Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - November 21, 1978, Winnipeg, Manitoba 4 Winnipeg free press tuesday november 21, 1978 first class mail to Cost 17 cents continued this agreement serves to recognize formally the need for special postal rates for publishers and other culturally related categories of mail and permits us to coordinate postal rate policies with the government s Over All cultural objectives opposition spokesmen including Clark David Macdonald Mont and t. C. Douglas Nanaimo cow Chan the islands expressed concern that the state Secretary could pick and choose which periodicals to give a postage break to in effect making a value judgment on the contents of the periodical. Lamontagne said it is necessary to raise postal rates to put the Post office on a More business like basis As it Heads toward becoming a Crown corporation next year. He said users must take More of the Cost of the Post office from the taxpayers As a whole and he said Canadian postal rates still will be lowest in the Western world. Other rates greeting cards will increase to 15 cents from 12 cents third class Quantity mail to nine cents from 7.5 cents. Rates for mail to the United states generally will be the same As in Canada. Basic rate to other countries will increase to 35 cents from 30 cents for an ounce. The minister said the increases Are expected to generate about million in additional Revenue. He said the increases Are Neces sary to Deal with increased wage and transportation costs. Because we must provide Basic Universal mail service to All canadians there will be some element of government funding needed for postal operations. Nevertheless postal users should Bear their fair share of costs. A postal rate in crease shifts part of the Cost of the Burden from the shoulders of the general taxpayer directly to those who use our he said rapidly rising costs Are outstripping revenues in the Post office. At the same time the volume of mail being handled was not increasing As rapidly As in the past. Dinsdale said rate increases Are becoming an annual Post office ritual. He said something More fundamental is required if canadians Are to get the Quality of postal service they deserve. The fact that the Post office was about to become a Crown corporation would not solve its labor and other difficulties. He said highly sophisticated machinery in the giant postal facility in Toronto is not working pro Perly and As a result the Post office is renting space from Canadian arsenals Ltd. To hand handle Par cel Post. The postmaster general in his announcement was giving a new philosophy. The postal code said that the Post office must provide a Standard of service required by canadians without the need of a subsidy. The last time the Post office had a profit was in 1970. Between 1971 and now the deficit had grown to More than million from million. Greater Winnipeg Gas seeks another increase continued states another rate increase. Pre Vious rate increases in the last year Are a result of increased costs of Gas from the pipeline and higher property tax assessments which Are unrelated to the company s rate of return he said. The utilities Board granted greater Winnipeg Gas an 8.3 per cent hike last March and an additional average monthly in crease in september. The aver age annual Gas Bill for the company s customers has risen to this year while next year s Bill will top for the first time the utilities Board will consider allowing the Gas company to argue for an increase in return on investment based on projected expenses. In the past the company was restricted to arguing for increased rates on the basis of historical precedents and previous revenues Sutherland said. This will allow the Gas company to compensate itself for expected Union contract expenses and projected increases in the Cost of pipeline shipping and other services he said. The Gas company s last increase in its rate of return was granted in june 1977, when the utilities Board set a level of 10.29 per cent. Sutherland said company officials were still in the process of preparing their submission to the utilities Board and he could t predict How High an increase would be requested. Any person or organization wish ing to make a presentation regard ing the rate application should con tact Board solicitor William c. Gardner says the utilities Board. Increase expected in Oil prices following Ottawa Alberta talks continued last week to Garner support from the other provinces for its proposal to cancel the next Price increase. General reaction from the prov inces is that a Deal is a Deal and Ottawa should let the increase go ahead. The Price decision now will be negotiated Between the Federal and Alberta governments in talks expected to resume in Early Decem Ber. A Central Issue in those discus Sions will be what value to place on the beleaguered Canadian Dollar when comparing prices Here and in the United states. The Price agreement Between the two governments says an increase can be cancelled if it raises the Domestic Price above that of the United slates. Supreme court gets wives rights Issue Ottawa up the supreme court of Canada will make a third attempt next year to decide the property rights of wives who Are divorced or separated from their Hus bands. As the Law now stands a divorced wife can claim As much As half a share of the property acquired in her husband s