Prizes, buttons readied
as Sunfest gets on track

The Castlegar Festivals Society has announced that
Adastra Aviation has become a Sunfest supporter by
donating third prize in the Sunfest Button lottery

Adastra will provide the third prize winner and two
friends with a half-hour flight around the Kootenay
Valley. Who knows, the winner might even spot the
hideout cabin of the Rivers Brothers!

And, who are the Rivers Brothers? Kootenay and
Columbia Rivers came to the Kootenay Valley, in the
1880s, almost 100 years ago. Mainly they were bad guys
~ stealing canoes and pack horses from the natiyes and
holding up prospectors and stealing their gold. They
were reported to have been buried alive in an avalanche
in 1889. Their long and sordid story will be fully told in
late April so stay tuned, says publicity chairman
Marilyn Sttong of the Festivals Society

Meanwhile, Jim Ferrier, fundraising chairman, has
announced that Kat's Trophies of C astlegar' sumbitted
the lowest bid for the Sunfest buttons and has been
awarded the contract to make the 5,000 buttons.

“We had five bids submitted including three local
ones and we are pleased that a local supplier has submit
ted the best price to make the buttons,” he said

This year, the buttons will be attached to the
program and the whole package will sell for $3. Strong
said she is pleased with the support of the local
busimesses who are buying ads in the program.

‘When we explain that the buttons and_ the
prograins are a package deal and that there are two con.
tests contained in the program as well as oodles of in
formation about Sunfest, the businesses are very recep-
tive," "she said.

The next Festivals Society Sunfest_meeting ison
Wednesday, April 5 at 7 p.m. at the Castlegar Chamber
boardroom and all groups are urged to send a represen:
tative.

In other Sunfest news, the Festivals Society has an
nounced a tentative schedule for the June 2, 3 and 4
event

Confirmed events are the annual Miss Castlegar
Pageant which will take place on June 2 at 7 p.m. at
Stanley Humphries secondary school

Also-on-June 2, the stopitch tournament begins at
various ball parks around the city and the Selkirk Vin.
tners will set up shop at the Fireside Inn

On Saturday, June 3, the Sunfest Parade will travel
along ¢ lumbia kvenue beginning at 10a.m. At9a.m.,
a chili cookoff will begin at a location to be announced
later. Bed races will begin at Kinsmen Park at 11:30 a.m
Saturday evening there will be a slopitch dance and a
teen dance, both at the Community Complex

Sunday, June 4 will see a biathalon downtown and
a@dart tournament at the Legion Hall, In Kinsmen Park
look for dogs catching frisbees in a canine competition
There wilt also be games for the entire family

superintendent suggests only the ex-
iension of the core programs should go
ahead this year. Wayling recommends
the other two changes be put off until
next year

A first-draft budget that includes the
extension of the core programs will go
to Victoria by March 15. By May 1, the
board will vote on a tax-rate bylaw to
determine the amount of tax
homeowners-will pay-to-make-up the
approximately 13 per cent jof the
budget not usually covered |by the
provincial government

Residents can expect a tax hike,
Turner told the meeting Wednesday

Anderson said she and her group
will continue to lobby the board about
their concerns even after the budget
has been finalized

“The trustees are elected by us to do
what we would like to see them do, not
what they want. We put them in and we
can take them out,” she said

Two men
charged in
break-in

By CasNews Staff

Two Castlegar men were charged
with breaking and entering in Nelson
provincial court Friday after poli
apprehended them Thursday night in
possession_of goods allegedly stolen
from the Robson post office

Timothy Love, 18, was also charged
with breaching his probation and
possession of marijuana. He was
released on his own recognizance until
March 29.

