The record, 4 mars 1997, mardi 4 mars 1997

THE 60 CENTS Townships Digest Hydro interruption in Ste-Catherine-de-Hatley Residents of Ste-Catherine-de-Hatley are advised there will be an interruption in Hydro service on Wednesday, March 5, from 1:30 to 4 p.m.due to general maintenance work, Hydro-Sherbrooke has announced.The areas affected will be from the Fleury farm at 1740 du Lac to the Magog city limits, including Shore Acres, Ayer’s Cliff and du Ruisseau roads.In case of rain, the work will be done the following day.Tax clinics Every year, volunteers from community groups who have been trained by the personnel of Revenue Canada and the ministère du Revenu du Québec complete tax returns free of charge.The clients for this program are low income workers, income security recipients, the elderly, the disabled and any other person who cannot afford to pay for assistance in completing their tax returns.People who have received personalized forms must take them to the clinic.To find out the schedule for the tax clinic nearest you, call the Ministère du Revenu du Québec at 1-800-567-3531, or Revenue Canada at 1-800-567-7360.In Sherbrooke, the tax clinics of the Service budgétaire populaire will continue to be held in the basement of the Immaculée Conception Church, 1085 Alexandre.Upcoming clinics - Tuesday, March 4: pensioners; Wednesday, March 12: pensioners and the unemployed; Thursday, March 20: new immigrants and refugees; and Wednesday, March 26: low income workers, students and others.Today’s Weather Snow • • • • • • • • • • Complkte weather: pace 2 Inside Ann Landers.12 Community Births and Forum .6 Deaths.II Record Album _____5 Classified.14,15 Sports .10 Comics .15 Theme Page: Crossword.15 Education.7 Classifieds The voice of the Eastern Townships since 1897 some Sherbrooke; 569-9525 L.Knowlton: 242-1188 Tuesday, March 4, 1997 ; ' v " ' ' ; Ice jam PERRY BEATON The six-kilometer ice build-up in the Eaton River in Cookshire ends at the railroad bridge to the north of the town.The river is flowing through the ice which is sitting on the river bed.For more on what officials intend to do about it, please turn to page 3.Government to help repair damaged reputation of asbestos industry By Paul Cherry Thetford Mines The federal government has taken another step towards trying to help the damaged reputation of asbestos, a crucial mining product to the Thetford Mines region.Yesterday, minister of natural resources Anne McLellan visited the mining town to sign a memorandum of understanding with representatives of the asbestos mining industry, establishing new world-wide policies for the responsible use of chrysotile asbestos.“We’ve been trying to get this done for ten years,” said Bernard Coulombe president of the J.M.Asbestos mine.“With what has happened in France it made this much more urgent.” What happened in France was a near total ban on asbestos products that both the provincial and federal governments have been trying to reverse since its announcement last July.With the signing of the memorandum, foreign-based companies that use chrysotile from Canada will have to submit annual reports on its usage including exposure levels and compliance with safety standards.“Asbestos is a priority for my department.Despite massive cutbacks within my department, we were able to find half a million dollars in addition to the millions of dollars the federal government has contributed to the Asbestos In-stitute,” said McLellan with Marcel Massé, the infrastructure minister who made those cuts, sitting right next to her.McLellan said the additional $500,000 will be used to promote the responsible use of asbestos and to maintain the international markets the industry has.The ban - which applies to all asbestos products except items like brakes for heavy vehicles and fire fighting equipment, where no safer alternative exists - was implemented on Jan.1, but SEE ASBESTOS, PAGE 3 l°>|e MAGOG March Promotion REMOTE STARTER AS 1200 AUTOSTART Valid until March 31, 1997 Purchase or Lease Truck or Car New or Used page 2 Tuesday, March 4, 1997 THE' A car full of merry passengers Adventure at the Colby-Curtis Museum sans T One never knows exactly where the road will lead when an outing is planned with someone else.The destination in question on this day of adventure is Carrollcroft, also known as the Colby-Curtis Museum.The purpose of the trip is to take in the displays, as plans are being made to set up an exhibit on The Record, to mark the newspaper’s centennial.Unexpectedly, the car is full of merry passengers - two municipal councillors, one museum coordinator, one town recreation officer, and a community relations officer.The tour is an informative one, relating the history of the beautiful building, its former dwellers and its exquisite artifacts.The special exhibit on lace is studied for content and set-up ideas.The group is allowed to visit the basement area where items from The Stanstead Journal’s past are stored.Elements from former exhibits are brought out from storage for viewing.True Townships hospitality and sharing of experience.Thanks, Jeanne d’Arc.Briefs The travelling group departs with notes and ideas, off to lunch in downtown used-to-be Rock