6 - Wednesday, January 7, 1987 - North Shore News Publisher: Editor-in-Chief Managing Editor Advertising Director Display Advertising 980-0511 Peter Speck Classitied Advertising 986.6222 Newsroom 985-2131 Distribution 986-1337 Subscriptions 986-1337 North Shore News Viewpoint CanPost’'s ‘hole’? anada Post, ordered by the feds to break even within two years, is tightening its belt at the ex- pense of its long-suffering first class mail cus- tomers—some of them now deprived of household delivery in favor of Supermailboxes that don’t work and all of them facing another hike in postal rates. They should take more than a passing interest in the corporation’s ongoing love affair with junk mail which comprises 27% of the total mail volum2. Every indica- tion suggests that it’s a money-loser and may well be a major one. Last year junk mail took in just under $145 miition, or a mere 6% of total revenue. The Marchment Committee’s in-depth report on CanPost noted that it is hampered by a lack of adquate costing data and that ‘some of its growth areas, notably (junk mail) may ... not be generating the revenues reeded.”’ It doesn’t take an Einstein to figure out that 27% of the letter carriers’ workload is unlikely to be covered by 6% of CanPost’s annual receipts. In addition, letter carriers earn an extra 1.9 cents for every item of junk mail they handle—which, if they’re overloaded, must a powerful incentive for them to give junk mail priority over first class mail. How much faster might we get the latter if the carriers weren’t spending nearly a third of their time delivering ad flyers for personal profit? In looking for CanPost’s financial ‘‘black hole’’— and why first class mail users are again being forced to help fill that hole with still poorer service and still higher costs—junk mail would seem a good place to start. High seas, big bucks Rice Vet qint Barrett Fisher Linda Stewart SUNDAY: WEDNESDA: : 1138 Lonsdale Ave. toes : ees, nae North Vancouver, B.C. V7M 2H4 : ; Lyte coe £8,287 (average Weidrenday fecab:| Paday & Sundays Otay baer ah Entire contents 1986 North Shore Free Press Lid Ali nghis reserved TO THE GRADE 11-12 STUDENT whose dad or mom Shanghai and Tokyo before cross- has everything comes the chance of a unique and thrilling final school year — for as little as $21,500. It's the 18-month-old ‘'Class Afloat” program, the brainchild of Terry Davies, principal of Mon- treal’s West Island College and one of Canada’s most innovative educators. [ talked to him during his recent visit to Vancouver. The concept definitely matches the price tag. Perhaps the quickest way to describe it is to list its com- ponents: 1. A truly magnificent tall ship, the Polish Yachting Association's 145 ft. barquentine ‘‘Pogoria’’, skippered by the Polish Captain Andrzej Marczak with a profes- sional core crew of seven. 2. Two student ‘‘crews’’ of 36 each selected from across Canada, the U.S. and Asia after tigorous screening of physical fitness, academic and character qualifications. They’re looked after by seven sea-trained teachers and, under Captain Marczak’s watchful eye, they also learn to sail the ship. 3. Six months afloat with 13 ports of call on four continents, followed by six months at either the Montreal or Calgary campus of West Island College. 4, Over the total of 12 months, Grade 11-12 courses in English, math, sciences, French, economics, socials, international politics, marine biology and phys. ed. Academic achievement, sailing skills, leadership training and a firsthand knowledge of other Pacific Rim races and cultures — ing the ocean via Midway and Hawaii to the Charlottes. Striking south via Vancouver, Noel Wright ® focus @ all in a single, never-to-be-forgot- ten package. This year’s program starts in Ju- ly, when student crew ‘A’ assem- bles in Louisbourg, N.S., and sails on the 15th for Jamaica. After that their voyage of a life- time takes them to Panama, Ecuador, and then across the Pacific via the Galapagos, Easter Island, Pitcairn Island, Tahiti, Tonga and new Caledonia to Brisbane. From there it’s on to Cape York, Indonesia and finally Singapore, whence they fly home December 22 for the Christmas break before embarking on the six months of formal studies at Calgary or Montreal. Meanwhile student crew ‘B’ flies to Singapore January 4, 1988, to join the waiting ‘‘Pogoria’’. Their voyage home follows a completely different route. First, north to Hong Kong, LETTER OF THE DAY 713 ye rS lion later! San Francisco and Puerto Vallarta, they sail down to the Galapagos — then north again via Panama and Jamaica to Lovisbourg by June 30 and back to school on dry land for the fall 1988 semester. The fee for the 12-month course is $15,000. Room and board on campus, textbooks, pocket mo: -y and seagoing kit add an estimated further $6,500. Registrations for interviews are being taken right now. Interested dads and moms in West and North Van. —two of Canada’s richest communities — can call the local number, 687-9551. “Class Afloat’’ is billed as ‘‘the finest learning experience this country has ever generated — en- compassing every aspect of adoles- cent development.’’ For 21 grand. there seems little doubt that the kids get a lot of things money can't buy. Dear Editor: Alas, I have been short-sighted. At long last, Jack Davis has open- ed my eyes to the true time horizons of his government. I used to think that the only dif- ference between the mining com- munity and me was that they preferred the penny stocks while | preferred the tables at Vegas. Not being a geologist, my time frame is limited to the next mor- tgage payment, the next grocery “CLASS AFLOAT” student hauling on the main sheet halyard during December 1985 passage through the Red Sea, bill or the next paycheque. But now I realize that geological time is measured in hundreds of millions of years. We mortals have trouble in thinking in such terms. Homo sa- piens are only 350,000 years old. In 100 million years, Canada goes through 10 complete cycles of ice age. But for those who think about the formation of mineral deposits, piate tectonics and geological time, 100 million year is but the blink of an eye. So it is for our concern about uranium. Mere mortals may go in- to hysterics about their grandchil- dren’s genetics when they think of radioactive decay with half lives of 713. million years for U235. In geological time that is nothing. In 713 million years, a new species wiil replace us. No one will remember homo sapiens and cer- tainly no will remember Jack Davis. David D. Schreck North Vancouver