Jody Hackman, 24, was also
charged with two counts of breach of
probation and was remanded in
custody in Castlegar until March 14

ts — are running but work experience
co-ordinator Jim Crawford hopes the
program will branch into other areas
such as cooking and graphic design

The first year of the program is a
trial run, he said, so the district must
fund it. If it’s successful, the provincial
government will take over the funding
next year

The program has some bugs,
Crawford said, such as students and
teachers unhappy about the hours
students ‘spend outside the school
completing their 197hours. But since
the students are excited and happy with
what they are learning, he hopes the
problems can be solved in the next few
year’,

Cheveldave’s supervisor Rae Pen
man said the student is doing well and
being useful to the office. That kind of
reaction is ‘what Crawford wants to CORALINE CHEVELDAVE
hear . ++ “really relaxed”

“Our hope is they are not a burden
to the business community," he said

Cheveldave said she is happy with

longer considering being a hairdr

after graduation. She now want

her choice of the program and is.no 4 legal secretary

Bank loses appeal
against car dealer

By CasNews Staff portion of their legal costs which thy
A legal battle that began in March won in a lawsuit arising from
1982 between the Canadian Imperial
Bank of Commerce, its agent and
Tommy MeLachlin of Trail ended this

week in the B.C. Appeals Court
tn-a-decisionhanded-down-Wed-

nesday, the court dismissed the bank’s

and its agent’s appeal of a B.C. them

Supreme Court decision two years ago McLachlin said he and his wife El

which awarded McLachlin and his par

tner, Hugh McLachlin, $335,000.and a

Kay Motors.

Tommy McLachlin told 1

pointed” in the amount awarded

Hugh “McLachlin after
some $400,000 in legal fees.
Kay Motors creditors will also
paidas a result of the decision.
The long court battle began after t

paying ¢

Other utilities also was recorded, he bank's agent, Henfrey and Co.,
said March 1982 seized Kay Motors and

bankruptcy of their auto dealershiy

Castlegar News Saturday he is ‘hay
py!lthe-case is finally over but “‘disap

who was also a partner in the business
expect to split_ about $50,000 with

oft
be
he

in
all

Oxana Exell, Vancouver spokesman its assets an hour after the CIBC

for the Canadian Federation of In
dependent Business, also said. the
current **boom*~in-retaiting~isthe
result of
triggered by a healthy economy
“Generally, the economy has been

consumer confidence ventory

good in the past year and will continue
to be for the next year,"” she said

A favorable industrial relations
climate Which had no prolonged labor
unrest resulted in people having more

but the agent refused to relinquish cc

sued the bank and its agent over th
handling of the matter

“discretionary income”
consumer goods and services, -said
Exell. “We expect it’s the end of it

unlikely there will be a further appea

“Tt appears the deep scars of the —said-*We'dliketo believe it
prolonged and painful recession -of
1980-82 have been hi
“It's taken this long

led,"’ sheadded. - Auto Service in Trail for the last f
years.

demanded full payment of a $250,000
operating loan and a $1 million floor
plan foan for Kay Motors’ new earin+

McLachlin arranged new financing
for the operating loan and the floor
plan was secured by the new car fleet

on:

trol of the business. The McLachlins

cir

to spend on McLachlin said he understands it is

1
he

He and Hugh have operated Texaco

ive

sy

March 12, 1989 Castlegar News

Briefly

In memory |

Court news

In Castlegar provincial courth this
week, John Silva pleaded guilty to
giving false information to a wildlife
officer and was fined $200.

Last week, John Jackman pleaded
guilty to driving without due care and
attention ahd was fined $100.

Fred Bonnett

Fred Bonnett of Castlegar passed away March 6 in Vancouver while
ona buying trip at age 61

Mr. Bonnett was born April 14, 1927 at Theil, Sask
up ona farm. Later he became a heavy duty welder and worked in the con
struction trade.

