By TIM SMITH
The amazing aspect of

“Canada’s dismal economic:

performance isn’t so much
the fact that we have high
unemployment (other
countries are also short of
jobs) or that we have high
inflation (other countries are
finding the value of the local
currency dropping). The
_. amazing aspect is that

Canada is widely believed to «

have a “planned” economy.

No, it’s not like the Soviet
Union or China where
workers are instructed to
report to specific plants and
perform specific jobs. We

- don't follow the communist
world’s philosophy of state
ownershi;
operations like Air Canada,
the CNR and - sigh - the Post
Office). But we do operate
under strong government
influence when it comes to
determining the structure of
our.industry, -

The names of .the folks
who plan the Canadian
economy are not widely
known (most of our planners
prefer anonymity - for
reasons obvious to anyone
who has studied the nation’s
economic performance).
However, these shadowy

p (if you can ignore |

figures do exist and they do
exert enormous inflyence
over our economic
operation.

Unfortunately, these
national - planners all suffer
from a common affliction
known as “facilititis”. In
Canada’s case, facilititis
threatens to prove fatal.

Facilititis develops
gradually. At first, there's

nothing more involved than

a. vague | belief that big
business does things more
efficiently than smaller
business. Gradually, _ this
insidious disease takes hold.

‘Before long, the victim is

convinced that production
proceeds most efficiently if
all the little plants. can be
merged into just a handful of
very |big plants. Sooner or
later, the patient reaches the
tragic conclusion that

Canada -can survive only if.

the various companies in
cach manufacturing industry
combine into one monstrous
firm.

“World scale efficiency” is
the term that victims in
advanced stages of facilititis
(literally, the belief in the
value of very large facilities)
ultimately begin to babble
hysterically. Time and again,

1
ant

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THE HAGGIS BASH w was held | Satiarday night at the North Van Rec Centre. The square 2 issice » with the conphiasts on.
. Robbie Burns day isa popular: annual. event. + (Elsworth | Dickson photo)

ie dreaded Facilititis

the patient will state
categorically that Carada
can’t compete with other
nations ‘because § our
manufacturing plants are too
small

Facilititis, in effect, causes
the victim to wear blinders
when surveying the
economy. Matters like
unrealistically high wage
rates, the shortag of high
technology: ndustries.
foreign control over
Canada’s production
decisions and restrictions on
imports of Canadian-made
goods by other nations

‘escape the attention of those

afflicted with facilititis.

One doctor summed up
the tragic condition of a
facilititis patient under his
care as follows: “The poor
chap is convinced that the
cure for the Canadian
economy is to build plants
large enough to produce all
the refrigerators and
automobile tires demanded
by the entire world. He
refuses to understand that
there must be demand for
those refrigerators and tires,
too; otherwise all those
goods will end up in
warchouses. It’s a truly sad
case. There is almost no
hope of Canada acquiring
larger foreign markets.”

wane
= .

Great coaches, like great ‘
swimmers, tend to. start C F
young. Jim Perez, promising’ ‘Far -
‘assistant coach with Van-~ pions
couvers Canadian Dolphin,» -

’ Swim Club, began coaching"
‘at the age of 19. in his
; | hometown - of San Jose, Sa
_ California. (ea) this

- "Between. 1969, and. 1971, as
“head: coach of a local high
school.team, Perez worked ~
with several nationally-
ranked young’ American”
"swimmers.

_|_Betwee 1971 and 1974, .
Perez studied at pana “9
Columbia's. . Simon Fraser; {
University : while carrying on
his coaching activities. The ~
Burnaby Tyees (later. ‘the
Hyack Swim Club). were the *
_ chief beneficiary of Perez’s
- assistance. He also coached *.-:
a. Vanconver..team that.
successfully. ‘competed’
- against Seattle in -an inter-" §
ect. and coached the. -

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