Export
decision
election
issue?
By
JOHN
R.
WALKER
Southam
News
Services
SYDNEY
Sometime
In
mid-November
a
shipment
of
uranium
yellowcake,
the
powdered
ore
which
fuels
nuclear
reactors,
may
fule
an
Australian
election.
Australians
generally
may
be
more
concerned
this
weekend
with
the
re-play
of
the
Rugby
Union
final
and
the
opening
of
the
spring
sailing
,season,
but
by
mid-November
they
could
be
involved
in
the'
great
uranium
confrontation.
The
build-up
to
this
was
the
government's
announcement
Aug.
25
of
the
lifting
of
a
fouryear
ban
on
uranium
mining
and
export,
and
the
reaction
of
the
powerful
Australian
Council
of
Trade
Unions
last
week
to
give
the
government
of
Malcolm
Fraser
two
months
to
decide
on
holding
a
referendum
on
whether
to
proceed
with
further
mining
and
export
of
uranium.
Prime
Minister
Fraser
and
his
Liberal-Country
party
coalition
colleagues
have
already
rejected
the
referendum
idea
and
are
using
the
ACTU
demand,
which
is
supported
by
the
opposition
Labor
party,
as
an
excuse
to
call
an
election.
Unless
reason
prevails
on
both
sides,
after
mid-November
when
a
shipment
of
uranium
oxide
is
sent
from
the
Mary
Kathleen
mine
in
northern
Australia
to
the
port
of
Brisbane,
left-wing
transport
or
dockers
union
members
will
probably
refuse
to
handle
it
and
anti-nuclear
demonstrators
are
likely
to
hit
the
streets
again.
To
Canadians,
who
have
lived
with
not
only
the
mining
and
export
of
uranium
for
three
decades
but
also
the
manufacture
and
export
of
nuclear
reactors,
this
may
seem
like
attempting
to
slam
the
barn
door
after
the
cow
has
escaped.
But
for
Australians
in
the
post-Vietnam
war
era
and
in
the
wake
of
the
1975
questionable
unseating
of
the
Gough
Whitlam
Labor
government
.
this
has
the
makings
of
an
issue
of
principle.
Whether
Gough
Whitlam;
and
his
Labor
party
want
an
election
in
December
is
questionable,
but
both
his
party
and
the
Labor
movement
would
like
to
see
a
year's
mortorium
on
mining
and
export
while
the
Australian
people,
debate
and
express
their
view
on
whether
nuclear
safeguards
are
tough
enough
to
prevent
nuclear
weapons
expansion
and
whether
methods
of
nuclear
waste
disposal
are
yet
adequate
for
future
safety.
Industrial
leaders
in
Melbourne
boardrooms
may
claim
this
is
an
issue
cooked
up
by
left-wing
radicals
and
ecological
freaks,
while
union
leaders
will
concede
the
ACTU
stand
has
split
the
Labor
movement,
but
the
man
in
the
Sydney
bar
will
agree
with
national
opinion
polls
which
suggest
the
safe,
conservative
action
now
is
to
leave
it
in
the
ground.
Actually,
in
lifting
the
ban
on
mining
and
export
uranium,
the
Fraser
government,
in
close
consultation
with
the
Canadian
and
American
governments,
has
laid
down
safeguard
principles
for
export
which
are
nearly,
but
not
quite,
as
stiff
as
Canada's.
This
isn't
good
enough
for
Gough
Whitlam
and
the
movement
against
uranium
mining,
and
twice
in
the
past
three
months
there
have
been
violent
demonstrations
at
ship-loading
docks
in
Sydney
and
Melbourne
when
yellowcake
was
being
shipped
aboard
to
fulfill
old
contracts.
While
the
Conservative-oriented
government
of
Mr.
Fraser
may
have
been
pushed
into
lifting
the
uranium
ban
by
anxious
mining
interests.
who
know
Australia
holds
20
per
cent
of
the
non-Communist
world's
uranium
reserves,
the
Labor
movement
has
been
pushed
into
this
reaction
by
the
power
of
its
militant
left-wing
unions.
