Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - October 11, 1978, Winnipeg, Manitoba Winnipeg free press october 11, 1976 m f r 1 postmaster Gilles Lamontagne left and letter carriers Union president Robert Mcgarry Seal a pact thursday. Cabinet to Ponder cup action Ottawa up the Federal Cabinet will decide thursday How to handle the militant Canadian Union of postal workers which has threatened to strike monday if no Progress is made toward settling their contract dispute with the Post office. Postmaster general Gilles la Montagne indicated in the commons tuesday the government will legis late a settlement if agreement can not be negotiated. We Wili do everything we can to get a negotiated settlement if not this government will take its Lamontagne signed a contract with leaders of the letter carriers Union of Canada tuesday and said at a news conference he Hopes for similar Success with the inside workers. But he added the sides Are far apart on Many issues. Leaders of the in Side workers Union have asked the Cabinet to appoint a new Media Tor in a bid to resume negotiations and Avert a National strike. Opposition members in the commons pressed tuesday for immediate government action. Lamontagne said the Cabinet will consider its options thursday and then will Contact the Union. The postmaster general said he thought the report by Louis Courte tranche chairman of a three Mem Ber conciliation Board could be used As a base for renewed negotiations with the inside workers Union which has been without a contract for More than 14 months. Cup leaders already have rejected tilt.1 Courtemanche report is the basis for settlement. The Union Lias asked for the right to negotiate in Advance All proposed technological changes to eliminate Adverse effects on members and wants an end to the use of casual non Union labor in the Post office. Robert Mcgarry president of the letter carriers Union said his members voted 7fi per cent in favor of a Compromise settlement reached after almost 000 letter carriers participated in rotating strikes. Because of the employer s Refus Al to meet and negotiate he forced of our members to withdraw la Muir services when in fact he could have accepted the Union s invitation to return to the table on aug. 21 and quite conceivably arrived at a Settle ment without strike Mcgarry said thu government might make Progress in ils dispute with inside workers if it meets their request for resumption of Negi Tia tons under a new mediator. The government had been consid ering Back to work legislation in Hie letter carriers dispute but put that aside after the letter carriers asked fur another round of contract talks. I he inside workers Union will he in a Legal strike position thursday but some members at Belleville ont., jumped the gun and left their posts monday night. Mcgarry said the letter carriers won a 7.3-per-cent wage increase in the first year of an 18-month con tract that was ratified by its Mem Bers up from the government s original offer of a 6.5-per-cent in crease in the first year. The contract gives carriers wage increases of 43 cents an hour in the first year and an additional 27 cents an hour in the remaining six months of the 18-month contract. Under the old agreement a car Rier with two years experience earned i hour plus n Cost of living allowance of cents. The Union lost its Battle to have that allowance increased to i5 cents. The government says the Maxi mum it can offer to inside workers is the six per Ceni increase in total compensation allowed under anti inflation guides. Hourly paid staff declines at Inco by Bob Lowery Thompson number of hourly paid workers employed at the Inco metals company s operations Here has shrunk to Between and a drop of about 700 in the last year. Aid. Bob Mayer of Thompson said tuesday the figures were based on the number of workers paying dues to local 6166 of the United steel work ers of America. These figures were later confirmed by a company spokesman. When the cutback was announced just More than one year ago the local s membership was about the reduction by attrition was to reach by mid june. The Union membership at one time was about the figures were Given in response to a request by the Thompson Cham Ber of Commerce that a joint steering committee of Council Inco steel workers and chamber representatives be reconstituted to Deal with the City s worsening economic situation. Don Cameron a chamber spokes Man and steering committee Mem Ber said earlier this year the com Mittee had achieved some improvements to roads tourist facilities and other local projects. The improvements might have happened anyway but at least we demonstrated that we believe in our City and Are prepared to do everything we can to help he said. The Council decided to give Hie committee the Green Light to i Unnue ils mandate of counteracting the effects of the Inco and provincial government layoffs on the social and eco nomic life of Thompson. Mayer said the committee s prob Lem was that it could t influence Inco s and the provincial govern ment s decisions. He added thru he heard a Rumor Inco was planning a sizable cutback in production in the next your. If that s True the businessmen should be told about it so they can close up shop now instead of waiting for another 18 Cameron said. He noted a will esl Abii shed Auto and garage Dealership had just gone out of business. The owner is Honor ing All his financial commitments but Beirut a an hour Long shootout Between syrian troops and Christian militiamen plus outbreaks of sniper fire tuesday failed to undermine the ceasefire in Eastern Beirut. Machine guns and rocket propelled grenades blazed away at the main crossroad Between the moslem