Editor, The Times:
I am writing this letter in response to Jim Lamberton's letter of Dec. 5.
I work at a gas station in Clearwater and I resent the remarks insinuating that the local stations are ripping you off.
If you will remember last year (or year before) it was the same situation only reversed; Clearwater was cheaper.
You also forgot the other 14 plus taxes that are on fuel.
That is why the government doesn't do anything about it, because the higher the prices the more money it makes.
We had to leave our price up for a few days because of lack of cooperation from our supplier, so when we put our prices down we lost twice as much as we should have made on it.
The small service stations cannot compete with the larger outlets because their buying price is much higher.
You will notice that the oil companies didn't lower our buying price - they just put Kamloops up.
The prices are not controlled by the local service stations but by the oil companies. Our prices are set by our buying price.
So, Jim, if you think we are making so much money, then why don't you go into the service station business and make the mega bucks you feel we are making. I can hardly wait for your remarks, then.
Thank you, no hard feelings.
John Pearce
Clearwater, B.C.