Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - February 23, 1979, Winnipeg, Manitoba Robert Deniro gets pot but no roots or sound of music catch both with a video Ragin cajun Kershaw elms for Clear Low -28, High -18 Sun rises 7 26 a m sets 6.00 p m Moon rises 5 04 a a sets 28 p m Winnipeg free press final 15s inn Cuba cd cot ii Friday february 23, 1979 about 75 people at the Canada Winter games in Brandon thursday against the disqualification of Charlie Starr 16, a wrestler from Cloud Snow May hide the eclipse by Andy Blicq worried callers from around the world Are telephoning the Winnipeg weather office. And when they get through weather office spokesmen Are telling them the bad news. The last total solar eclipse to be seen in North America this Century will almost certainly be obscured from ground observation by Cloud cover. It s looked that Way for a couple of a spokesman said in a Tele phone interview today. Is there a Chance we May get Clear weather after All i can t see the spokesman said. It does t look like it will look that to blame is a Low pressure system moving East through the Northern United states that May drive Cloud and Snow into the province Mon Day. Technically there is a 40 per cent Chance of Clear skies in the Winnipeg area but in mysterious forecasters jargon a 40 per cent Chance of Clear skies is nothing More than a dismal Hope. In fact the Only location where desperate local Eclips philes have a better Chance of Clear weather is in Northwest Ontario where the Odds for Clear skies is Only slightly better 45 per cent. It will be a much diminished event. It won t be As spectacular if it s Cloudy Bill Peers a producer at the Winnipeg planetarium said Fri Day. However he urged Manitoban to View i he eclipse anyway and warned that if there is a thin Cloud cover there is some danger still involved in viewing the eclipse. It will still gel impressively dark and sometimes during totality when it s overcast there Are some weird and wonderful Light effects around the he said. See weathermen Page 4 when cat s away mice Are smugglers London up Britain be came a smugglers Paradise today As customs men on the docks and airports joined other civil servants in a one Day strike for higher pay. At each port of entry huge posters greeted inbound Passen Gers Normal arrangements for the clearance of passengers and their Luggage Are temporarily the poster read. In order to comply with the Law passengers with dutiable goods should fill in the forms provided. Arrangements can be made for any charges to be collected said one airlines official passengers Aren t exactly forming a queue to Post the 40 prisoners released on passes to relieve heading Ley crowding by Bob Cheshire corrections minister l. Sherman will investigate allegations made in the legislature thursday night of mass temporary releases of inmates to relieve crowding at heading Ley jail. Bud Boyce a former nip Cabinet minister responsible for corrections said he has been told 40 temporary absences from the jail were authorized in a 90-minute period thursday evening. Sherman said outside the legislature he would Check out the status of temporary absences from the jail and the number of inmates in the facility. Jail officials contacted thursday night refused com ment. Boyce said heading Ley houses 478 inmates even though the jail was originally designed to hold 250. He said normally the institution issues Between six and 10 temporary absences per week. His charges come in the Wake of provincial ombudsman g. W. Maltby s 1978 annual report which sharply criticized components of the corrections system in particular the housing of juvenile offenders with adult prisoners at the Pas correctional institution. Boyce used his portion of the throne speech debate to slam the government s corrections system policy. Re Ferring to the government As those anarchists across the Boyce said restraint policies have meant a cutback in expenditures necessary to properly maintain the corrections system. Pointing to the soiled Blue carpet on the floor of the legislative Chambers he said the condition of the carpet see 40 Page 4 score Board meat packers Lay off hundreds due to temporary cattle shortage Canada Winter games g s quo 32 15 16 sask 3 on 916 16 2 Man 746 by 61110 Yuk Alia 4 9 1 5 new no 3 1 1 . 0 nil by islanders 6 is Louis Montreal 1 1 Pittsburgh Vancouver 3 Colorado Chicago 4 Buffalo by John Sullivan three major meat pack ing plants confirmed thursday that several Hundred employees have been Laid off in the last few weeks be cause of a shortage of cattle. Spokesmen for Canada packers Ltd., Swift Canadian co. Ltd. And Burns meats Ltd. Said about 182 layoffs have been ordered at their firms adding that smaller plants such As East West packers Ltd. And custom Abattoir Ltd. Have been particularly hard hit. In the legislature thursday new democratic la Jim Walding questioned labor minister Ken mamas Ter about the Layoff reports say ing one Small Plant May close while employees at another were forced to work Only half time or face a 50 per cent Layoff. Industry spokesmen later named these companies As East West and custom Abattoir but officials for those firms could not be reached for comment. Canada packers Plant manager see meat Page 4 Winnipeg pop Singer Burton Cummings is in the running for several Juno awards including Canadian male vocalist of the year. Full Story on Page 23. The Sandy Bay Indian Reserve. Starr was disqualified when he showed up at the weigh ins underweight for his class. See Story on Page 61. Soviets ship More arms to Vietnam Bangkok up soviet