and Christian sectors of the lebanese capital in the worst violation of the truce since it went into effect Satur Day. But there were no apparent casualties and there was no Gen eral breakdown in the truce. Witnesses said other crossing Points Between the two sections of the City came under heavy sniper fire. All roads connecting East and West Beirut were closed temporarily As bullets whizzed in All directions and vehicles and pedestrians fled in panic. The Christian radio station voice of Lebanon said snipers also fired in the Northeast Side of the City in the area of the Qara tinn Bridge. The Bridge is on the main Supply route from the Christian port of Jounier 20 pm North of Beirut. The Bridge was closed to traffic and the radio said the syrians were main Taining a tight food blockade on Christian East Beirut. The radio said All major Relief and Supply convoys including red Cross vehicles were being turned Hack by the syrians and Only cars containing limited amounts of food were being allowed through. The ceasefire worked out in Damascus by president Elias Sarkis and syrian president Hafez Assad took effect after 10 Days of Savage fighting that lebanese police said left dead and wounded. The toll dues not include syrians who have not reported casualties. Israeli gunboats opened up on palestinian guerrilla Camps tuesday in Southern Lebanon the Christian radio said and the guerrillas re turned fire. 11 gave no other details. The israeli military command in Tel Aviv refused to confirm or deny the report. Israeli gunboats shelled Palestin Ian Camps in West Beirut last thurs Day to warn the syrians against pushing their fight against the christians who have forged an Alliance with Israel. The syrians who intervened in the lebanese civil War years ago on the Side of the christians against an Alliance of leftist moslem and pales Tinian guerrillas have been trying to disarm the Christian militiamen. But the christians refused when the syr ians who make up the largest part of the Arab league peacekeeping Force did not disarm the moslem and palestinians. The latest series of confrontations Between christians and syrians who also Are angered by the Christian Alliance with in february. Sparkis is on a Lour of Arab capitals to discuss the lebanese situation. He is believed to be seeking an Extension of the peacekeeping Force s mandate which expires oct. 28. Lebanese moslem both conserva Tive and leftist fear that any withdrawal of syrian troops from Beirut will leave a peacekeeping vacuum. The christians want the syrians to leave Lebanon but the moslem want them to remain believing Only the syrians can prevent a rekindling of the civil War that wracked the country in 1975-76. Observers believe Syria is unlikely to accept a reduced role in Lebanon because it sees the israeli backed christians As a threat to its own Security. Liquor strike talks awaiting move by Macc by Ritchie Gage despite optimistic comments tues Day from both sides the strike by Manitoba liquor control commission employees continued wednesday. Louis Veillet chairman of the Manitoba liquor control commission said tuesday the commission is look ing for an Angle to reopen negotiations. We d like to get right Back but Well have to see. I expect some informal talks to come first but i have no plans right he said. The strike started tuesday after the provinces 390 liquor commission workers voted in favor of strike action to Back up contract demands concerning wages. Bill Jackson president of the Mani Toba government employees association Mega said he is awaiting a Call. I Haven t received a communication to Start Jackson said tuesday. Veillet said most of the commis Sion s time is being spent on arranging service for the Public. The commission opened two stores at noon tuesday after the strike was called. Meanwhile Manitoba attorney general Gerry Mercier was tight lipped about the strike tuesday night. No was Mercier s reply when called. Veillet said that the commission will spend wednesday assessing How the 40-Odd management personnel Are handling the work to be done. Only two of the provinces 40 stores there Are in the Winnipeg area Are open. One is a self serve at Grant Park Plaza on Grant Avenue and the second at main Street and Mani Toba Avenue. Liquor permits for private celebrations such As socials part of Manitoba s weekend entertainment scene Are being dealt with by the commis Sion s supervisory staff. We fill the occasional permits at head office alright and i know that Beer is being dispensed at Veillet said. Jackson said that the government might want to get Back to the bar gaining table when they consider the million a month its losing in Revenue from liquor sales. The workers feel their wages have been unjustly suppressed for the past five years by government restraint policies. They have been without a new contract for the past ten months. They want an 18-month contract with a six per cent raise retroactive for this year and an 11.3 per cent raise for the first six months of 1979. This has been rejected by the government As precedent setting. Mer Cier has said the raise works out to More than 24 per cent. Decontrol automatic for dwellings continued decided to close the business while he was still Able to make his payments. The owner said he could t have Hung on until 1981 when he expects the world Nickel Market to revive. Aid. Alan Richardson no s Mill superintendent said he knew the company s production plans for the coming year and they were similar to this year. One chamber representative Esti mated that the City s population has dropped to Between and from about Aid. Adrien de Groat said More people would leave town if they did t have to take such a