7, war SS. (manAER OF THE B.C. PRESS COUNCH News MAY 4, 1980 12, 1978-AUG. 27, 1980 PLANT ADVERTISING LV. CAMPSELL — PUBLISHER ALG. 7, 1947-FES. 15, 1973 — Burt Campbell EDITOR — Ron Norman FOREMAN — Peter Harvey OFFICE MANAGER — Lindo Kositsin MANAGER ‘Magow — Cero fT T= aT el vested in ond belongs to Costie News Un; provided. Nowever. that copyright in that part ond that port only of Tepre proots, engravings, ‘etc. provided by the advertiser sholl vemos sn The caboose issue’ There's more to the caboose- less train issue than either the United Transportation Union or the national railways are letting on. The union, which represents caboose crews, would have us believe that its only concern is safety. The union says operating trains without caboose ‘crews is unsafe. It adds that the loss of jobs isn't an issue because any caboose crew bers aff d by the However, there's another side to cabooseless trains that hasn't really been approached yet. The union isn't saying so publicly, but there's no doubt it fears that eliminating the caboose will even- tually mean cutting train crews. How long after cabooses are eliminated will it be before the railways ask the union to.cut back its train crew from three to two? The union fears that the elimination of cabooses will be relocated to the engine. The railways — CN and CP — say it's simply a matter of economics and efficiency. Cabooses are costing the railways $60 million a year, and CN and CP they would be on a more com- petitive footing with American railways if cabooses were eliminated. On that point, the railways have a case. In these difficult economic times, any increase in productivity and cost saving is icial. As well, there is the argument that the $60 million saving could be used to lower rail prices, thus cut- ting costs to ft and ys will argue there isn't any need for three crew members in the engine. And that's why the union fears that the elimination of the caboose is really the thin edge of the wedge. The issue of cabooseless trains goes beyond safety, though safety should be a real concern. After all, the railways really haven't proven that cabooseless trains are safe, despite 700 hours of testing. Those tests were done under ideal d But i ral? “He has entered the new year in bad shape, thus assuring that 1985 can't help but get better. iy. ot Parcaree om © Remember revision program. The stack, built of reinforeed con- exote wes erected lig the Conseil ted Ch Cc Letters to the editor Garbage same as TV Editor, News: Re: A separate charge for garbage pick-up. Since a private company has the contract fop removing the garbage, that company should offer its services at its price to those residents of Castlegar who wish to use that service — the same as cable TV and telephone. BHOPAL DISASTER like Castlegar, Trail and Nelson should be concerned about the ab- normal situation — the situation no one has anticipated. That is the real test of i trains. And until that export costs. In the end, it could boost the economy and save the consumer some money. situation occurs, no one can say whether cabooseless trains are 100 per cent safe or not. . No reason to complain it was probably too much to expect Castlegar teachers to gracefully accept the arbitration board decision on their wage negotiations, but it would have been nice. After all, the board gave the teachers o 2.3 per cent increase over six months — only a marginal difference from the three per cent hike the teachers had wanted. As Compensation Stabilization Commissioner Ed Peck noted, the going rate for private sector set- tlements is 3.82 per cent for a 12- month period, so settlements for a six-month period should be about half that. By those standards, Castlegar teachers came away with a better deal than they might have. Regardiess of the board's decision or Peck’s comments, Castlegar teachers are still very well paid — and that should be the bottom line. Teachers in this district average $36,700 a yeor with two months off during. the summer and time off at Christmas. They are probably at the top end of the wage scale in Castlegar — and perhaps they should be. Teachers work hard and are well trained. But it also means teachers don't have a lot to complain about. Owners of apartments and busines- ses in some cases will find that they must remove the garbage at less cost in this economy. The price of many services and maintenance supplies go up each year, but those costs cannot be passed on. Herman J. Kemperman Castlegar Questions haunt U.S. By JULIET O'NEILL WASHINGTON — The recent dead- ly disaster at an Ameri ed are wondering just how safe they are and whether they could escape if dis- aster d. chemical plant in Bhopal, India, has —- raised fears, anger and ethical ques- tions that are bound to haunt the United States for some time to come. When a poison gas cloud from a Union Carbide Corp. insecticide plant swept across the city, more than 2,000 people died, thousands of others suf- fered injuries and thousands have since fled while the damages and blame are still being assessed. The tragedy has stirred