.
And
Prime
Minister
Fraser
is
apparently
anxious
to
grasp
the
issue
as
the
only
one
which
may
save
his
increasingly
unpopular'
administration.
It
seems
he
would
like
to
go
to
the
country
on
a
law
and
order
campaign
Who
is
running
this
country,
us
or
the
unions?
Since
his
sweeping
defeat
of
the
Whitlam
regime
in
1975,
many
Australians
have
begun
wondering
whether
Fraser's
government
is
running
it
at
all.
With
unemployment
running
at
an
unusual
nine
per
cent,
high
for
this
country,
with
inflation
still
in
the
double
digit
figure
of
over
ten
per
cent,
and
capital
outflow
unexpectedly
high,
the
sooner
he
has
an
electionwhich
has
to
be
held
by
next
year
at
the
latest
the
better
it
may
be
for
him.
The
Labor
party
opposition
would
prefer
to
hold
off
any
election
until
next
year,
when
the
economic
situation
might
help
it
more,
although
the
party
has
been
buoyed
by
recent
Labor
party
gains
in
state
elections
in
south
Australia
and
the
northern
'
Hoy
Chow
Look
(rig
for
a
good
quality
used
cor
or
truck?
lt
me
be
at
your
service
betweer
11:30
p.m.
and
9
p.m.
during
the
week
and
9
a.m.
-6
p.m.
Saturdays.
RICE
CHEV
OLDS.
LTD.
20th
&
Victoria
564-4466
D.L.N.
00560A
OUTDOOR
RAMBLINGS
Sept.
23,
1977
by
Bob
Melrose
The
best
time
of
year
is
now
here.
The
beautiful
fall
colors
and
weather
is
hard
to
beat.
Hunting
season
is
in
full
swing
with
grouse,
deer
and
moose
opening
locally
a
week
ago
Thursday.
Ducks
and
geese
are
showing
up
in
ever
increasing
numbers
and
over
in
Alberta
much
rain
has
fallen
In
the
northern
area
creating
bad
problems
for
the
farmers
and
great
feeding
for
ducks
and
geese.
Moose
and
grouse
are
up
locally
and
it
looks
like
a
much
better
season.
This
Is
also
the
time
of
year
that
everybody's
hunting
and
very
few
fishing
and
we're
missing
the
best
fishing
of
all.
The
trout
have
less
food
to
choose
from
and
aren't
quite
as
selective,
They
also
go
on
feeding
sprees
trying
to
fatten
up
for
the
winter
and
as
I
say
it
can
really
be
good.
Many
outdoor
people
combine
both.
They'll
catch
the
morning
flight
of
ducks
on
their
favorite
lake
and
fish
later
on.
It's
great.
Also
on
a
more
serious
note,
this
it
the
time
of
year
when
hunters
come
under
pressure
of
the
anti-gun,
anti-kill,
ecology,
conservation
groups,
etc.-
Most
of
the
anti-hunter
calls
and
letters
are
totally
absurd.
However,
there
are
those
calls
or
letters
that
are
warranted
from
the
gun
slob
who
shoots
up
equipment,
breaks
Into
cabins,
delights
In
shootmg
signs,
etc.
These
kind
of
hunters
most
of
us
detest,
However
heres
some
facts
that
all
of
us
who
love
the
outdoors
owe
hunters
(About
145,000
men
and
women
in
B.C.
and
17
million
in
North
America).
The
hunter
has
more
reason
to
be
concerned
over
wildlife
than
anybody
else,
Without
the
game
we
can't
hunt.-It
is
hard
cash
from
hunters
and
fishermen
that
pays
for
wildlife
protection,
hatcheries
and
studies,
etc.
In
fact
we're
putting
our
money
where
our
mouth's
ore,
In
the
U.S.
alone
hunters
have
paid
2.5
billion
dollars
for
conservation
through
taxes,
permits
and
over
100
Million
per
year
to
develop
habitats
on
privately
owned
land,
Hunters
have
been
one
of
the
first
groups
to
recognize
Interdependence
of
everything
in
nature.