beating when they tried to sell their houses. School enrolment in mid septem Ber was As compared to last september. These will be investigated they said. Under the decontrol program All units located outside of the cities of Winnipeg and Brandon estimated to number Are automatically freed from controls. In the two cities landlords of units eligible for decontrol must apply to the rent review Agency for release from controls. Eligible units in the to cities Are those for which occupancy permits were first issued on or after oct. 1, 1973, those where the rent is Al Lowed to reach a month or More and units voluntarily vacated by the tenant after sept. 30 of this year. So far the Agency has received 200 applications for decontrol of units in the two cities. It is estimated that approximately units including outside Winnipeg and Bra Don Are eligible for decontrol. For the estimated units remaining under control allowable rent increase for the fourth phase of rent controls beginning oct. 1 is six per cent where the landlord pays for both heating and Domestic Power per cent where the tenant pays for either heating or Power but not both and five per cent where the tenant pays for both. The province s rent control pro Gram went into effect july 1, 1975, after the province agreed to participate in the Federal anti inflation pro Gram. 300 st. Boniface citizens lose vote to Uman error9 bullets Fly in Beirut but truce still holds by Ritchie Gage at least 300 voters and perhaps More were missed by enumerators in st. Boniface and can t vote in the Federal by election oct. 16. This was confirmed tuesday by John m. Denise the returning officer for the Federal constituency of st. Boniface. He blamed the mistake on human All the residents of Enfield cres cent were missed he said. He said voters who were missed can t vote in the oct. 16 election because they weren t enumerated by the oct. 6 voter list revision dead line. The Issue came to Light tuesday when a voter found she was t on the voters list and called the returning officer s Headquarters. Denise said tuesday he investigated the complaint from Annette to land of Enfield Crescent that she was t on the voters list. We could t find the Street on the list. They won t be Able to vote be cause the revising of the list was finalized on Denise said. Mrs. Boland said she called the chief returning officer in Ottawa and was told she would not be Able to vote. She said people on the Street probably just assumed that the Street was going to be i Haven t spoken to anyone she said. Denise was upset at mrs. Boland s concern. She s been bugging everyone All Day Long that said Denise. There were reports that two blocks on Beliveau Street were also missed. Denise said there were Over 600 polls and voters in the constituency. Denise said that voters have a certain responsibility when they know that there s an election in Progress. Dollar sags on Market Montreal up Canada s troubled Dollar sagged More than a Quarter of a cent against its Ameri can counterpart on International Money markets tuesday stalling an upward trend that began a week ago. The Dollar closed at 84.61 cents . On Toronto s inter Bank wholesale Market where Banks Trade Curren cies in huge amounts. It closed Fri Day at 84.89 cents. Foreign Exchange dealers de scribed trading As uneventful As major corporations which had bought heavily into the currency last week assumed a reserved posture tues Day. Sleep still harbouring mysteries for Medicine Al cd syndrome. These Are grossly obese people who Are always lived As tin messenger boy delivering a letter to the famous fictional club who fell asleep leaning against the door Frame while waiting for a reply. Up until recently it was believed that Pickwick an syndrome was the result of a Lack of blood oxygen due to inefficient breathing in the obese. Now scientists have determined that this is not so. Mislead what happens is that those who Are grossly obese have such trouble breathing during sleep that their carotid bodies warn the brain Between 300 and 500 times a night that respiratory failure is threatened. The patient actually wakes up recovers his breathing then nods off again. In the morning he is extremely lived feels As if he has not slept at All and spends the entire Day in urgent need of a Nap. Continued the remedy in those cases could be a Krachen slump which is an incision in the Windpipe with a plastic Airway inserted enabling the patient to sleep normally. Kryger a native Montrim Lor who came to Winnipeg from the University of Colorado in Denver a year ago says he for the Job Here because this medical school has the Best department of res virology in Canada and one of the Best on this continent and i wanted to work with the people Here whose work i had admired for so Many his work so far has been supported by from Ottawa s medical research Council the Richardson foundation the Sellers foundation and the Canadian lung association As Well As by the Gen eral Hospital research foundation which gave the instrument reads blood oxygen via a Light beam shone through the patient s earlobe during sleep and eliminates the need for nurses or technicians to take blood at inter using syringes and waking the patient. Researchers concerned with sleep related respiratory disorders in Chil As the res virologist at Toronto s Hospital for sick children and a group in Denver believe that sudden infant death syndrome crib which has bedevilled medi Cine for decades May Well be due to abnormal breathing during sleep. Near miss situations in the syn drome Honvo occasionally been caught by mothers who checked their babies seconds after they had stopped breathing and could thus prevent potential tragedy. L ;