a new examination of the behavior of U.S. multinational corporations in ,poor gountries — in essence whether they treat human beings in an under- privileged foreign land-with the worth and the dignity that people take for granted back home. In Union Carbide's case, the specific issues are whether the safety of the plant in India was as secure as it would or should have been by Ameri- can standards and whether decent Fred - Merriman Time is interesting. The subject for this week springs from the pages of a book entitled, Life and Energy by Isaac Asimov. The book was a Christmas gift from someone who knows that this particular person is ii in many more , than golf. From my limited -_~ t3 XT took a full 90 seconds to calculate an 838-line worksheet report. Believe it or not I counted out the time and was displeased with the speed. I know it was the fault of the program, not the fault of the many electronic messenger blips racing of such scientific milestones as Einstein's Special Theory of Rela- tivity, it appears that time slows relative to our measurement of time as mass accelerates towards the speed of light. Asimov reports that the speed of light is close to 300,000 per second in a vacuum. Remémber, Isaac, we are only poor and ignorant lay people who find much difficulty with understanding the concept that time stands still at that finite and absolute speed. We know that nuclear power was a direct result of that common household equation E=me2. How- ever, we should perhaps thank Einstein for letting us know that time slows relative to one's speed of motion. Fast foot Dick disobeys the speed limit and completes the trip be tween Castlegar and-Nelson in less than 30 minutes. It takes therest of us 45 minutes so we miss the 6 p.m. news. He is the same number of minutes older, but he has seen and done more than the rest of us. Yes, you may question the quality of his lifestyle. Let's go further on this discussion of time: computers make possible a considerable increase in clerical production because calculations are performed at almost the sbove- mentioned speed of light. Yet, I recently waited impatiently as an around the maze to satisfy FCM. However, I was impatient. Still on time, how many cold and shivering pedestrians have cursed the timing on traffic control lights which are set for 30 second intervlls when. even the halt and lame can clear the roadway in 15 seconds. It is particularly testing when the traffic is rare at off-hour periods. The faster we move the more important time becomes. That prac- tical fact seems to contradict dear Albert. Remember, he said it was all relative. Maybe the gain in time achieved from quick results should reward us all with more periods of slow ahead to catch our breath and review the quality of those results. Personally, time does not stand still for me because of my im- patience over 15 seconds here or 90 seconds there. At this moment, seven people are patiently waiting for me to finish this blurb about time so we can head back to Nelson. The newspaper business is completely without merey when it comes to publishing deadlines. Those deadlines are the reality that for many of us time does not stand still. It does not stand still for the simple reason we move too slow. Even slow is still too fast for me. Forgive me Einstein, because I think that the quickest speed is no speed at all. We go nowhere, because we are already there. will be pi to the victims, their families and the com- munity. It has evoked a realization that there is a chance something that horrible could happen in the United States. Suddenly, the thousands of people living in U.S. chemical-producing fac- tory towns across the United States It has given impetus to efforts that already were under way in some U.S. centres to pass laws requiring chemical companies to at least say what it is they are producing so that, in the event of a now-imaginable disaster, firefight- ersand will know they rushed into the scene because they would stand to make a wad of money should the American courts agree to hear the cases in the United ate Indian paupers sign papers prom- ising large percentages of the potential will what they should do. Perhaps above all, the disaster raises of whether has added grave insult to injury. Cc calamity, regardless of what or who is to blame for what happetied in the final anilysig. Already, there is evidence that they may not be the case in the end. No aspect of the situation from thousands of kilometres away is more grisly than the images and descriptions of the dead victims, the gasping sur- vivors and the ferrified ones jammed into overflowing buses to get away. But just as grim in its own way has been the hustle and bustle of some American lawyers hoping to get a piece of the gruesome action. The ines- capable image created by such lawyers rushing to India to sign up claimants for suits against Union Carbide was One of vultures circling a carcass. There has been a generally negative attitude toward these lawyers, led by criticism from their peers, on grounds the greedy aura is an