Island.After an uneventful but companionable meal, an adventuresome member of the group proposes a slight detour before the return back from whence she came.Wouldn’t the car benefit from some cheap gas?The response is prefaced by serious questioning by the car owner - on the legality of this proposal, and the appropriate phraseology to be used.Thus began an escapade which moments later found the driver talking to a customs officer in another country, telling her that all five people in the vehicle just had lunch back in their home country a half-mile back, and were headed for the nearest gas station to fillup with foreign fuel.This was obviously a very common occurrence, for the group was directed to the gas station right across the street.Motor happily purring with a full tank, before the car could inch out of the service station yard, animated discussion broke out about the ‘busted goods’ store located just diagonally across the street - wouldn’t the inexperienced be interested in being introduced to the shop?Having a few minutes to spare before the next appointment, the driver and passengers acquiesced.The stop resulted in 5 small bags of‘damaged’ goods being added to the trunk of the car.The customs officer graciously listened to our tale upon our arrival back in Canada just 15 minutes after we’d left, and unceremoniously we were back ‘home’.Back to the museum for a moment.Both the museum’s permanent pieces and the current exhibition are eyecatching.So much so that one of the group members returned on Saturday to share the experience with her spouse and a friend.The No T Challenge This column has been written in a very different style.The following advice was addressed to me from one of our readers - there is no room for the word T in journalism.Very true when a reporter is covering an event as a news item.But what about a columnist who writes an editorial?No I’s?Could this writer pen a column avoiding them?Anything is possible .But would the resulting assembling of words have the same impact?Only readers can answer that question.Writing in the third person has been a challenge.It’s much more difficult for this author to convey emotion and zest when it cannot be expressed in the first person - the words do not flow in the same way.However, any reasonable advice merits implementation, at least once.An experience this has been, in more ways than one.SUSAN MASTINE Commimications-Quebec can help you prepare to retire An indispensable guide for people 55 and over If you are preparing to retire, you should know about all the programs designed for people 55 years of age and over.Communication-Québec recently published a new edition of the guide ‘For People 55 and Over’ that contains information about the 31 main federal and provincial government programs and services for the elderly.You will find in the guide information on such subjects as prescription drug insurance, the Old Age Security pension, the retirement pension, foreign pensions, employment insurance, the hearing aid program, the Logirente program, driver’s licences, and wills.The guide is available free of charge from Communication-Québec.Just call or stop by.Postal Codes Today’s Weather < /• j.THiniORD.Mines Richmond Lac-MécaNti^* Sherbrooks'* , jCOWANSVILLR f i Stanstead REGIONAL FORECASTS MIN MAX Sherbrooke Snow 0 2 Thetford Mines Snow 0 1 Cowansville Snow 0 2 Richmond Snow 0 2 Stanstead Snow 0 3 Lac Megantic Snow 0 2 As of February 17, people who are searching for a postal code can use a new 1-900 telephone service.For a charge of S.75, you can receive up to three postal codes per call.The charge will appear on your telephone bill.The numbers to call are 1-900-565-2633 for service in English and 1-900-565-2634 for service in French.Postal code information is available free of charge at any postal outlet or on Canada Post Corporation’s World Wide Web site (http://www.mailposte.ca).You can also purchase a copy of the Postal Code Directory in book format at any postal outlet for the price of $11.95 for the regional edition and $25.95 for the national edition.Stickers for the disabled Throughout the province of Québec are parking spaces reserved for people with major disabilities.The spaces may be used by people whose vehicles have a portable sign issued by the Office des personnes handicapées du Québec (OPHQ) or a sticker issued by the Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ).Those with a major disability that prevents them from walking are issued the sign or sticker after their file has been studied.The SAAQ issues an identification sticker to the disabled who hold a driver’s licence and own a vehicle.The sticker is applied to the licence plate of the vehicle.The cost is $8 for the first sticker and $4 to renew the sticker every two years.To find out all the conditions for obtaining the sticker or to receive the application form, call SAAQ at 1-800-361-7620 (toll free).Portable sign The OPHQ’s portable sign is a numbered card that must be suspended from the inside rear view mirror of a vehicle.The sign 4 for the person, not the vehicle.Available free of charge, the portable sign is valid for three years.To find out all the conditions for obtaining the sign or to receive the application form, call the OPHQ at 820-3771, or 1-800-567-1465 (toll free).Renewal application: In order to continue receiving the Guaranteed Income Supplement, Spouse’s Allowance, and Widowed Spouses’s Allowance, all beneficiaries must renew their application yearly.Renewal forms were automatically sent to all beneficiaries at the end of January and beginning of February.The forms must be filled out and received at the Security Income Programs office no later than March 31.But it is recommended that they be sent before mid-March BEN® by DANIEL SHELTON PAP, HOW 'POUT COMING OUT TO RUN WITH MOM ANPME!7 m IT'S 1 SO NICE OUT THERE.' J I WANT A SEC0NP OPINION,,, I PONT THINK SO, PESIPES, YOUR POCTOR SAIP YOU SHOULPSTARTA MOPERATE EXERCISE PROGRAM WHICH COULPINCLUPE JOGGING.