The Age from Melbourne, Victoria, Australia • 3

THE AGE Saturday August 13 1977 iHOMK NEWS 3 i Fraser puts his electorate in the picture Mail rows formula tom PHILLIP McCarthy CANBERRA The Federal Government plans to spend about S2 million to upgrade television reception in the Prime Minister's Victorian electorate The plan' fnr a translator or relay station for the ABC would help about 30000 people get a clearer service It Is understood officials In Telecom Australia and the Post and Telecommunications Department have been told to speed up their plans A site on Mount Dundas near Coleraine has been earmarked fnr the station's mast and transmitter The station was not mentioned by the now defunct Australian Broadcasting Control Board last year in a list of the next 35 translator stations planned for the ABC The board merely said It seas conducting a survey of reception difficulties In the Victorian west cm district It Is understood Mr Fraser has made representations on behalf of his electorate to the Minister for Post and Telecommunications Mr Robinson A spokesman for Mr Robinson said last night: "Obviously we are not going to put him at the bottom of the list Just because he Is the Prime Minister" Officials described television reception In the area as "adequate to poor" The nearest ABC station Is at Ballarat The Government's decision to spend about $2 million on the translator station comes despite its decision to close access station 3ZZ Melbourne 3ZZ cost $300000 a year to run and could be heard throughout the Melbourne metropolitan area INBRIEF a Hercules has a rocky road to fly for peace By MICHAEL GORDON and GERRY CARMAN Arbitration Commission talks last night produced a breakthrough which could end mail strike Territory voters go to the polls Pesticide threat to wildlife: expert SURFERS PARADISE Some Australian animals including the platypus face extinction because of pesticide poisoning Gold Coast naturalist Mr David Fleay warned yesterday Mr Fleay who Is world-famous conducts a fauna sanctuary at West Burleigh He estimated that bird life throughout the country had been reduced by a quarter in the past 25 years He predicted the problem would get worse The only solution was for the Federal Government to impose a blanket ban on the sale of dangerous pesticides to the public he said Mr Fleay said backyard gardeners bought pesticides which stayed in the soil indefinitely Insects and lizards feeding in the soil were poisoned and eventually passed on the pesticide poisoning to predators such as magpies and kookaburras Persistent pesticides such as DDT did Incalculable daman when dumped into rivers and streams and were already threatening Australia's platypus population Mr Fleay said The platypus which had already been reduced to about 20000 throughout the country would soon die out unless pesticides were controlled he said Mr Fleay said if shops were farced to sell only bio-degradable pesticides which became ineffective after a couple of days the platypus and other native animals could still be saved This week Mr Fleay made vain efforts to save at least six birds including kookaburras and owls brought to his fauna reserve suffering from pesticide poisoning speedy resumption of mail services The statement said discussions on the new roster for the Redfern mail exchange would continue in Sydney before Commissioner Sweeney The chief general manager of Australia Post Mr McQuitty said the NSW branch of the APTU would be asked to suggest any variations to the planned Redfem roster next week The proposed changea will face strong resistsnee within tha NSW branch and could cause lengthy delays in the lifting of bans in that State Australia Post has made it clear that It will not consent to the shorter hours at the Full Bench unless all bans are lifted so continued resistance in NSW could lead to more industrial action In other States On the train and tram front about 3000 workers from six public trans- port unions yesterday approved a i motion calling for prompt negotiations witff the Tramways1 Board and VicRaJl on the pay claim But the stopwork meeting made clear that further industrial action would uke place if the negotiations failad to lead to a pay rise Drivers incensed The State secretary of the Australian Federated Union of Locomotive Enginemen Mr Steve Gibson raid the meeting condemned previous refusals by the Tramways Board and Vic-Rail to discuss the claim The meeting authorised a 50-man campaign committee to take whatever action that was necessary to advance the claim he said Mr Gibson said train drivers were incensed yesterday bv rosier changes which prevented some men from attending the stopwork meeting and-caused "unnecessary disruptions" to morning peak-hour services In another development phlics' firemen and ambulance drivers will refuse to make emergency dashes unless -the State Government moves within 14 days to cover them in accidents The ultimatum came after a meeting' of