Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - April 21, 1978, Winnipeg, Manitoba 4 Winnipeg free press Friday april 21, 1978 thieves climb through roof to steal Rubens painting Florence Italy a thieves climbed Down through a skylight on a rope ladder and stole the Rubens masterpiece the three graces and nine other flemish works from the famed Pitti Palace overnight police said today. Gallery officials estimated the value of the stolen paintings at More than million. It was one of the most sensational of a wave of thefts that have plagued Italy s Public and private Art collections in recent years. But police said it was the first theft Ever at the Pitti. The theft was discovered when custodians opened the gallery today police said. They said the thieves used a staircase to reach the roof from a courtyard and then let themselves Down a rope ladder to get to the gallery. Anti burglar equipment is in the process of being installed in the gallery s Palatine Wing where the theft occurred. But it was not yet in operation a police Man said. A policeman said guards were on duty but they have to look after Many galleries inside he Pitti Palace and the thieves had from two to three hours to act Between one inspection and the they were timely and in the thieves left untouched several priceless works by Raphael and two paintings by Titian on exhibit in nearby Halls. The stolen paintings were All exhibited in the corridor of Delle Colonne. The Pitti Palace in Down town Florence is visited each year by hundreds of thousands of tourists from All Over the world. It and Florence s other major gallery the uffizi House some of the richest Art collections in the world. The Rubens work acquired in 1650 by florentine Cardinal Leo Poldo de Medici was the most valuable among the paintings stolen. Also stolen were four works by Cornell Van pollen Burg two by Paul Bril two by Gaspare Van Vitelli and one by pier Molyn the elder. The three graces was insured for when it was shipped to Antwerp Belgium last year for an exhibition of Rubens works on the Woolli anniversary of his birth. Its value of course is much higher than that said Luciano Berti superintendent of Fine arts in Florence. It was the fourth time this month the european Art world has been hit by calamity. On april 3, a Man slashed Nicolas Poussin s 17th-Century painting adoration of he Golden calf at London s National Gal Lery. Salvatore Borzi a 27-Yeir old italian resident of London was arrested and charged with causing Efi Minal damage to the work. Officials said the painting valued at can be restored. On april 5, a 31-year-old dutchman who said he was try ing to draw attention to the plight of poor artists sliced three Long gashes in a Van Gogh paint ing in Amsterdam s municipal museum. The Man who was not identified was charged with Wil fully damaging the painting la Berceuse and later released from custody. Art experts said there is a 90-per-cent Chance that the work valued Between and can be re paired. On april 11, vandals smeared two paintings at the staedel museum in Frankfurt with a color less paste that caused the Oil to run. Experts Are trying to deter mine whether they can restore the two damaged Art works Joyful company by 17th-Cen Tury dutch master Dirck Hals and a 15th-Century triptych by an unknown Spanish artist. The most sensational previous Art thefts in Italy in the 1970s included two daring raids in Quick succession against the modern Art museum in Milan and the theft of two master pieces by Piero Della Francesca and one by Raphael from the Ducal Palace in Urbino. All the paintings stolen in Milan and Urbino were later recovered by police. The Piero Della Francesca and Raphael works were found in Switzer land. Many of the works of Art stolen in Italy Are believed to be taken abroad. Manfor loses record amount the government owned Manitoba forestry re sources Ltd. At the Pas lost a record million last year but company officials say they expect improve ments this year because of rising prices for pulp and paper products. The company s annual re port tabled in the provincial legislature thursday showed a loss on 1976-77 operations of up from million the year before. The deficit brought the accumulated operating deficit to million. The annual report said the company Aiso known As Manfor earned a profit of on sales of Mil lion but interest and depreciation charges totalling million and various other expenses totalling million produced the year end Defi Cit. In a Forward to the report Lifur Hallgrimson chair Man of the Board of directors attributed the loss to continued weak markets in the pulp and paper Industry. But despite severe disappointment in not reaching a profitable position Hall Grimson said the Board was encouraged that orders were sufficient to maintain Plant operations at full capacity. He said that since the end of the reported fiscal year last september lumber prices have risen sharply and remained High. Paper prices have also risen he said but not quite As much. If the demand for our products continues to in crease we can look Forward to higher prices and a better financial he said. We expect further improvement to take place if the present demand continues As it has for the last three or four Hallgrimson also said the decline in the Canadian Dol Lar s value is producing a favourable Impact because it is generating increased sales from the United states which buys about half of Manfor s lumber products. Moro family v urges Deal with brigades a photo heavyweight boxing champions Eon spines Centre attempts licence. The arresting officer said police seized two Small bags one cover his face this morning after being released on a Bond. Spinks containing a White powder substance and the other possibly 24, was booked by police in St. Louis on suspicion of possessing marijuana. A woman with Spinks at the time was taken into custody controlled substances and falling to produce a valid Driver s for interfering with a policeman and for possible drug