Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - April 15, 1981, Winnipeg, Manitoba Office soon to be Crown corporation lifers can count on one Ottawa up soon possibly by this fall your mail will be delivered by a letter Carrier working for a new company a Crown corporation. Legislation turning the Post office scarred by labor Battles and Public mistrust into a Crown corporation was approved by the commons yester Day. Michael Warren general manager of the Toronto transit commission and the Canadian National exhibition says he will become president designate of the Crown corporation june 1. Warren said in an interview that postmaster general Andre Ouellette Lep honed him yesterday to say the prime minister s office would make the formal announcement of his appoint ment today. I Start with the Federal government june 1 As special adviser to the Post master general and president designate of the Post said Warren 43, who makes a year As head of the transit commission and has made a month at the exhibition since being named interim general manager in january. Said Jean Claude Parrot head of the Canadian Union of postal workers reacting to parliament s passage of the Bill. We be been waiting for 34 years. It would have helped the sen ice and the administration of the Post office. Better now than progressive conservative John Fraser former postmaster general said the legislation represents a new beginning. My experience in dealing with the leaders of the unions in the Post office has convinced me that the rank and file of Canada Post Are As anxious to Reform the Post office As anyone he said. Fraser and new Democrat Sid Parker his party s postal critic crossed the floor to shake hands with Ouellet As maps marked approval of the legislation with Hearty congratulations. Ouellet has said the legislation will Aid labor relations and increase Post office efficiency by improving management Structure and financial operations. Post office unions worried about the lengthy delay of the legislation had been pressing for speedy passage. Aggravated labor management relations threatened to erupt unless Quick action by parliament was forthcoming they said. The legislation was first introduced see Post Page -1 Clear tonight 3 showers tomorrow 1 8 wednesday april 15, 1981 109 no 115 Sun rises . Sets . Moon rises . Sets . Final for Home delivery. 957-0550 or 942-2161 classified 956-2330 budget puts bite on smokers drinkers record deficit projected homeowners and renters to Benefit taxes on cigarettes up by a pack May 3 Brian Ransom looks to smokers and drinkers to raise revenues in his first budget since becoming provincial finance minister. . Opens Gateway to the stars Houston a Columbia and its astronauts Back from its Maiden Voy age dramatically advanced . Chances of gaining a working foothold in space by 1982 and someday said commander John Young for going to the the astronauts exuberant after yesterday s pinpoint Landing Are healthy and eager to participate in future space projects. Today they began an exhaustive week of debriefings with space Agency technicians. Sonic Boom music to when Young and Robert Crippen brought Columbia Down from orbit to a Rock hard Lake bed in California s Mojave desert they demonstrated that the United states has a space machine that makes All others obsolete a machine that can Fly into space and return to Earth like an air plane ready to Fly again a Hundred or More times. The astronauts in their own Way probably said it Best. You can t believe what a flying machine this Young said. I think we be got a fantastic and Remar Kable capability Here. We re really not too far the human race in t from going to the said Crippen we Are really in the space business to the United states had left manned space flight to the soviet Union since 1975. The shuttle flight puts the United states at least 10 years ahead of the soviet Union in the race for supremacy in outer space. It put the United states so far ahead that it raises the question of whether there is a serious race in space be tween the two superpowers particularly when the military applications of the space shuttle Are considered. If the next three test flights of co Lumbia Are anywhere near As Success Ful As the first it Means the shuttle will become operational and begin trucking very Large payloads into space by late next year. The shuttle can haul pounds into orbit and bring pounds Back to Earth. By contrast the soviet Union s Rock ets can Fly payloads up to Only pounds into space. They can t bring anything Home from orbit because they Don t have a returnable spacecraft like the shuttle. At present there Are no signs that the soviet Union is developing a shuttle of any size though most . Space experts believe they will try. Shortly after the wheels Down land ing on Rogers dry Lake the two Astro nauts climbed aboard space Agency executive jets for the trip Back to the Johnson space Centre Here. For the next seven work Days they will meet with Nasa specialists Dis cussing in great detail every one of Columbia s systems to pinpoint any flaws in design or procedure. They have few problems to Analyse. From the moment of its fiery blast off from the launch pad at Cape Cana veral fla., on sunday Columbia per formed almost flawlessly. The Astro nauts had Only a few minor problems to tend to. Columbia was parked today at Edwards air Force base where technicians will carefully Check it for the next week or so before it is returned to Cape canaveral buckled to the Back of a special Boeing 747 jetliner. Its next flight a four Day Mission is scheduled for August or september with Rookie astronauts Joe Engle and Richard truly at the controls. Officials said initial inspection showed the spaceship to be in Good condition. There were indications a few non critical Thermal tiles on the top of the vehicle suffered some damage. But the important ones those that protected the underside from re entry heat were in Good shape. Ground Crew operations were see spaceship Page 4 by Mary Ann Fitzgerald forecasting a record deficit finance minister Brian Ransom yesterday increased taxes on tobacco and liquor in what was described by Many As a stand Pat budget. In his first budget after