Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - December 9, 1975, Winnipeg, Manitoba Give to the Christmas cheer fund Winnipeg free press final edition 83 no. 62 15 cents tuesday december 9, 1975 Sunrise . Sunset 4i27 . Moonrise . Moonset . Sunny Ioc and -4c i. J business rules disregarded report Ottawa up top air Canada management was not dishonest but the publicly owned airline acted with Valier disregard of the Ordi nary rules of business in some controversial financial dealings says the Estey re port. The 312-Page report tabled in the commons monday is critical of several top executives in the airline but trans port minister Otto Lang said he will not move to fire any one As a result of the inquiry findings. The report was prepared by port submitted to Hie Cabinet my Jack Murta Bis my Elmer Mackay Central chief Justice Willard Esley of by or. Justice Estey was not parly s transport said Nova and newspaper reports about a payment to the supreme court of on Tario. Or. Lang also told report ers at a news conference that top officials Are not being barred from consideration for former air Canada chairman Yves Pratte s Job because of a wrist slapping in the report. The minister reiterated he Hopes to announce soon or. Pratte s replacement and changes in the organizational Structure of the airline. A separate confidential re released by or. Lang. The separate report deals with some airline financial matters which were consid ered behind closed doors at further report on Page 45 the air Canada inquiry he said. This report contained nothing of major Public in progressive conservative in a statement that the Estey report indicates the govern ment itself must accept responsibility i or a number of major problems facing the the conservative party now awaits the government s response to the weaknesses in the airline outlined in the re port he said. T h e Estey inquiry was prompted by questions in the commons by conservative Montreal travel agent r. Y. Mcgregor and air Canada involvement in a Villa develop ment in Barbados. Or. Justice Estey says or. Mcgregor did nothing wrong and has been hit hard by publicity All apparently undeserved and without re Yves Menard who was see air Page 4 no sensible explanation found for payout moslem gunman carrying a Small child to safety runs for cover tuesday As heavy fighting erupted in Beirut. A police spokesman said More than 50 people were killed and hundreds More injured during the night in fighting Between Christian and moslem gunmen. Ottawa up Why did air Canada put into a valueless travel Agency in late 1974? Many explanations for this transaction says or. Justice Willard Estey of Ontario. None can be accepted As the Otey report tabled in the commons monday says the payment to Robert Mcgregor president of Mcgregor travel services Ltd., Montreal leaves Many questions the Estey inquiry was or dered by former transport minister Jean Marchand april 22 after Elmer Mackay conservative member for the Nova Scotia Riding of Central Nova asked about the payment. Or. Justice Estey specifically criticizes several air Canada executives involved in the transaction. He says the Industry report would t have Dweller upon the transaction if it had merely been a investment or Estey questions unanswered an Inopportune entry into the retail travel Agency Field. But u there was evidence e o r Strong that a Deal was entered upon for illegal. Consider the commission had to comment. We Urc greatly Altur Jcu by the manner in which the Mcgregor affair was handled both before and alter the the report says. Cer Tain elements of the evidence which give Rise to doubts about the credibility of cer Tain witnesses and therefore the real motives of some of the actors should be subject to it says there is no evidence that any Mcgregor funds were routed to any air Caus. A employee. And it says or. Mcgregor did t deserve the bad publicity. However or. Justice Estey see Page christians hold off moslem after Beirut s cruellest night Beirut a Christian gunmen with their backs to tie Mediterranean held out today against a fierce enforces in the downtown hotel and commercial District of this lebanese capital. A police spokesman said circling assault by moslem More than 50 persons were sky West alternate suggested Lang by Iain Hunter staff correspondent Ottawa transport minister Otto Lang acknowledged monday that he suggested to the Manitoba government that it consider a simpler alternative to the publicly owned sky West proposal. But he denied thai the Ca Nadian transport commis Sion hearings into the sky West application were adjourned a week ago because of his preference for a Pri Vale earner Over a Public Carrier. The decision by the Etc s air transport committee was made on the basis that there was a real Lack of information on the part of the apply the minister said in the commons. Lang also denied in the House that trans air made any direct representations to him or his department about the sky West application but Sec sky West Page 4 killed and hundreds were during the night. The government radio