In-1960, he built the Castlegar Bowling Alley. It was also that same
year he married Margaret Howie,

In 1965, he opened Bonnett's Boys and Mens Wear which he was
operating at the time of his death. He served as a volunteer fireman in
Castlegar for many years. He as also a member of the Operating
Engineers, and Branch No. 170, Castlegar Legion

Mr. Bonnett was also a member of the Eagles Lodge, the Downtown
Businessmen’ s Association and the Oldtime Fiddlers

Mr. Bonnett is survived by one son, Brian of Vancouver; one
daughter, Heather of Vancouver; step-daughier, Bobbie Keraiff of
Castlegar; granchildren, Kelly and Kimberly; two brothers, Harold and
Vern Bonnett of Saskatchewan; and two sisters, Elsie From and Charlotte
Theis of Saskatchewan

, Where he grew

Funeral service will be held at the Castlegar Funeral chapel on Mon:
day, March 13 at 1 p.m. with Rev. Glen Backus offic
follow

ting. Cremation to

Funeral arrangements are under the direction of the Castlegar
Funeral Chapel

William Bale

William Martin (Mart) Bale passed away March 7
Castlegar Hospital

Born Feb. 16, 1913 in Mather, Man., Mr. Bale came to Trail in 1937
and worked as an apprentice with Cominco. He served with the Air Force
in the Second World War and continued with Cominco until retirement in
1973

Mr. Bale was very active in the Scout movement and an active mem-
ber of his church. Once retired, he and his wife both served with the
missionary for 1 yearsin St. George, Utah

Mr. Bale is survived by his loving wife Fern; two sons, Bill of Kim
berley and John of Robson; two daughters, Sharlene of Calgary and Patti
of Victoria; seven grandchildren; one brother, Hector of Vancouver;
three sisters, Jean Sheperd of Trail, Margaret Storey of Calgary and Anne
Shier of Cayle, Alberta; and numerous nieces, nephews, and brothers
and sisters-in-law

Funeral services were held March 10 at the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter Day Saints with Bishop Brian Leavitt officiating. Burialwas-heldat
Mountain View Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be
made to the B.C ncer Society, Box 310, Trail, B.C

Carberry’s Funeral Home was in charge of the arrangements

at age 76 at

Apartheid declared sin

JOHANNESBURG (AP) The main church of ruling Afrikaners
has declared apartheid a sin and asked forgiveness for its long support of
the racially discriminatory system.

“We confess with humility and sogrow the participation of our chur-
ch in the introduction and legitimation oP the ideology of apartheid and
the subsequent suffering of people,” said the white Dutch Reformed
Church.

The black and mixed-race Dutch Reformed Churches welcomed the
most explicit condemnation of apartheid made by their white mother
church but said it also must work to destroy the system it helped create.

Three beheaded

NICOSIA, Cyprus (Reuter)
men wer

A Filipino woman and‘three Yemeni
beheaded in public in Saudi Arabia after holding Muslim prayers.

The Saudi press agency said the woman, whose name it gave in
Arabic as Rina Linda Nida, was beheaded in Riyadh after being convicted
of strangling a young Saudigirl

The Yemeni men were executed in a square in the souther town of
Faisalia. They were found guilty of raping a seven-year-old Saudi boy who
then died

Self-government promised

INVERNESS (Reuter) — Opposition Leader Neil Kinnock, whose
Labor party was trounced by Scottish nationalists in a byelection four
months ago, has promised. self-government for Scotland if Labor gains
power

“A Labor government will, upon election, immediately introduce
the legislation necessary to establish and empower the Scottish assem-
bly,"’ Kinnock told his party’s annual Scottish conference in this northern
port

“That is our pledge, We shall keep it.””

Senate praises new selection

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. senators anxious to put the John
Tower controversy behind them swiftly praised President George Bush's
selection of Representative Dick Cheney of Wyoming as defence secretary
and said confirmation hearings would begin next week.

Bush announced the nomination of Cheney, a sixth-term
congressman and the No. 2 Republican leader in the House of Represen.
tatives, on Friday, calling hima ‘*widely respected man of principle.”’

