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PAGE 2, THURSDAY. NOVEME3ER 15, 1973, WHITBY FREE PRESS RISINO COSTS FORGE RATE INGREASE Faced with rising costs and the resultant need for additional revenue, Ontario Hydro announced recently that 1974 rates will be raised for rnost users of electricity in the province. Increases in interim rates to municipal utilities, who buy in bulk fromn Ontario Hydro and in turn supply the majority of Ontario's 2.5 mil- lion users, will average 7½/ per cent. An average increase in revenue of some 10 per cent is required from retail customners in rural areas, serv- ed directly by Ontario Hydro. Rates to a number of indust- rial plants also served directly by the provincial utility, wil be increased to Provide an additional 10 per cent in revenue. Hydro Chairman George Gathercole said, "The new rates are primarily a reflect- ion of strong inflationary forces. Labour rates next yeai under contract terms will be up substantially while much higher puices for fuel and materials will also push Up electricity production costs." "As the rates to most municipal customers are set by their local commissions after taking into account their distribution costs and the cost of power to them, any rate adjustments will depend on the financial position of each municipal systemn and other local circumstances," said Mr. Gathercole. Mr. Gathercole said a num- ber of the 353 local utilities and some industrial customers will obtain relief from the full effects of the increase. For niany municipalities the increase will be less than 2 per cent. "This results from the el- imination of a charge for standardization of frequency to 60 cycles from 25 cycles whicb blas heen in effect for sonie 25 years. The total cost of this program will be fully amortized by the end of 1973. From Ontario Hydro's re- tail system which supplies some 660,000 predomidnantly rurl customers, the increase ini revenue is required not only to meet the increased charges of wholesale power, but also the higher costs of distributing. it over the pro- vince's 180,000 square miles of rural area served. While the average increase is 10 per cent, actual increas- es will depend on the cust- omer's classification and con- sumption pattern. Urge industrial plants ser- ved directly by Ontailo Hydro will also have to provide an overaîl increase of 10 per cent in revenue to meet increasing costs of providing electrical energy to them. Actual rate increases to each industrial customer will depend on use patterns and to some degree the type of service provided. TO BE SENTENCED ON ARSON CHA RGES Robert J. Colgan, 24, of 210 Pine Street, Whitby is to be sentenced in December on two charges of arson. He pleaded guilty to the charges. Last July 7th there was a serious f ire at Pal-O-Pak, Whitby, with $20,000.00 damage done to the plant and equi pment. About a month later-there was another serious f ire which involved a semi trialertru trailer truck. The vehicle owned by B & R Limited, Whitby, was destroyed by f ires. In this f ire, August i lth, the damage was $5,000.00. Mr. Colgan admitted taking part in the setting of the f ires which caused a total of $25,000. damage to Whitby firms. New Director Whitby Public Utilities C- ommission Chairman Dr. J.. ""Jack" McKinney was eiect- ed a director of the Eastern Ontario Municipal Electric A- ssociatiofl at the annual meeting in Kingston. The Association represents over 70 municipal electric utitities in Eastern Ontario. HIS WEEK .: from Ottawa UIC CRACKDOWN Manpower and Immigra- tion Minister Robert Andras told Liberals ini Delhi, Ontario that the Unemploy- ment Insurance Commission's crackdown on persons abus- ing the federal government's program will have resulted in the disqualification of some 250,000 claimarits by the end of this year. The minister said the un- employed "will flot receive a single nickel" of unemploy- ment insurance if they do flot intend to work. HIGH GRAIN PAYMENTS Final payments for wheat, oats and barley for the 1 972- 73 crop year which ended Iast July 31, will give farmers their highest cash returns- since the Second World War, the Canadian Wheat Board has announced. The final payments' to- taling more than $374 million, will be mailed to farmers starting next week. For the current crop year the Wheat Board forecasts even higher returns to farmers. HOUSING STARTS DOWN Preliminary figures from Central Mortgage and Hous- ing Corporation show hous- ing starts in Canada, season- ally adjusted, totalled 255, 600 in October, down slight- :0 M 260,900 in Septem- ,,er and 266,600 in August. Housing starts in urban areas for the first ten months of this year were slightly higher than a year ago. CANADA'S UN ROLE Eleven Canadians left for Egypt last Week to determine the needs of the United Na- tions Emergency Force. Ca- nada and Poland will provide the logistics support for the Emergené'y Force. Canada's contingent will be headed by Brig.