Tired and dejected pickers leave area TERRACE — A young couple from Hawaii who spent their savings to come here and pick mushrooms boarded a plane for home last Thursday, tired and dejected. “We're broke,” said Cliff Gaines, 35, of Honolulu. “We “maxed out our credit cards. We don’t have any cash. We don’t have any transportation.” “There’s nothing in it for us — we're Jeaving.”” “He estimates that he and his girlfriend Linda Cristall each spent more than $5,000 -—— in _ food, equipment, clothing, plane tickets and a $1,000 camp fce — to comé here in search of the lucrative pine mushrooms. ‘Everybody lost an incredible amount. of money,’* Cristall added, They responded to ads placed by a Vancouver-based company called Natural Excellence In- dustries International promising earnings of “up to $1,000 a day.””. They arrived at the company’s camp 12km west of Cranberry Junction in early September and, after going a month without find- ing a pine mushroom, they say they’ve decided to give up. The couple also complained of food and conditions at the camp. They each paid a $1,000 “registration fee’’ to the compa- ny up front, and hold little hope of getting it back. Cristall said some pickers ate contemplating a class action law- suit against the company, but nothing has been filed in court so far. ; “It’s against God’s law what those people did,’’ Cristall said. She said she queried the compa- ny’s claims of thousand-dollat-a- day profits and was told by onc employee that an $800-a-day take was average, and that up to $2,000 a day was possible. But as Cristall, Gaines and others go home, more pickers continue to pay $1,000 and head ‘forth in search of a mushroom fortune. . Although some are leaving, Gaines and Cristall said more new pickers continued to arrive - Jast week at the camp 12km west of Cranberry Junction. The new arrivals has kept the "umber of pickers at the camp steady at around 50, Gaines said. Alcan reduces payroll TERRACE — Alcan’s Kitimat workforce has dropped below 2,000 people as it continues to cut costs to cope with tough econom- ic conditions. The aluminum manufacturer has eliminated 50 positions in the Jast year and will cut another 35 ‘before the year ends. Alcan now employs 1,972 people, down from the approxi- mately 2,100 employed just twa years ago and a considerable drap ’ from the 2,500 on its payroll at the beginning of the 1980s. The cuts ate being made without layoffs, using retirements and transfers instead, says Alcan spokesman Allan Hewilson. But it is eliminating temporary workers as their assignments cnd in favour of using those on full - time, be said. Eric Sykes, Alcan’s operations director in Kitimat, said the com- pany will save $6 million by _ eliminating 85 positions. “Although considerable work has already gone into reducing many of the controllable costs, significant reductions are re~ quired, Wages and salaries ac- * count for over 60 per cent of the smelter’s controllable costs,” he said. - Alcan has been hurt by the world-wide recession, new smelters and the export from the former Sovict Union of nearly ane million tonnes of aluminum a year. The company has reported - Josses for the past seven quartets. TOBACCO ISA DRUG. Protect your children. Cristall said most of the pickers were told not to bother bringing vehicles. “They were told not to bring anything,’ she said. ‘'Most people are stranded there with no transportation.” “Tf they covid they leave. But ‘ they’ve tricd to make it so you're © as dependent on them as pos- sible.’’ Terrace Anti-Poverty Group. Society spokesman Gerald King said some mushroom pickers have been showing up at the socicly’s soup kitchen here. And King said ihe number of mushroom pickers allempting to go on welfare has meant longer waits for some local recipients for whom he is an advocate. Pickers came to the camp from ‘as. far away as Ontario, Alberta, Saskatchewan and the United States. As of the weekend, pine mushrooms were still coming in slowly. For car-quality ride and handling, « German engineered and built sian system ¢ Front wheel drive : * 2.5L 5-cylinder engine Spend some quality time with the kids. Introducing the new Volkswagen EuroVan. check out this capacity crowd pleaser. « Four wheel independent suspen - 4) Columbia Auto Haus Ltd. |¢¢¢ 3779 AIVER DRIVE, TERRACE, 635-57 17 * Sedan-styled driver's position * Seats 7 adults comfortably Drop by for a lest drive today. EuroVan reviled bt) > NEW.1993 CAR AND TRUCK ‘L SHOWING 3 *On Certain Models | in Terrace _ The 1993’s are here and McEwan GM “would like to invite everyone down to our spacious showroom to view these new and exciting 1993 Cars & Trucks. We will have these vehicles inside from Oct. 7 until Oct. 14 for your viewing pleasure _and comfort. Free Corvette Posters, Coffee & Donuts — Terrace Standard, Wednesday, October 7, 1992 - Paga All BONANZA SALE ON NOW! SALE ENDS OCT. 17th HELLY HANSEN RAINWEAR wooo wore SAB. QQ sxx, $49.99 $44.99 s,, §48.99 UNIVERSAL WORKWEAR JEANS Boat Cut or Straight Leg. Reg. $26.98 $19.99 PANTS Reg. $51.98 QUILT LINED HI TOP KODIAK FLANNEL SHIRTS | MATTERHORN SOCKS Mo $29.98 $24.99 BOOTS Reg. $4.98 fog. $189.98 Mt. 326.99 $414.99 2/°7.98 ALLADIN INSULATED LUNCH COOLER & VACUUM BOTTLE (Combo Pak) Hag. $69.98 $59.98 LEVIS" SPORT SHIRTS Long Sleeved. 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