A6 - Wednesday, June 8, 1983 - North Shore News Why wait so long? On Friday, June 24, the Fraser Institute, Vancouver's free enterprise economic think tank, is celebrating “B.C. Tax Freedom Day 1983” — the date this year on which the average B.C. family completes its direct and hidden tax obligations to federal, provincial and local governments. After that date the average B.C. family can finally keep what it earns for its own use. In other words, almost half its annual income now disappears into government coffers under one heading or another — federal and provincial income taxes, municipal and school property taxes, sales taxes, customs and excise duties and licences and other levies on businesses which are passed on to customers. To a point we ourselves are not entirely blameless becatse we demand a high level of social services, especially in costly areas like health, welfare and education. The real question is whether we are getting value for money — whether some or even many of those services could be provided more effi- ciently and at lower cost by free enterprise than by bureaucrats with secure tenures who never face the challenge of competition. Its .a matter of record, for example, that the cost-per-pupil in private schools tends to . be significantly lower than in public sehools. Municipalities contracting out garbage col- lection find they're saving money. Premier Bennett is hinting at widespread “privatiza- tion” — even possibly including the liquor stores — among his latest measures. Maybe, in future years, Tax Freedom Day COULD come well before June 24. Looking ahead By Saturday night, the Progressive Con- servatives will have themselves a new leader — or the old one with a new mandate. Perhaps this time, they will be able to put aside their traditional self-destruct policies and concentrate on planning for the nation they have been elected to represent. The Tories have a clear path to the government benches if they only have the intelligence to see it. ‘TR8R VOICE OF NDETTN Atm Wet VANCOUVER sunday news| north shore news Display Advertising Classified Advertising Newsroom 980-0511 986-6222 965-2131 Circulation 986-1337 1138 Lonsdale Ave North Vancouver,BC V7M 2H4 Publisher Peter Spec k Associate Publisher Robert Graham Editor-in-chiet Noel Wright Advertising Director Tam Feancis Peraonnel Director Mrs Bern Hilhard Classified Director Isabetle Jeqninigy Circulation Director Bnan A Eihs Production Director Office Manager Chris Johnson Donna Grandy Photography Manager Torry Peters North Shore News, founded in 1960 as an mdepondent « ammunity Newspaper and qualied under Schedule th Part fl Paragraph Ul of the Cxcino Van Aci a pubtished each Wednesday and Sunday by North Shore Free Press (td and distributed to every door on the North Shore Second Class Mat Registration Numper 386865 Entire contents 1082 North Shore Free Prese Lid All rights reserved Sudeceptions North and West vancouver cates availaDle on raquos! $25 per yom Matting Na reveygrceremab ity ae Cente tee Area (van SP aey (Peay veer oe reget meet pane Pear ere whe Bi stencil Coe pee eat t aga eee Eas MEDD et aod ave. ene ag nee VEEP IE > CIRO GH ATION 64 £50 Wednesday 9472/6 Sunday Loy SN. THIS PAPER IS RECYCLABLE MAINSTREAM CANADA Shame on you, Canada Post! CANADA POST President Michael Warren and _ his fellow executives should be ashamed of themselves. The reason: Canada Post has made the brash decision to openly participate in com- petition with the nation’s smaller newspapers, acting as a Catalyst for local mer- chants to put together throwaway advertising flyers to be delivered by the posties along with other junk mail. Canada Post believes it can earn money on the scheme. There’s little wonder! Here we have highly paid postal employees promoting advertising ven- tures that compete directly with other media in the real business world. Yet Warren's employees are directly subsidized by government to the tune of $400 to $500-million per year, consumers and businesses pay 32 cents to have a first class letter delivered (compared with cents in the United States) and Canada Post’s monopoly on the mail continues. Whats’ worse, it’s the smallest papers that will be hardest hit. They will lose some of the cash spent by local merchants to purchase advertising in.the flyers. And that's why Warren, a big city boy who earns well over $150,000 per year, should be ashamed. He simply doesn't understand the nature of smaller newspapers, the peo- ple who run them and the in- tegral role they play in the community paper is part and parcel of a town’s identity, providing life and vitality, as well as being a medium for individual give and take on important issues affecting the area. Community newspapers also play a large role in local activities, not only dispens- ing information, but spearheading everything from minor hockey tour naments to the latest volun- tary fund raising effort. Closing the paper is akin to closing the school. A very real loss would be felt by local residents. Canada Post's Warren should also consider the peo- ple who run the nation's smaller newspapers when he attempts to grab their revenue by using