: The Herth Shore ses Is poblsbed by Morth from 1139 Lonsdale Avenue Rorth Vancouver, B.C., V7M 244 PETER SPECK : Publisher 985-2131 (107) Re BY Human Resources Mugs S85-2131 (177) Michael Bockst-Hows Editor * 985-2131 (114) Andrew NicCrodie-Sy _ 985-2131 (147) _ LETTERS To THE EDITOR Letters must inctude your name, full address & telephone number. VIA Internet: uenshaw @ direct.ca COMPUTER B8S - 80-6027 User 1D-malibox Password:latters menity Editor tenes aetna er reve ched “Worth Store Mews, faunkel 2 1967 as 20 indepenknt buten ewspeper anf quilified under Schobue 111, Paragraph 1 of the Excise Tax Act, 3 pubtnhod cach Wedheady, Friday and Susiafay by North Shore Froe Pres Lal and dotrduaud to every door on the Nort Shore, Cirnda Fixt Canad Publicrtuns Mail Scks Product Agrecmant Ne. OOH7228, Medting rates available on requ, . +. Eetire contents @ 1996 North Shore Frea Press Ltd. “All nights reserved, Shore Free Press itd., Publisher Peter Speck, “THING... AS SOON\ AG WE SHOW UF THEY HEAD Home! quotes of the week ed . “Generally, it is uncommon Janice Harris, on David Schreck’s “that we will arrest the same per- campaign for a scat on district son immediately after he has left council and the former North the court house.” Vancouver-Lonsdale NDP MLA’s North Vancouver RCMP Const. nish at the bottom of the polls, Catherine Galliford, on the arrest of a teenager a half hour after he was released from jail. (From a Non, 22 (From a Nov. 20 News story.) Qba ; “Guests should announce the ' News story.) abandonment of their rooms 900 before 12 o'clock, emptying the “Now the family is back intact room at the latest befbre 34 _ and what was the cost? $4,000 if they were here for four months of intensive treatment. Well that’s a drop in the ozean, $4,090 is a fendiz-bendet for God’s sake.” . West Coast Alternatives Society executive director Alan Podsadowski, on the financial cost Of helping counse! a family back jtogether. (From a Nov. 22 News /- Neighborhoods story.) GOQ “In terms of North Vancouver it’s like pissing in the ocean.” . _: Youth outreach counsellor Terry - Bulych, on the shortage of resources he and fellow counsellors have for dealing with North Shore substance abuse problems. (Front a Nov, 22 News Neighborhoods story.) oog0 .. “I wonder why he didn’t run ‘in the city if he was serious about getting involved in municipal politics, That’s where his support base might be. It almost feels like a frivolous exercise. I’m surprised there were 3,000 voters out there Prepared to consider a candidate with strong ties to the NDP who put nothing into his campaign. I _ thought he'd get fess than 500.” North Vancouver District Coun. o’clock, for the use of the room before 5 at the arrival or after the 16 o’clock at the departure, will be billed one night more.” ‘A message on the door of a Sarajevo hotel. (From: tie Nov. 20 Doug Collins column.) ano 4 ae frtaeed tenants. We idn’t do anything wrong to get kicked out.” ; 8 8 Irene Scott, a senior who lost her Kiwanis home to fire, on being prevented from returning to her suite because of an age stipulation. (From a Nov. 17 News story.) 30OQ “They automatically assume we don't know what we're doing.” f Trine Whist, a 31-year-old ‘female welder'with an English liter- ature degree from UBC, on a typi- cal response to her welding exper- tise from inale welders. (From a Nov, 17 Ne.. story.) , OOO “Ym better.” West Vancouver District mayor- clect Pat Boname, on why she beat chalenger Jim Hogan in the recent municipal election. (From a Nov. 20 News story.) menaced na bem NatNY Mint at sorb nett Mews View pci OTERS in North Vancouver City have already said yes to amalgamation. Not so much by what they did, but by what they didn’t do. And that’s vote. Vancouver area. ...] a Direct inaction residents don’t care a lick about local pol- itics, Or local politicians. Or about being an entity separate from the greater North The city’s mayor, for example, was elected by 8% of the city’s population. AUSTRALIAN friendliness, one of the visitor’s happiest memories of Bown Under, is epitomized in that cheery male-to-male greeting, “mate” — as in “G'day mate!” (pro- nounced “G’dye mite”), The word is also at the root of Australia’s present scarch for its true identity in a dis- turbing new world. Aussics themselves have coined the term “mateship” to describe their” original concept of society — born from the legends of the bush back in | the good old days. oe it means that everyone looks out for his mates and everyone accepted as : a mate deserves “a fair go.” Strictly egalitarian in outlook, “mateship” rejects inherited wealth and privilege, sneers at too much education and * thumbs its nase discreetly at authority. 