Dismissing as “‘history”’ the long battle over Tower that ended in
defeat Thursday, Bush predicted Cheney would win confirmation
rapidly

Eastern announces more flights

MIAMI (AP) — Eastern Airlintes prepared to more than double its
strike-depleted flight schedule, but union leaders questioned its ability to
expand operations-and promised to extend pickets to sister carrier Con-
tinental Airlines,

Eastern announced its expansion plans as passengers began returning
to its Northeast shuttle, lured by bargain fares of $12 US a seat. A federal
bankrupicy judge also helped the carrier keep some planes-atotr-by
authorizing Eastern to payon-striking employees

Meanwhile, Dr 8,500 striking machinists accused the airline
of timing Thursday’s bankruptcy filing to avoid paying wages to union
members. Lawyer Robert Clayman said he would go to U.S. bankruptcy
court in New York to get an estimated $7.5 million owed for the past week

Skipper's wife bombed

SAN DIEGO (AP) FBI investigators are trying to determine
whether terrorists were behind the bombing of a van driven by the wife of
the U.S. warship Vincennes skipper who mistakenly ordered the downing
ofan Iranian airliner

Sharon Rogers, 50, the wife of Capt. Will Rogers, narrowly escaped
injury Friday when she got out of the van after it was rocked by what
sounded like two backfires. Moments later, a_pipe_bomb explosion
engulfed the vehicle in flames, authorities and witnesses said

Concerned that terrorism may have penetrated U.S. borders, a
massive investigation is under way involving scores of investigators, said
Tom Hughes, special agent in charge of the local FBI office.

Former guards to be freed

MANAGUA (AP) — The Nicaraguan government will free almost
1,900 former members of ousted president Anastasio Somoza’s national
guard on March 19, the chief of state security said :

Cmdr. Lenin Cerna said the jailed guardsmeh will be freed after the
National Assembly formatly approves a pardon request from President
Daniel Ortega

The pardons are the result of agreements signed by Ortega and the
presidents of El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Costa Rica at a Feb.
13-14 summit in El Salvador

Arms cuts called possible

BRUSSELS (AP) — Analysts say prospects are good for cutting
conventional arms in Europe because of the similarities in the initial
proposals of NATO and Warsaw Pact countries

“The starting positions are quite reasonable (and) give plenty of
room for compromise,’’ said Richard Fieldhouse, a research fellow at the
Stockholm International Peach Research Institute in Sweden

The 16 NATO countries, including Canada, and the seven of the
Warsaw Pact began negotiations Thursday in Vienna on reducing con
ventional arms in the region. .

Second crash victim dies

WINNIPEG (CP) — A woman who was badly burned in a plane
crash in Northwestern Ontario on Friday has died — the second crash vic
tim to die in hospital

Another 22 people were missing and presumed dead following the
downing of the Air Ontario jet near Dryden with 69 people on board

Jim Rodger, a spokesthan for the Winnipeg Health Sciences Centre,
said the woman, who was not identified, was 39. She died of-burns to 90
percent of herbody

Employer given time limit

VANCOUVER (CP) B.C. hospital workers have given their em:
ployers until March 31 to pay $2 million in retroactive wages.

The current contract between the 29,000-member Hospital Em
ployees Union and the Health Labor Relations Association expires at the
end of the month

Both sides agree the money is owed asa result of an arbitration award
giving raises to more than 1,200 workers, bui they haven't been able to set
tle ona timetable for payment -

Speaking winners

of Kinnaird

Markin (3rd, senior), Kaela Tompkins (1st

nior), Sara Heal

y school's 10th annual public speaking finals lined up for their
accolades recently at the school. Left to right ar

Matthew Healing (st, junior), Carrie
9. (2nd, senior), Adrienne

Negrey (2nd, junior) and Jodi Tompkins (3rd, junior).

Parker
hears
pleas

PARKSVILLE, B.C, (CP)
About 300 woodworkers protested
over lost jobs while Forests Minister
Dave Parker was told management of
B,C. timber is out of control and is in
desperate need of a royal commission

The_pleas to bring better_controls
over harvesting came during an infor-
mation meeting Friday at this Van-
couver Island resort community on
government plans to increase tree farm
licences to 60 per cent of B.C
land

Outside, members of IWA-Canada
chanted slogans to protest the planned
layoff of 425 Fletcher Challenge
workers and demanded that Parker
restore the jobs. The company cited a
shortage of timber as a reason for the
layoffs.

