Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - December 1, 1978, Winnipeg, Manitoba Winnipeg free press Friday december 1, 1978 patronage charged in selection of architect controversy flares up again Over North school contract by Mary Ann Fitzgerald the controversy Over the Manitoba government s award of an architectural contract to Ger associates for the design of a school at Norway House flared again thursday Over whether six other architects knew that their inter raws with a local building commit tee of the Northern school division were simply for information. Amidst charges of patronage the government awarded the contract to Ger associates which was not one of the six firms interviewed by the building committee of the school division. The committee was flown to Winnipeg for a Day for the inter views. Or. Joseph Handley. Government appointed official trustee for the Frontier school division said thurs Day the Point of the interviews was not to hire but to gather Back ground information on the proposed Kandley said the architects inter viewed by the Northern committee were All told this. But an architect from one of the firms interviewed strongly denied that his firm was told it was an informational exercise. Never. No Way. Not in any Way shape or form were we told he said. The architect said he and his part ners spent a week preparing for the interview detailing plans for handling the school construction on the basis that the contract was to be awarded on Merit. Why go for an interview if there is no Chance of said the architect who did t want to be named. He described the award of the contract to a firm not involved in the interviews As a slap in the and Elaine Apet agon a Norway House resident and Secretary of the building committee has said she was flown to Winnipeg for a Day of interviews with firms who were to be considered for the project. Ger was not one of the firms interviewed on that Day she said. Handley said the Northern com Mittee which conducted the inter views with the six unsuccessful architects had no authority to hire an architect and that it did not make any recommendations either to a minister or to him. They gave me a list of the architects they talked to and the Back ground he said. In All Handley said 20 architects had been interviewed for the Job some by the committee some by individuals on the committee and some by officials in his office with or without committee members. He said Ger was one of those. Ger had written to the division regarding the contract last Spring he said. A partner in Ger confirmed that his firm had been in touch with the Frontier school division for Many Many he declined to com ment on the controversy. Highways minister Harry Enns who recently turned Over the Public works portfolio to government ser vices minister Sidney Spivak said the school division had asked to appoint its own architect but was t Given that permission. Handley described the interview by the Northern committee As partly a learning experience with a View to gradually expanding its authority to that Given to other school divisions. That authority would include hiring architects. Meanwhile at a press conference former nip Public works minister Russ Doern charged that Ger was Long associated with the conservative party of Manitoba from the Roblin Days to present it s a Case of patronage in its purest undiluted earlier spinal denied charges of patronage first levelled by an unnamed architect. Spivak was out of the City thursday and was t expected to return until monday at the time Spivak said the Selec Tion of the architectural firm was made on the basis of a list prepared by the department of Public works before government reorganization and his appointment As minister. He said that the selection of the firm also reflected a new govern ment policy implemented by the recently disbanded management committee of Cabinet to gradually shift government work to firms which did not receive much business under the former nip govern ment. Doern maintained a Check of All architectural contracts awarded by the nip government would reveal it spread the work during his tenure As Public works minister Doern said architects who Don t tender because they must and Here to fee schedules like other professionals were selected after look ing at their performance As to what they had done and general reputation and experience. He said lists were prepared by his department. Meanwhile Jim Orzechowski president of the Manitoba association of architects and a partner in the firm of Smith Carter partners declined to comment on the mechanics of awarding the contract for the Northern school. However he said he was concerned by an architect making criticism through the Media rather than through his professional Organiza Tion. If there is a professional gris Ance it should be expressed through the association and not Anonymous criticism through the he said. He said he planned to raise the matter at the next association meet ing in an Effort to develop some guidelines to encourage members to Deal in a More professional Man Ner with such Smith said his own firm had applied but had not been interviewed for the Norway House school. The government he said wants to distribute its work As equitably As possible among All local firms. Continued he said Mercier would speak to Veillet before making any decision or statement on the Sale of damaged commission Stock. The spokesman who asked not to be named said there is just not enough damaged Stock to go around to the Public and it would be unsuitable for the meanwhile a Saskatchewan liquor Board spokesman said in an inter View thursday damaged Stock is written off under it s much preferable just to de stroy it or return he said noting the commission discontinued Selling damaged Stock directly to employees some time ago. If we damage it ourselves we pay the an Alberta liquor control Board spokesman said. No we Don t sell damaged Stock to he said. We Don t make special deals with employees on for some brands if the Label is damaged we would get new labels and hand inspect those