observation by many lawyers that the American If the U.S. courts reject the suits, compensation will have to be sought through the Indian court system which charges high fees that most of the claimants do not have and would provide far lower awards because the standard of living there is destitute by U.S. standards. Either way, the case could be tied up for years. Nearly lost in the shuffle of laywers and critics has been a point of view, expert Robert Stein, that the courts might not even be necessary and should only be used as a last resort ina situation where humaneness should and might prevail if it is given a chance. (Canadian Press) Thatcher hates losing By PAUL KORING LONDON — The Iron Lady is proud of her nickname. Prime Minister Mar- garet Thatcher hates to lose and doesn't win gracefully. But the same @etermination — critics call it inflexibility — on which she has built a political career and international reputation price. Thatcher lost much since she was the twiee-unsuccessful Tory can- didate Margaret Hilda Roberts in 1960 and 1961. She reached the pinnacle of British polities by being a firm friend and fear- some foe and the same traits have characterized her five-plus years as prime minister. Her unswerving adherence to prin- of her She demanded what she believed was Britain's due in budget rebates from the European Economic Commun- ity and, after bringing it to the brink of graceless manner in victory. Playing aces with little regard the consequences suffered by the high-stakes losers when they face their own publics has won Thatcher admir- ation but little affection. Similarly, she caused Irish Prime Minister Garret FitzGerald consider- able embarrassment by easily ticking off as impossible all the options he proposed for finding solutions to the of Ireland. ciple and forceful cabinet has shunted aside all but her success — emulating her idol Winston Churehill. Argentine generals clearly underestimated the resoluteness with which she was willing to risk all to recover the Falkland Islands. In the process, she also d her Still, foreign leaders have to expect to hold their own. But Thatcher has adopted the same I-win, you-lose, tactics in Britain's bitter and dangerously divisive coal- Her supporters argue that her un- to own sagging popularity and went on to paste the opposition Labor party with its worst defeat since the Second World War. Doggedly refusing to give an inch was worked for Thatcher. To this day she flatly dismisses any talk of cutting a deal with Argentina around the world will not survive the test of time. Thatcher has adopted the same do-it-my-way-or-else tactics with equal domestic dividends in her dealings with allies. an end to the strike by giving thé Se! Chicago, Work began on Sept. 20 and the last concrete was poured on Nov. 19. ._ 8 «6 Eighty years young, William Gopp took his traditional Christmas Day dip Oaths of office and allegiance to . The Village of Kinnaird has staked ite claim for the official ceremonies surrounding the opening of the new Kinnaird-Christina Lake highway. Village chairman Carl Loeblich has written Highways Minister Gaglardi requesting that the ceremonies mar- king “this great milestone of progress in our provincial network of highways” be held in Kinnaird. Mr. Loeblich said he feels the village has a “just claim” to the ceremonies since the eastern terminus of the new highway lies within: Kinnaird’s boun- daries. . *_ * «6 . The first baby born in the Castlegar “Robert Christopher pe gs 3 oa He is the only son of Mr. and Mrs. William Jmaiff of Brilliant. A busy weekend is in sight for the castlegar Cubs basketball team. Tomorrow night they meet Notre Dame in the SHSS gym and Saturday night they meet Fairchild Air Force Base in the same place. Sunday they meet the airmen in the Cominco gym in Tribute to retiring Ald. Lorne Zinio was paid by Mayor Murray Little at Castlegar’s council meeting Monday night. * 6 « The Castlegar Rotary Club has turned over $900 to the senior-citizen's home Rota Villa, as the proceeds from 's sale of Ch the trees. . . itration board has awarded iner ‘ed striking miners a dignified way out of what is becoming an intolerable position. trict No. 9 (Castlegar) y and secondary teachers wage boosts averaging eight per cent, The award will cost the district an account the very real problems of dignity faced by more than 120,000 miners who have been on strike for almost nine months. To agree to precisely the same wording as the supervisors got without striking makes the miners and their leaders look immensely foolish, es- pecially given the hardship many of their families have been forced to endure. But it is not Thateher’s style to worry about the politics and the prob- lems of losing. However, the longer the miners hold out — even in the face of what is be- coming an obvious eventual defeat — the deeper the bitter divisions in pit communities and between strikers and~ police will become. Thateher may relish winning on $86,180 or 25 mills for its teacher payroll, aside from principals and administrators. * «6 « The Pee Wee Rep