representatives from the Victoria Police Association United Plreftghtirff Union and the Hospital Employees' Federation No 1 branch yesteraay As a result of the talks the Australian Postal and Telecommunications Union is expected to recommend on Monday that its members end their strike and work bans The union's action has seriously disrupted Australian mail services for the past week If the bans are lifted on Monday postal services in Melbourne and Sydney die worst-hit centres will be back to normal by the end of the week- The recommendation for an end to Industrial action is expected to be put to the postal worker by the APTU general secretary Mr George Slater But Mr Slater is expected to face resistance to the lifting of the bans which were imposed on August 8 in support of the union's claim for shorter hours Roster changes Meanwhile train and tramway workers yesterday endorsed their campaign for a $30 a week pay rise but removed any immediate threat to Melbourne's public transport services Australia Post told the Arbitration Commission yesterday it would consent to a 36 -hour week and reduced attendances if proposed roster changes at the Redfem mail exchange went into operation A new roster which will rave the Postal Commission 63 million a year by reducing shifts which attract high penalty rates was announced yesterday and will begin on August 22 So far the NSW branch of the union has strongly opposed the roster which will reduce the lake-home pay of Red-fern workers by more than $20 a week Mr Slater told the commission last night he would recommend the dropping of bant to union's Federal executive on the condition that discussions on the shorter hours issue resume He is expected to request that the shorter hours question go before the Full Bench of tne Arbitration Commission as soon as possible In a prepared statement released after the commission meeting Deputy President Isaac said he was hopeful that the conference would lead to a DARWIN More than 43000 voters In the Northern Territory go to the polls today to elect a new Northern Territory Legislative Assembly The 19-seat assembly pre viously not much more than a rubber stamp for Federal Government policies Is to become the "State" Government by July 1 1979 By that date according to a transfer of powers timetable announced last month by the Minister for the NT Mr Adermann the Territory will be fully self-governed The present assembly elected In 1974 is dominated by the Country-Liberal Party led by the Chief Secretary of the Territory Dr Goff Letts The Country Liberals hold 17 of the 19 seats The other two are held by Independents White victory CANBERRA While wine continued to dominete red in June according to figures released yesterday by the Bureau of Statistics White wine sales for the month were 4634000 litres compared with 2597000 litres of red Total wine sales for June were 14971000 litres compared with 15063000 the previous month Uplifting news SYDNEY About 1000 unionists In Victoria NSW and Queensland have banned the repair and servicing of lifts and escalators The liftworkers are campaigning for a $50 rise to bring their industry allowance to $83 a week The workers are members of the Electrical Trades Union and the Amalgamated Metal Workers' and Shipwrights' Union Mackay fund SYDNEY The Don Mackay reward trust fund was $24210 when donations closed yesterday The fund was set up for information on the disappearance of Mr Mackay a Griffith businessman on July 15 Envoy goes home ti An RAAF Lockheed Hercules beglna Its elimb out of the rocky Grose Valley In the Blue Mountains during a recent NSW training flight Next year Nth 36 Squadron Richmond will celebrate 20 years of flying the aircraft A fciecftSH) Ye ofcte Brgffsh kitchen Consultants to probe CRB road contracts Drugs double accident risk By PRUE INNES YU i iv ROSS WARNEKE eur Transport Reporter The State Government has appointed a firm of management consultants to investigate methods used by the Country Roads Board for letting and supervising road-construction contracts The Transport Minister Mr Rafferty said last night tha firm PA Consulting Services Pty Ltd would begin work immediately He expected the firm to complete its report by mid-November The appointment follows an Opposition call for an open public inquiry into the CRB after the $1 million collapse of sections of the Hume Freeway between Wallan and Broadford late last year The $365 million freeway began to break up only a few months after it wai opened in May 1976 Last month Stata Cabinet reprimanded the CRB over tha failure and announced Its intention to examine the board's contractual procedures The coat of one of the road construction contracts for the by 130 per from $76 million to $175 between 1971 and 1976 The board has admitted blame for road collapse Cabinet in its published reprimand of the board said there appeared to have been a breakdown in communication between the construction contractors and