-, ill TH b Tuesday, March 4, 1997 page 3 ============== Record Mechanical means used to break Eaton River ice jam By Rita Legault Sherbrooke After being on flood alert for more than a week, the municipality of Cookshire has decided to give Mother Nature a hand to break the ice on the Eaton River.An ice jam near the railway bridge has been growing for more than week, expanding from about four kilometres to six kilometres in length overnight Sunday.The ice jam is preventing water from flowing downstream, causing some minor flooding in the area and leading to the evacuation of a nearby trailer park last weekend and again this Sunday.At one point Sunday, three feet of water from the River covered Eaton Road and isolated the trailer park from the rest of the town.So far, no homes Asbestos: CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 its effects have been felt in the industry for months.“Right in the middle of last year the French stopped buying from us,” Coulombe said.“But it has spread farther than the French government; they themselves have shipped their stock around the world in countries where they have factories.” Coulombe said with the French government selling their existing supplies, a glut of chrysotile asbestos products now exists in countries J.M.Asbestos sells to like Peru, Nigeria and Ireland.The company president said sales are down eight per cent and it could get worse.In November, a draft resolution to implement a European Union wide ban on all asbestos fibres was voted Jean Duperé.'What we're trying to do is prevent a serious ripple effect.’ have been affected.A flight over the area Monday morning by civil protection officials showed clear waters upstream from Cookshire.The problem near Cookshire is that the Eaton River meanders and narrows, allowing ice to accumulate along the shores and near the railway bridge.The water level is also low, making it harder for river currents to drag the ice downstream.Civil protection official Jacques Brochu said the municipality had two choices: to let nature take its course and hope that the sun, wind, and warm temperatures melted the ice enough to break it up and allow currents to drag it downstream; or to use mechanical means to unplug the river and prevent further flooding.Municipal officials from Cookshire, down.However, another vote on a possible ban could come up as early as the end of this year which would pose a serious threat to the industry.European markets represent 20 per cent of sales to the mines in Asbestos and Thetford Mines and Coulombe already sees that market decreasing.“It’s coming.I just came back from Europe and you can sense it,” Coulombe said referring to dropping sales.“Even if there is no European Community ban right now, the countries involved in the EU will stick together.” Asbestos is also banned in eight other European countries including Germany and Italy.Since its inception, both the federal and provincial governments have tried to reverse the ban which was based on studies done by the Institut Nationale de la Santé et de la Recherche Medical (INSERM).Two independent studies of the report have found it to be based on shaky scientific data.One was initiated by the Quebec government and was headed by Graham W.Gibbs of McGill University and James Dunnigan of Université de Sherbrooke.The other was done by the Royal Society of Canada.Both found that the INSERM report used dated scientific research and, in some cases, based its conclusions on chrysotile fibres through studies done on other types of fibres.There are six forms of asbestos fibres.The most dangerous forms - including crocidolite, amosite, and tremolite -can cause asbestosis, a lung scarring disease, and mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer that usually causes death within a year of diagnosis.Chrysotile is considered to be much less carcinogenic than other fibres.The report also used data taken on chrysotile when its use was not regulated.Most countries that allow asbestos products used to do so with strict regulations.In 1993 the Canadian asbestos industry successfully reversed an American ban on asbestos imposed by the Envi- Newport Township and Westbury met with experts from the provincial civil security office and Environment Quebec and determined mechanical means was the way to go.Cookshire Mayor Lucette Mignault said a contractor was looking at the river on Monday afternoon and that work was expected to begin Tuesday morning.She said that according to Environment and Civil Security experts, efforts to unplug the river in Cookshire should not cause any flooding problems for neighbors downstream.Mignault said the municipality has also decided to repair flooding which has created a new brook behind the trailer park.She said municipal workers will work on the river bank to create a dike to prevent water from surrounding the trailer homes.ronment Protection Agency.Coulombe also said European countries are using fewer asbestos products because infrastructure development on the continent has slowed down.