Wedoesday he would e end
| bis. 11-year” political
| career and decline to
defend his seat in the

of . current election cam-

“TORONTO > (UPO) - Six

‘Toronto. men.
“possible maximum
sentences ‘of - ‘Hfe im-

ent after being
convicted of Fape, gross
indecency, and at-
8 tempted. buggery. of two

| women H last summer.

‘

‘A jury in the. men’s
seven-week gang-rape
| trial
- verdicts Wednesday after

||. deliberating fortwo days.
Sentencing- ‘was. set ‘for

Jan. 31.

face -

feturned = guilty —

Peake tedert acer while
other reports ,
~ he would | ‘be “named | an.

speculated

“The court was told a

ite woman from

New. Orleans, La.. was
‘picked up ata downtown
tavern by. one of the men

_.and driven to a northwest

‘Toronto suburb. She was

found neasly ~ 14 houts ;
. Mater,

stumbling and
crawling in the street
after escaping from a

' - house. where three of the

men lived. |

A 33-year-old Toronto °

woman was picked up at

another tavern and taken —

to the same house. Both

women were repeatedly

raped, the court was told.

. Electronic games
in short supply

HONG KONG (UPI) -
Many youngsters who put
electronic games at the
head of their Christmas
lists are due for disap-
pointment.

The coveted gift may
end up as an Easter
present instead.

The world’s toymakers
have been frantically
assembling microproces-
sor gamies, but an acute
shortage of chips, brains

of the sophisticated units,
have thwarted their
efforts.

"An executive with one
independent Hong Kong
supplier said, “The surge
in demand outstripped
the most optimistic
estimates made when
chip) manufacturers
planned their production
schedules for this year.”

Honk Kong imports its
chips primarily from the
United States. Some
producers attribute the
shortage to competition
for the pans from the
automobile and computer
industries.

Militants rule
out Xmas visits

TEHRAN, Iran (UPI) -
Militant students ruled
last week that relatives
will not be allowed to visit
50 American hostages at
Christmas even through
the Iranian government

said it hoped such a
humanitarian = gesture
might be arranged.

“No relatives will be
allowed to see them at
Christmas,” a militant
spokesman said. “After
all, they are hostages.”

He refused to say
whether the hostages

now in their 47th day of,

captivity - wquld be
allowed to 830 attend
Catholic and Protestant
church services next
week as promised by
Foreign Minister Sadegh
Ghotbzadch.

“That's his opinion. not
Necessarily ours.” the
spokesman said.

The students and
Ghotzbadch were locked
in a power struggle after
Iran's ambassador to
Sweden was arrested an
charges of being a CIA
agent.

” This is the time of the year
when we: reflect upon . the
meaning of Christmas and,
in most cases, acknowledge
how fortunate we are. Not so
fortunate, however, is
Janine, one of the more than
400 needy applicants seeking ~
help from the ‘North Van-

couver Christmas Bureau.

Janine is a young woman
with multiple sclerosis whois _
valiantly trying to maintain
an existence of her own.
Among other things, this
means living near a relative
in case her disease regresses

, and she suddenly requires

assistance. -

CHRISTMAS BUREAU

Janine’ s lonely

Four years ago she had to |

spend Christmas in ‘hospital
and is praying that it will not
happen again this Christmas.

‘It's not only Janine’s
health that has its ups and.

downs. In her battle for:

independence she took a
Clerk-steno course this year
at Capilano College. . But
since she lacks experience in
that occupation, she has so
far been unable -to find
employment and is having a
hard struggle to make ends
meet.

This year, too, her father ~

passed away.

24-hour parking ordered

The City of North Van-
couver now has a parking
bylaw that requires off-street
parking be provided on a 24-
hour basis.

The bylaw was given final
reading in council last week,
but not before three council
members had restated their

opposition to the bylaw.

The debate on the matter
was almost an exact
repetition of debate two
weeks ago, when Aldermen

Elko Kroon, Stella Jo Dean |

SPA

and Bill Sorensen said they
felt the provision of 24-hour
parking should be left out of
the bylaw in order to leave
open the possibility of
providing parking on a
shared basis.

Once again Mayor Jack
Loucks cast the deciding
vote in favour of the bylaw
with the 24-hour provision,

Also, the bylaw makes the —

provision’ of parking for the
handicapped mandatory.

ec. SWIMMING
& FITNESS

CENTRE

GUARANTEED LOWEST PRICES
$ 5 per month

averoge price ona
course base

1 week only

Husbond & wife specials

Group Fitness Classes hourly

Extensively Equipped Gym
Lorge Coed Swimming Pool

Whirlpool plus Sauna
Ultra Violet Sun Room
Professional Instruction
Physto- Therapist

148 W.14th St. North Vancouver
980-9358

"Donations. “(axdeductib- a ‘
le) are still urgently needed _
‘by the Christmas Bureau to. °

help Janine and hundreds of

They | may» ‘be mailed.
North * Vane .

directly to:

P.0.. - ‘Box 86081, North
Vancouver VIL 455 — or

they may be taken to any of
the five branches of th North

Shore Community Credit

“Union, which will issue an-_

interim receipt. ;

Winter Driving Notice

Snow Area

Spot Checks:

At this time of year and in areas subject |
to heavy snow conditions, you will often
see special signs requiring that

vehicie have good winter-tread

carry chains or, in some cases, that
chains be mounted. For your Safety and
that of other motorists, these Signs are

authorized by law.

During the next few weeks,random
checks will be carried ouf by the RCMP
in problem driving areas,more partic-
ularly the Hope-Princeton, the Squamish
Highway to Whistler, the Fraser Canyon,
but including other sections of road on
Vancouver Island and the rest of the
province, subject to snow conditions.
The operation will be in conjunction with
the Attomey-General's “Counterattack”
programme. Drivers of vehicles not
Property equipped may be turned back

or charged.

The Ministry of Transportation and High-
ways is doing its best to clear snow and
maintain our roads in winter to make
them safe. Before driving into snow
areas, make sure you have good winter
tires and are carrying chains to make
your vehicle safe. Watch for snow
removal equipment, special signing, and
please drive carefully.

Province of British Columbia
MINISTRY OF TRANSPORTATION AND HIGHWAYS
Hon. Alex V, Fraser, Minieter