Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - March 15, 1978, Winnipeg, Manitoba Winnipeg free press wednesday March israeli troops continued the israeli command did not say How Many of its soldiers crossed the Northern Border but radio Israel said it was the biggest operation Ever mounted against the guerrillas. Yasser Arafat s Palestine libera Tion organization said israeli troops were involved. Israeli tanks and armoured units swept across the entire length of the Frontier after the air Force bombed and strafed guerrilla positions and the Navy blockaded Lebanon s Southern Mediterranean coast an israeli military spokesman said. A guerrilla spokesman in Beirut said columns of israeli tanks armoured cars and personnel carriers punched through fronts extending from the coast to the Akoub Region in the Southeast and fanned out along the Border behind a Hind screen of bombing and strafing jets. The palestinians said israeli planes blasted at least six guerrilla held towns and that a three pronged tank assault was under Way in southernmost Lebanon and the a Koub once the chief base far guerrilla at tacks on Israel. A palestinian communique said israeli gunboats blockaded a 50-Kilometre strip of the lebanese coast and landed a Marine Force South of the biblical port City of Tyre 20 Kilometres from the israeli Frontier. Our forces confronted enemy marines in Savage hand to hand combat to prevent them from establishing a beachhead near the communique said. The enemy is suffer ing heavy casualties in the running Beach Tyre 80 Kilometres South of Beirut is the main arms Supply port for the Palestin ians. A guerrilla spokesman said artillery Bat teries in Israel were firing the Rasha Adiyeh palestinian refugee Camp outside Tyre but most of the Camp s Resi dents had fled anticipating the attack. There was no sign that syrian troops who make up the bulk of the peacekeeping Force in Lebanon since the civil War ended 16 months ago had joined the fighting and there was speculation the lebanese christians secretly welcomed the israeli assault. The invasion began one Day after begin vowed to Cut off the of evil responsible for the palestinian attack on two israeli buses on the Haifa Tel Aviv Highway Satur Day in which 33 israelis and nine terrorists were killed. The israeli command initially denied it was in retaliation for the terrorist attack. Instead it said it was a mopping up opera Tion to Root out the terrorist bases near the Border and to strike at their special bases from which terrorists set out on missions deep inside israeli the Cross Border operation came on the same Day As a condemnation of the terrorist raid by president Anwar Sadat of Egypt whose Panann talks with a israelis have been opposed by the Plo. He called on factions in the Middle East to break the vicious Circle of action and reaction because it will Lead to saudi Arabia said tuesday it condemns terrorism in All its forces. Those who have committed it on innocent people inevitably draw counter terrorism on other innocent sources in Washington said that the . Government had Learned earlier of big troop movements weapons movements toward the Frontier. It sounds like much More than a Small one High level source said. In new York the Plo permanent in observer Zehdin Turzi said the israeli incur Sion might escalate into a full scale Polo an Orange conn., policeman s patrol car is gobbled up by a gaping was standing beside the car reporting on flooding in the area when pothole after a water main burst tuesday. Officer Robert Stankye the microphone was yanked from his hand and the car disappeared. 9-cent milk Rise sought pcs appear to face storm Clouds in session Leblanc orders Moss inquiry i j milk control Board approval. Gordon Mackenzie control Board Secretary said tuesday a Public hearing on the proposed fluid milk in creases is set for april at 10 . In the City Centre hotel Cariton Street and Ellice Avenue. The Board called the hearing after Dis cussing the Price increases requested by milk producers processors and the retailers he said. Increases requested for each quart the Manitoba milk producers marketing Board wants cunts in Southern Manitoba and 6.5 cents in the North. W. Storslee a because Jour processor wants a fives throughout the province. Manitoba Dairy and poultry co operative Ltd., Silver Woods dairies Ltd. And the people s co operative Ltd. Want 2.8 cents 3. Cents and 2.8 cents respectively. 9 modern dairies wants 4.5 cents in the South and continued which took effect june 1, 1977, amounted to about four cents a quart in Southern Manitoba and about six a cols in the North. Mackenzie said tuesday eight cents in the North. Lakeland dairies Ltd. And Canada Safeway Ltd. Did t request increases last year under the latest Price Struc and Aren t asking far higher lure homogenized milk in prices this year. Southern Manitoba costs 5s tuesday was the deadline cents two per cent costs 59 to request milk Price in and skim milk costs 49 cents creases. The last increase a quart. Opposition wants voice in Economy continued in january. The seasonally adjusted jobless rate remained at 8.3 per cent. Job less in the 15-25 age group was 15.5 per cent for men 13.8 per cent for women. Chretien who has branded opposition critics As gloom and doom or upheld said the Marchand denies receiving donation Ottawa up senator Jean Marchand said tues Day press reports coming out of the dredging trial now being heard by the Ontario supreme court Are unfairly damaging his reputation. In a Senate statement he asked fellow senators for a Chance to Clear his name and made three Points he never intervened or exercised any pressure in the signing of the dredging