222 . Saturday, February 22, 1992 Clean air contest underway “How can we keep our air fit to breathe?” That’s the question that the B.C. Lung Association wants Grade 11 and 12 students to answer in a province-wide es- say contest called Writing on Air. = “Good, clean air is vital for health, and we want to en- courage young people to take part in informed public dis- cussion about the environ- mental and health issues sur- rounding air quality,” said BCLA President Dr. B.E. Riedel. Entries must be received by noon on April 15, 1992, and winners will be announced June 1st —-the first day of Clean Air Month. Each entry must be no longer than 500 words, type- written, double-spaced and include the student’s name, age, address, telephone num- ber, school and class. For more information, con- tact the British Columbia Lung Association at 906 West Broadway, Vancouver, B.C., V5Z 1K7. Outside the lower mainland, call toll-free, 1-800- 665-LUNG. Bigusivess CASTLEGAR NFO CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 365-6313 >gar V1N 487 ta ENTRE BUY or SELL b AUCTION jos » Estates + Consign sainight = * ingl Ree ee whe 399-4793 Brian L. Brown. CERTIFIED GENERAL ACCOUNTANT 270. Columbia Avenue Castlegar - 365-2151 EQUIPMENT * LAND DEVELOPING * SUBDIVISION SERVICING Hourly Rates & Contract Prices Available! FREE Estimates! R.R. 1, Site 31, Comp. 4 Castlegar, B.C. V1N 3H7 Telephone: (604) 365-2398 Cellular: (604) 492-1662 CON. RENOVATIONS Pre- eingineered Steel Buildings * COMMERCIAL - INDUSTRIAL - AGRICULTURAL For more information, call your Authorized Garco Builder Midwest Construction Services Ltd. 365-8410 Box 1633, Creston, B.C. ziMhyvae E ) airy MASONRY DESIGN & INSTALLATIONS e Fireplaces e Patios e Walls, etc. “Use Real Stone - It Will Last Forever" FREE ESTIMATES Phone 365-7051 ——_. a a NH 399-4769 FAX 399-4760 -Custom Windows & Doors ac Cc: + Quality Materials & Workmanship «= Complete line of Skylights & Vinyl! Windows Eliminate the Watch for our sign 5 middleman—Buy Miles east of Direct and SAVE $$$ Castlegar on Hwy. 3A SCHARF CARPENTRY A> + CONTRACTING + FINISH CARPENTRY + FRAMING + CABINETS + CLOSET ORGANIZERS + DECKS "FREE ESTIMATES" Phone Chris at 365-7718 Morrison Painting & Insulation ¢ Blown Insulation ¢ Batts & Poly DUNCAN MORRISON 650-Sth Avenue 365-5255 CASTLEGAR FUNERAL CHAPEL Dedicated to kindl) thought service. COMPLETE FUNER L SERVICE Cremation, Traditional Burial and Pre-Arrangement Plan Available Granite, Bronze Memorials, Cremation Urns and Plaques PHONE 365-3222 money Rin FOOT CARE CLEAN-SCENE CARPET CLEANERS « Most Advanced System Gets more deep down soil than any other cleaning method - Upholstery Cleaning Too - SATISFACTION GUARANTEED — Why Not Call Us Today! FREE ESTIMATES PH. 365-6969 ARROW LAKES AIR CONDITIONING & MECHANICAL SYSTEMS ¢ Plumbing ¢ Air Conditioning ¢ Refrigeration ¢ Furnace Service & Installation © Controls 24-HOUR EMERGENCY SERVICE 365-2485 PLUMBING HEATING DOCTOR * GAS CONTRACTING + REPAIRS & RENOVATIONS + COMMERCIAL, RESIDENTIAL PLUMBING 24 Hour Emergency Service Ph. 399-4762 ¢ Guaranteed Work « Fair Prices ¢ 40 Years in Business + Free Estimates JAMES SWANSON ‘AND SONS Ph. 367-7680 SERVICE & REPAIR HERCULES HEATING & PLUMBING 365-4948 CASTLEGAR STORAGE CENTER MINI-WAREHOUSE UNITS * YOU STORE + YOU LOCK + YOU KEEP THE KEY! PHONE: 365-6734 815 Hwy. 22 Castlegar (Next to Ernie’sTowing) CASTLEGAR PLUMBING & HEATING For all your plumbing needs and supplies + FIXTURES + PARTS + SERVICE ‘CALL 365-3388 TRAIL CUSTOMERS ONLY CALL 364-0343 Classified Ad in Be FTLEDAR ITEMS INTO CASH wWWILLIA Moving & Storage ltd. 18 Branches in B.C., Alberta & Sask. 2337-6th Avenue, * Castlegar Invite you to call them for a free moving estimate. Let our representative tell you about the many services which have made Williams the most respected name in the moving business. Ph. 365-3328 Collect SEPTIC SERVICE COLEMAN COUNTRY BOY SERVICE Sump & Septic Tank Pumping Phone 365-5013 3400-4th Avenue Castlegar WP SHOE STORES - | Sore feet? Foot problems? We'll help you solve them at LYON'S SHOE STORE 553 Baker Street, Nelson 352-3034 TRAIL STAGES "Charter for groups Anytime, Anywhere!" 