-Gen. D.S. Nicholson of Corn wall. COMPETITION BILL Consumer and Corporate Affairs Minister Herb Gray introduced in the House of Commons a revised Competi- tion Bill - the first stage of the federal government's comrpetition policy. The bill is designed to protect con- sumners and small business- men against larger corpora- ions. STATUS 0F WOMEN Mrs. Freda Paltiel has been appointed by the Department of National Health and Weh- fare as a special advisor on the welfare and social status of women - a position newly created in response to grow- i ng sensitivity to the rights and needs of women.- Katrin Fischer, Brookiin, an arts student at the Univer- sity of Guelph, was awarded an aIma mater scholarship. She is shown here receiving the award from Dr. Edith Williams, champaiga clairman of the 1973 Aima Mater Fund with Dr. M.H.M. MacKintion, Dean of Arts looking on. Pickering Township Gounci"l Br«iefs The Pickering Township Gouncil has passed a resolution re- questing the Ministry of Environment to hold "full environmental hearings with respect to the proposed expansion of the Pickering Nuclear Power Station. The Pickering Township Council passed a resolution put forth by Deputy-reeve George Ashe and seconded by Councillor Jack Anderson, authorizing the Township Solicitor *to apply to' the Ontario Municipal Board for the rezoning of the Liverpool Road Landfill site. The application for the rezoning of the BrockRoad south sites is to be held in abeyance and further that negotiations concerning the 1970 agreement between the Township and the Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto continue. The Township Council adopted the recommendation of- the Director of Recreation and Transportation Dave Bass in regards to the development and maintainence of the Claremont Ice Pad. The resolution stated that the necessary f unds by approprated f rom the funds received as a resuit of the expropriation of municipal properties by the Federal Government and already allocated to the Claremont area. The Pickering Township Council passed a by-law authorizing the execution of an Easement Agreement dated October 1973, between Pickering Township and Ernest L. Stroud. The Council passed a by-law authorizing the execution of an Agreemnent dated in October 1973, between Pickering Township and Doreen Beverly Chapman, for the issuance of a building permit. The permit would be issued upon Mrs. Chapman "agreeing to demolish existing dwelling.#" The Executive Commlttee recommended to Coun-cil that the Township Council accept the two Offers to Seil and pass the necessary by-laws "to authorIze their completion." Thme WHITBY FREE PRESS weicomes ne"s reports &bout community happenings or local peopse. Reports from communlty organizations, non-commercial proups, or any unusual items that may be of interest to Whitby and ame readers should be maiied to the Whitby Free Press, Box 206, Whitby, or dropped off at our offices in the FreePresBuildîng (2nd floor),'121 Brock &tret, North, Whitby. 9 àafnews item is "too hot" to wait, please oeil our editorial department ut 668-6000,668-6111, or 668-6700 (24 hours). ime Whitby ]Fre e resl YOUR Whitby community newspaper, and youa have a say as to what appearsin it. If yoma don't lice umething..TELL US! Support YOUR comumunity aewipaper....,and helpr us niake this Whitby aieFwsper a nmethod of communicationi ail of us Whitby reidents can ke proud of. Tihe Whitby Free Press ia operated and staffed by liual people, and is the ONLY local newapaper that. besideç being circulated. throughout the Town of Whitby proper,. is maile out through the Post Ottuce to the oulying rural areas to reach approx- imately- 24,000 readeri n Whitby aooIlin, Myrtle, Ashburn, Ajax and Pickering.,