“Fortunately we have a customer like the Asian countries where it is being used more and being used properly.” Jean Duperé, president of the Lab Chrysotile, a research facility, said his company hasn’t felt the effects of the ban yet but added that he didn’t want to wait.“What we’re trying to do is prevent a serious ripple effect,” he said.More than 500,000 tonnes of asbestos, valued at $300 million and sold to 60 countries, is mined in the As-bestos-Thetford Mines region representing the province’s total production.The industry employs more than 2500 people in Canada."Only a very small proportion of our customers are using it without the prop- Although there has been minor flooding in the area for years, emergency co-ordinator Benoit Busqué said the problem has worsened considerably since the early 1980s.Busqué said that before then, contractors were allowed to dig out sand and gravel which accumulated in the riverbed.Now that the gravel and sand are once again accumulating, he said the river is not deep enough to allow the water to pull the ice downstream.Mayor Migneault said the municipality has asked Environment Quebec for permission to dig out some of the sand that has accumulated in the river near the railway bridge.Mignault said the town has not yet obtained authorization, but she’s confident it will.Environment Quebec officials were unavailable for comment.er methods.With our bigger customers there are already very strict guidelines for using asbestos,” Duperé said.“Unfortunately, some of the mom and pop shops around the world aren’t applying the norms and this is one step to make sure they do so.” Eighty-five per cent of the industry’s sales overseas are to large corporations.The aim of the memorandum is to answer any fears foreign governments may have over importing products with chrysotile fibres.” “It’s a measure to give confidence to other governments where we sell asbestos.In developing countries and the ones we’ve been dealing with for years, we have to convince people that this product can be used safely,” Massé said.The federal government has also asked the French government to justify the research involved in the INSERM report through a subcommittee of the World Trade Organization.PAUL CHERRY Marcel Masse and Thetford Mines officials sign agreement establishing new standards for asbestos industry.' :: '¦ s y 4 page 4 Tuesday, March 4, 1997 THEi From July 3 to 6 Mandragore to host amateur theatre festival in Brigham By Diahann Nadeau Record Correspondent Knowlton An amateur theatre festival will be held by Mandragore Productions at their site at the Brigham United Church from July 3 to 6.The contest is open to all amateur groups across the province and plays may be performed in English or French.Patrick David Campbell, Man-dragore’s artistic director, said he remembers the thrill of participating in a similar festival in Victoriaville in 1990.“Mandragore won for best director,” he said.“Now that we have our own theatre, 1 wanted to hold a festival of our own.We want groups to represent their village, school, or just their group.The festival is actually kind of a contest, with judges from different aspects of theatre - actors, directors, set designers -judging the competition.At the end of the weekend we will have our own kind of Oscars for Best Actor, Best Director and the like.” Participants may enter any type of play, from children’s works to Shakespeare - the only limit is that it must not run any longer than one-and-a-half hours.Productions should use a minimal set, for a quick set-up and strike are necessarily part of festival life.The stage itself is not overly large, and competi- tors should keep this in mind in their preparation.Original scripts and well-known plays alike will be accepted.“People might be allowed to put on their play twice,” said Campbell.“We only have a hundred seats inside, so they may have to do it that way to get everyone to see it.Once would be hors concours and the second time part of the contest.Our café will be open downstairs during the festival, and we plan to have comedians and singers performing in there.We also hope to have some of the performances outside if it’s nice out.” Campbell said publicity has already gone out to theatre schools across the province.The registration fee for the festival is $85.47.The deadline for registration is April 30.Interested groups should contact festival director Marie-Josée Samson at (514) 266-4246 or 776-5949 for registration forms.Mandragore’s next production is an evening of two one-act plays by Georges Feydeau - The Pregnant Pause and Going to Pot - which will run over the first two weekends in April.