The minister had no replies to the
speakers or the protesters

“AWA Local 180 believes the forest
industry is totally out of control,” said
Bill Routley, first vice-president of the
Duncan local which will be hit hard by
the layoffs

He said the union has been told by
forest companies that the annual
allowable cut on the coast should be
about 26 million cubic metres. A
Forests Ministry spokesman said the
determined allowable cut in 1988 was

forest

72 million cubic metres for regulated

lands throughout the province

Routley said the layoffs by Fletcher
Challenge shows forest legislation
needs a major overhaul

PROVIDE STABILITY

The-originalintent of tree farm
licences was to provide forest em
ployers with tenure. In return, the
companies would provide job stability
and a fair return.to the province for the
right to use public timber

“The stark reality of 1989 is that we
have seen 20,000 forest industry jobs,
or more, lost in British Columbia in the
last decade alone,"* Routley said

Peter McAllister, president of the
Sierra Club of Western Canada, joined
the IWA in calling for a royal com
mission into forest practices.

“The mess in the logging industry
cries-out-for-a-royal-commission,"”-he
said. ‘*The documented evidence of
logging abuses and forestry issues
would filla battleship.

Polish
promise
reported

WARSAW (AP) — The Solidarity
labor movement says the Polish gover
nment has promised the opposition
free access to state-run media during
the new parliamentary elections
Janusz Onyszkiewicz, spokesman
for the outlawed movement, also said
the union will support candidates in
the June voting
Candidates to be able to present them

nd wants Solidarity

selves publicly as Solidarity members

“If these elections are supposed to
be at least partly democratic, we must
have a chance to fight in them. And
that is why our access to the mass
media during the if
important,”* Onyszkiewicz said

An agreement between the gover
nment and the opposition will create a
hew national legislature

campaigns is so

a senate
that will act as the upper chamber of
Parliament. The current legislature,
the Sejm, would be the lower chamber

Opposition candidates will be
allowed to take part in what may be the
first national democratic elections in
the Communist block. In addition, 35
Percent of the seats in the existing Sejm
will be set aside for contested elections.

OTTAWA (CP) — The government can’t walk
irio of back bench Conservative MPs have warned.

John Reimer, Ross Belsher and David Rilgour
all vociferous. opponents of abortion
separate interviews that Prime Minister Brian Mulroney

abortion law struck down by the Supreme Court of
Canada 14 months ago.

Their comments
Minister Doug Lewis that the government might ayoid
bringing in a new law — served notice that the cabinet
will come under strong pressure from anti-abortion for
ces on’Tory benghes when Parliament reconvenes next
month

“I think the prime minister has been very cleat
that we have to face the issue,”’ said Reimer, a backben
cer from Kitchener, Ont., and a key organizer of the an
ti-abortion campaign in the Commons before the last
election

“We definitely have to have legislation

unborn children have constitutional rights, repeatedly
refused to promise legislative action

away from its duty to bring in new abortion legislation, a

argued in

has-atready- committed himself to replacing the federat

following hints by Justice

Lewis, besieged by reporters Thursday after the
‘Supreme Courrdectined to rate onthe issue of whether

‘I'm not ruling anything in, I'm not ruling
anything out,”’ he said, begging for time to consult his

MPs say Tories must
face abortion issue

cabinet and caucus colleagues,
Opposition Liberals and New Democrats inter
preted the comments to mean the government is backing
off past promises of action
Reimer said he. remains confident there will be a°
reference to the issue in the throne speech-taying-out
government plans when Parliament resumes April 3

But he conceded a detailed plan could take some
time to develop, and the issue may not come before the
House until the fall

Belsher, chairman of the British Columbia Tpry
caucus, agreed in an interview from his riding of Fraser
Valley East that the government *‘has every obligation
to show leadership rather than walking away from (the
issue).”