violations. Indians at Odds raid tactics sour relations Knowles wife Dies in City Knowles wife of nip House Leader Stanley Knowles died Here thursday following a run thy illness the new democratic party announced today in Ottawa. A private funeral will be held monday in Winnipeg. Knowles and his wife were married nov. 9, 1936. They had two children. Penticton . Up outrage tactics during a raid on an Indian Village in the Queen Char Lotte islands led to the trans Fer of the officer responsible but the incident has soured relations Between indians and police in the Northern British Columbia Community. Ramp superintendent Howard Girlard of the Prince Rupert subdivision con firmed in a Telephone inter View thursday that sgt. Ken Buck left the Masset detach ment april 17, primarily be cause of the raid feb. 17 on five houses in the Haida Community at old Massett . Residents said about 10 officers conducted the raids damaging property and threatening several men with shotguns. This massive show of Force and Lack of Consulta Tion just threw us Back into a bad Rev. John a. Mackenzie an anglican priest at old Massett said in a Telephone interview. What happens now is that any time police have to legitimately pick up a kid it gets blown Way out of proper Mackenzie was one of Sev eral Community leaders who wrote letters calling for the removal of Buck. In a letter to lawyer Carey Linda of the Haida counsel Ling and Legal assistance society Mackenzie said he was called to the scene of one raid just after it had finished then witnessed an other at the Home of a native anglican Deacon. I sat in he wrote in the Early hours in the morning wondering what kind of police state was Hap pening if 10 policemen were required to enter of one of our ministers a House occupied by he and his wife and two juveniles Olio of whom is a server of our Gillard said the police several of them auxiliary constables called out to rein Force the five Man Masset detachment were apparently searching for hand guns believed to be in the Possession of several Juve Niles. However the Only weapon seized was a starter s pistol. It was simply racist the most blatant example of the prevailing racism that police have to Linde said in an interview Here thurs Day. They just went so far Linde said he hesitated to make the incident Public be cause he did t Trust an internal police investigation and first wanted to assemble the information himself. I be made complaints to police before and neither i nor the band Felt they d been dealt with he said. This was such a Gross attack on the integrity of the Community that i had to gut everything Down before an outside investigation came in and people started to Clam Gillard agreed that Buck s action was not the Type of action we would expect in a Community of this old Massett s 600 Resi dents mostly Haida live about five Kilometres from new Masset where the ramp detachment is stationed in a Community of about letter probe sought continued Clark Trudeau can t agree on what to Call a lady my Ottawa up is it offensive to Call a female member of parliament the Honor Able lady instead of the honorable Mem Ber progressive conservative Leader Joe Clark appeared to think so in the com Mons thursday when he corrected prime minister Trudeau who referred to Flora Macdonald pc Kingston and the islands As the honorable lady. The Leader of the opposition corrects me. He says i should say honorable Mem Trudeau said. I often say honorable gentleman. Maybe that s an abuse when we address the other Trudeau added prompting a round of howls and desk thumping applause from lib eral ranks. If we can say honorable gentleman i Don t understand Why we can t say honorable lady without the honorable gentle Man taking health minister Monique begin got the last word in addressing miss Macdonald in reply to a later question As the Honor Able person. Pm election ers in own Riding by Paul Whitelaw staff correspondent any other my seeking re election prime minister Trudeau returned to his Riding thursday night and reminded the voters that the door of his my. Royal constituency office is always open if anyone has a prob then he paused during a ques Tion and answer session that attracted a standing room crowd of about 600, turned to the president of the Riding s Liberal association and asked what s the address it would have been a deadly Faux Pas for any other politician return ing Home from Ottawa. But the crowd laughed of course. Then applauded enthusiastically As they did repeatedly during the 90-Minutc appearance of their my the prime minister. I Don t write a lot of Trudeau noted explaining the memory lapse. But he said he Felt the Riding had been Well served by its my despite constraints on his time. And he added that he had come to express a very great debt of gratitude for the loyalty of my. Royal voters during 10 very difficult years As prime minister. Trudeau to be sure did t have to apologize. He is unbeatable in my. Royal having won the scat by a margin of some votes in 197-1. As one local Liberal quipped to a reporter it would be easier to unseat John Diefenbaker in Prince if the que Salon and answer ses Sion resembled a Bear pit encounter in any. Way it was one where the questioners were tame pandas rather than angry Grizz lies. The locale was the town Hall of my. Royal a wealthy predominantly English speaking Montreal suburb that encompasses about 45 per cent of the voters in Trudeau s Riding. The constituency extends to the West and South to take in parts of Middle class Snowdon District and Cote St. Luc another sub Urb that is largely jewish and questioned about the selection of Claude Ryan As Leader of the que provincial Liberal party tru Deau termed the event great Good news for Vloyce we regret to advise you that in accordance with Section 19 of the civil service acl in is deemed necessary that you be Laid it was unsigned but had the signature Block of acting Deputy minister. Jackson said the reproduction of the Layoff letter was distributed