Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press {Newspaper} - 1981-05-06,Winnipeg, Manitoba 6 Winnipeg free pre wednesday May 6. Li>8l pm and pm mud six Days a a Eek a i 30d Carrion Stiesi Winnipeg fisc 3cf to Oan Adiath Neis papers company Limilo Zeleph crts 943-933 Winnipeg press Freedom of Trade Equality of civil rights Liberty of religion Secona class mail regt suasion number another Irish tragedy Donald Nicol John Tia foe Dir ii a t Wuo rav Bupt Fai Ici ech trials death aftera Friday last of Prim Jonal Ira prisoner Bobby Saf lds is a tragedy for his family and another sad statistic in Nort Liem regard s political Trou Bill s. A Ouier Tia prisoners Seming terms for criminal offences engaged in fasts Liat May Sam bring a similar result. The immediate cause of tote Battle of wills Between the Ira and the British government is the Ira demand for political stems for member serving prison sentences in a wider sense the i a Steih to enlist world Public opinion in favor of goal of forcing a Union of Northem Ireland with the Republic of Ireland. The irony of the Ira demand for political status fur Lis is that tins has traditionally rejected the democratic path of participation in the Noli Zicai syst Iii both m the Republic of Ireland and in great Britain of which Northern Ireland is a constitutional part. Instead the Ira has always been commit etl to terror and murder this is Why it banned in the Republic and in Britain. In the Republic where Many politicians believe that the 1921 partition of Ireland was wrong peaceful political efforts to make possible an eventual Union of the two entities have been a tradition for 60 years. The Ira has been a constant obstruction to these efforts i ordering irishmen who honestly believed that Force was no Way to create the conditions in which such a in Iii could become possible it is often Foi Frotten that Many Ira members a Lien my jail terms in the Irish Republic because successive governments have fully understood the Ira the Nat and have passed legislation to keep it in Check. All major political parties to the Republic have maintained silence on the prison fast Issue beyond expressions of humanitarian concern because they have faced similar challenges to their authority and because they it fuse to become propaganda weapons of the Ira prime minister Charlo s Haughey has been delaying the calling of a general election on the Issue of his handling of the Economy because he docs not want it to be dominated by the passions Rains in . Fhone passions being stirred by the Ira and by the belligerent protestant bigot Ian Paisley whose rabble rousing skills being Empi Oyet in an attempt to create hysteria a in orig the one Mill inn protestants of Nonh Iii ire Lasij. Fortunately must Northern Irish protestants decent Law ii biding citizens Aii most of the 500 000 no Hern Irish cat Halies too math heard too often from the religious and political fanatics in Bot i communities. Small numbers of them can create much violence and misery for All but it is important to remember that most inhabitants of Northern Ireland would like a peaceful political solution that would let them get on with their . Difficult i Quhid it will be. The Resolution of the Northem Irish problem will be achieved by those who favor peaceful methods politicians in Northern Ireland the Republic and Westminster. A so Joy for the drinkers the Michner report on liquor Coni Rul in Manitoba at Best is a useless Wasie of Money that appears designed Only to give Premier Sterling Lyon the pm scuse he looking for to repudiate anti tier Promise. At worst it is a meaningless lecture untie evils of drink that talks Down to Lea unable adults in a manner More suited to an elementary school class Riim. A Only one paragraph in the Lepon hints at tie main reason for he Elsie pcs of the . It was established As a result of a statement in the 1979 speech from the throne that indicated ii government was considering giving up . Monopoly posit in in liquor sales. Tie statement was welcomed by Manitoban who had fresh and unpleasant Mem ones of being the principle victims of a six week strike a by employees of the liquor control commission. On this Issue tie Mittner report recommends that a in tie event of a strike. The commission take reasonable Steps to meet the demands of licensees and the Public at Large a what those Steps might be was unexplained. Few Winnipeg residents considered the Long lineups at the few stores eventually opened during the strike As repro pending reasonable Steps and Many suggested the Only Pem Anent solution would be private outlets. failed to Deal with what should have been most pissing problem the Michener commission has searched diligently to confirm what in the Premier s View was the main trouble with Prii stores All along a the loss of government Revenue. The commission beats the old drum of the a morality of Selling liquor at ail a Quot beverage alcohol is clearly not a substance like jellybeans or chocolates Quot a and concludes that the Only right thing to do in such a Touchy situation is to Structure the Busine is so that the Nio homily that the government enjoy. Can Quot maximize revenues while not encouraging . The re or studiously ignores to Lii wishes of the Consumers in Reachie conclusions. It echoes the warnings of the breweries that the Price would go up if new outlets were authorized Bot does not suggest As the Premier has done in