Published: August 27, 2006 12:47 am      

Indians also fed up with high gas prices

NIAGARA FALLS — Countless Niagara area motorists make weekly trips to the Tuscarora Indian Reservation to fill their gas tanks.

Business at Smokin’ Joe Anderson’s and at other Indian-owned service stations in Western New York has risen steadily in the past several months as a result of soaring gas prices.

On Friday, the average price on the Reservation in Lewiston was $2.84 per gallon, compared to $3.03 and $3.05 in downtown Niagara Falls.

The story, however, has a different twist in other regions.

A recent survey of gasoline prices on Indian lands elsewhere in the U.S. shows prices ranging from a low of $2.71 per gallon at Fort Hall, Idaho, to $3.28 in Chinle, Ariz.

While Smokin’ Joe’s properties were not part of that survey, his prices appear among the lowest of all who participated in the report.

Away from the Niagara area, thousands of Native Americans on 50 reservations in 24 states are angry about what they consider record-high gas prices.

“In Indian Country, where poverty and unemployment rates tend to be higher than other areas in the country, filling up has become downright painful,” Michelle Tirado, an editor with the American Indian Report, writes in the latest issue.

By the way, that $3.03 price at many stations in Niagara County is cheaper than what the White Mountain Apache tribe sells gas for in Arizona.

The escalating prices on the reservations, as you might expect, tempt some people to simply fill up and drive off — without paying. One Indian owner estimated that every time a motorist steals $10 of gas, he has to sell $100 of more fuel to offset the loss.

Off the reservations, many of the self-serve gas stations are requiring customers to pay before pumping. In many cases, there are signs warning violators that they will be prosecuted.

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WORTHY CAUSE: Parishioners throughout the eight-county Buffalo Catholic Diocese are participating this weekend in a nationwide fundraising drive to assist with hurricane relief efforts in the Archdiocese of New Orleans and the Diocese of Biloxi, Miss.

The Buffalo Diocese has a long record of responding to humanitarian needs. In 2005, the Buffalo Diocese raised more than $1.3-million in an emergency collection.

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TIMELY TOPIC: Lewiston resident Marty Friedrich is excited about his first book, “Iron Men of Baseball: Major League Leaders in Consecutive Games Played, 1876-2005,” to be published within a week or two.

The 291-page softcover book ($35) will be available on line from Amazon. com and Barnes & Noble.

Friedrich is a mail carrier assigned the Main Post Office in Niagara Falls.

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HIGH IN THE SKY: You just might be lucky enough to catch a glimpse of the famous Canadian Forces Snowbirds today when they perform at the annual Wings & Wheels Niagara Air Show and Car Show.

The nine-plane demonstration squadron will be featured during the noon to 4 p.m. show at the Niagara District Airport in St. Catharines, Ont.

The Snowbirds have been known to take a swing over the falls for a photo opportunity or two.

Contact Don Glynn

at 282-2311, Ext. 2246.