PETRO CANADA
service station owner
Terry Higgins dropped
his- price: of,:gas five
cents Thursday — to
38.2 cents a litre —
which is .78 cents less
than it cost him.

He and the other private
operators on the Marine
Drive strip in West Van-
couver around the 2lst
Street area had tried holding
out from being dragged in to
the gas war they are con-
vinced spells their doom.

But then one of them
finally gave way and Higgins
decided he'd have to follow.
So down crashed his gas
price from 43.2 cents a litre
to 38.2 — for full service. At
the same time, self serve
stations had already reached
the 37.7 cents mark.

The gas markdown began
as a result of a gasoline
surplus at one of the Bur-
naby refineries.But within no
time it developed into a full
scale gas war between

By CHRIS LLOYD
service stations.

“The company owned
stations are trying to crush
the independent
businessmen and control the
market,” Higgins main-
tained. -

He explained that this is
possible because of the way
self-serve stations are
operated. Managers, he

said, are either employed on -

salary or are paid according
to the volume of gasoline
sold so that they. have no
concerns about what price it
sells at. ”

‘Higgins is president of the
Petro Canada dealers’
association and says the best
concession he has been able
to come up with on entering
the gas war is that now he
has dropped below his own
buying price he will be
guaranteed receiving 1.7
cents a litre.

With the overheads of
running a full serve station,
he says: “It. costs me 2.2
cents to pump it.”

With the minimal amount

Pool vandals fence

At a cost of 5,000

YOUTH VANDALISM and
rowdiness has forced North
Vancouver District council
to take the drastic step of
closing public access to the
Seymour River pool below
Riverside Drive — and the
cost to taxpayers is $5,000
Council’s action follows
numerous and persistent
complaints by Riverside
Drive residents who claim
youths gather at the
Seymour pool during the
summer months and disrupt
the peace of the neigh-
borhood with partying and
noise.
Under

current District

policy access to the Seymour
River

Pool is restricted

between June 1 and Sep

tember 30. Entrance to the.

area is wired-off by a steel
fence.

However, according to
Municipal Engineer, Harry
McBride, teenagers have
either “bypassed or cut
through the fence in order to
reach the pool.”

In order to prevent
continuing rowdyism in the
future at the Seymour pool
he recommended to council
that District errect 170 feet
of cight-foot-high heavy
gauge chainlink fence.

Council approved Mc-
Bride’s recommendation to
dip into municipal funds for

draperies
by S. Laursen

Custom Draperies, Bedspreads
1° Venetian, Vertical and Wooden Blinds

‘‘In-home Service’’
FREE ESTIMATES GLADLY GIVEN
All bDiinda 20% off liat

Labour per panei $5.50 °
(uniined). $6.50 (lined).

FOR THE FINAL TOUCH
8 a.m. to6 p.m. Monday thru Saturday

call 987-2966

‘T'M LOSING MY SHIRT at this price,’ says Petro
Canada operator Terry Higgins as he marks down

oe
Se oe

gas to a price less than it even costs him. (Ian Smith

photo)

he is guaranteed, Higgins
says he will be running at a
loss, receiving about 10
cents a gallon, while Shell
Operators are guaranteed 14
cents a gallon and Esso
dealers get 13 cents.

He says he doesn't blame
motorists one bit for buying
gas wherever they can get it
cheapest. He just wants
them to realize that while
consumers are usually

out

$5,000 to build the steel
barrier.

Waterbeds

We're moving to.a

new, bigger location
‘Look for us at

740 Marine Or. N.Y.
986-3436

Varies bhodseors

® Persian Carpets

® Designer Furniture
and Bedroom Suites

® Dccorating Accessories

Peat Marwick Lamited
Agent for Sccured bende

complaining about the price
of gas it’s not because of the
profits the gas stations are
making.

And though it’s the service
stations who are marking
down the prices it’s not
because they can afford it.
Right now, they're fighting
for their lives.

7593 - Liberty H!

RECEIVERSHIP SALE

40% -S0%-60% OFF

TUSCANY HOUSE FINE INTERIORS LIMITED
848 West Hastings Street
(Hastings and Hornby)
Vancouver, B.C.

9 30 am. to 6 00 p.m., Monday~Friday
10:00 am. to 4.00 p.m_, Saturday

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GREAT OUTDOORS

201 LONSDALE

Qum Silk, Hamadans, Belouch,
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North Shore News.

A3 - Sunday, July 18, 1982 -

~

$

copying servi-
ces.

‘Concord Copy.
101-1515 Pemberton
985-5115

Time for
school
PAGE BS

Trail Blazer

men hikers. Sizes (7-14)
widths (B-EE)

WE GUARANTEE

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aS PE RES

West Coast

980-3313

pa

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