the board employees who supervised the contracts Mr Rafferty said last night the terms of reference approved by Cabinet would enable very thorough probe' of the methods used by the CRB to let and supervise work contracts In 1975-76 the CRB awarded 292 contract for roadworks and the supply of materials Their total valua was $23114000 Cannabis users and people on prescribed drugs like tranqui-lisers have twice as many car accidents as other people a drugs expert said last night The director of the Alcoholics and Drug Dependent Persons Services Dr Gerald Milner said illicit narcotic users had twice tu four times the ordinary crash rate And he told a public meeting organised by the Victorian Foundation on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence that: One In three adults in Australia take a prescribed drug which could affect driving safety Marijuana users are more likely to drink heavily than non-marijuana users Dr Milner said that doctors who failed to warn patients of drinking and driving rlski associated with prescribed drugs could risk civil prosecution He said people involved in road collisions should not be dismissed as "alkies" or "Junkies" "We are all involved in alcohol and drug use and in associated problems" he told the meeting Dr Milner urged tougher sanctions against drunk-driving or drug-driving offences This could include impounding the vhicles of people who persisted in driving after their licences had been cancelled "We should resist any move that might extend the use of cannabis for we already have more drugs than we can cope with and people are multiple drug users in our consumer culture" Dr Milner said He also urged work to develop a quick and efficient test for cannabis use to try to control the road toll and said police action could be helped by greater use of breathalysers and by using new automatic breath reading analysis machines The chairman of the Road Safety and Traffic Authority Dr Peter Vulcan told the meeting that a study of road accident victims showed that three-quarters of drivers killed on Friday and Saturday nights had exceeded the j05 blood alcohol level And the majority of those drivers had levels three times more than tha legal limit "The drink-driving problem on Friday and Saturday nights is at least double that of tha rest of the Dr Vulcan said "When three-quarters of drivers killed on the weekend evenings are intoxicated and this compares with about one-third of drivers killed during the rest of the week we can see that concentrated action ii needed during these quite limited periods "These two nights account for more than one-quarter of all driver fatalities Clearly we must concentrate our countermeasure efforts particularly increased enforcement on Friday and Saturday nights" US Embassy attache Dr Roger Meisner will return home soon the US Information Service said yesterday Dr Meisner 50 avoided trial over a recent fatal car accident in Canberra because of diplomatic immunity Knight sued BRISBANE The Austra-lia and New Zealand Banking Group yesterday issued a Supreme Court writ claiming $4627869 from Sir William Archer Gunn of Ascot Brisbane The bank claims Sir William and two Victorian men on May 9 1975 guaranteed Jointly and severally to pay on request any sums remain ing unpaid in resi advances made by bank to Hands International Ltd Arm sawn off Micro-surgeon at St Vin cent's Hospital yesterday sewed back a man's arm after it was severed by circular saw at Heath morn yesterday Genuine oak doors naturally with laminated interiors for easy cleaning Your kitchen does not have to look kka an army food preparation centre Swenrick Kitchen Centre can transform your existing kitchen into an oxciting oak kitchen It will be functional easy to clean with every worthwhile facility and look bettor than most living room furniture Let us give you a quota you'll be pleasantly surprised There are cheaper kitchens there are dearer kitchens but none better ICF9ISI5 72 months interest Ii LmiSlS loans still available to approved customers So for your once 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and was sacked Mr Schildbergrria immediate future looks sale He has Just been on holiday "I'm a fatalist when it comes to these things If 'someone wants my job when I go on holiday then it" ha said from Sydney yesterday Ms holiday was itself part of an attempt to lift A Current Affair's ratings ly MIKE ROBERTS Channel Nine yesterday sacked Sue Smith as compere of A Current Affair only four days before she was to return from a two-week break The Nine network named Journalist Michael Schildberger to be both anchorman and executive producer of the programme in an attempt to reverse its fall in the ratings Ms Smith is expected to remain on tha show as a reporter Kevin Sanders her co-host for several months is expected to return to the United States Yesterday's sacking was a re SWENRICK KITCHEN CENTRE 13 Shipley St Box Hill Phone 89 7619 Sue Smith i.