(The French version will run the last two weekends in March.) As well, Mandragore will present Oliver Twist at Theatre Lac Brome in Knowlton in late May.Waterloo seniors enjoying new weekly exercise classes WMyjm Instructor Pat Cole leads the group in a stretching exercise.By Shirley Maynes Beakes Record Correspondent Waterloo Winter seems long for seniors who fear getting out in the cold, and slippery streets makes walking difficult, so we don’t get much exercise,” said a resident of the Municipal Housing Centre in Waterloo.Pat Coté, in response to the community’s need for fitness, recently organized an exercise class and for the past three weeks on Thursday mornings, the ladies gather in the recreation hall to enjoy a work-out.These keen people are ready to flex their muscles, exercise the “creaking joints” and practice proper breathing.Coté provides music of different tempos to encourage the participants to keep time, relax and enjoy their activity together."Do what you can, but don’t strain yourselves,” she tells them.After some exercises which are slightly taxing, the class sits to continue some arm and leg stretches.Rose Coutu, who underwent knee surgery just three weeks ago, recently joined the class and if you had not been aware of her recent operation, you wouldn’t know she was in recovery.“The exercises really help me, and it’s fun doing them together,” Coutu said.One recent half-hour class passed quickly, but the group had enough energy in them for a friendly visit over glasses of fruit juice to end the session.“I think everyone tried hard to excel for The Record," said one lady.“Maybe we will do this twice a week, if interest remains high," said Coté.Coté is well-known for her work with seniors and shut-ins.Her dedication to helping others is much appreciated in the community.PHOTOS: SHIRLEY MAYNES BEAKES Residents at the Municipal Housing Centre in Waterloo are learning the benefits of working it out.* si Musical Soirée When violinist Martin Foster and pianist Eugene Plawutsky played together at the Richmond Arts Centre last Saturday evening, the appreciation felt by the audience was evident in the applause that resonated throughout the centre.The two master musicians, who have been working together for more than 10 years, delighted the ears of those present with their interpretations of classical pieces, including the rarely heard “Sonata in G Minor” by Debussy.RICK FOSS team work Foster and Plawutsky have been making music together for more than 10 years.musical turns Julie-Claire Miller turns the pages for pianist Eugene Plawutsky as he plays with violinist Martin Foster.master musician In the hands of a master, a violin and a written score bring the genius of the past to music lovers of the present.RECORD ALBUM sounds like experience Years of experience enable Eugene Plawutsky to beautifully interpret the written scores of past masters.early birds Johann Patterson, her mother and a friend arrive at the Richmond Arts Centre in plenty of time to choose just the right seats.Tuesday, March 4, 1997 page 5 page 6 Tuesday, March 4, 1997 THE i COMMUNITY FORUM It’s time for Plan C Would that all political discourse be conducted with the civility shown by Don Healy in his commentary in the Record, Feb.20.Albeit in disagreement, I respond to his challenge in the same spirit to explain a ‘less than enthusiastic stand on partition.’ Healy wonders if I subscribe to the theory that Canada is divisible ______ but Quebec is not.The very idea that Canada is divisible was carved in stone with no help from me when the whole country took the very first Quebec referendum seriously and acted accordingly.If, as Healy says, Quebec is only a legal and political entity under Canadian law, that was the propitious moment for Canadian law to kick in with a clear and unequivocal pronouncement to the effect that the referendum process on such a profound question, regardless of the results, would be viewed officially as null and void.The position might have been untenable but the timing would have been right.The moment Pierre Trudeau took to the hustings to campaign on behalf of the NO side, he legitimized the process forevermore.Who better than the prime minister to have stated that the very existence of the entire country could not and would not be gambled on the whims and vagaries of a Quebec referendum alone.Would Healy argue that results should only be honored if they favor the NO side?.1 think not.Thus in 1997, that option has been denied us, thanks to a staunch federalist.The other telling body blow that left the country down for the count was administered not by a sovereignist but by one more federalist.When, in a tiff, Robert Bourassa and his entourage, enacted legislation that declared a 50 percent plus one win adequate to decide the fate of the nation, he, more than any other one person, set the stage for the Oct.'95 squeaker.Ironically the NO side was left to claim victory with little VIEPOINT Ivy Weir more, in effect validating a questionable law that even the majority of French Quebecers reject.With such self inflicted wounds, Lucien Bouchard can just sit back and wait for federalists