bottles be fore placing them on the shelf at regular prices the spokesman said. In Saskatchewan some bottles Are also returned to the supplier for re Labelling. In British Columbia the liquor control Board spokesman said we offer no damaged goods to employees. If a Label has been damaged it is she said. We have a Large Supply of labels Here. In terms of broken seals we de stroy it the she added. The . Spokesman said one management person told her that when on a visit to Manitoba he discovered commission employees could Pur Chase the damaged Stock he was surprised it was allowed. In Ontario some damaged Stock is placed in commission stores for Sale a Public relations consultant for the liquor control Board of Ontario said. If the contents of the bottle Are Okay we put it in the system and sell it at a reduced Price he said. But he said there is no Breaks for All commission spokesmen in eluding Veillet agreed the amount of damaged Stock commissions must pay for is Small. Most losses Are the responsibility of the supplier or ship per. All commissions also have a policy of passing on de listed discontinued lines or poor Selling liquor to the Public at a discount. Several commis Sion spokesmen said employees often get first grab at this Stock because they know when and where it will be made available. Only one liquor store closed a City and Rural liquor stores except the Portage Avenue and Ains lie Street store will be open for business today a liquor commission spokesman said thursday. The Portage and Ainslie store was scheduled to be moved and will be closed permanently commission chairman Louis Veillet said. On Friday and saturday All City outlets and those in Dauphin Portage la Prairie Selkirk Brandon flin flon the Pas and Thompson will be open from noon until six . All Ottier Rural stores will be open their Normal hours. On Friday occasional permit applications and orders will be processed in All stores and vendors in the same manner As they were before the the strike. Talks will decide timing of increase a photo the times of London night editor Michael Hardy left prepares the final pages of the newspaper. Labor management dispute halts the presses is London up the times a pillar of British life for 193 years was gone from the Newsstands today Fol lowing a decision to suspend Publica Tion indefinitely in a labor manage ment dispute. Lord Thomson of Fleet president of times newspapers ltd., said the shutdown the times the sunday times and three supplements was necessary to prevent the newspapers from being slowly bled to death by Wildcat strikes that have plagued production during the last two years. Lord Thomson said he Hopes the suspension will be for the minimum but times managing director Marmaduke James Hussey told re porters following publication of the last edition thursday that the shut Down will continue indefinitely. Husi a said All company employees will be paid for two weeks in a million Good will gesture while negotiations continue but added we Are no longer pre pared to go on publishing until we can guarantee full and punctual product the National graphical association whose printers Are among nine unions in the total work Force had refused to negotiate under threat of a shutdown. Nga general Secre tary Joe Wade agreed the times has suffered an appallingly High num Ber of official but insisted management is hell Bent on bulldozing the unions and their members into abject management says that Wildcat strikes this year alone have Cost the times and its sister newspapers More than 13 million copies and million lord Thomson s father the first lord Thomson of Fleet former Cana Dian bom press magnate Roy Thom son once said no paper in the world represents its country like the to me the times is really like the British he said. The current lord Thomson also known As k. R. Thomson took Over As publisher of the times on his father s death. Ottawa up private talks under Way Between the Federal and Alberta governments will determine whether Consumers get a Brief res Pite from steadily increasing Oil prices. Energy minister Alastair Gillespie said thursday the Federal govern ment which has constitutional control Over the Price has decided it is not in the National interest to allow a Jan. 1 increase of three cents a gallon. But although Alberta already has said it is willing to go along with a delay final agreement on the Issue would have to await one More round of talks. Gillespie said thursday that might take a couple of the government says an increase in january would place a drag on the Economy at a time when it is delicately but some premiers from the con suming provinces who rejected the Federal proposal at a meeting with prime minister Trudeau wednesday say they fear the main reason is politics not economics. A delay would mean no Price in crease for Consumers prior to a Feder Al election expected in the first six months of the year. Ottawa has proposed putting off a scheduled three cents a gallon increase until july 1, giving Alberta a second increase of in january 1980, in return. Gillespie said thursday the Federal Cabinet decided to stick with its proposal despite the rejection of the provincial premiers. But he added that he wants to see a provision in the new agreement to prevent Domestic Oil prices from exceeding those in the United states. Such a condition already is included in an existing agreement with the producing provinces. Alberta May want to tighten up provisions of that Protection clause in the new Deal to prevent any confusion Over How it is to be applied As happened this fall. Ottawa said a increase in january would put Domestic prices above those in the . Alberta How Ever Felt there would be room for the increase. At Issue Between the two was the Exchange rate to be used for the Canadian Dollar when comparing the prices. Federal calculation show if the Canadian Dollar is Worth 90 cents ., the Range of Oil prices in Chica go is to a barrel com pared with Alberta Oil landed in to Ronto for the difference is 62 to 78 cents not enough to allow an increase. But with the value of