5 But the good old days, alas, are rapidly fading before the dawn of a oo ruthless elobal economy, in which the good life can be guaranteed only by’. competitive talent and performance. Those qualities are hallmarks of such. Asian economic “tigers” as Japan, Korea, Talwan, Malaysia, Indonesia and. ingapore —- where Aussie-style “mateship” is unknown.” 9S | . _ Trade partnerships with these vastly different socitties are now vital for Australia’s future. As 2 result, its historic cult of “mateship” is at last being challenged by the directly opposed concept of “raeritocracy”: a society. based on equal opportunity to compete and achieve according to individ ual merit — which in practice, of course, finally means winners, losers, atid everyone in between. ee ae ae Propelling this challenge is the spread in recent decades of higher ed cation, plus growing Asian immigration and the nearly 70,060 Asian s dents studying in Australia, ° Pe Prime Minister John Howard’s Liberal-National Coalition and: Paul Keating's opposition Labor Party are both now committed 'to a society powered by merit as the only way to survive economically in bed with the. Asian elephant. ' : : NE By But both parties still face a major political problem with the many.” Australians who still cling to their faith in “mateship” — fearing the raw competitiveness of a merit-based society will spell the end of the “fir go” that Aussie “mates” have long regarded as their birthright. © 0°10." The problem is personified by maverick MP Pauline. Hanson (Hither And You, Nov. 17) with her brash demand for a total halt to immigration’ and multiculturalism, While she has upset numerous of Australia’s needed Asian partners, the high percentage of disgruntled “mates” supporting he at home confront both main parties with a political dilemma for which’: ' there’s no quick or casy solution. . i ae It’s a dilemma Canadians — brought up to share (even if'a liede more modestly) the American Dream of the paper bay who becomes President. — have never had to face. / - 5 Much as we pay lip service to equality, Aussie-style “mateship” has no’ psychological parallel in Canada. Like our American cousins we settled for competitive merit from the start. we ae Doubtless they'll eventually sort it all out Down Under, while they : learn to survive in the competitive Asian jungle. ; ‘eae But their original and very different culrure having produced such an ;: exceptionally friendly, helpful people, one at least hopes that the word | “mate” will never entirely disappear fom their vocabulary. MANY HAPPY RETURNS of Tuesday, Nov. 26, to Mount Seynotir Lion Bryan Martin. goa es your own opinion — but not your own ©". 3 lu WRIGHT OR WRONG: Form facts, ~— The North Shore News believes strongly in freedom af speecl and the + right of all sides in a debate to be heard. The columnists published in the News : present differing points of view, but those views are not necessarily those of the newspaper itself. : ‘om mG mI 08 mF irene One rae Re TR! FY RTI ERT ee Neen ae The trouble with this scenario is that - city residents are all paying for a full time city hall staff, 2 full city council and the - full time upkeep and renovation of a | North Vancouver City hall. ; ; The amalgamation question of whether’ In the Nov. 16 municipal election, 2 Hardly a solid mandate. North Vancouver residents need duplicate - scant 18.72% city residents voted — the This is not the first time that vote municipal ' halls, duplicate municipal’ - lowest percentage in the province. turnout in the city has been low. bureaucracies and duplicate councils has | Those elected to council, all but one of whom is an incumbent, would argue that the iow turnout is a sign that city residents are happy with the way things are being run in the city. Other observers would politics at city hall. argue that city Not voting in municipal elections is a tradition in the city. As is not caring about It took, for example, just over 1,000 votes to get clected to North. Vancouver District 44 School Board from the city. been answered in spades. Ef it were up to the city voters the answer would be No; Saturday’s election results show decisive- ty that 82% of city residents couidn’t care, tess if they had anyone in city hall at all... ° The majority should rule. rr re