West Vancouver mayor's
Canada Week Proclamation
declares our country to be
the “fatherland” (“fatherland
of all Canadians”). That
description | impels
corrective comment on. at
least two grounds:

1. Lingalstically, the term

“fatherland” is foreign to.

English language usage, the
tongue favoring references
to ‘more “tender origins:
Mother Church; mother
~earth; mother ship; mother
; tongue; -mother’ country;
and, mother land. .

2. Factually, it is incorrect
to assert that Canada is the
“fatherland of ail
Canadians”. Naturalized
subjects, wish otherwise as
they may, can not accurately

Dear Editor:

I wonder how many other
readers were as turned off as
I was by your headline,
“Panties Fan Takes Off After
Brief Struggle”.(North Shore
News, June 28, Page A5) The
incident involved ‘a wonian
who had” been. threatened
late at night, in a lonely car-
park, by a knife-wielding
man who demanded to know
if she was wearing panties.

claim. Canada’ t be their
fatherland (save ‘be they
offspring of bora
Canadians),

Although uncredited in
our mayor's proclamation,
the

unmistakable. And I con-

sider it likely that the
discordant use of
“fatherland” stems from

great minds in Ottawa or-

daining that even the most -
remote corners of a great

country should -hence-
forward adopt, though alien
to those distant provinces, a

- literal translation of the .
French “patrie” (fatherland).

That this type of decree
should meet with a now,
alas, routine acquiescence
condemns us as unworthy

Your flip title was totally out
of place, considering the
seriousness,of -the offence,
and the terror which was no
doubt experienced by the
man’ Sz. victim. There is
nothing funny — ever —
about being threatened by a
madman with a knife, and
the sniggering response of
your writer serves ‘only to
illustrate his immaturity, and
your own insensitivity.

Don’t cut pupil —

teacher ratio

Dear Bditor:

Your June 24 news story
headed “West Vancouver
schools ‘plan promises tax
relicf” brought me, as a

former school trustee, no.

comfort. I was disappointed
to read that the pupil-
teacher ratio was to be cut
still further — down to 15.3
to | — one teacher for cyery
15 pupils. I think it is past
ume: that this continued

process of reduction should”

be ceased or reversed.

Just qe Mt years" Ago, in
1973, West ‘Vancouver had
7,893 pupils and 349
teachers. This year, with just
5.727 pupils, we still have
332 teachers. The figures
speak for themselves. This is
mainly duc to the highly

HIKING
BOOTS

by

successful campaign to
reduce class sizes. The 1973
PTR was 25.1.

I know that’ the
skyrocketing costs of
education in West Van-

couver can be largely, and
legitimately, dismissed as
the result of inflation and
provincial education finance
formula. But surely the local
school board has sume
responsiblity to help reduce
the load on the taxpayers
wherever possible. There
has never been any
irrefutable proof that a child
in a class of 22 gets a poorer
education than one in a class
of 17.

Wilf Bennett
West Vancouver

the mountain bools

MEN’S and WOMEN’S SIZES
WE GUARANTEE FIT! or money refunded

North Shore’s Outdoor Headquarters

GREAT OUTDOORS

"201 LONSDALE

980-3313

senior government's’
heavy hand on-the-pen is

he ritage.. - But,

found in the famous Clough

poem quoted by a peerless
_ man on an earlier occasion ©

when all seemed dark and:
the future ‘uncertain for

English-speaking peoples. —
_ The pdem ends:

_ And ~not by "eastern
When daylight
comes in the light;

comes,

In front the sun climbs

slow, how slowly!

But westward, look, the

land is bright!

Francis M.L. Barthropp
West Vancouver

‘story

Ironically enough, the
very next colum bore the
headline,- “Rape victim
dies”. This is what sexual
attack is all about, and is the
reason why your title is so
deeply offensive. The North
Shore News owes its readers
— and the attack victim —
an apology. -

Jancis M. Andrews (Mrs.)
West Vancouver

rn

We recently approached
the three North Shore
councils asking that ‘they
hear. our. brief on A Petition

for “World Disarmament, -

The Petition ” ‘is being ‘cir
culated: through the ‘world
and will be presented to a
United Nations Special

‘Session on Disarmament in

1982..-We thought we were

giving the councils an op- 7

portunity. to express their
support and concern.

At was disappointing, |
therefore, that both. the —
Districts of North Van-
couver and West Vancouver
found -they could not even
extend us the courtesy of a
hearing. - ,

1 was present ‘at the

meeting of the District of .
‘North Vancouver.

Even
before the topic was debated
by them, they had obviously
made up their minds against

‘such “a radical, airy-fairy,
Communist-inspired idea. as
nuclear disarmament. Such
a rational thought, it would
appear, is. antithetical to

them, :‘As . far’: as they are.
zs concerned,’ liv a |

with the inevitability. of: ‘war,
face up to it and just make
“sure we can defend our-
selves. -

It does not seem 1 to have
occurred to them that ‘their
own logic may be wanting. .
That: we. will no longer--be-
fighting wars with armies,
strategies, Geneva .and
Gentleman's agreements.
For. years respected
scientists have been telling
us that there. can be no
“winners”. So why the
frenetic race for arms
superiority? The deterrent
theory that District council
chose to adopt is simply a
game on paper, to give us
the illusion of security.

7

. Our Regular Prices
Are Other’s Sale Prices

-Barmboo & rattan ware

- Rattan & wicker furniture

- Choose your own pattern
from our fabric line

- Brass .

fine porcelain

-Decorative & service

- Coramandel screens
-Real Chinese carpets
-Fancy & old dragon jars
-Free twice daily delivery service

Acrass trom the Avelon

Come in and browse
through our unique
Oriental collection to
create your own rattan
world.

oom THOE: GINGER JAR ,

082 Marine Dr., North Vancouver 988-4108

AT - Sunday. News, July 5, 1981

our personal m inciln
golden. ‘opport 1

\ “a wn person of
an. issue_ that Profoundly

, affects us all. ”

Trisha Mason ,
North Shore Branch
Coalition for ©
World Disarmament

_  “FHE
WORLD
OF
COMPUTERS

1! heard it again, a couple of
days ago. “! hate computers.”
Why. says I. in my ready to
pounce voice. “Oh,” says he,
“for six months, | kept getting a
bill for some turniture | paid cash
tor, and they said it was the
computer's fault " And suddenly -
don't ask me why it happened
just then - the light came on I've
been wrong all along!

Please try to understand what a
revelation this was. Here Ive
believed in computers for years.
and how helpful they are and so
on, and Ive completely missed
the boat People have computers
tor only one reason COM-
PUTERS ARE THE PERFECT
SCAPEGOAT Never talk back.
never argue, are infinitely patient.
and, as I've said before, dumb as
a shovel

Just imagine! Something you
can blame for everything that's
wrong in your lifef “lm sorry.
your cheque wasn't sent last
week Our computer realty touled
things uo.” Beautitull Why didn't!
think of that? And when your
computer happens to work, and
you succeed or make monoy or
are happier or are alive
BECAUSE It does, why then, you
take all the crodit. So When you
need o scapegoat, or triend, of
both, get a computer tt may bo
the best investment you ever
make

Make lite more tun Drop down
to our store on West Georgia a
quick trip over the bridge = and
wo'll show how an Apple com
putor can work tor YOU

GomeuSnoe

PROFESSIONAL
GUIDANCE
IN COMPUTING
1500 WEST REORGIA