ships unloaded missiles and radar equip ment at the vietnamese port of Haiphong and China launched air strikes deep into Vietnam to destroy the supplies before they might reach the Battlefield thai intelligence sources said today. The sources said chinese aircraft struck an area Northwest of Haiphong on thursday shortly after the soviets ships began their deliveries. The raiders apparently hit outside the City so As not to risk bombing the soviet ships and triggering a reprisal from Moscow. Heavy fighting was reported meanwhile along 160 Kilometres of the Eastern Vietnam China Border and Western military sources in Hong Kong said the provincial capitals of Lang son and Cao bang have been captured by the chinese. Earlier this week chinese troops also had captured two other Provin Cial capitals a Giang and Lai Cao. The sources said the chinese have opened a new front in the Mong Cai coastal sector on the Gulf of Tonkin. They added that the Swift chinese Advance has caused chaos on roads leading northeastward from the Viet namese capital of Hanoi As civilians fled southward. Informed sources in Bangkok said earlier in the Day that artillery Duel had begun Between chinese and Viet namese forces near Lang son. They added it seems both sides Are mov ing to one source said that with the conflict now stretching into its seventh Day it looks like the chinese have reassessed the situation and want to give the vietnamese and big the sources estimated the chinese now might have up to troops in the Border Region with committed on the Battlefront and the others held in Reserve. Kyodo the japanese news service in a dispatch from peking quoted a Western military source in the Chi Nese capital As saying that heavy fighting was continuing in the Lang son and Cao bang area. Kyodo did not further identify the source. It said there was fighting 19 kilo see soviet Page 4 Ottawa offers Money for rail Yard study by Joe Rubin Federal government funds will be made available to the City of Winni Peg As speedily As possible for a study into the costs of relocating the up rail Yard Federal provincial re lations minister John Reid said thursday. The Money which would come through the Urban transportation assistance program would allow the City to look in depth at the possibility of moving the Yards be fore there is no turning the minister said speaking at a Winni Peg Assiniboine Liberal association fund raising dinner. Reid said transport minister Otto Lang told him earlier in the Day that if the City files an application for funds Lang would treat it sym a apparently Reid said Lang has written to the City with the offer but there has been no response. It May be that the Cit is not aware of the Money that is the Federal provincial relations minister said. Although the amount of Money the government is willing to provide for the study will depend on parameters set by the City Reid said a figure has been discussed. He added that there Are two or three sources including Utah where these funds could be obtained. On wednesday City Council Defeated a motion to indicate to the Federal government that it would be willing to move the rail Yards under the fed eral rail relocation act. Many councillors decried Federal intervention in the City s plans saying it was easy for Federal government officials to favor relocation since they Don t have to pay for it. Housing authority broke Law begin charges sports 61-69 inside any met. 37 Brt flt. Is Gamma. 37 ctoulfm.31 comics.7b m to Mem. R do ten. J.3i wmtlitr.5 the Winnipeg housing authority acted illegally when it got parents under a threat of eviction to sign Over child tax credit cheques to pay overdue rent Federal welfare minis Ter Monique begin said thursday. The parents who have Given the authority the right to the cheques a maximum per child not have to turn them Over and can keep them and spend the Money As they wish. Begin said. The government of Canada has had a Legal opinion and i can announce today that under the financial administration act assigning of the child tax credits Are illegal and will not be she said. The government will Send the Che ques to the parents not to the housing authority even in cases where the parents authorized the housing body to take the Money she said. Provincial housing minister j. Frank Johnston said thursday if what they re doing is illegal they la have to Stop. There s nothing we can do about but he added i can t fault them for trying to collect the he said the province is having its own experts look at the question. Slaw Bebchuk housing authority Board member said we were not wrong in asking for the rent. We want the people to pay their arrears and i Don t care How we go after them. Well still go after meanwhile some of the 23 tenants who have signed Over tax rebates Are reported to support the housing authority position. Bebchuk said some tenants in arrears with their rent welcomed the Opportunity to Clear off debts in this Way. Controversy arose tuesday when news reports announced that 23 Low income tenants in a Winnipeg pub Lic housing development signed Power of attorney forms authorizing the housing body to collect the tax rebates to pay Back rent. About 50 tenants owing a total in Back rent were sent letters in january giving them the option of handing Over All or part of their tax rebates including child tax credits. Although the practice is considered illegal begin said the housing author Ity would not be prosecuted because that would be revenge and that s not what we re she had earlier accused the author Ity of using blackmail to collect Over due rent ;