A6 - Wednesday, April 14, 1982 - North Shore News HE editorial page HR Trudeau ‘democracy’ differs $50 clean-up If Mayor Don Bell's arithmetic is right, the cost of closing the unsightly and en- vironmentally hazardous Premier Street garbage dump may be less than we feared. The only practical alternatives to the ugly mountain of refuse and junk which now serves all three North Shore municipalities is adequate size could be upward of $20 million. Operating costs are put at about $18 per ton compared to S5 per ton for the present landfill. Mayor Bell estimates that the combination of these two figures would add about $2 million a year to North Van District's current annual garbage disposal bill of around $250,000 - an eightfold increase. He suggests this would translate into a tax hike of ap- proximately $50 a year for the average homeowner. For that reason the mayor, who now wants the Premier Street dump closed within five years, feels the question must be settled by referendum. If so, voters shouldn't forget that our society's growing addiction to elaborate packaging and throw-away merchandise lies at the root of the rapidly approaching landfill crisis. Today, research indicates that 70% of all domestic garbage consists of paper, cardboard, plastics, cans and bottles. Nobody is going to welcome an extra $50 on the annual tax bill. But relative to present-day prices for everything else, a dollar a week hardly seems too harsh a price to pay for rescuing us from the mess into which our modern living habits have landed us. U | It’s official. The latest edition of Roget's Thesaurus has formally banished “mankind”, “countryman” and “rich man” from the English language. In a drive to eliminate all sexist words it substitutes “humankind”, “country dweller” and “rich person”. but there are small mercies. The current editor of the famous book of synonyms and an- tonyms — a woman — has at least stopped short of axing the word “man” itself. sunday =... news Disptoy Advertising 980-0511 north shore ~= Classified Advertising 986-6222 a | ews Nowsroom 985-2131 Circulation 986-1337 1139 Lonadate Ave North Vancouver BC V7M 2H4 Publisher beter Speech Associate Publisher Facotoeeet Cat ativan: Edito: in Chiot Advertising Otractor Noel Wright br © at twell General Manago: Creative Administration & Personnel Director Mrs Berri father? Torta bt ape is C Wwcutlation Director Production Director Hesars Ab tes bank “stoop verP ye pi rtee- North Shore News fosodedt TOV an ae hep ident weve ar eety verwe mppeapper reset cgusembelierc) capsedeve Sag Prevctuabes WM bia! Wo Paragraph HE tte tncise Tan Ac l oun grutileatiesdt eat Wednenctey cand Speavedaay Cry Noe tt shure bree Bans Utd meet dimbetbastedd ob eety ore cre thre | Nace tt Sobre Syed | damn Man Me gintiatio Numi tH" Subscriptions $20 pe: yea: Entire contente 19007 North Shore Free Prose Lid All rights reserved Ne erty rer rttel, o eypland toe We abe tee ray TC ee CD UTP ee mee Oe rhe ye vita ib a UN AON 83 988 Wedneedey 63 464 Sunday Fo es SN. THIS PAPER IS RECYCLABLE The confrontation which froze parliament and left division bells deafening the entire House of Commons staff in early March was really more of a cultural thing than it was political. The period since February time in 1980 is the first WELL... WHATS IT Canadian history that the country has really been ruled by a small group of French- speaking Canadians. After the most recent election. there were no strong English Canadian voices left in cabinet, save Allan MacEachen. and he_ had opted to become one of the republicans. The Francophone view of democracy is. distinctly different from what Canadians in the rest of the country expect. Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau has often said openly that his view of democracy is a system where the people elect a government from time to time, and between elections, the government has freedom of action. Angio-Canadians are more English Canada, really believe that the French- speaking senior ministers of the government are aiming at a torm of one-party dic- tatorship. The Liberals, led by different standards of value. really beheve the wicked Conservatives are un- concerned about parliament, and _ being disruptive for purely political reasons. They have a nght to government, say the Liberals, by virtue of Canadian Comment BY PETER WARD likely to talk about the necessary checks = and balances of Parliamentary system — most of which have disappeared under the Trudeau government. Look, for example at the situation which developed when Parti Quebecois house leader Claude Charon ad- mitted he was a shoplifter. He was supported by his - constituents, and his party friends said he was only charged because of a decision by the English Canadian establishment. The Trudeau view of democracy, sincerely held. is radically different from the view which prevails in English-speaking