A6 - Sunday News, August 30, 1981

GE editorial page

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The. awesome costs of the federal
government’s error in recommending
homeowners to use toxic urea formaldehyde
foam insulation have still to come home to
roost.

Over 100,000 homeowners (about 8,000 of
them in B.C.) took Ottawa’s advice. At a
conservative estimate those homes represent
a total property value of at least $7 billion
across Canada and around $700 million in
B.C. For all practical purposes they are now
unsaleable until the substance—which
causes dizziness, headaches and respiratory
complaints—is removed.

The cost of removal is estimated at bet-
ween $10,000 and $30,000 per home. Taking
a median figure of $20,000, the total bill in
B.C. alone might be at least $160 million. For
the country as a whole it could reach a
Staggering $2 billion. Small wonder the feds
are dragging their feet and endeavoring to
postpone the day of reckoning with in-
terminable further “tests”’—despite having
already banned the foam as a health hazard.

According to lawyers in touch with the
problem; the chances of successful legal
action by the victims — whether against
installers, manufacturers or the govern-
ment—appear slim. Moreover, the affected
homeowners and their. families form less
than 1.4% of the electorate. So, not-
withstanding the cruel losses they face, they
don’t even pack much political clout if debt-
ridden Ottawa decided to hang tough.

Ottawa must not. The actual and
threatened hardships are too severe.

Somehow, the government must see justice
done.

Game over?

Chess master Carl Storey squeaked to
victory last week over Belle, the world’s most
powerful chess computer, but there’s no
room for complacency. Belle is improving its
chess rating by 40 points a year. Within a

decade it’s expected to beat even the world’s
grand master—which bodes ill for ordinary
mortals who dare to challenge the electronic
hr. ow-alls.

Game over for homo sapiens?

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Managing Editor
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General Manage:
Administration
Berm Hillard

Production Director
Rick Stonehouse

Peter Speck

Editor-in-Chiet
Noel Wright
News Editor
Chris Lioyd

Advertising Director
Enc Cardwell
Sports Editor
Patrick Rich

Creative
Director
Tim Francis

Photography
f tsworth Dickson

Accounting Supervisor Circulation Olrector
Barbara Keen Bian A Elbe

North Shore News founded in 1060 as an independent ¢ ommiunty
Dewspaper and qualified under Schedule dH Pac Ht Paragraph IW ot the
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$20 per year Entire contents 1981 North Shore Free Press ltd
All rights reserved

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SIN“

THIS PAPER IS RECYCLABLE

.

By WALTER BLOCK

On April 6, 1981, Eaton’s
department store unveiled a
display of doctors’ gowns,
featuring a mock operating

‘room scene. A larger-than-

life female patient doll was
placed on an operating table
with her legs spread apart,
while a male doctor doll
stood betweeen her legs.
This “doctor” held a giant
power drill pointing at her
abdomen, while a nurse doll,
wearing frilly pink un-
derwear, stood by.

For a month afterwards,
the ‘Vancouver = store
received no complaints
against this display alleging
“sexploitation”, ‘‘violence
against women”, or anything
else.

On May 7 and 8, several
newspaper articles appeared
which were critical of the
display. One was written by
a female Vancouver
columnist who urged women

customers to take their
business elsewhere. This
prompted an_ outraged

response from several dozen
people, who complained to
Eaton's management.

The display was removed
on May 11.

The shocking thing about
this occurrence was not the
offensiveness to women.
Much worse has been
alleged to have occurred in
the past, and in any case, a
second female journalist
vehemently defended

Eaton's against sexploitation
charges in

her own

POOL-OWNERS who also
happen to be dog-lovers,
may we have your ear for a
moment? The subject is
Birmar, a delightful Siberian
husky belonging to school
teacher Marfan McGavin of
North Vancouver

A litthe while back Birmar
suffered an accident which
put his spinal cord out ol
kilter and threatened per
manent paralysis After visits
to several vets he was finally
operated on a couple of
weeks ago by a top specialist
in that type of canine injury
There's now a pood chance
he ll recover the full use of
his legs and be able to walk
and run again
can get

provided he
the required post
operation physiotherapy for
aweck of two

That physiotherapy

Consists of swimming

with
his mistress in the water to
help tum along The occan
in carty) September

inn tcractly the best place to
Carry tout

Ms MceGavin, who ob
viously fecls about her dog
the

way | fecl about mine
and possibly some of you out
there feel about has

yours
alrcady spent $1 OOO in vets
feesinithe fight to get Burman
back on Bur

anyone

his paws she

just doesnt know

with a pool where the Cure

can be completed And tine

newspaper column. Nor is it
amazing that Eaton's
management should have
mistakenly assessed public
reation. Business people
have made mistakes before,
and will again. To err, after
all, is only human.