hockey club continues to hold first place as it trounced the SuperValu team 62 recently on Dec. 15. Mayor Murray Little will represent a Couneil voted to appoint Little at ite first meeting of the year with new Ald. Andy Shutek as the mayor’s alternate: 5 YEARS AGO From the Jan. 2, 1980 A third-ballot third- decision by Kootenay West New Democrats hy Wage cuts defended VANCOUVER (CP) — The union official who negotiated a new construction deal which includes wage rates 30 per cent below prevailing union standards in British Columbia has defended the contract. Rolly Gordon, business manager for Local 602 of the Laborer’s International Union, said the special agreement with Construction Labor A $1 MILLION WORTH Expo imports U.S. tall trees operations for the fair, began months ago to make his for the “Once you start ag and dividing the trades there's no end to that and there's no end to how the non-union employers will lower their rates to compete,” said Zander. Gordon said only the master agreement must be ratified by the full council and he maintains there is precedent for residential construction is an attempt to “steal our people back” from the non-union sector. “Ninety-nine and 9-10ths of the residential construction work is non-union,” said Gordon. “We've got 4,000 construction guys in this local (of 6,000) and 2,000 of them are unemployed. And the guy who's at the top of the call list hasn't worked since November of 1982." ~ The contratt, reached last month but only made public this week, has been bitterly attacked by representatives of the B.C. and Yukon Building Trades Council who say Gordon went behind their backs to reach the Gordon, whose membership likely will begin voting on the deal next week, said he believes support will run about 70 per cent. In addition to lower wages, the agreement increases the work week to 40 hours from 37%, eliminates four paid holidays and costly travel time and reduces overtime to time and a half from double time. “What we've done is eliminate a lot of the feather- bedding,” said Chuck igh, p of the emp! f group. “Thé carpenters are just crying over spilled milk. We d for six months with the building trades and The 17-union building trades council has been unsuccessful in trying to reach agreement with the employers’ group on a separate residential agreement outside the current master contract signed in August. Under that contract the average laborer's rate is $17.26 an hour. DEAL CHALLENGED Carpenters’ Union president Bill Zander said the deal yiolates the council's constitution requiring all construction The coins onective wil moot nit lie « The 's exécutive will meet néxt week to consider a legal challenge to Labor Relatiéns ‘Board. ~ VILL LLL LLL LLL LAL FIRST OF THE YEAR VTL THE KLOTHES KLOSET & J.J.'S FASHION VALUE EVENT .. . Our Best Sale of the Year! they'd only go to 90 per cent of the journeyman’s rate and very little in the way of benefit concessions. MeVeigh, who estimated that the non-union sector now controls about 96 per cent of the residential construction in B.C. — everything from single-family dwellings to condominiums and three-story walkups — said the new ag will enable to re-enter the housing field. ,.... “The thing is we can't afford to be dinosaurs any longer. Thousands of our are starving and we have to go out here and fight for them,” said Gordon. Yy / YY of Expo. One of his top priorities was to buy trees and shrubs that can be used at B.C. Plage when the fair is over. This retycling of trees ~~ what Gardner calls the “legacy” factor — will tesult in substantial cost sa for the fair and B.C. Place, which will develop the site when Expo is over. RECYCLE PLANTS “We have a unique op- portunity at Expo because so much of what is left on the site after the fair can be reused in various ways later on,” Gardner said. When the fair horticult- uralist began his big tree bunt he looked first in British Columbia and received a great deal of help from the B.C. Nursery Trades As- sociation to which he belongs. ‘Gardtier said the prite of @ treetepresents only # half or third’ of the full price of MM HOMEGOODS = =_— FURNITUR WAREHOUSE Tues. - Sat., 9:30 - 5:30 China Creek “Drive a Little to Save a Lot” Princess taken to hospital LONDON (REUTER) — 54-year- Princess ‘gar old sister of Queen was admitted Saturday to a London hospital specializing No clue was given about the seriousness of her con- dition. “I'can tell you absolutely nothing except that she has been taken into hospital,” the Royal Family's physician, Dr. John Batten. Coming Yi ff 1/1/1111 FROM THE KLOTHES KLOSET Dress Shirts Men's Sport Shirts Men's Dress Pants Men's Sweaters Buy one Article and Get the Second One of Equal or Lesser Value Free! Additional Savings on Suits, Sport Jackets and Outerwear. Shop Early for Best Selections! Many more Unadvertised Specials on Both Floors. FROM J.J.'S 5-50>:- Men's & Ladies Jeans seietes s1yie: — Blouses — Sweaters — Dress Pants —Skirts $24.88 zz the TK0othes CKloset and 3.3.’s AT THESE PRICES — ALTERATIONS EXTRA 359 Columbia Ave., Castlegar Phone 365-7589