contract for Cap a la Roche que. He never received the Cheque which prose cution witness Horace Rindress former president of j. P. Porter co. Told the court he paid into Marchand s 1972 re election Campaign. Marchand said the same denial applied to ills re election committee and Riding association. Contrary to press reports from the trial he was not even minister of transport at the Lime of the dredging scandal. He said Rindress had been Well advised to make his charges in court where he knew he was protected. The executive testified under provisions of the can Ada evidence act. Figures showed More jobs were created last year the Best Western Industrial country performance. Chretien said the commit tee would Only produce false expectations. Once labor Force growth stabilized unemployment would decline. Industry minister Jack Burner Drew Boos from his former conservative col leagues when he accused them of scuttling a plan he said would have helped alleviate unemployment in on Tario s Industrial heartland. Homer said the conserva Tives refused to co operate in granting the Export development corp. Permission to increase its lending ceiling. One of the firm s main functions is to lend Money to foreign buyers to buy Cana Dian manufactured goods. Conservative finance critic Sinclair Stevens said later in an interview that Horner never indicated How much borrowing capacity the Edc needed had not said when it was to reach its ceiling and did not explain Why it needed More Money. Stevens indicated his party would consider the proposal if it were properly presented. Vise the former nip govern ment s family Law legislation and Case restrictions on ownership of Manitoba farm land by foreigners and non farming canadians. But the government s spending estimates and later its 1978-79 budget arc also certain to Lead to a full scale verbal Bailie As inc opposition has promised in will shred apart the re so rain conscious administration s slashing of expenditures Anil jobs at the expense of needed programs. The final report of the government s task Force on Economy and organization headed by minister without portfolio Sidney Spivak is also certain to spark heated exchanges Between govern in e n i and o p p o s i i i o n benches. Also expected to be on the legislative menu Are Amend meals to the rent slab Iliza Tion act clean environment acl cily of Winnipeg act Highway traffic act farm lands Protection act Pri vate investigations and Security guards act civil ser vice act and land acquisition act. New tanks could Cost extra Ottawa up the new Leopard tanks the govern ment is buying from West Germany May Cost an extra million because of the falling Canadian Dollar l. G. Crutchlow a top de Fence department official said tuesday. Crutchlow an assistant Deputy mini ser Lold the commons defence Commil Lee the Depar Lenl will nol ask Parlia Mcnol for the extra Money until it has spent the funds already Sel aside for the new tanks. Continued some government sources have also indicated the go Vern Mienl May seek legis Lalive approval of Amend ments to the retail store Holiday closing act elections act agricultural Rcd in corporation act mining royally and tax acl inc Crown lands acl and the corporation capital tax acl. Also expected to be pro posed is an omnibus Bill that will Amend numerous acts to make them conform Willi the province s switch to the Melric system this Spring. So far the Only private member s Bill rumoured for the session is one from a tory Bac Bencher to raise the province s Legal drinking age from 18 to 19. When Las arrive for the session thursday they will be met by demonstrating members of the Manitoba labor federation protesting a variety of conservative policies. There will also be a demonstration by opponents of changes to the family Law legislation. The newly formed parents committee of inc Manitoba child care association also plans to demonstrate to pro test rumoured cutbacks in Day care spending but it is Sel for . When most Las will be partying at the Centennial concert Hall. The opposition gets its first Chance to quiz the govern men during Friday s ques lion period and nip spokes Man say they will need every second of the 40 minutes Al Lowed. Laler Friday Warren Olcen and Lloyd Hyde Tage la Prairie will move and second the throne speech. Nip Leader de Schreyer leads off replies to speech monday. While Schreyer still serves As Opp Silion Leader some party sources say his performance will probably be As Low key As it was during the Brief session last fall one month after his defeat As Premier. The Rumor gained credibility this week when it was revealed that former nip finance minister Saul Cher Nick one of inc opposition s most of Mcclive critics had been moved from his Wackrow seat to one beside Schreyer on inc front Bench. Schreyer who has been heard from rarely since last fall angrily denied the Rumor in a rare interview granted to a reporter this week. Meanwhile the legislative clerk s office announced Fri Day that four students have been chosen to serve As pages for the session. They Are Gerry Ferguson and and Marc bosc of Winnipeg Kelly Shaun Sutherland of Selkirk and John Jones of Steinbach. Continued made Public by Manitoba progressive conservative member of parliament Dean while Way. The Selkirk my delivered the affidavits to Leblanc s office March 1 and renewed Calls in the House of commons for a full scale investigation into like operations of the Federal Crown Agency. Moss was not available for comment tuesday but denied earlier this month that he had Ever expended any Money beyond what pertains to corporation Moss said that any travel arrangements or expenses originally paid by the