1355 Bay Ave., Trail 368-5555 OR CALL TOLL FREE 1-800-332-0282 Planning a Wedding We Sell Distinctive . . . Invitations, Napkins etc. 2 Ge ‘mane rs 197 Columbia Ave. @ Saturday, February 22, 1992 Nine toOFTVE BLACK GOLD Oil Prices rallied Wednesday, partly recovering from a plunge a day earlier. Light sweet crude oil for delivery in March settled at $18.41 US per barrel, up 29 cents, at the New York Mercantile Exchange. Oil prices had fallen $1.30 per barrel Tuesday, the biggest one-day drop since the Gulf. War. LET’S MAKE A DEAL Ten sawmills in northern B.C. have agreed to new contracts with IWA Canada. The deal, which has to be voted on by union members, calls for no increases in wages during the first two years and an 85-cent- per-hour hour raise during the final year. CAPITAL CONTRACT B.C.’s Westech Information Systems Inc. has won a $6.2 million US contract to develop.a new financial management system for the Sacramento Municipal Utility District. The two- year contract will use the Westech Business Management System asa model to develop a customized system that will manage all the financial information for the district. -WorkPLACE Action at the Auctio John Russell is one fast talker Jonathan Green NEWS REPORTER Though the chance to see Canada from coast to coast might interest a lot of people, John Russell isn’t one of them. “I wasn’t completely satisfied going from one end of the country to the other working on construction,” he said. “This was a move to get away from construction.” “You have to portray yourself as someone who is capable of doing the sale’ — John Russell Russell is the man behind Russell Auction Service in Tarrys, something he has done since October of 1983. The family moved into the West Kootenay in 1975 and, shortly after, Russell called it quits in the construction business. Pursuing a dream, he followed it a year later to the Western College of Auctioneering in Billings, Mont., and returned to Tarrys a certified auctioneer. “I always had a feel for this type of business,” he said. After graduation, Russell said the auctioneers who make it in the business have to be dedicated. “Of the people who have graduated from the school, less than three per cent make it in the auction business,” he said. “You really have to want it.” Russell began his auctioneering career in 1976, working auctions around the region. Seven years later, he opened up his own auction house — though some people might Turning his back_on the construction business, John Russell headed to Montana and returned a certified auctioneer. For the last 16 years he has been conducting auctions in the Kootenays. | News photo by Jonathan Green question why he chose a country location. Russell said that several factors — like lower taxes — influenced his set-up in Tarrys, though one stood out above all others. “Most auction houses are rural anyway,” he said. Through numerous movies and television shows, the auctioneer has been portrayed as the bad. guy by selling what remains of the family farm. But Russell says the auction business is nothing like that. ~ “It’s created a service to try and get market value for whatever is being sold,” he said. When the word auction is mentioned, the thought of a man with a _ microphone speaking a mile a minute comes to mind. Russell acknowledges this, but says there is a lot more to auction sales than just a fast- talking auctioneer. “The bid-caller is only five per cent of the business,” he said, adding that how the item is displayed and presented is what sells it. “It doesn’t matter how fancy a bid-caller you are, (if you ignore presentation) you’re not going to sell what you’ve laid out.” But when what’s laid out has made the bidding fast and furious, Russell says that’s when the auctioneer~does his share. : “You have to portray yourself as someone who is capable of doing the sale,” he said. Selling everything from used cars to sleeping bags, Russell said the auction attracts both - the auction lover and the specific bidder. “There are people who love going to auction sales,” he said, “but with an equipment sale, you’re not going to get someone who goes to antique sales.” Although a lot of what is sold through auction is used, Russell says businesses — like furniture dealers — will put new merchandise that isn’t selling through auction. “The advantage to an auction is you move a large amount of stuff in a short period of time,” he said. In a profession that has been around for as long as there has been stuff to sell, Russell said that today’s auctions are pretty similar to ones years ago. “The profession has changed in that today’s auctioneer should be easy to understand,” he said, “but the purpose of it and the way it’s set up hasn’t really changed.” With auctions being held an average of every two weeks, and with some running in excess of five hours, Russell says the job isn’t an easy one. “It’s been a lot of work,” he ‘said, adding that he’s happy with the results. ‘I’m quite satisfied with what we've accomplished.”