government-subsidized staff. For many of the editors and publishers, the paper is more a labour of love than a money-making venture. In fact, some publishers might feel lucky to earn the $23,000 per year paid to let- ter carriers. Canada Post also has a potential conflict in this Situation. The organization has the capacity to slow down mailed weekly newspapers, while speeding up handling of the com- peting advertising flyers. It should be noted that, in most cases, local postmasters (or postmistresses) are simply folowing orders when they get involved in the scheme. So what to do? Warren should’ im- mediately issue a pointed statement indicating his employees will no longer participate in such ventures. Local merchants should pass up the opportunity to adver- tise in the flyers. And subscribers who feel strongly about the tssue should have a chat with their local member of Parliament, pointing out the unfairness of the situa- tion. : A final note: Michael Warren wasn't available when representatives of the Canadian Community Newspaper Association met the post office executives to complain about the issue. He should be ashamed. (CFIB Feature Service) Odd way to choose the boss TWO THINGS you can say about the North American nritual for choosing the leaders of na- tional pohtical parties: it generates quick millions of extra bucks for local businesses, together with a couple of nights of mighty interesting television. Whether it’s the best way to select a nation’s future four-year boss is another thing again. This week's Tory leader ship Convention in the caver nous arena of the Ottawa Civic Centre will be no cx cepon under the first two headings around with banners C avorung bultons, posters hand held sigas and funny hats will be over 3000 voting dclegates from C onsctvative assoc talons Canada, plus more than 2,000 official alternates (who get to vote in place of any delegates who tail to show up) Progressive we ross Add sas observers 2 S00 plus a conven staff oof) around 1 SOO 2 OOO) na infernational and the total taany as Groot Elevene | OOO tronal plas and media types cast oof the three day cx travaganzsa could well reach 110000 Cecil B le Malle would have loved every mieule Phe show opens formatly lomontnow June Yo The tap PN days are bra t Phursaday ay when the candidates Seliver thear vital (losing speectes te the assembtecd malbtitude and Saturday when the vote leadceship self starts ot 1) Win am OF fawa ttine The organizers have printed 27,000 ballot sheets enough for eight ballots The conventional wisdom ts that uo will hikely take three or-even four ballots before the leader ts finally acclaim ed Just in case youd forpot ten, amid the description of the hoopla, there are cight candidates in all) only threc of whom are given a chance by most of the pundits Ihey are 1976 1984 leader and) former prime mintster Joe Clark whe resigned in a snit and called the Couveatioa last January in Winnipeg because oaly 6 - percent of (he part) sup ported bim at that mecting Brian Mulroney the hand some Quebec brash Aeleated in industrialist of descent whom Joe 1Y/0 4s be Mi 4 ompe itor again Clark s They te the onty two bihagual can didates Bman’s problem ts that he has never yet elected to anything The third fromtrunner as witty baghly educated John Crosbie believed to hottest been Joes Newfie finagee mitntster tn Che stort lived 1979 FOKO Dory govern Better qualified oan many ways than cither ¢ lark on Muslremey ment Corcwtye vane focus Noel Wright tunately speaks no breneh and apparently doesnt even propose to try Hye bye nyain to those 4 Quebes scaly’ The same hand ap ap ples to the five other unl Ingual hopefuls Poromtas former ‘tiny perfect mayor Dasa Cromtue worthy but Gull accountant Mi hael Wilson tdmonton miallomarec tn hey wher Peter Pow klingtion rightwing mavenck John Gamble and ANU Metre crusader Neu Praser IE you cant wen Quebec in brench tow bad SUPER CENT With cight starters cach the favorite son of at least 100 delegates, the chances of anyone winning a clear ma jority on the first ballot are virtually mil Clark is widely expected to top it. with Mulroney and Crosbie in hot pursuit) Then the real fun starts On the second ballot the frontrunners share the votes of the delegates whose first choices have been climinated For obvious reasons, a second ballot can didate who fails to pick up votes isin trouble After a further round o! hecth horse-deahing on the convention floor, the third ballot may oor may not povide a winner Hut however long Une prowess takes one thing seems clear Phe eventual leader needs only a sample SI percent ma portly on the final ballot ts also perfectly possible that he will actually be the firs chore of as few as 20 25 per cent oof the delegates Plected mother words because hes the least of sescralevals Thats oa far cry frou Mr Clarks 67 per cent fiest chowwe cndorsement las! January in Winnipeg Considertag Une partys magnificent showing to the polls over the past four omion ths wothouwr aw Jeader crtye wonders why theyre gopnp to Al this bother Why neo BIVe everyone a crack at the yobun turn with ab aaria change of leader” Like the Chamber of Commerce dacs