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9 - Wednesday, September 2, 1987 ~ North Shore News

Doug Collins Reader siams tree scheme

“I didn’t want anyone hurt,

| they’ve had their own riot.”

THAT STATEMENT by
16-year-old Anna MacNeil
of West Vancouver tells me
that the kid wasn’t all that
upset by the rampage in
which her parents’ house
was rubbished and
neighbors’ property dam-
aged.

She’s too old for spanking,
and in any case daddy doesn’t do
that sort of thing these days. Nei-
ther does mummy. ‘*Violence’’ is
out and the kids know it. So
what we get is more violence.

“Hit me and I'll sue you,”’ |
once heard a snotty little 11-

| year-old tel! his betters.

In a world that demanded
proper behavior, the threat of
parental retribution would pre-
vent most of this nonsense. But
the social workers and related
trades have stopped all that.
They called it ‘‘child abuse’’ and
the politicians fell into line. So
now, if a parent acts a bit tough,
the authorities arrive and the kid

f is whisked away, laughing. They
are even invited to denounce their
parents.

It needn’t be a matter of the
kid getting a cuff on the ear or a
slap on the behind. Many
youngsters have learned that it
pays to lie. There can be false
charges of incest, false charges of

f anything. The kid’s word is ac-
cepted. Besides, who wants to
come under suspicion? So rotten
kids can get the upper hand
because the state leans on the
parents.

Even so, one sometimes
wonders why some parents don’t
try to be their own state.

In this case, dear little Anna
said she had invited about 100
people to her party and ‘‘ex-
pected 300’’.

In the event, between 500 and
600 turned up. The brawl got out
of hand and three police forces
were called in. Young drunks

| were arriving from all over, the
police had to set up liquor and
road blocks, and the scene must
have been something like a
drunken sailors’ farewell in
Halifax in 1944,

In the mother’s words, ‘‘Peo-
ple were on our roof smashing
beer bottles. People were falling
into the fish pond ... it was a
nightmare, an absolute
nightmare.”’

® vet this straight @

but not many people can say

No doubt. Among. other
things, large garden rocks and
glass littered the area for several
blocks, and according to one
source two guys dug a_ hole
through the MacNeils’ roof and
fell through it.

But what did the MacNeils ex-
pect? Why was she allowed to
invite 100 to her “‘party’’? Js she
one of those who always had too
much candy? Would you allow
your girl to invite enough people
to man a fair-sized ship?

If the parents didn't know the
girl was up to such tricks, they
should have known. Judge Col-
lins will accept no excuses. It
wasn’t as if the parents were
away on holiday.

The list of those arrested reads
like a battle casualty list: 16 West
Vanners, six North Vanners, four
Vancouverites and one who
floated in all the way from Sur-
rey.

‘Violence’ is out and the
kids know it. So what we
get is more violence.”’

Seven police officers were in-
jured and 10 police vehicles
damaged.

Already, some of the rioters
are claiming there was ‘‘police
brutality’. But in my opinion
there wasn’t enough of that. If
nitwits want to play that kind of
game they should know they may
get their skulls cracked.

As things are, they know that
nothing much will happen to
them. Especially if they are
minors, who are aware that
nothing will happen to them.

What should happen is that
everyone caught on the premises
should be paraded and made to
clean the place up. Those con-
victed should not only spend a
month or two in jail but also be
made to pay for damage done.
That way, others might get the
message. -

They should then be con-
scripted into the army, and sent
to fight small wars. For I some-
times think that every gencration
needs a war to teach it what
the world is all about.

That would be better than Iet-
ting them create their own wars
in West Van.

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IN-HOME
SERVICE

SERVING THE

NORTH SHORE

West Vancouver

Dear Editor:

Regarding Yoskyl Webb's letter
of Aug. 7 Save The Trees in N.
Van District.

Looking at the reality of the
question of saving trees in the
various new subdivisions being
constructed, one must first con-
sider the safety of the new
residents. A 400-year-old tree is
not a lightweight object — being
five feet in diameter, this tree
would weigh 35,000 pounds. The
limbs on this tree also would weigh
several hundred pounds each and
in a powerful enough wind storm
could make an unwelcome addi-
tion to the interior of one’s home.

Another problem with — these
trees is when one develops proper-
ty, excavations are required. These
change the natural drainage pat-
terns and the water table and also
damage roots. Wind damage is
also more evident as the clearing
required for houses does not slow
down the wind speed as a natural

stand of timber does.

A heritage tree committee? 1 jest
that this is just another means to
slow down an already arduous
process of trying to develop one’s

property and drive the cost of
housing higher.

Paul D. Hodgson
North Vancouver

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