A VISIT TO THE QUEEN CHARLOTTES

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To those who are heart-set on B.C. for backing to the land this spring I would think the best program would begin with a visit to the helpful guys who man the counter at the Lands Office in Victoria. Quote: "We aren't able to pinpoint suitable vacant Crown Land for agricultural leases, but we can easily help the people who come in here and honestly say that all they want is a piece of land to get away and do their own thing. Certainly we'd rather have them come in than have them squatting indiscriminately about the province." Many areas of B.C. and most of the other Canadian Provinces have Crown Land available under agricultural lease and homesite development schemes.

Incidentally, nary a one of the numerous WHOLE EARTH CATALOG readers and others—some reportedly well equipped for a permanent stay—who swelled the Charlottes' tiny population during summer months of 1970 were to be found there in November. Perhaps some will write and let us know just what went wrong?

MAKE YOURSELF HEARD THROUGH CONSUMER ALLIANCE

The founders of CONSUMER ALLIANCE are Paul R. Ehrlich, Richard L. Harriman, and Roy Kiesling, Jr. Dr. Ehrlich is well known as a population biologist and ecologist. Mr. Harriman is a political scientist. Mr. Kiesling is an attorney and engineer.

American business sells us too many things that wear out too soon, that cannot be repaired when a small part breaks, or that never really work at all. They are wasting our time and our money, and they are making us their accomplices in wasting the vital resources of the planet itself.

If we wait to be protected by legislation we will continue to be disappointed . . . by laws with no funds for their enforcement, by regulatory agencies that become the partners of the industry they are created to regulate. Our real power is in the market place. Through CONSUMER ALLIANCE we are going to learn to use that power. We are going to tell American industry FACE-TO-FACE what we want them to do differently, and we are going to put them under increasing pressure until they do it.

Our first program is the DECLARATION OF CONSUMER RIGHTS. We will offer to producers our endorsement, and the right to use our emblem, in exchange for full compliance with the DECLARATION.

BEFORE THE CONSUMER BUYS ANY PRODUCT HE HAS A RIGHT TO THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION:

1. The name and complete mailing address of the actual maker of the product.
2. A name and model number, clearly and permanently visible that absolutely identify the product.
3. A list of all ingredients of the product, in order of percentage contained, with the percentages stated.
4. A warning of known harmful effects of any ingredient.
5. Complete instructions for normal use of the product, and a statement of what it can actually and demonstrably do for its buyer.
6. Warnings of hazards of normal use, and of any hidden hazards of abnormal use.
7. A statement, in plain English, of the date of manufacture of packaging.
8. A statement of the expected life of the product, including shelf life, and a warning of conditions of use or storage than shorten its life.
9. Notice of the other models or formulas of the same product by the same maker, so that the full range of choice is dis closed.
10. An explanation in layman's terms of the working principle the product.
11. All specifications and procedures necessary for adjustment and repair by a normally skilled repairman.
12. A list of parts with current retail prices and an address from which they can be obtained by mail.
13. A clear notice on the package if the product cannot be user: except in conjunction with some other product.
14. In the case of products sold by weight or volume, a statement of the unit price.

FURTHERMORE, THE CONSUMER HAS A RIGHT TO DEMAND THAT EVERY PRODUCT BE DESIGNED TO IMPOSE THE MINIMUM BURDEN ON THE ENVIRONMENT FROM ITS MANUFACTURE TO ITS DISPOSAL.

(THE SAME PRODUCT WILL ALWAYS BE SOLD UNDER THE SAME NAME, AND IDENTICAL MODEL NUMBERS WILL BE PLACED ONLY ON IDENTICAL PRODUCTS.)

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