No. The remarkable thing
is the extreme quickness
with which Eaton’s changed
its initial response to the
furor and acceded to the
public will. At the outset,

general merchandise
manager Bill McCourt is
reported to have said:

“Violent? It's funny. It’s
meant to be good fun, just a
funny operating room. We
have strict rules about
displays. Nothing that
resembles violence of any
kind is permitted.” And yet a
scant four days later, the
display was dismantled with
profuse apologies.

1e ‘dollar vote’ gets action

The reason for this ex-
tremely quick respon-
siveness to public opinion is
of course the fact that all
private businesses are
completely dependent, for
their very financial lives, on
the good will of the
customer. (“The customer is
always right” is almost the
motto of the private sector).

A mention of returning an
Eaton’s credit card “in 10
pieces”, a letter to the editor
announcing intent to shop at
another department store, a
few dozen complaints to
management ... and the job
is done. (Other examples of
similar private sector ac-
countability include the

immediate dropping of the
Edsel automobile, and the
hyper-sensitivity of

networks to TV ratings.)
extreme
to public

the

Eaton's
responsiveness

sunday brunch

by Noel Wright

Is running out because she’s
back to school in 10 days and
then wt will be more difficult
to cope

If you own a pool and
would lke to help. Manan
and Birmar would be

everlastingly grateful Her
number is 987-682 3
Readers Alan Shard and
Les Rimes have slapped
down your scribe for that
“upside down)  unton yack
pretured in this cotumn last
week | Brits youn Transpo 86
with dustress signal 4
Pechnically they ce right Ut
was actually  beimp held
Wrong way round but the
etfect aw ocrxacthy the same
When a flag is displayed
without a flagpole Ihe
colors mast po from lett to
right Check the flaps of

brance Belprum and Italy

BIRMAR....
his one hope

swimming

Alan and Les ..

Progress in organizing the
finishing touches for West
Van's second annual Coho

Festival next Saturday 1s
“fantasiic”, says West Van
Chamber of Commerce
president Mike Nicell. A
highlight will be the bar
becue, presided over once
again by Ken Parker and

manned by volunteers from
the Salmon House — this
year cach diner wall get one
whole individual 6 oF
the 3.0000 of
dered from a salmon farm
The

salmon) from

locaton has been
Ambleside
Park to the grassy areca just
south of Park Royal on the

banks of

switched = from

the Capilano for
reasons — first,
loads of parking

two theres

second tf
the weather turns sour. the
whole show can quickly be
moved the covered
parking area behind keaton 5
“Hf at had rained last year |
says Mike, “wed have been
wiped oul ”

Some 30) exhibt(s have
been Lined up for the Park
Royal mall including
Vancouver Aquanum — the
West Van schools salmonid
cohancement
wildlite

under

program
and cnvironmental
displays, rod and gun clubs
elo ete Phas day long live

entertainment put) together

opinion is in sharp contrast
to several other sectors of
our society.

Our politicians, for
example, have proven very
reluctant to -satisfy public
demands in several areas.
Most Canadians favour the
death penalty in certain
circumstances, oppose sex
education classes in high
schools as causes of venereal
disease and youth
pregnancy, and favour
prayer in the public schools.
Yet these widely held and
deeply felt desires are of-
times dismissed as mere
“public clamour” and
“uninformed mob demands”.

Public opinion -polls have
shown an overwhelming
opposition to Ottawa's stand
on the unilateral repatriation
of the constitution, to public
sector strikes such as those
by the air traffic controllers,
the Post Office employees,
bus drivers, etc., to RCMP
illegal activities, and to high
taxes. Yet these continue
unabated, since politicians
are insulated from public
feedback through the
electoral process which need
take place no more than
once every few years. This
compares rather un-
favourably to the dollar vote
which reigns in the business
sector — and occurs each
and every day, day in, and
day out.

There were more people
who wanted a Terry Fox
stamp, while he was still
alive, that is, and who

CONTINUED ON PAGE A?

by Shoppers Drugmart PR
man Chuck Doodson.
Sounds like lots of fun to
kick off the long weekend.
Hope the guests of honor,

leaping upstream m= the
nearby Capilano, enjoy 1t
loo...

SCRATCHPAD: West

Van Seniors Centre director
Shella Jones reports 250 new
members have jotned since
the centre opened in June

North Van Arts Council's
picture loan shows return
September 3. 7 to & JO pm
in the Presentatvon
Gallery, 333
(bnghten up your wall for
fall") Salute intrepid West
Van Alderman Don Lanskall
and family who spent part of
their

House
Chesterfield

vacahon white water

canoeing down the
Kootenay River Talking
of dernng doz Bob Thomson
of the Aid

Ski Patrol is seeking recrunts

volunteer First

to succour broken bones on
the North

during

Shore mountairs
the coming sks
Call him at 274 46048
indefatigable Kiwan
Ernie Ernshaw 15s) J981 82
president of the North Van
Kawans foundation which
looks after seniors housing
and North Vans Audrey
Stegen has been
district director of
Registered
Assoc tation
WRIGHT OR WRONG,
the bitter with the
sweet mercly spoths the laste
of the swect

scason

aamed
the

Nurses

Jakhing