so Many other areas that the customer should have the right to pay for convenience if he so desires it advances the incredible theory one that has been de United on Many occasions by the Premier that the customer could not Benefit from private liquor outlets because they could not possibly match the efficiency of the present government monopoly time and again the report lists the Adverse effects on government revenues that would result from opening up private outlets. The Only evidence on this subject seems to come from the provincial liquor control commission. There is no mention of the revenues that have accrued to the province of Quebec since wine sales in grocery stores were allowed there. The report relies heavily on polls own. And Thovie conducted by others. On the basis of these polls it notes that while 47 per cent of Manitoban May think Beer and wine so Giuld be sold privately this figure does not constitute a major try. And while it concedes that a Small majority of those who Dunk think that wine should be available at private outlets it Points out that the majority disappears when abstainers included. It reasons apparently that Jwo ple who do not Purchase wine at government stores now because they do nol drink should help dictate the policy that would allow Vliem not to buy at private outlets either. Most interesting is the description of those people who Nunt private wine stores and those who do not. Those in Frivol Toifl report says live in Winnipeg in the i8-to-34 Agi bracket have University educations and mostly me. Those opposed live outside Winnipeg mostly to Lien have s Taan a High Schnol education and Over Jin. The irony is that Mast of Riiff i Manitoba is already Sei Veti apparently those who want private Vendor Saie to be denied them Anil Tii Ose who oppose the idea Ira forced to it. The has that the Legal drinking a 111 Mani Iuka be i raised to 19. On this subject the reaction of attorn key general Gerry Mercier is curious. He has Sua Sester that it might be accomplished through a private members Bill. The government has seem thousands of i p follow a at advice without taking responsibility fur it. Another explanation of course can be found in tie fact that in year oils have a vote and not Likely to support any Gover Mem that has Jusi liken away another privilege. A non person the latest enquiry demanded by opposition Leader Howard Pawley is unnecessary. The important thing about Dep Lily Premier Don Craik s demand that a Brief acknowledgement of the work of the Foj Iner Hydro chairman Len Bateman be removed from hydrous 137s animal report is not w Iii it Napp Ned. It is that it would have been Tacky whenever it was done. The Chi rials thing Abi iut the Hydro affair is that the Given Iceni has been grudging and evasive in providing Nii Ormarion about an action which is perfectly defensible a the appointment and support of the Tritschler commission into Hydro a and quite Frank about an action which is not. A. Or it ii readily cd min a that he ordered that removal of the paragraph about or. Bateman. He claims he had no too ledge Taat the report which contained it had already been panted. There is no reason to disbelieve him. The main Point is that whether or not it Cost a few thousand dollars to reprint the repel the minister s action was mean and vindictive and a Rotten Way to treat a former employ passions were winning High at the time and or. Crack Felt he had Good reason to be angry with his former Hydro chairman. It is Normal anti proper for a minister to fire a Public ser a Ait who he feels is riot properly Carina out government policy. People get fired All the time for clashing with tic Boss. In a Weil in company however uie Buss does not seek to strip the dismissed employee of his dignity. And. Outside of the soviet Union a government does not normally attempt to it transform a dismissed Public servant into a non person. Or. Craik has stoutly defended himself against the charge of wasting Public Money on the reprinting of the Hydro report. He should consider that he has something More important to be ashamed of. Bargain houses snapped up it is ironic that outside interests with a lot of Money to spare May make it tougher for people Here in moderate circumstances to buy or rent Homes. Because of depressed prices compared to other cities Winnipeg has become a Market for investors from Vancouver Edmonton and Calgary. They have been buying heavily in apartment blocks and houses on the premise that Low prices Here will climb and produce dividends. Hundreds of houses real estate people say outsiders have Hught hundreds of houses and dozens of apartment blocks. They see real estate Here As a great bargain which it is compared to Vancouver or Calgary. But the prices in Vancouver and Calgary mad. Quot they re creating an inflationary psychology where none existed Quot save one a Winnipeg entrepreneur. �?o1 wins involved in an Block that was doing badly. It was losing Money. New the value has shot million tie in who buying the Block have made so Emch Money that they Don t Ciric if they lose on the building in the me Ailline a they can offset losses Here their profits the whole name of the game is not to Pajuf to the government. That is what bothers me. And what does it do to Young people who trying to get started in life automatically tie rents go up. When an investor pays a higher Price and a higher interest on Money Fie has to raise