A6 - Wednesday, January 13, 1982 - North Shore News EEE editorial page Think again, Bill Citizens accustomed to exercising direct and often decisive influence through their municipal councils on the way their com- munity is developed -- including the rejection of unpopular development projects -- should take a hard look at Municipal Affairs Minister Bill Vander Zalm’s new Land Use Act. The act -- due to become law during the spring session of the Legislature unless public outcry forces Mr. Vander Zalm to think again -- reduces municipal councils to mere rubber stamps endorsing the minister's orders in all development matters. True, it requires every municipality to adopt an official community plan, based on public hearings. North Vancouver City and West Vancouver already have such plans, and North Vancouver District is now working on one. But Section 16 of the act empowers the minister to amend the plan, without any public hearing, before he ap- proves it. In effect, Mr. Vander Zalm will have a complete veto over all council planning decisions. Thus, any developer those scheme is rejected by the local council will be able to go directly to the minister to persuade him to reverse council's decision. Local residents will have no part in this process. The act represents a massive invasion of council’s traditional jurisdiction, in close consultation with its electors, over the manner in which its community should grow. Local development is a matter for the people who have to live with it. Mr. Vander Zalm should backtrack. Fast. Losing track! When Lewis and Naomi Jackson, a Wisconsin couple, married 29 years ago, they agreed to have a big family -- five or six kids. On New Year’s Day Mrs. Jenson gave birth to their 22nd child. “Somehow we got off the track,” she said. Which just goes to show that even when you lose track, you can still have a jot of fun. tbe: seen! sanday news narth shore news 1139 Lonsdale Ave North Vancouver, B.C V7M 2H4 (604) 985-2131 ADVERTISING NEWS 960-0611 965-2131 CLASSIFIED 986-6222 CIRCULATION 986-1337 Publisher Associsie Publisher Robert @raham Managing Editor Andy Fraser Genera! Meneger Administration Bern Hiltard Peter Spec bh Editor-in-Chief Noel Wright Advertising Director Eric. Cardwell News Editor Crs Lioyd Creative Director Tom Francis Production Olrector He k Stonehouse Photography t Wawoerth Ok eon Accounting Supervisor Circulation Otrector Barbata Meer barseer) AF Mess Purchaser Faye McC cae North Shore Ne@we tocmced SYQOW an af Inde pendeatl Comenigent, TOM nape: and quaatified?) ander oe bacute UE bianet WH Waraggeageh Wf thre Pn ime Tam Aot on patented aact Wedoonday ane Ssanday ty Neoortt Soe bee Cem ote td satotroternd bo every door on te Nort ae Me) tank Mar Megastintingn Number $44% Subscriptions $20 per yoa! Entre contents All "ignte -oserved 1061 North Ghore Free Prese (id Ne roy SOY 0) ve eyed . Feet (a cote: ast bo tee Bey ays CRO Sn) esperar ered tes a ab evet ep ead mated es mesel ere vu emheag re VE PARR (2 tea ta Ay 93348 Wednesday 37 546 BSundey i a THIS PAPERIS REC YC L ABLE Our navy weaker than in 1910 : The reason Canada's Navy is in such a terrible bind, with 16 of 20 warships tied up for lengthy, expensive boiler repairs, is because the government of Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau has always held to a policy of deliberately, and quietly, running down the Canadian Armed Forces. The Navy yelled less than the other two services, and lobbied less effectively, and so despite the fact that a navy, for Canada’s national interest, is probably the most important branch of the Armed Forces, allowed drain. Lobby pressure from the legions of air officers, former and active, pushed his government into ex- pensive fighter plane programs. The F-18 program, for example, was its been to go down the looked on with some political favor because it meant so many jobs in Quebec. Awarding of a contract was even delayed to make competing companies bid against each other not so the critics say. Cabinet will then decide to repair a few of the least elderly destroyers suffering from terminal boiler illness and to effect a reduction in naval Strength from 20 destroyers to 10 destroyers. That’s assuming that they really do go ahead with the six frigates now in the planning stage, which have been delayed to pay for the new jet fighter program. The reduction will be a follow-on ‘power to a level lower than before 1910, will un- Canadian Comment BY PETER WARD much for price, but for which one would offer the most industrial benefits to Quebec. That's the force of the huge Liberal Quebec caucus, which lobbies very effectively with the cabinet. The fighter program has escalated to more than $5 billion, without anyone really getting very upset about it. That price increase is squeezing the defence budget, and