[Pkg-ia32-libs-maintainers] Bug#498744: gcc -m32 seems to ignore -L flag

[Ron Garret]

Package: gcc, ia32-libs
Version: 4.1.2 20061115 (prerelease) (Debian 4.1.1-21)

I am getting the oft-reported "skipping incompatible /usr/bin/../lib/ 
libc.a when searching for -lc" problem when trying to compile 32 bit  
binaries on a 64-bit machine.  However, I have tried all of the usual  
fixes and none of them work.  In particular, gcc seems to be ignoring  
my -L flag:

[ron at monster1:~]$ dpkg -l gcc
Desired=Unknown/Install/Remove/Purge/Hold
| Status=Not/Installed/Config-files/Unpacked/Failed-config/Half- 
installed
|/ Err?=(none)/Hold/Reinst-required/X=both-problems (Status,Err:  
uppercase=bad)
||/ Name           Version        Description
+++-==============-==============- 
============================================
ii  gcc            4.1.1-15       The GNU C compiler

[ron at monster1:~]$ dpkg -l ia32-libs
Desired=Unknown/Install/Remove/Purge/Hold
| Status=Not/Installed/Config-files/Unpacked/Failed-config/Half- 
installed
|/ Err?=(none)/Hold/Reinst-required/X=both-problems (Status,Err:  
uppercase=bad)
||/ Name           Version        Description
+++-==============-==============- 
============================================
ii  ia32-libs      1.19           ia32 shared libraries for use on  
amd64 and i

[ron at monster1:~]$ cat test.c
#include <stdio.h>
main () { printf("%d\n", sizeof(void*)); }

[ron at monster1:~]$ gcc -m32 -L/usr/lib32 test.c
/usr/bin/ld: skipping incompatible /usr/bin/../lib/libc.so when  
searching for -lc
/usr/bin/ld: skipping incompatible /usr/bin/../lib/libc.a when  
searching for -lc
/usr/bin/ld: skipping incompatible /usr/lib/libc.so when searching for  
-lc
/usr/bin/ld: skipping incompatible /usr/lib/libc.a when searching for - 
lc
/usr/bin/ld: cannot find -lc
collect2: ld returned 1 exit status