name during their marriage. The Law is base upon a recent supreme court of Canada decision in the Appeal of Helen rat Well. It ruled in a five to four split that she was entitled to a half share of acres of farm property in Tomp Kins sask. Guyanese army Hunts for survivors of suicide continued a photo the vat of the bodies cyanide. Death sits on a sidewalk at the people s Temple monday with of followers around. The vat contained Kool Aid mixed with Rhodes said the the suicide was ordered after the killers returned to Jonestown with word that some of Ryan s party had escaped to report what happened and what they had found in the settlement. The survivor said the settlers had been rehearsing suicide for months so that they could kill themselves if their Way of life was seriously threatened. Rhodes gave this account of what happened Jones called the members of the Colony to the Assembly Hall by loud speaker telling them the time has come for us to meet in another the people filled the Hall which had no Side Walls and spilled out into the Yard around it. Armed guards were stationed around the crowd. The settlement doctor Lawrence Schacht 30, of Houston tex., and two nurses brought in a Large stainless steel vat which they filled with the poisoned Kool Aid. They began la doing it out spooning it or squirting it into the Mouths of babies and filling paper cups which the adults brought up one woman who walked was shouted Down by other members of the cult. She drank her dose. After the people drank they went into convulsions. Their eyes rolled up. They had difficulty breathing and they died after about five minutes. Rhodes said he escaped when the doctor requested a Stethoscope and he volunteered to get it. Instead of returning he said he hid in the Woods and did not see the end of the ceremony or the death of Jones. The body of the -16-year-old cult Leader was found on the stage of the meeting Hall near the chair from which he preached. He was wearing Black pants and a sport shirt and there was a Bullet wound in his head. The Hall was packed with undies. And More were piled up outside. Charles Krause of the Washington Post who visited the Camp As the representative of the foreign reported from the air it literally looked like a garbage dump where some body dumped a lot of rag Krause said the bodies apparently were lying where they fell and had not been touched. He said Many were holding one another. Krause also reported in Cash and a Safe containing at least 800 passports and items of jewelry were found in the settlement. There were unconfirmed reports of in Gold and a Large Carton filled with social Security cheques. The guyanese police said they arrested two of the survivors who came out of the Jungle but no charges were filed against them immediately. Presumably the police believed they were involved in the killing of Ryan and his companions. Jones s doctor or. Carlton Goodlet of san Francisco said the cult Leader was seriously ill and had promised him he would enter a Hospital in Guyana after Ryan s visit to the settlement. Or. Goodlet who said he saw Jones last in August refused to discuss his symptoms and said he had not made a diagnosis. But Donald freed a California writer who visited Jones town in August said Jones told him he was terminally ill possibly with cancer. Freed said the Jonestown settlers were living with a siege mentality because of alleged attempts to de stroy their Colony. The mass suicide was t any sur said Samantha Tucker an oklahoman whose 86-year-old Mother went to Jonestown several years ago. I know they were supposed to if anything Ever happened to him take 11 of 16 seats pcs win majority in Yukon election Whitehorse up tin progressive conservatives elected 11 members to the in seat legislative Assembly in monday s territorial election giving the party a majority in the first Yukon election fought on party lines. Conservative Leader Hilda wat son however lost in her own Riding to Liberal Alice Mcguire one of the first two native indians to be elected in the territory. Is. Mcguire received 188 votes in the Kluane Riding to beat mrs. Watson by 38. With the number of seats increased to 16 from 12, the liberals won in seats and the new democratic party won one. Two independents were elected. Nip Leader Fred Berger was also Defeated finishing second in Klon Dike Riding which surrounds the historic Gold Rush town of Dawson City. Berger polled 130 votes 22 less than conservative Winner Meg Mccall. The other native Indian elected to the previously All White Assem Bly was conservative Grafton noot i who out polled his Liberal open nent 59-29, in the Riding of old Crow. Non Atli was the Only native Indian candidate with conservative party affiliation. Party Leader Iain Mackay was the other victorious Liberal win Ning in the Riding of Whitehorse Riverdale South. He polled 420 votes to 354 for conservative Maggie Heath. Mrs. Watson said her loss marred what was a fantastic night for Cele bration in the she said she might resign As Leader adding that she would not run in a by election in order to Lead the party from inside the Assembly. The conservative caucus will meet soon she said to choose an interim in House Leader. Erik Nielson the Yukon my whom mrs. Watson Defeated by two votes in the party leadership race in septem Ber said he would t discount the possibility of running again for the leadership. Observers