the Liberal answer has been to delay making any decision on building new warships. Government response to this latest crisis, of a virtual stripping of Canadian naval are really okay, despite what doubtedly be to assure the Canadian public that things program to the scheme which cut the Navy. during the 1970s from 30 ships to 20. Defence Minister Giles Lamontagne says there's no cause for panic, because we're not at war, and everything is under control. Really? Ask Canada’s NATO allies. Ask anyone in the cquntry who has the faintest conception of the im- portance of ocean resources to Canada. It is a crisis, and there is reason for action — action for the national good and not merely for politics. Take credit for all those bills! This being the month when the Christmas bills flock home to roost, it seems as good a time as any to tell you all you ever wanted to know about credit buying as a way of life but never dared to ask. Much of the informaton comes from a recent paper issued by the Canadian Council on Social Development — a 6(0-year- old independent non-profit organization which descnbes its function as “speaking on vital social issues” The authors, Debra Frazer and Janet McClain, take a somewhat dim view of credit buying, as cvinced in the ule of thei paper “Credit, a mortgage for Iife” And oddly cnough, they gloss over the most tmportant single fact about the credit card hfestyle more on which anon On the other hand you may also find a few crumbs of comfort in their statistics, which suggest some folk arc having an cven rotlener January than you are as thetr Involles mail slit plop) through = the At least you have a lot ol company Despite a populabon of Lys million only Canadians ate among the biggest users of consume: credit in the western workd Back in 19446 thei debt amounted toon hitthe less than $b billion or BS’) per head Thirty years later at bad soared to $19 billbon oof SATO per head Since TYTN taflagan abone most have ramed that Hgore ter nround $26 bablron cquivalent to over SE LOO fos every man, woman and child in the land $2,000 A YEAR That, mark you. ts) con- sumer debt Its greatly exceeded by the scale of consumer credit transactions which took off 20 years or so ago with the invention of “revolving” credit In the 1960s. with some 10 millon credit cards in use transactions for the more specialized cards alone amounted to $1 4 tlhon By 1978 with about 1 thon cards in) circulation. they had skyrocketed to nearly $37 5 billion Add merely the inflation of the past three years and were probably talking today about something over $50) bilhon, tor representing every man. child oan woman and Canada purchases of $2 1000 year Scuarcy crodi more than isnt tt consider that the when you tull ball on revolving «credit prov tded you keep up your in stalments need never be paid at all until they hold the memornal service for you and wind up your estate it any) Quite a dot of people of course Gon t heep up their vastalments A recent Montreal study found ap te PO per cent af the accounts Noel Wright of a nationwide department were at teast 3O- days overduc A major onl company has sCated that one third oof its credit card customers are JO days in arrears the And 2S per cent of Accounts of CORnSUMYe! Canadas loan Companics are estimated to be at least a month behind on repayment schedules All Mesdames McC lam observed sadly can only lead one to believe that the level of debt assumed ts becoming a problem fot an bane Feasting thea these nda ators rare: aad number of C anodians” Raght on but what they don't say is that without the scale of consumer credit in use today the economy would presumably fall flat on its face. Mass production of goods and services of every kind keeps Canadians by _ the million employed. Mass production of those goods and services at apparently affordable prices is entirely dependent upon mass demand (remember the pocket calculator which cost $150 only 11 years ago and now selis in drugstores for $9.95?) In turn, mass demand for so many enticing goodies at the same time can only be created and sustained by paying tomorrow (hopefully) for what we enjoy today Tighten up consumer credit and, as recent months have shown, consumer pur chasing falls off. the jobless lincups lengthen and the whole cconomic machine weve invented begins to grind to a halt That leaves us in the interesting position of being unable to afford to hve within our means any morc than we can. afford, in definitely to live beyond them It's o fascinating bind to have got ourselves into However as you return to those Christmas bills yourself with the thought that there are bots of people even more strapped than you are And that youre helping keep quite 4 few others in a yob to pay their Christmas balls f hope | console haven ( spotted your day completely