the Canadian Dollar at 86 cents ., prices Are to a barrel a difference of to the Dollar traded thursday at just Over 85 cents . Gillespie said thursday in the commons the Point that should be made is that no Price increase is new Leader Tokyo a Japan s governing Liberal democratic party elected its Secretary general Masayoshi Ohira party president by acclamation today which automatically will make him prime minister. The party action was taken without a vote since Ohira was unopposed following the withdrawal of prime minister Takeo Fukuda from the race. Fukuda stepped out after losing a primary election to Ohira on Mon Day. Parliament members from the governing party will officially name Ohira prime minister next week. Addressing the special party convention that elected him Ohira called for Unity among party members. Ohira 68, is the ninth party presi Dent and third to be elected uncontested. The election of Ohira is not expected to bring any dramatic change in Japan s foreign or Domestic policies. Pro democracy drive losing strength in China the Washington Post Hong Kong peking s 11-Day old Campaign of anti Mao tse Tung Wal posters and pro democracy ral lies has begun to Cool Down in the face of caution from party leaders Winter weather and Lack of organization. Foreign residents of peking reached by Telephone said Impromptu gatherings wednesday and thursday to discuss reforms in China s authoritarian political system Drew considerably fewer people than the to that rallied in Tine am Man Square monday and tuesday nights. There s still lots of said one foreigner who has attended some rallies but there is a Lack of focus and no movement is going to last too Long if it does t have Strong official support. Since the movement s hero party vice chairman Teng Hsiao Ping is sued a Call earlier in the week for stability and Unity foreigners attend ing the seemingly spontaneous Street seminars have noticed the chinese speaking with More restraint. Speak ers and Wal posters talk More often now of democracy within discipline and voice support for the entire chinese leadership not just Teng. Last week and Early this week Many chinese told foreigners they met in the streets of their Hope that Teng would assume the Job of pre Mier held by party chairman Hua Kuo Feng. Wal posters and some Impromptu speakers attacked the ruling politburo members like inter Nal Security expert and former Mao bodyguard Wang Tung Hsing. How there Are More cries of support for Hua and the whole Central commit tee. Many posters criticizing Wang peking commander Chen Hsi Lien former peking mayor we Teh and other leaders thought to have been close to the late chairman Mao Are still displayed on Walls however. One poster which went up wednesday night on the popular Wall of democracy alongside the Avenue of Eter Nal peace criticized Teng himself for trying to Dampen criticism of Mao. Wal posters have chided Mao for purging men like Teng and aborting pragmatic policies like wage in creases in the last years of his life. Teng s statements earlier this week praising Mao s Overall contribution to China seemed designed to discourage such talk. Wednesday night s poster writer complained that you can Clarno Down silence again on the people but that won t solve any Archer s wife everything to him Penny and mrs. Scherz that Archer was basically a polite respectful Man who was sorry that an ramp officer had died during a gun Battle at the Motel. The hostages testified that Archer had told them he shot a policeman after the officer pointed a gun at his wife and pulled Back the Hammer. He expressed sorrow several times it was More or less an Acci or Scherz told the court. I killed a Man. I will get life. Even if i did t mean to do it they won t believe Archer said Accord ing to or. Scherz. I might As Well kill myself. I Don t want to Hurt or. Scherz quoted Archer As saying. Ferguson testified that during his conversations with Archer which stretched Over about 30 hours Archer said he had previously received medi Cal help. Archer also told him his wife continued was a great Comfort and Solace to him. Ferguson said Archer told him Dur ing the 50 or 60 conversations they had during the siege that he thought the officer at the door of the Motel room was going to shoot his wife. Archer was said to have instructed his wife to run for cover when the police knocked at the Motel door. He expressed remorse and regret. Had he not had a weapon he said he would have gone after the officer with a bottle or Ferguson said. Previous testimony indicated a Cher took the Shotgun into the Motel room because he was afraid it might be stolen from his truck. Or. Scherz testified that Archer had f a tremendous feeling for his wife. She was everything to earlier mrs. Scherz testified that one of the major reasons Archer surrendered to police was so that he could Clear his wife of any blame in the shooting incident. All of the hostages said Archer told them that All his wife did at the Motel was run and or. Scherz testified that Archer s feeling for his wife was so great thai he wanted to kill himself when he thought his wife had died. After receiving a Telephone Call which assured Archer his wife was alive he told his hostages now i have a reason to court was told. Or. Scherz said that Archer his wife and Penny arrived at his House in the Early morning hours of Jan. 23. He said he examined mrs. Archer and after diagnosing a Bullet wound in her Back he suggested she be taken to Brandon general Hospital for Deli Cate major or. Scherz told the court that after he recommended mrs. Archer be taken to Hospital Archer told him he had been involved in shootout with police and was a wanted Archer then decided to stay in the House and have an ambulance convey his wife to Hospital. He then told police he wanted an air plane to Fly him anywhere but Cuba and 000, court was sold. As the incident continued he struck a trusting Friendship with his hos tages who he treated kindly and with respect or. Scherz said. The trial before or. Justice John Hunt of Manitoba court of Queen s Bench continues ;