attributed much of the conservatives Success to the pow Erful electoral machinery engineered by Nielson who has represented the territory federally for 21 years. Mrs. Watson who has taken a hard line against native land claims attributed her loss to an Indian reaction in Kluane. Conservative Don Taylor former speaker in the Assembly won re election in Watson Lake. The Yukon and neighbouring North West territories Are governed by Ottawa appointed commissioners and executive committees working in conjunction with the elected councils. Each committee is Akin to a Provin Cial Cabinet setting policies and directions for government depart ments. The conservatives now can select the four executive commit tet members. The conservatives will not have a free hand in deciding Yukon affairs. The commissioner remains the head of the government and has the Power through the Northern affairs minister in Ottawa to veto legislation. Light Snow fell in some areas of the territory populated by Only persons. About 80 per cent of the eligible voters cast ballots. Some voters were permitted to Mark More than one ballot due to a proxy system extended to ail Yukon voters. The system was approved because of the distances Many people would have to travel to the polls. Mountie ready to shoot Archer investigation of a stolen vehicle at the Motel in which Archer and his wife were staying testimony has revealed. Harrison also testified Herbert a Cher absolved Dorothy Archer from any part of the incident and that any gun he had Given her was unloaded. With the courtroom in a hush Harrison continued to quote from notes in his took that he said he had written up after driving Archer to Brandon. Harrison testified he then went to the truck but he did t have a key so he jumped into the Cruiser car. She followed. He heard shots and her scream she got into the car. I noticed she was bleeding. She said drive and i drove As hard As i could to a farm House. Then i took David Penny to look for medical help. We finally arrived at Oak Lake. Continued the doctor said she would have to go to the Hospital. 1 told them i would get killed if i left so he asked me to stay. He did t want to see me killed. I tried to be a Tough Guy with them hostages but they got to me first. They were such Nice peo ple Harrison also told the jury a Cher said that the doctor had a heart attack and that was Why Archer re leased him before the other hos tages. It was the first time since the trial began that evidence concerning a Cher s Side of the Story was heard. The testimony caught almost everyone by Surprise because it was extracted through Cross examination by defence counsel rather than direct t x lamination by Crown counsel. Near the end of the Day Ildon Malette 37, testified that he a j mar ried the woman who now Cal de her self Dorothy Archer on May i 1965 and that As far As he knew they were still married. Malette said he last saw his wife the co accused six years ago in a Belleville ont. Court where he appeared charged with non support. He said he and Dorothy Malette a Cher had two daughters Judy Lillian 13, and Laura Ann 12. Both girls live with him in Newcastle ont., he said. Under Cross examination by both defence counsel Malette said that if is had been divorced by mrs. A Cher he did t know about it. The trial continues before or. Justice John Hunt of the Manitoba court of Queens Bench. Most Calls false removal of fire alarm boxes urged incidence area which coincides approximately with the inner City said de Burgener the department s re search and development officer. Locations for additional phone Booths would be a political ques Coulter said. All fire boxes currently in opera Tion Are located in the inner City area and in St. Boniface. Anyone can report a fire by Public Telephone without a Coin by dealing 911. Statistics indicate the track record of fire alarm boxes in recent years has not been Good. The fire department receives about alarms every year and about of them Are from alarm boxes. Nearly 97 per cent of those from alarm boxes prove to be false alarms and Only .5 per cent of the Box alarms turn out to be potentially Burgener said. Continued Only about 10 per cent of Telephone alarms Are false he said. All serious fires reported by fire Box Calls were followed up by Tele phone Calls within two minutes Bur Gener added. In limes of stress individuals Don t use the Box he said. If it is really serious there is a tendency to use the Coulter said. People prefer to speak to peo Burgener said the Cost of replacing the boxes with Telephone Booths would be about but within three years he said an increase in the use of Telephone Booths for Ordi nary Calls would pick up and the Cost to the City would drop. Fire boxes Cost annually to maintain Burgener said. In other canadians recently Calgary where All fire alarm boxes will be removed by the end of the year the boxes have not been replaced by another communication source. Using telephones in place of the alarms will provide at least an equal service for emergency callers Coulter and Burgener said. Winnipeg got its first fire alarm boxes on March 23, 1882, when 24 were placed in the downtown area. In 1910, 211 alarms were added and Over the years the boxes have been upgraded and added to As Neces sary. If it is decided to replace the fire alarm boxes they will Likely be sold once they Are removed Coulter said ;