the rent. When the value of a building goes up the rent will go Murray Sigmar Manitoba regional general manager for Block bros., says a i m sure Safe to say out of to i buyers have bought several a Kindred Homes and he says that prices of Homes in Good residential districts have risen As much As 20 to 25 per cent in the past six months. Rents in new leases coming up in Middle class apartments will be rising from 1.5 to 2.5 per cent oui mown buyers he admits have had some inflationary influence. Val Werier at the same time a lot of apartment owners have been losing Money. Too when rent control was in effect until a year ago. It held Domi rent rises says or. Sigmar. The vacancy rate is one Factor that will limit the extent to which rents Rise. As of october 1980, the vacancy rate in Winnipeg apartment blocks was Esu mated at 5.1 per cent by Canada Mort Gay a and housing corporation this was one of the highest rates in Canada. However it is expected to drop by this october to 3.5 to Fiur per cent partly because higher interest rates May inhibit new Liliuse buyers and Shalt More people to apartment blocks. A Eiliv costs oium of tie re Soik apartment blocks ssh a like hot cakes is that Liev at a Price far below India l tonary replacement . Gordon Mackenzie regional manager of . . Cites an of How attractive the Market Here is for investors from . And Alberta. If they can find a duplex to buy in Vancouver it May Cost $300, i00,�?T says or. Mackenzie. Quot in Winnipeg they can get four or five duplexes for that Price. Winnipeg is not the Only place investors looking at. They also going into Regina Bias Katoozi and one Developer says Quot investors looking Liere have made a lot of Money in Oil stocks and real estate. There s nothing for them to buy in Vancouver. The other Day an investor from Vancouver wanted to buy my Block and he had l even been . People Call me and ask me if i have anything to one re i Tor Saj s some of the invest Vinacci Racies As Winnipeg s major daily Nevis i per the pm h is a responsibility to ensure that the information ii to the Public is factual and presents a balanced View of world National and local events. Unfortunate by the free Prea editorial of april 24, entitled death in Norton in Ireland is neither factual nor balance Al. The following some of the More glaring inaccuracies. Referring in the hunger strike that ended last december the editorial states Quot the tactic failed recently when prime minister Margaret Thatcher refused to give in to similar this is false. On december 18, inst. Humphrey Atkins Cabinet Secretary for Northem Ireland issued a statement 10 the hunger strikers granting some of their key demands. His statement reads is follows Quot clothing provided by their families will be Given to any prisoner giving up then pro tell., All prisoners will be issued with civilian Type col Hong. They will also become entitle cd every month to eight letters four parcels and Lour visits Prii oilers who end the protest will be Able to Hussi Iriate within each Wing of the prison it was Only with this statement in hand that the hunger strikers gave up their protest. The present hunger strike resulted a Hen the British government reneged on the Agi element. The free pms after noting that the strikers demands Quot seem Little enough Quot Hen states Quot they have All been convicted in courts of Law of Crimial acts. There is no Lega basis on which the British government Coull Grant them special stains Quot under the Northem Ireland emergency provisions act and the prevention of terrorism act of 1976, anybody the authorities characterize As i terrorist lie seized and taken to interrogation centres Viii re they can be held Ironim Nicado for up to seven Days and Hen tried without jury by a single judge in whal known As Diplock courts. More than 85 per cent of ail convictions in these courts based wholly or mainly on a statement of confession obtained through torture. The editorial also ignores the fact that Between 1973 and 197 1 the British government instituted the system o special category status when hundreds of republicans and nationalists were imprisoned without recourse to trial under the internment Law. Finally tie editorial refers to the "1321 treaty under a Holcli Southern Ireland gained Dominion status while ment Money May be coming from outside the country and he is aware of one Purchase Here from Pakistan. Another financier says a wheelings and dealings going on in hundreds of apartment blocks in town a literally hundreds. Some of the Money is from group from Italy Worth Mali runs is looking at. Property Here there a Money from Hong Kong. The Market is rising because of the keen demand. All the luxury condominiums Haw been snapped up. None development a Condo Cost a year ago today at $9,5,000.