DoucG CoLLins © get this straight © THEY CAN pack a million people into the Great Square in Beijing, and there are over a thousand million more who can’t get in. In short, the biggest impression a foreigner gets in China is that there are too many people in the country for their own good. The streets of Beijing, Shanghai and other great cities are — liter- ally — wall to wall people. It’s overwhelming. You just haven’t seen crowds until you have been there. Or bicycles. There are seven million in Beijing alone and all over the country they are the main form of transportation. You see thousands of the things in bike-parks, many of them un- chained. Which is not surprising, considering that the penalty for stealing one is three years in jail. So few bikes are stolen. ‘‘It’s just not worth it,’’ said one of our guides. It would be foolish and preten- tious to judge a country on the basis of a short visit. Nevertheless, one gets certain impressions. One is that China has no altez- native but to try to control its population, Television documen- taries I have seen indicate that the policy can be cruel, with forced abortion being the bottom line for those who try to resist it. The Chinese | spoke to denied that forced abortion existed. They claimed the real reason people went along with the one child per family policy was that offenders would not find it easy to get hous- ing and other benefits like free education. Peer pressure was also important, they said. Whatever the truth, the policy works. In a trip that took in five cities, I only once saw one woman with two children in tow. Whatever their political hue, the Chinese adore their kids, who are invariably clean, neat-looking, and quick to smile, as indeed are most of the adult population. Which is a wonder, seeing that by Western standards the country still groans under massive poverty. In grey and dismal Shanghai (population 13 million!) there are acres of hovels, with people clean- ing their teeth and washing themselves right in the street gut- ters. There are also huge blocks of new flats, of course, especially in Beijing. But Shanghai takes the prize for being one of the most depressing cities I have ever visited. It has the greatest concen- tration of industry, too, and the sun never seems to peep through the smog. The emergence of private enter- prise is not myth, though. Since the policy changes of 1978, mil- lions of tiny businesses have sprung up. Most of them take up only a few square feet along the main city thoroughfares. There are Co-op education program may expand THE COOPERATIVE Education Program has proven so successful for special needs secondary students in North Vancouver School District, that the concept may be incor- porated into the regular curriculum. In a report to the school board last week, program coordinator Bill Friesen said-the program in- volving work experience resulted in 70 per cent of last year’s graduates either finding employment or deciding to go on to post-secon- dary training. Until now, the program has been directed toward students, some of whom have mental, behavioral or emotional handicaps, who are prone to Jeaving high school early, Taking few skills with them, they were finding it difficult to ob- tain employment. The Cooperative Education Program, which uses a schedule of three weeks of unpaid job experi- ence to three weeks of classroom work, can give the students the skills and self confidence to seek employment, and a _ modified Grade 12 graduation which is often important to employers. “Our approach is to link schools with employers in teaching the students,’’ said Lorne Schemmer, principal of Sutherland Secondary, where the program is centred. Friesen said the program has By MAUREEN CURTIS Contributing Writer seen wide success in Ontario, where it has now been extended to regular classrooms as well. The Surrey school district is bringing job experience programming into science and mathematics classes, and North Vancouver School District hopes to do the same next year. Work experience facilitators Maureen Buhler and Colette Rim] told the board about the students they have worked with, the pro- blems they have encountered (some with unions) and the success they have seen. “You can’t bring that kind of experience into the classroom,’ said Buhler. The Cooperative Education Program is always on the lookout for potential new ‘‘employers,”’ to provide the work experience pro- grams. The students are unpaid for their work, Friesen stressed. Interested employers may call 985-9515 for further information. DR. SFEPHEN GECGGHEGAN Announces his association with DR. EDWARD CLARK in the Caulfeild Village Shopping Centre 5311 Headland Dr., W. Van. 922-1305 GENERAL DENTISTRY also private farms and co- operatives, but there is no sign at all that the government is prepared to allow large-scale private enter- prise to develop. We were told that some farmers are becoming wealthy. Especially those that live near the large cities. What they do with their money, it seems, is to build bigger and better houses — cars and other bourgeois luxuries being unavailable to them. Even if they were, at $50,000 to $60,COC a shot they are out of sight, although a few people can afford them, we were informed. The average wage is about 200 yuan a month, which is about $50. But true comparisons are difficult. Some people pay only 5 yuan for a flat, for instance. Others pay 29. It depends on how much they earn. It was surprising to discover, especially in a communist state that boasts about its education fa- cilities, that teachers are poorly paid. We met one who earned only 100 yuan a month. Taxi drivers, on tne other hand, can pick up as much as 500 a month. The reason for this, we were told (B.C. Teachers Federation please note) is that they are ‘‘unproductive’’ in the industrial sense and are therefore not eligible for the bonuses that others may qualify for, The consequence is that many of them go moonlighting. More on Friday @ 1989 VOLVO 244DLO WITH AM/FM CASSETTE 9 ~ Wednesday, October 19, 1988 - North Shore News HW. Varn fireworks slated THE DISTRICT of North Van- couver and district firefighters are once again sponsoring spooky fireworks displays on Halloween night, Monday, Oct. 31. San RE rere seat GAS LIFT OFFICE Displays will be held at Norgate, Lynn Valley and Panorama parks in North Vancouver, beginning at 8 p.m, sale CHAIRS ARM RESTS AVAILABLE FOR MOST MODELS - WIDE CHOICE OF COLORS — Do people need ergonomically designed furniture? Most experts say yes. ASK THE CHAIRMAN get reasonable RBUSWEIS ... Catheart | | Office Furniture f 201-2819 1989 VOLVO 740GLO AIR COND., SUNROOF, POWER WINDOWS, AM/FM CASSETTE °24,5!