said it was the worst and cruellest night of fighting or the civil War that began eight months ago. Police said at least 125 per sons have been killed in the latest round of fighting. It began saturday night after a massacre by both sides in which police said 128 persons were murdered. The heaviest fighting was in the Seaside area that in eludes the major tourist hotels the main commercial District and the banking District once the financial heart of the Middle East. An estimated 700 moslem pushed ahead in a pincer movement that almost sur rounded the christians Cut Ting them off from the Ashra Fieh their stronghold inside the City. Half a dozen big fires see 50 Page 4 jobless rate climbs Macdonald offers an 18-month Deal searchlights., White tape London siege a Static drama by David Macdonald free press correspondent London Rush hour buses crammed with workers inched their Way Down traffic choked Maryi Ebone Street last night faces pressed to windows to catch a glimpse of the Static drama of the siege of bal Combe Street. From behind White tapes Home bound commuters stared Down streets leading to the three Storey apart ment Block in which Irish gunmen held a Man and wife hostage. All that could be seen was the Glare of police searchlights on the building front its Plain modern de sign standing out among the late georgian Row houses that Are on either Side. The commuters commented on the almost unnatural Calm of the policemen at the tape barriers. They could not see the police marksmen crouched on roofs on basement stairs and behind vehicles. People who live in houses close to the siege site had to run in a crouched position into their Homes. But for. 29 tenants of the besieged building a Public housing project owned by Westminster City Council Home had become the nearby Metropole hotel at a nightly Cost to the Council of television teams clustered round massive tracks out of which endless cables snaked As portable Genera tors roared to give the cameras their electricity. The Street itself is trim and undistinguished. It is a few minutes walk from Madame Tussaud. During the War american christened it Bun Kup Avenue in Honor of its usefulness As a cheap lodging area a Short cab ride from the West end. See busloads Page 4 Liberal party set to woo j disgruntled pcs Huband by Alice Krueger free press legislative reporter Manitoba liberals plan to hold a special meeting in january in an attempt to woo disgruntled progressive conservatives and others into their fold. The party is prepared to accommodate outsiders even to the Point of making a Dis Tinct break with the Federal Liberal party. Manitoba lib eral Leader Charles Huband announced tuesday. There has been a massive upheaval in the political situation in he said at a conference. He said what occurred at the conservative convention is unprecedented. A Leader has been rejected because he was too progressive and too moderate for the majority of delegates to the leadership Conven he said of Sidney spi Vak s defeat and the election of Sterling Lyon As the new Leader of the Manitoba progressive conservative parly. This has Cut adrift thou Sands of people who other Wise might have supported the conservative or. Huband said this presents a unique opportune to for his party which should now experience a resurgence in Manitoba. Time and place of the Jan uary meeting has t been decided. The Liberal Leader said outsiders will be invited to attend without prior commit ment and with no expectation that they will make a future commitment unless they like what they Sec and hear. Or Huband said he was t think there is wide spread dissatisfaction among Manitoba liberals with the see liberals Page 4 Ottawa up National unemployment was up one tenth of one per cent to 7.3 per cent in november As it Rose in. Four provinces including Ontario and Quebec Sta t i s t i c s Canada reported today. In Ontario six per cent of the labor Force was unemployed up from 5.8 per cent in october and the Quebec rate was up one tenth of one percentage Point to 9.2 per cent. The sharpest Rise was in new Brunswick where the rate Rose nine tenths of one percentage Point to 13.5 per cent. The Saskatchewan rate was four per cent up from 3.5 per cent in october. The rate declined in five provinces with the sharpest fall in Newfoundland where it dropped percentage Points to 18.1 per cent. Newfoundland continued to have the highest rate in the country. Alberta continued to have the lowest jobless rate at 2.9 per cent of its labor Force Down from 3.4 per cent in october. The British Columbia rate was 8.? per cent Down from 8.6 per cent. Manitoba was 3.7 per cent Down from four per cent and the Nova Scotia rate declined one tenth of one percentage Point to 8.4 per cent. Country wide unemployment among men dropped to five per cent from 4.8 per cent while the rate for women Rose to 4.5 per cent from 4.2 per cent. Ottawa up faced with reluctance by provinces to commit themselves to the full length of the Federal anti inflation program finance minister Donald Macdonald said monday that Ottawa is prepared to