ASG - Sanday, September 26, 1982 - North Shore News EE editorial page Nasty smell “Creeping socialism” as applied to the Tradeau government is something a good deal more than a mere political catchword. In a timely letter to his constituents Capilano MP Ron Huntington focuses on the role of erown corporations in the process. These so-called “Agencies of Her Majesty” enjoy unique advantages. They are exempt from provincial and federal laws governing the private sector. Their debts are fully guaranteed by Ottawa. They are en- titled to borrow money at the same cost as the federal government. And thus protected, they are free to set up cartels which would be fegal in private business. Moreover, the strategy of the Tradeau gang is to seek firm control of crown cor- porations by naming former Liberal cabinet ministers and senior bureaucrats as chief executive officers and directors — as is already the case with CNR, the new Prince Rupert corporation and Northeastern B.C. coal development. Now, following the virtual socialization of the energy industry, the passage of Bill C-85 will shortly create a new crown corporation, Camagrex, designed to give the state effective control of food exports and imports. These wide-ranging operations, affecting so adie = aspects of our lives, have become, on, “a state-owned and con- trolled political sewer”, removed from the few remaining checks and balances left to Parliament and a mockery of the principle of representative taxation. When things begin to smell that badly, it’s time to think about house-cleaning. What's in a name? With fall municipal elections around the corner, the various political groups are becoming high profile. While the name calling seems to be in full cry, we wonder if these proponents and opponents should be spending more time telling voters why they are worthy of a vote rather than criticism of the other guy. sunday news Display Advertising 980-0511 north shore Classitied Advertising 986-6222 news Newsroom 985-2131 Circulation 986 1337 1139 Lomsdatie Ave North Vancouwe:r 8 C V/7M 2H4 Publisher Peter ‘Syren k Associate Putflisher Rotert Graham Editorin-Chiet Noel Wright Advertising Director Tarn § came as Genersi Manage: Administration 4 Personne! Mes Born Malad Circulation Director Brun At hs feorth Sleeve Slews. Nmanderd ms TOU as an mleperdendt enmity newspape: and quanfited unde Ss ferch@e Mo fot @ foray ag Wot the trase len Act 6 pupe)shed cach Weoneacdnay and Sunday by North Shore tree Press ltd and Gstitnaed to every dou On fhe North Shore Second Cinas Mad Reystation Number 166% Entire contents 19@2 fMurth Shore Free Presa itd All rights reserved Sw@ecrptona North and Woal Varo 370) pe yoo Mating (es aeveattte on recpeost Mar reragruvcsetelty anc engyterch tun Vee act ocateredt om had, mmr TITS arnt pom teen wm hf shar al Cee on ah esamed erent gre «coer namemt try a cleaeriprect vt FF CFR LUA AT RON 33 895 Wednesday 43 484 Sunday sm & THIS PAPER IS RECYCLABLE Lower interest no quick fix By MICHAEL A. WALKER It was a sign of the times only a few weeks ago when an Air Canada stewardess walked down the aisle of the aircraft saying that the prime rate had fallen to 17%. Whereas a few years ago most of the passengers would not have known what the prime rate was or could have cared less, in today’s uncertain economic climate the prime rate has acquired a following matched perhaps only by hockey star Wayne Gretzky or the NHL playoffs. In many instances, however, the overall con- cern about interest rates is misplaced. I think that many Canadians are of the view that the single barrier which stands in the way to our return to economic health is Governor Bouey’s steadfast refusal to reduce interest rates — something he could do if he wanted to. Two aspects of this are important to consider. One is the fact that Mr. Boucy has much less power im these things than is often imagined and the second is that in- terest rates coming down will only remedy part of our current economic ills. The difficulty that many businesses face is not that interest rates are so high but rather that relative to more normal circumstances they have acquired more debt than they can comfortably handle with their current revenue. Some people, like those homeowners and businesses who acquired land and other real estate on the basis of a continuation of double digit and rising inflaton, simply made bad investments. Lower inerest rates, a least wn these cases, will make htthe, any, difference Unfortunately, wots the case that our economy is riddied with such mal- imvestment based on the unfortunate expectation of expanding inflation and we will have to go through a considerable amount of eet as One. that eam at Canada must relent and reduce its artficially Maintained high interest rates. Neither of these responses is the correct one. In the first place, many of the businesses which default on their debts in the course attempt to intervene with the natural economic forces at work. While many have said that we must do this to maintam the jobs that are at stake the fact is that if such an option is selected it will mean we are encouraging the people so employed to make plans for them future which are based on an uaorcahstic and unsustaimable economic base. The second reaction that MAINSTREAM CANADA By W. ROGER WORTH The samplest of qucsnons arc many times the most difficult to answer But among the quenes affecting the great tssucs of a troubled world, this onc must be included why ts a thal geveraments and = their burcaucrat cmployces secm to take great pndc in making hfe difficult for the rest of us? Lake the lawyers. who always seem to spcah in tongucs, using words such as heretofore and hereinafter (along with assorted Latin A@cfinitons) the cevil ser vants arc developing a language all thea own Where three casly un dermtood words will cxptain a Proposition, the burcauc-at will spend hours. uo scemas. searching for one difficult to understand long word as a replacement Its) almost) as otf cma goyerament employecs didn't want us to understand what they're doing. He we can't decsphes the language. then we cant complain Yct difficult language ts only onc aspect of the burcaucratic mentality More important, perhaps. ss the compelling anced to make the simplest things comphcated Its hard to bcheve. but we now need bookicts (governments makc them asvailabic) to tcfil uw how t© fill out) uncm ployment forma, how to apply for the batryy bonus snd how to fill out mcome tax formas Answenng simple qucshons on a sample form is act cnevugh The bookict tcib os how to answer Uhe qucstons Along with the relativcty ecw burcaucratic Language and complicated guvcramcats have heen on pohcy revermab tm thew cfforts to Acep us confused In Ontarnwe overty forms become fur caample WORKING TOGETHER we should immediately reduce imterest rates ts also rates, at the moment, seem to accord to people's ex- pectations about inflation. We have not yet licked the inflaton problem im Canada and until evidence is for thcoming that we have, it seems imappropriate to pursue an expansionary policy in the form of lower interest rates. A prominent labor leader some months ago suggested at a public mecting that mortgage mterest rates in Canada should be reduced to 10%. One of the participants m the public discussion suggested that if the labor leader really believed that, he should lead the way by investing his umon's pension the government = recently changed the rulcs on what was cxempt from the provincial salcs tax When changes were madc probicms arose Civil scr vants arc still contradicting cach other on what should ot shouldn't be taxcd fn Ottawa, onc program after another t changed at the stroke of a pen The most fianing cxamples have becn NOEL WRIGHT ON ise members of that umon i The reason ts that Mr. Boucy could only price of moncy) by im creasing the supply of moncy. The unavoidable con sequence would be more inflanon. And, who wants on necds that? (Dr Weatlker cs Director of the Vancouver based Fraser Jasutute } Down with bureaucrat-ese! tax changes, where the raics have. m some case been reversed But other dcpartimenty arc oft far bchind The pubbhc. of cournsc, 5 bewildered sbout all tho activity Yet for peoplc operating small and medium sized businesses. the situabon so ndsculom These arc the Canmadiaam who are forced to fill oat endlcss: (and = mindies:) busincss form, sad aticmpt to fathom what o icgal and tlicgal Perhaps at geovcrament icadcm tohd civil scrvants to speak im oe language the rest. of ow sodcrstand Its) abo Urmec (hey stressed samplifacation, rather than complication (W Roger feature Worth «3 a writer for Canadian hederanoa af Independent Rusness }