To
pressure
one
point
you
must
preserve
the
environment
as
a
whole,
Many
hunters
are
members
of
Rod
and
Gun
Clubs
and
donate
materials
and
lots
of
volunteer
labor
to
stream
improvement
or
wildlife
habitat.
They
are
the
groups
who
lobby
politicians
and
step
in
to
protect
the
environment
from
big
non-caring
corporations,
And,
I
haven't
even
mentioned
the
other
aspects
of
hunting,
the
quietness,
the
closeness
to
nature,
the
deep
friendships,
the
pleasant
memories
of
the
camp
and
hunt.
Have
a
good
weekend
Bob
Chargex
bdbSjportg
Hour.
9-6,
9-9
Frl.
Free
Parking
680
Victoria
WASHINGTON
(AP)
-
The
transportation
department
announced
Wednesday
it
has
launched
a
major
investigation
of
fuel-tank
fires
in
all
subcompact
cars
sold
in
the
United
States.
The
action
follows
charges
by
Ralph
Nader
and
others
that
in
past
models
of
the
Ford
Pinto,
the
gasoline
tanks
were
located
in
a
hazardous
position.
The
department's
highway
traffic
safety
administration
said
it
has
begun
a
crash-test
program
to
measure
the
possible
fire
hazard
of
small-car
fuel
tanks.
Agency
administrator
Joan
Claybrook
said
full-sized
autos
also
will
be
tested
for
comparative
purposes.
The
agency
said
an
initial
survey
showed
that
since
1975,
26
Pintos
have
been
involved
in
fires
that
calimed
35
lives.
The
charges
that
prompted
the'lnvestigation
said
500
per-,
FROM
HtfrfcUJ
Plus
Freight
($150)
Plus
Predelivery
Inspection
($80)
Plus
Provincial
Sales
Tax
SUBCOMPACT
CARS
U.S.
dept.
probes
fires
in
fuel
tanks
CONVENIENT
LOCATION
RIGHT
ON
VICTORIA
STREET
PERSONALIZED
SERVICE
FAST,
EFFICIENT
COURTEOUS
STAFF
Watch
schools
and
playgrounds
P
z
2s
30
kmh
Drive
safely
for
our
children's
sake!
Province
of
British
Columbia
g2J
Ministry
of
Highways
and
Public
Works
THE
CITIZEN,
Prince
George
Friday1,
September
23,
1977
17-
sons
had
died
in
Pinto
fires
since
the
car
first
came
out
in
'
1970.
But
agency
officials
say
they
have
no
figures
to
substan-'
tiate
that.
The
charges
were
made
in
the
SeDtember-October
issue
of
Mother
Jones,
a
West
Coastbased
magazine
with
150,00O.t
ouuau
iuci
a.
CJCI
AND
THE
GSDC
OF
PRINCE
GEORGE
presents
MUTT
OBEDIENCE
FROLICKS
SATURDAY,
SEPT.
24
-
1:00
p.m.
PINE
CENTRE
PARKING
LOT
-All
dogs
must
be
on
a
leash
and
under
control.
No
entry
fee,
All
participants
will
receive
a
prize.
For
further
information
phone:
964-4782
or
564-6585.
For
more
information
call:
564-6585
or
964-6053
the
percentage
ore
with
qou
at
the
credit
union
879
Victoria
St.,
Prince
George
Phone
562-5415
PLAN
24
INTEREST
CALCULATED
DAILY
TERM
DEPOSITS
1
YEAR
PAYING
8
ANNUALLY
NORTHLANDER
CHEQUING
INTEREST
PAID
MONTHLY
GOLDEN
ACCOUNT
FOR
MEMBERS
55
YEARS
AND
OLDERS
FREE
PARKING
BESIDE
OUR
BUILDING
OPEN
10
A.M.
TO
4
P.M.
TUESDAY
THRU
SATURDAY
Not
for
Profit
Not
for
Charity
But
for
Service
SPRUCE
CREDIT
UNION
879
VICTORIA
STREET,
PRINCE
GEORGE,
562-5415
(-1
NIlMMI
lal