And Kilgour, in an interview from his office in Ed
monton, called it
say that Lewis and the rest of the cabinet will. come un
der pressure from their backbenchers

Belsher warned, however, that it is unlikely a
majority of MPs will every vote for the option favored
by rostanti-abortiomtobby groups: Noabortionuniess
the life of the mother is threatened

That policy drew 105 backers in a free vote in the
Commons last July, but like all other options submitted

the understatement of the day’’ to

for debate it failed.to get a majority

Leaders agree
to fight pollution

THE HAGUE (CP)

have signed an agreement calling for tougher internationa}

action to fight atmospheric pollution
Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and the other leaders

said they are concerned mainly with two issues the

destruction of the ozone layer and the greenhouse effect
They issued a communique proposing a new United
Nations agency or stronger existing UN organizations
This “‘new institutional authority" should monitor the

international battle against the destruction of the ozone

layer and the greenhouse effect and should have some un
specified means of enforcing its decisions, they added

“Today, thé very conditions of life on our planet are
threatened by the severe attacks to which the earth's at
mosphere is Subjected," theleaders said irra document they
call The Hague Declaration

Mulroney, in his brief address at the Summit on the
Protection of the Global Atmosphere, added

“The earth's atmosphere is deteriorating. To coun|
the threats posed, we are here to demonstrate a comm
strength of purpose and to seek solutions

The leaders singled out the destruction of the ozone
layer, mainly by chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), and. the
greenhouse effect — the global warming caused mainly by
the increased presence in the atmosphere of carbor
dioxide.

The ozone layer blocks the sun's harmful ultraviolet
rays, which can cause skin cancer and other illnesses. Scien:
tists fear global warming could alternately cause droughts
floods and other ecological disasters

The declaration was issued after a 90-minute meeting

The leaders of 24 countries

in the Dutch city of The Hague. Those attending included
the leaders or personal representatives of countries such as
France, West Germany, Brazil, Kenya, Jordan, India and
New Zealand. The hosts were Holland, Norway and Fran

The meeting was criticized because of the absence of
the United States, the Soviet Union, China and Britain
the world’s biggest powers and some of its major polluters.

U.S. President George Bush called the meeting
premature, and British{Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher
said the countries involved were merely “‘posturing."* She
also rejects the idea of any new internatianal structure

* A background paper said the organizers did not invite
the superpowers ‘tin order to avoid the risk that the great
powers might adopt difference positions on the subject-at
this stage.”

There has been speculation the major powers will
reject any such super-agency as an infringement of their
sovereignty

Mulroney challenged that idea ata news conferenc¢
after the meeting

He said countries always give up a bit of sovereignty to
get good international agreements such as NATO and the
GATT(General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade)

Earlier, the environmental lobby group Friends of the
Earth accused Canadians of hypocrisy. Canada is calling
for further international action now, the group said, even
though the Mulroney government cut spending on the
federal’ environment department and on programs for
renewable energy and energy conservation in its first term

in office

Reagan slams Senate's
rejection of John Tower

PENTICTON, B.C. (CP) — Former U.S.
Ronald Reagan slammed the U.S. Senate's decision not to

endorse John Tower as secretary of defence in a wide-

sident

ranging speech that toiiched on the Soviet Union and free
trada,

Reagan told a private meeting of executives fom the
Jim Pattison Group that Tower was the best man for the
job, a source who attended the dinner told The Canadian
Press.

“1 just never heard anything like that happening and |
think it was the most disgraceful political demagoguery
that has ever been practised,”’ the source quoted Reagan as
saying

Reagan, in his
since leaving the presidency, predicted the Democrat
controlled Senate would quickly approve President George

rst speech outside,the United States

Bush's next choice to avoid turning the nomination into a
political football

Reagan was invited to this Okanagan resort com
munity to address ‘executive employees of Canadian
multimillionaire Jimmy Pattison

He is reported to charge a minimum of $40,000 US per
appearance

Less than 100 people in this city of 25,000 turned out to
greet Reagan. Secret service agents appeared more relaxed
than when Reagan was president and allowed people to

shake his hand and get autographs

TIKE BORK
Reagan told the dinner the rejection of Tower-remix

ded him of his failed attempt to appoint Robert Bork to the
U,S. Supreme Court