Canada. Conservatives, elected by their majority, and they should be able to exercise that right without being ham-strung by petty politics. The Liberals really saw it as efficient, convenient and fair to wrap so many pieces of conflicting legislation into one package for Parliament. then use a majority to push through what cabinet had decided. The Tones viewed the Energy Security Bill as one more hole poked in_ the Parliamentary system which has been radically changed over the past decade and a half. With such conflicting views, confrontation was inevitable. We'll see even more of it in the weeks to come. oin the ladies, Dr. Walker! EQUAL PAY for equal work was queried the other week in an article on this page by Dr. Michael Walker, director of the Fraser Institute. As a result, he has understandably been kicked into the doghouse by the women’s movement. With due deference to both sides, I think each has missed the real point Admittedly. the = good doctor laid it on a bit thick when he advised working women to look to South Afnea as a labor model Has argument was that blacks there accept lower wages than whites with the same quahfications as the method of competing successfully against the latter inthe yob market Canadian women workers he suggested are in the same boat wheo only compe ling against Canadian males for an cqual yobo oor a yob oof cqual valuc In order te overcome the alleged pruyudace and disc nimina Gon of naughty employers they have to resign the masctives to wages as low as OO per cent of an cquivalent male s pay No wonder the ladies showed their claws in lettens too the balitor TP agree Bat neither they nor Tor Walker get chown to the with them oul of ( awaadas the matter curent amd record) one ane a quartos mittleon tbe eT) shoved ' ( onmsnder n few simple statisti s WOMEN JOBSLERERS Dunng the MW years from Witte Pat working women caged up from 16 per contte HT percentiol the popudation over bo Inv Chie popes thre Provsny C1 poe year of age neat 4b yearn tes figure sourced cent to almost 3” per cent Today. 1s around 40° per centofall Canadian women Since the corresponding percentage of employed Canadian males has dechned only shghtty (down from 78 per cent ain 1941) to the present 7S per cent) oat that the ladies themsctves are almost solely responsible for the post war follows huge Increase in the force relative to the non working population Meanwhile. {ee hnological labor the explosion of the past two decades ino the ficlds oof automaton and Compule tizadon has ob viously transterred lo machines many of the yobs formerly carned oul by human beings and here as the saying pocs we amin t seennuffin yet After all the whole obyeut of machines ever since the lndustiral Revolution has been to relieve humans of tasks that machines can deo Faster wad more cheaply Or as the positive thinkers put take the drudgery out ofthe work place | Modern however is i ee technology How leaping ahead so fast (hates taking Hotoomby the drudgery oat ol the worth poh teat Ube pertes oavswell Tt threatens to create noo penrmnane nt shortage | work oatoa tlame when nmiaore focus Noel Wright and more people all of (hem sccking it almost women are In this situation womens wages tend to suffer largely because in ther present numbers they are latcecomers toa labor market where machines ate reducing yob fhoyw opportunities Where eatsts vt might make more coonmomién sense all tcound to cul back for both scnes disc eimination Mens wages to the womens level rather than the reverse That Jorn of | equality would oat) least guarantee more yobs than raising womens wages to the mens level though | wouldn't hold my breath waiting for at to happen. Which leads to the next logical thought RIGHT OR PRIVILEGE? We may be entenng a phase of our civilization where gainful employment 1s a pmnyvilege, not a mght Where paid jobs, for men and women alike, may have to be officially rationed, lke food in wartime Where you go to the em ployment office not to seck work bul to seek a govern ment hcence allowing you even to apply for work Part ume work as often as full time he end result wouldn't be much different in’ practice from the job “ravoning already imposed by uncmployment with one cx formal rationing scheme could at least insist that males and permitted = to available being the current situation, cepbon a females undertake work of equal value would enjoy com pletely equal treatment And of course, there wouldat be any more monthty unemployment statistics to depress us Don't ask me for the moment about the details of such a scheme Thats ao subject for another column All | suggest here 1s that Is Walker and the ladics out for his blood are both right an thea ways own peculiar And thata lot of males and temales permancatly Jebarred from employment in the future may be the only way oto censure full cquahty for the se nual lucky ames witha pay packet