accept provincial participation for an 18-month term. Replying to conservative Leader Robert Stanfield in the commons or. Mac Donald said he would prefer that the provinces sign up for the full 3v4-Ycar length of the program. But a Shorter commitment was better than none at All. The provinces would be Able to Sigin formal agree ments to have the Federal wage guides apply to Provin Cial Public servants for the Shorter As 18 months with the expectation that their participation would be reviewed and extended at the end of that time he said. All provinces have expressed support for the pro but have withheld for Mal agreement until they see the regulations which will set out details of the program. One Ira gunman s escape speculated London a police laying siege to an apartment where a gang of Irish Republican army Ira gunmen arc holed up said Early today that one of the men they several provinces include thought they had trapped might have escaped before of Sce Macdonald Page 4 Pepin announces Price Rise tip of f Ottawa Jean Luc Pepin chairman of the anti inflation Board monday announced plans to selectively Monitor Price increases put Forward by about 200 of the country s leading companies. Speaking on the Csc to program newsmagazine or. Pepin said details of the pro Gram will be released in a few Days. The Board is expected to introduce a program which will looking for a fur coat this want and under clothing 570 full length Muskrat coat new condition size 14-16. Phone 25a-4228. Is among the hundreds of bargains in today s Classi fied Section. No matter what you need shop and save in free press want ads. Require these 200 companies to inform the Board in and Vance of any Price increases. How Long the Board will re quire Advance notice from the firms has rot Chen decided a source said. The effect of the program would be to give the Board Advance knowledge of any proposed Price increases and a head Start on assessing the possible Impact of the Price hikes. The anti inflation Board Al ready has been in touch with these select companies which produce vital commodities and received substantial corporate financial data from All of them a Board spokesman said. He indicated the Board still was formulating policy on the new monitoring program and that Many of the details still were to be. Worked out. The Board also is Monitor see Pepin Page 4 filers sealed the building off. Cmdr. Ernest Bond Deputy assistant commissioner of Scotland Yard said there May be Only three Ira men in the Small apartment and not four As thought at first. Police sources said the missing Man might be Bri Tain s most wanted criminal Michael Wilson. He is wanted for the murder last month of Ross Mcwhirter. Co author of the guinness Book of re cords who had offered a re Ward for the conviction of terrorist bombers. Dogs sharpshooters and truckloads of electronic de vices were used by police in their waiting game with the gunmen who Are holding a married couple hostage in the barricaded apartment. Commuters hurrying t o their homeward bound trains at Marylebone station Mon Day saw the rare sight of English policemen with drawn guns aimed at a second floor window in a floodlit London Square. The intruders rejected a Scotland Yard offer to Send up soup to the cramped living room As a sign of Good Faith in negotiating the re lease of the wife 53-year-old Sheila Matthews. Garbage privileges to be retained by the Canadian press police Are giving their usual gift to motorists across Canada this Christmas a sobering array of advertise m e n i s displays and spot Cne rfcs for drinking Driver the Check Point test riven to Motorist at any time of the Day or night is Farricy Larry popular with police be cause of the effect in my think effective we re hop How that most people twice about driving after said an ramp spokesman in Nova Scotia. S ave acne m the Lasi few years in Mosi say police v e y e cd by the Canadian press. Wey. Like tit Whir s that s because of he 5000 work a o som e Force s report that they Are making no special plans for Christmas apart from increasing manpower and keeping a sharper watch for i ringing Drivers. However police or Goveri to Erit departments in other areas Are running extensive advertising campaigns o n Safe driving. In Saskatchewan the of Ralph the and Hsrry Reavy Rand. The Coit. Are portrayed billboards and advertise ments on buses. Yon can lose More than your Driver s licence is a slogan in Nova Scotia and in Alberta the festive season theme is can you afford to Bloj refer ring to breathalyzer tests. Canadian driving habits May be changing under the Campaign. Constables at checkpoint s Lii Columbia have no that More women Are driving after their escorts have been drinking. In Nova Scotia an ramp spokesman said people often leave their vehicles overnight in tavern parking lots. Tie spokesman said there were six per cent fewer Fata lilies in the province during the first nine months of 1975 compared with figures for the same period last year. However the number of accidents increased seven per police in St. John s. A Ltd. S ;