corporation for personal business trips for him or his family would have been charged to his own account eventually. He said any inference that the corporation was not reimbursed for personal business trips Are completely untrue and contain no Moss also said at the time that inc auditor general had examined All the corporation s expense accounts and found no one employee said in the affidavit that she did not know whether the corporation was Ever reimbursed. In the Telegram to Mac master Leblanc said he will attempt to arrange a meeting with provincial govern ment representatives and the commissioner of the Northwest territories to discuss the Femc. He said the meeting probably will not be held until the auditor general has completed his report and the corporation s management had Analysed a consultant s report prepared for Macmaster critical of the Femc s marketing policies. The Federal minister said he doubted whether Ihn meeting could to held until Early next month. Thompson protests effects of provincial layoffs on City Thompson Man. Staff Thompson City Council has sent a Telegram to the provincial government expressing deep con Cern about the Adverse effects civil service cutbacks will have on the cily. In last week s layoffs 43 civil servants in Thompson were affected. The Council was concerned As Well Aboul additional Slaff reductions which government spokesmen have said Are pending. Some aldermen wanted to request further information regarding future cutbacks. Alderman Bob Mayer angrily rejected such a proposal saying in was Lime the Council slopped Pussy footing we got hit really hard by the he said and the Premier has no qualms Aboul saying there la be More to a request for further information he said would mean the Council would he Given facts already printed in the newspapers. He noted Hal he Council has appoint cd a steering committee to try to do something positive to counteract he effects of earlier cutbacks by Inco lid. We were making some Progress and Hen Wilhour warning 43 More jobs go Down the lube Wilh More to come. Al least we should let the citizens know we re prepared to stand and Council also passed resolutions endorsing Job creation proposals which will be presented to Premier Sterling Lyon and Mem Bers of the Cabinet next monday in Winnipeg. These resolutions include a Parks and recreation program a five year upgrading of Highway 391, and a Community improvement project offer made to hostage takers St. Jerome que. Up negotiations continued tuesday with three prisoners holding six prison employees hostage amid unconfirmed reports thai the government has made an offer. News of the offer came from Gilles Pepel news director for Montreal radio station Ckel who received the information from his reporter Claude Poirier who has been a mediator since the incident began last wednesday in this City of Pepel said Poirier had told him that he and lawyer Robert la Haye the other mediator met officials of the Quebec Justice depart ment and the Federal external affairs department. The meeting at the external affairs department s Montreal office began monday evening and ended at 4 . Tuesday Pepel said. An offer was formulated for the Pepel said in a Telephone interview. Although he said he did t know what the offer was a published report tuesday said Quebec government officials were considering allowing the prisoners Safe passage to a Middle East country in Exchange for releasing the hostages. The report said authorities were considering Lebanon and Algeria. A Quebec Justice department spokesman would neither confirm nor deny the reports saying thai he did not want to endanger the be provincial police spokesman Ronald Brunei said he could not confirm any offer. Anne Leahy an external affairs department press officer said in a Telephone interview from Ottawa she had heard about the reports that the mediators had met depart ment officials but could not com ment on them. An official in external affairs minister Don Jamieson s office said the department is involved in the sense that if passports Are needed we will Issue but the official who wanted to be Anonymous said the solicitor general s office is coordinating Federal involvement. Our prob Lem is the delicacy of the Nego the official said. Mediators Poirier and Lahaye returned to St. Jerome by Heli copter tuesday morning at 8 . Food prices boost inflation continued ment s consumer Price Index which is the most widely used indicator of inflation came a Day after statistics Canada reported thai unemployment had reached More than one million. Increases in prices for fresh fruit pork fresh milk Butler bread Soine fresh Vcela Bles and soft drinks were the chief con Ribu tors to the higher food costs. These were partially offset by lower prices for some beef cuts and Chicken. Higher shelter charges for both owned and rented accommodation and for automobiles contributed heavily to the consumer Price Rise. Other factors were higher vehicle registration fees in three provinces and increased prices for Many clothing items. The food and housing rises accounted for 30 per cent each of february s increase while transportation costs added another 20 per cent. The consumer Price Index blood at 168.9 compared with 167.8 in january and 155.4 in february 1977. Thai Means goods and ser vices purchased for last month would have Cost in january and Only a year earlier. The 12-month increase in prices was the lowest since last september when it was 8.4 per cent. In january inc 12-month rate had been nine per a Cal Down from a Peak in Decem Ber of 9.5 per cent. Finance minister Jean Chretien says he Hopes the 12-month rate will fall to six per cent by the end of 1978 ;