becoming finance minister last december ran som also introduced changes to the pro Vince s property tax program designed to help the poor and the elderly. The size of the deficit and the Lack of any major new initiatives by the government quelled most speculation that a Spring election May be called. I think the opposition would be More prepared to fight an election on this budget than the government opposition Leader Howard Pawley told reporters. The projected deficit in the s2.4-billion budget for he 1981-82 fiscal year is a record for the conservative government which vowed to present balanced budgets during its tenure. An increase of five cents a package in the tobacco tax effective at Midnight May 3, is expected to raise about million in revenues for the province this year. Cigarettes a pack it raises the Cost of a package of 25 cigarettes to about although prices vary. No Date was announced for the in crease in liquor taxes but an anticipated jump of about five per cent will add about million to provincial reve Nues. Beer and wine prices Are not affected. Ransom also increased maximum property tax credits for homeowners and renters by to s525, and for senior citizens by to taxpayers will not reap the benefits of the changes until they file 1981 tax returns next Spring. The minimum will remain at 5325. The increase in property tax credits will make the maximum Benefit available to those with a net family income of less than smaller increases will be available to families with incomes up to for senior citizens the full increase will be available to those with less than in net family income. The increased benefits will Cost the government about million. Tax credit the maximum Cost of living tax credit for couples in 1981 to for a couple with net income equally divided Between husband and wife the change will increase the Cost of Liv ing tax credits from Zero in 1980 to this year Ransom said. Ransom admitted the province s eco nomic situation allowed him limited room for expansion of the glory Days of rapidly increasing government revenues Are he told the legislature during his address. The budget is reflecting Confidence in he said. I will not try to pretend away the real difficulties that we must face but i believe it is important to begin by recognizing that the Basic Economy of this province is Ransom said. We think if you look at the Circum stances that prevailed in Canada in the last two years we Are relatively Well off. We Don t think major changes Are necessary or but Pawley progressive party Leader Sidney Green and Liberal Leader Doug Lauchlan said the government had created its own deficit problems by stubbornly following its Creed of tight listed restraint during the last three years. Pawley said he deplored the Lack of initiatives to turn the Economy around. We had Little practically said the opposition Leader who is expected to deliver his response to budget highlights details on Page 13 g taxes on cigarettes to Rise by five cents per package of 25 cigarettes to 35 cents effective Midnight May 3 c deficit for the current fiscal year projected at s219.8 million compared with i Ilion last year. La maximum property tax credit to be increased s100 to s625 for senior citizens and s50 to s525 for other homeowners and tenants. La real growth for Manitoba Economy predicted at about the National average of two per cent for 1981 after negative growth last year caused by drought. D liquor markups to raise an additional s4 million in government Revenue. Beer and wine not affected. D sales tax exemption for certain machinery and equipment purchased As an integral part of a Plant retroactive to May 14. 1980. C capital tax base for Trust and loan companies and Banks to be aligned with those of other provinces effective july 1. D married couples to be allowed to calculate Cost of living tax credit on a joint basis rather than being applicable to Only one spouse. D a tax Fras Grant for builders on 100 Homes that meet new provincial Energy efficient standards. The budget today in he legislature. In other budget moves the govern ment exempted used immovable machinery purchased As part of a Plant from sales taxes retroactively to May 14, 1980. The government also will exempt Lien notes on farm machinery truck and automobile dealerships from corporation capital taxes. Admitting it was a relatively Small Ransom also announced the government plans to spend in a demonstration program for Energy efficient housing. Under the plan 100 buyers of houses to be built this year to Energy efficient standards will receive a tax free Grant on completion of the House. Ransom laced his budget with Liberal amounts of nip and Ottawa bashing resulting in frequent and noisy heckling from opposition benches. He said his budget was cautious because of fear the Federal government would reduce Transfer payments to the province a move he predicted could Cost Manitoba Between Mil lion and million in cutbacks. Soviets trounce team Canada 8-2 Stockholm up the soviet Union trounced team Canada 8-2 today to finish atop of their division at the end of round Robin Competition in the world hockey championship. The russians held a 2-1 Lead Midway through the second period when they exploded for five goals to take com Mand of the game. Firm defence in emotional appearances before the Kent commission yesterday Kenneth Thomson and his executives defended their newspaper 9 motherhood Ina Van Der Veen says she was told by a Federal official that women who apply for Pic benefits before they Stop breast feeding Don t really want to blues flyers St. Louis and Philadelphia have advanced in nil playoffs the blues with a 4-3 win Over Pittsburgh penguins the flyers with a 5-2 Victory Over Quebec not unsafe in its defence before an inquiry into the March 10, 1980 Macgregor derailment and chemical spill the car claims it is not an unsafe Index Ann Landers. 28 answers. 17 Bridge. 28 business.39 classified.44 comics. 22 crossword. 29 deaths. 2. 44 editorials. Letters.6 entertainment.30 food guide.35 Horoscope. 28 Jumble puzzle.48 klady.32 Millroy on to. 30 movies.33 relax. 17 Russell. 7 sports. 59 sports record.64 stocks. 40 sullivan.17 tempo.25 to listings. 17 Werier. 6 i ;