to about civil servants in Winnipeg Portage la Prairie Stein Bach Selkirk and because Jour and in the Interlake area to indicate to civil servants it could happen to it s a Little unfortunate some people who opened it did t read to the the Mega president said. He had received about a dozen Calls from such employees but once they heard the explanation Jackson said they told him they would attend the monday Demon stration which is to protest against the government s attitude toward layoffs and in salary negotiations. If it makes people turn Oul that s he said. Bob Best of the civil ser vice commission said the commission received a Cou ple of dozen Calls from employees distressed by the let Ter until it was explained it was t a real Layoff notice. Price called it cruel and said it took some time to reassure a number of fright ened callers the letter was a hoax. It they the employees association have to resort to a Low tactic like this to draw a crowd monday night i think they re in i rouble. It s incredible an association which claims to be so concerned about its members would do a thing like she said. Mercier said the Law applied equally to every Resi Dent of Manitoba. Rome a Aido Moro s wife and children appealed to the government today to negotiate with his kidnappers but the govern ing Christian democratic parly s chief parliamentary allies urged rejection of his captors demand for release of jailed error Isle. In Exchange for the former pre Mier. Premier Giuzio Andreotti s government which has re fused so far to Deal with the kidnappers from the red brigades made no immedi ate comment on the plea. Meanwhile the Cabinet was meeting to discuss an Ulli Malum received from the kidnappers thursday. The family in a statement appealed to the government to take a realistic attitude and declare availability to ascertain terms for his re lease. It said Moro s wife Elton Ora appealed personally thursday to leaders of the government and the Chris Tian democratic party of which her husband is the Percsi Donl. Mrs. Moro her son and three daughters had been publicly silent since the abduction March 10. But they were reported to have urged the government privately to negotiate Moro s release. The red brigades in a communique thursday said Moro 61, was still alive but would be executed unless the government agreed by 9 . Est saturday to negotiate the release of communist Interior ministry sources said experts determined the authenticity of both the com Munique and a photo Demon Strating that Moro was still alive. It showed him with a copy of a wednesday news paper headlined Moro As ii Popolo the Christian democratic party newspaper said the picture was evidence Moro is alive and there exists no doubt about the authenticity of the message that accompanied it. Christian democratic officials said he party Secre tary general Binigno Xac Cagnini also received an other Letler from Moro thursday night bul they re fused to release ils contents. They said the signature appeared to be genuine. Andreolli and other Lead ers of the government party met until 2 . Discussing the situation but there was no word of any decision. Previously they rejected repealed appeals from Moro to Exchange him for jailed error Isle contending Hal he wus acting under duress. The communists social democrats and republicans three of the six parties Mak ing up andr Cutuli s Parlia Mellary majority called on the government to continue to reject the kidnappers de mands. The stale cannot Compro Mise on principles and Laws on which the National Community and civilized living said a statement from the communists who the Ultra left isl red brigades denounce for co of craving Wilh the Christian democrats. Moro s family some of his friends and some intellectuals and churchmen arc re ported to have urged the government to relent in ils oppo Silion to negotiate with the kidnappers. Some Small political factions to the left of the communists also have asked the government Lone Jolial. Civic revamp plans scrapped by John Sullivan last fall s proposals to revamp Winnipeg s civic Structure were scrapped thursday when City Council s executive policy committee opted for Little More than a status quo blueprint for municipal authority. Ignoring More than three hours of detailed re structuring proposals by critics ranging from mayor Robert Steen to councillor Joe Zuken labor election committee nor policy committee quickly endorsed a draft Organiza Tion Chart with no major departures from present practice. Also shelved were the sweeping alterations to City govern ment advocated by a consultant s report. The study commissioned from the Minneapolis based Arden manage ment resource corp., came under a barrage of criticism from Aii factions on Council when it was released last fall. The new plan drawn up by committee chairman Bob Bockstael Independent citizens election committee tache from proposals by four and hoc committees con firms a Basic political Structure of four standing committees and a Cabinet like policy body set up by Council on an interim basis last november. The new blueprint s main is to relieve an overworked environment committee by handing Over control of health welfare and libraries to Parks and recreation committee which has had Only meagre agendas since it was added As Council s fourth committee last year. Now chaired by coun. Pearl Mcgonigal ice Steven the committee would be re named the recreation and social services committee. The Lone change to the and hoc committee plan came after environment chairman Jim Ernst ice Grant s Mill argued that control Over housing policy and the neigh boyhood improvement program should remain with his com Mittee rather than be transferred to mrs. Mcgonigal s group As Well. Otherwise the new Council and administrative Structure Sticks closely to established policy and last Spring s changes to the City of Winnipeg act which gave civic politicians the right to establish their own standing committee Structure for the first time ;