�?T shopping Centre he Speaks of one Calgary investor who has purchased a 5 million shopping cd litre Here and several apartment blocks. At the same time the lower prices and lower Cost of tiring have attracted former residents to return Here from Vancouver. They May be Semi retired people or those who originally went to work in Vancouver says or. Sigmar it pay.? them to return to Winnipeg. He tells the Story of a Man who bought a House in for $05,000 and in less than iwo years sold it Lor j150,Ood and returned to Vvs Iii Peg a there he could get a Nice Bungalow for s60.hoo,-�?T says or Sigmar a Winnipeg is a pretty Good place in which to live Quot says or Sigmar a there no big swings up or Down British Columbia May he Beautiful but the people done to see the Sun As often and gel a bit Damp after till new activity has set a the Sale of Bouses on the multiple listings reach 2.300 to the end of March in Winnipeg compared to 5,500 for the entire last year. Says another realtor Quot Winnipeg is a conservative City. The West looks to Winnipeg As a rising Market because have been depressed they have in Manitoba. Its Good for the Economy. Its creating a psychology that things not bad that May he. But it is Aiso making n tougher for the average Fanti la to buy or rent. Liners th0 h a in pay free press Wal Cogniet Lih Lars Tram readers. Writers must Yive their name Ana Addi Ess. The author to name a l be used and Hellerr. Are Sobject it editing Northend Ireland a six counties elected to remain part of the United that statement is inaccurate and misleading. The London sunday times insight team in 1972 Book Northern Ivland �1 re Iorli on the conflict says the following in regard to the Border Quot the Border was itself the first and biggest Gerrymander the six counties it enclosed the new province of Ulster Lead no Point or moaning except As the largest area the pm Testant tribe could hold against the Catholic. Protestant Iii Demucy was the Only reason Why the state existed. As such the state itself was an immoral concept. It therefore had to be maintained from the first by immoral Means a the fid Lillne of internal boundaries too the pics sure on catholics to Mel Quot a by making it hard for them to live Iid work a he police bullying. And in the end the Ozniv on the streets inti in Merit deep the j ii tical solution Llie editorial Calls Lor can Only be achieved if the source of the conflict is removed. For Over 60 years the nationalist population has resisted British Rule in the artificially created six counties of Northern Ireland. Only with the end of this Rule and the withdrawal of British troops from Irish soil is there any Hope for a lasting solution. The Irish people protestant and Catholic the Only ones who can resolve the problems they face. Jude Keast a Hundred years ago the car extracted a Deal out of the City of Winnipeg whereby they would be exempted from paying taxes on their property forever. Between 1831 and 1981. Millions and millions of dollars in Revenue been lost to the City and taxpayers. The car no longer operates a hotel Here but it has left Large ugly Rall Yards in the Centre of the City. They have also left us with some Large Bills for Bridges and overpasses Tike the Sherbrook Macgregor. The time has come for the car to give up privileged position. The Manitoba government and the City of Winnipeg Hotilda see to trial. Russell Domeni a lot of credit for raising this matter in the legislature. The peopl3 of Winnipeg should Back him up 100 per cent on this Issue. Tony Donkel it Hinie which god until now i have admired prime minister Trudeau and ills fight concerning Patria Tion of the Constitution. That does not mean that he has always had my Blessing nor does it mean that i have always agreed with him but i have admired him for his courage. Now for the Sake of the electorate he has decided to put god in the Constitution. In so doing he has probably lost Nisi to votes than he has gained. I consider it a weak kneed decision and will not be voting in the next election in his favor or his party a favor. So god is to be entrenched in the . Which god the god of the hebrews the god of the moslem the god of the hindus the god of the various native tribes the gods and goddesses of the ancient greeks and romans or the god of the Wica religion or is it to be the god of the christians does that mean we to Lre our Freedom of Rell Ginn will it Bennie a crime not to be a Christian will not Teh Eving in god at All became a criminal offence belief in god should be a matter of Faith by Choice not Faith by Law Elaine Beardy Otter Lake. to the space shuttle Colum Iii he us. Space Agency and the american Jie Ople. As a Canadian. 1 would like to Salute the tremendous achieve Man of our neighbors and the free enter prise system. Once again the americans Hae shown that they arc still the greatest country in the wot id. What a shame that Here in Canada we can to even put a Constitution together. Tim Bailey a Winnipeg save the fire Hall i have lived in the West end of this City for most of my life and have just found out that the City wants to tear Down the old no. 5 fire Hall on Sargent i know that the fire Hall is old fashioned As a fire Hall jut it is a Good building and has Many years of history attached to it. 1 would like to see the building presented for future generations to be put to some Good purpose for the people in the West end. Large buildings where people Cun get together source in the West end so Why de Nolish a perfectly Good building that has Many years of service left in it yet 1 Hope More West Enders will come Foni Ard and help to save it for our neighbourhood. John Ranick Winnipega rag i am writing in concern for the literacy of your newspaper because it affects me and my grandchildren. I have lived All Over the world subscribing to every his Ilg from the Small town weekly i the big City daily hut never i been exposed to such n rag As you now produce does it Lake aim coition 10 keep you on Jour ? Samuel Johnson Winnipeg a Evdo set Oodo f i Lom Tum Ibal filth Hiya is prime Man her ;