By JIM SMITH The” forces. dominating Canada in 1977 actually date back to 1939 with war in Europe and Asia. Domestic — life ground to a halt; the men_ went overseas, the women into munitions factories. Few. couples had the inclination or oppportunity to raise fami- lies. ‘The war ended. Suddenly, men and women were free to do things that come naturally - to couples. They married. They had children. tried te cram six lost. years into’ a handful of months. And the post-war baby boom was bern.: The baby boom rolled through the next few decades like a tidal wave. Public schools, secondary schools, universities, housing, and the labour * market ~ fought consecutive losing _ battles against the new demands on their facilities. Even with » government programs like Lip and OFY to soften the blow, it wasn’t easy being a member of that baby boom. For society at large, however, it. was a prosperous peried; the pop- ulation boom was tailor- made for a growth-oriented consumer society. The post-- war babies simultaneously created demand. for. "goods and services and supplied the labour to produce those 8 goods and services. Somewhere, we lost sight of reality. We forgot the baby boom was an _ artificial demographic situation, even though the post-boom slump ~ is already working its way through the economy leaving | the education system with - painful excess capacity. Soon we will need to come to grips with changes in the labour market. By 1985, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business reports, the convent labour surplus will be only memory. Production lines and other technologies built around plentiful, cheap la- bour will become obsolete. Import quotas and tariff barriers, which exist only protect domestic jobs, will gradually be eliminated as_ labour surpluses become a memory. Television sets, bicycles and shoes will become import items, gener- ally produced in Pacific Rim countries like Taiwan. Our spectacular . growth rate of the past two decades has resulted, in large part, | from even faster growth in the labour supply. Now it scems we will need to learn to live with slower prowth, changing our emphasis from quantity to quality. By channeling all our resources, including man- power, into their most efficient uses’ and paring waste, we can avoid a reduced standard of living when our growth rate slows. Mass manufacturing is not an efficient technology for Canada. So our current fascinations with continued high-level growth and mass manufac- turing ignore the facts. We are as poorly prepared for the post-boom slump as we Were for the post-war boom. In short, we seom intent on turning our boom into a bust. They By Ed and Jean MacKenzie “This business, a wicked grin, ‘ ~47? wants! ‘But John and his . wife Maureen are not junk deal- ers. They are in_ the wildflower business and their Okanagan. workshop’ and display house are open to the public from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. Located: ‘halfway. between Oliver and Osoyoos on. the east side of Highway 97,.the bright orange roof of their shop is clearly visible atop the hillock they call Wild- flower Mountain. Visitors who tour their plant on No. 20 Road come away marvel- _ ling at the magic that makes an attractive. centerpiece out of dusty roadside weeds. Emotions and driving don’t mix Driving under the influ- ence of stress can be potentially as dangerous as mixing alcohol and driving, © says the B.C. Automobile . Association. The BCAA says that a study of more than 500 drivers conducted at. the University of Michigan re- vealed that any “grossly disturbing situation,’’: job loss, death of a loved one, a serious quarrel, increases a ‘person’s risk of a traffic accident by about 25 per cent. dry — successfully. ‘explains John Richards, with ‘is built on junk that nobody else UNIQUE INDUSTRY This is one of Canada’s unique industries—supply- ing decorative dried blos- soms and seed pods to florists and flower. arrangers across the continent. John and Maureen, aided by a staff of 25, comb the: shore, fields and roadsides of the province, gathering their materials. Many of the plants they seek are regarded as pests by farmers and ranch- ers who are only too glad to see them removed. John began the business seven years ago, working out of his Vancouver basement. But the damp coastal climate mildewed his stock, so the Richards moved to the sunny Okanagan and their present orchard property. Eventually they hope to turn the land over to growing much of their own material. Baby's Breath, which has seeded itself throughout the Okanagan, is one of their major items. It must be picked at exactly the right time, however, or it will not Blown clean, dried and coloured pink, mauve, green or pold, the delicate tracery of the tiny blossoms enhances many of the arrangments that fill the shelves in the display shop. TRY OWN DESIGNS Though most. of their busines: is with the whole- sale trade, ,Maureen and a crew of floral,.experts have . just begun to. ‘produce’ decor-.. ative arrangments for sale. In addition to these, they sell packages of materials'so that customers, inspired by the wide variety of shades and: textures, may try out their own designs at home. Under their talented fing- ers, knapweed, a noxious plague to farmers, becomes a graceful component in a gay centerpiece. , These ° sculp- tured forms of milkweed pods, bleached to pale satin by a .secret formula, add dimension and contour. Wild mustard, cinquefoil, . pearly everlasting, “ball mustard,’’ . yarrow, false tarragon, wild larkspur, and love-in-the-mist are all treasures to the eyes of the Wildflower picking crews. Slender birch branches, tall crusty-brown spikes of mullein and clusters of alder cones are cleaned and then ‘velvetized’’ in John’s homemade flocking machine. ' **Wild pampas”’ is gather- ed along the Okanagan canals, and sea-coast salt marshes produce sand burrs and salt-water grass. Cedar sprays and salal are preser- ved in glycerine. Wild sunflower pods. are sprayed into sunbursts of colour. John and Maureen Richards have a good thing going on Wildflower Moun- tain—and part of their obvious joy in their work is the very human satisfaction of. producing “something” frora nothing.” Popes A pent? deen dt oo Bter page 29, March 30, ye pee TE 1977 - North Shore News DISCOUNT. ‘PET FOODS AND SUPPLIES. 1320. Marine Drive. North Vancouver -988 5012 . . en . i . _ 7 a | ! I | | 18 patterns. | These cupboard doors come In ash, oak, walnut, maple, and pine. You pick the ‘type of wood, H select a pattern, give us the specifications. of size, and in 2 weeks we'll. deliver your custom-made cupboard doors at - no extra chars on the north shore. Stain them yourself, or ask us, and we will have them stained for you. We also” have a wide selection of . hardware to complement your choice, aye matching drawerfronis 5 also available elmark distributors ltd. | weave 929-544]