to hand him the province on a platter.When the consequences of one’s acts are the exact opposite of one’s - aims, a thinking person must surely question the acts or reconsider the aims.That’s where partitionists enter the picture.If Healy views an antipartitionist stance as negative, how would he describe the movement whose raison d’etre lies in the spectre of an opposition victory.At the very outset, the movement is also reactionary, thereby allowing the enemy, so to speak, to set and control the agenda.Blindly determined to protest every twist and turn of sovereignists, partitionists would prefer to let the house burn than to heed Lucien Bouchard if he cried ‘fire’.The analogy is not so ludicrous considering the linguistic school question, a goal the English community has long sought and now possibly placed in jeopardy in little more than the spirit of contradiction by the same groups as those who defend partition.Worse still, the partition movement divides federalist, francophones from all their neighbors and those neighbors from each other, music to the ears of the opposition.To my mind it follows logically that the goals of Canadian unity and partition are mutually exclusive with the latter wasting precious time and energy on a nightmarish scenario that no one really wants.The best hope for attaining a unity wish list besides prayers, is for all federalists to marshall our forces to work single-mindedly toward the country’s survival.Only then, I believe, can we prevail.Better that Plan A and Plan B be combined in one cohesive effort manifesting the best of both.RECORD a division of Communications Québécor inc.2850 Delorme, Sherbrooke, Que.JIK 1A1 Tax: 819-569-3945 I-MAII.: iecor : Foundation president Clement Forest with students Amelie Desautels, Bruno Levesque, Amanda Beakes and Trevor Smith with the sound system aquired by the Foundation for Princess Elizabeth Elementary.Magog The ‘Friends of Princess Elizabeth Elementary School Foundation’ has, for the last four years, provided the students of the school with some remarkable resources.In 1991, as the government was initiating severe cut-backs in education across the province, a hard working parent committee was raising funds for the elementary school.Under the guidance of principal Vance Patterson, concerned parents gathered to try to find a way to effectively utilize these funds to benefit the students and to generate additional revenues.In networking with these individuals from the community, the concept of the Foundation was created.This non-profit organization coordinates donations from the community and issues tax receipts to donors.The aims of the foundation are clear - to purchase school supplies that are beyond the scope of normal budgets and which will benefit the greatest number of young people possible.Every cent raised is spent on projects benefiting the children.Since 1994, major purchases have included a computer with CD ROM, new stage curtains, a 300 watt sound system, a 35” TV and VCR, physical education equipment and new team uniforms.“Very few of the items purchased by the foundation would be available to the children under ordinary circumstances because of budget restrictions,” said school principal John Retchless.“It has had a tremendous effect on school morale.” The present committee has seven members: Forest and some Princess Elizabeth school children check out the new computer aquired by the Foundation.Clement Forest, Gordene Elst, Mary Ann Boudreau, Colin Channell, Joan Bergeron and Carole Larochelle Brandt.This year’s projects include equipping the school with a state-of-the-art science facility, completing the media room (video, slides, film), helping fund the music program and adding volumes to the library.The Foundation goes a long way in helping Princess Elizabeth maintain its edge in the world of education.The 1997 fundraising campaign is now underway.Contributions may be sent to: Friends of Princess Elizabeth Elementary School Foundation, 420 Bellevue St.0., Magog, JIX 3H2. page 8 The Record, Tuesday, March 4, 1997 CHRYSLER VlymoutH Dodge DAKOTA 4X4 Sport Club Cab aee uâ details 203 Railroad St., Rock Island Tel : (819) 876-2785 Come as a customer Leave as a friend Is it a mid-sized Dakota, or a full-sized =.f.- MB '“K -v- /'•'V -V, -A Ram?The top picture is a Dakota, while the bottom is a Ram.Unless the new Dakota and big-daddy Ram are standi nose-to-nose, it’s a tossup to tell one from the other the downriaht brawny 5.2-litre V8 rated at 230 horsepower and 300 lb-ft of torque.That’s 10 more than last year due to an improved air/fuel intake system.This power conies with a bit of a price.Fuel economy is similar to that of the V10 Viper — really.But once you realize you can carry 2,600-pounds of payload or tow up to 6,800 pounds, fuel economy becomes a secondary consideration.Dual airbags and rear ABS are standard.Four-wheel ABS is an option.1997 Dodge Dakota ?Proven styling wrapped up in a smaller package ?Three engines rated at 120,175 and 230 horsepower.?Short box regular cab and short box Club Cab are ottered m 4x4 models.?tots of payload and towing capacity.?All-new interior is roomier.?Fuel economy: 16.21/100 km city, 12.61/100 km highway (5.2)