A6 - Wednesday, February 3, 1982 - North Shore News Mi editorial page Explain, please! The threat of crushing 1982 property tax increases has sparked a revolt by North Shore and other Lower Mainland homeowners against the two chief culprits — the Education Ministry with its inequitable school financing formula and the B.C. Assessment Authority, both of them agents of the provincial government. Finance Minister Hugh Curtis. has responded by turning Victoria’s guns on local government bodies, suggesting that municipalities and school boards are guilty too, by failing to trim their budgets. Mr. Curtis cannot dodge his own govern- ment’s major responsiblity. But nevertheless he has a point, especially as regards local school budgets which are being finalized this month. The basic facts for the embattled taxpayer are that — according to enrolment figures and provisional 1982 school board budgets — the average yearly cost of educating a school student in North Vancouver has risen by 39% since 1980 and in West Vancouver, during the same period, by a whopping 47.6%. That far outstrips the two-year in- flation rate. Yet, at the same time, school enrolments have dropped by 9% and 11% respectively. School board officials have persuasive explanations for this phenomenon — notably increases in teachers’ salaries (60% or more of the budget) and the need to maintain programs for reduced classes. They deserve to be heard and considered carefully. But taxpayers also have a right to probe very thoroughly ALL the cost details that have so rapidly bumped young Johnnie's annual school bill from around $2,600 to $3,800 — before the books close. Success story Michael Warren, boss of our new Canada Post Corp., must be a whiz at his job. Hired only five months ago at $100,000 a year, he's just had a nice pay raise. The figure is a cabinet secret but estimates now put his salary as high as $150,000 — the revenue from a mere 500,000 of his new 30¢ stamps. Good work, Mr. Warren ... for Mr. Warren! sunday news narth shore news 1139 Lonsdale Ave North Vancouver. BC V7M 2H4 (604) 985-2131 ADVERTISING NEWS 980-0511 CLASSIFIED) 985-2131 . 986-6222 CIRCUL ATION 986-1337 Publisher Peter Speck Associate Publisher Robert Graham Managing Editor Andy Fraser Editor in-Chiet Noel Wright Advertising Director tric Cardwell News Editor Chins Lloyd General Manager Creative Administration Director Bern Hithard Verve # carne oss Production Director Photography Rick Stonehouse tlisworth) Or kaon Accounting Supervisor Circulation Director Barbara Keen Hoan AE tts Purchase: faye Me Cecac North Shore News founded 1 ROU an an mdepenudent oonorianty Cerw spraprere ane) Cqusaifie dd carredesr Soe Peertedter WEE Phat UE Beane eae cag at TIL ot thes tncine Tae Act om prutrtiastiedd aah Wedneonday and Saamdiny try Nett. ‘shore beee Meena Ltd ane) Mtr iloetesd bo every chen ures cd Clase Maat Hergints ation: Nurritoerr 320 pe: yea: Entire contents All rights reserved thre Noo tt {44° Subecriptions 1001 North Shore Free Prese iid “pPrcrt er pene Ne. cemmgrocvesetailit, Mee engotent tone permeate beet sepeters veal Perea ecatee CUES cms) pote Poca wlan fot cubed Cees eas wees madd) Gr vert age VERA ED oat tn ATR on 93 340 Wednesday 44 3460 Surdeay sx. G& THIS PAPER IS HEC YC L ABLE GC» PM on Poland may hurt Grits | With his ramblings about the Polish situation, and claims that martial law there may just have saved the country from a bloody civil war, Pierre Trudeau may have queered the traditional ethnic community support for the Liberal Party for years to come. He may also have allowed all Canadians a glimpse of the inner workings of the Trudeau mind which is not ITS SO NICE HAVING Oo altogether reassuring. When Mr. Trudeau said, in speeches, in interviews, and io Parliament, that NDP poll ‘victo One has to admire the aplomb of B.C.’s two top political leaders when reacting to last week's poll which showed the NDP ahead of the Socreds in public favor by almost 14 percentage points. Each kept his cool — and with good reason. The im- mediate shock value of the survey and its long term significance are two different things. The poll, conducted by Vancouver's morning newspaper, asked a demographically balanced sample of 604 cligible voters throughout B.C. which party they would favor if a provincial clechion were held today. Results| NDP 32.6%. Socreds 18.9%. Con. servatives 10.4%. Liberals 5.8%, Other 32.2%. A further question asked respondcats whom they would choose if they could vote directly for the premicr of B.C. The answers: Barrctt (NDP) 35.6%, Bennett (Socred) 25.7%, Westwood (Conservative) 3.3%, McLoughlin (Liberal) 2.3%. Other 313 1%. You might” rcasonably have cxipected Dave Barrctt to be jubilant and Bill Bennett, full) of = rightcous indignation, to dismiss the pol as media inspircd garbage In the cvent happened, Mr Barrett ropeated the chche about the only poll that) counts being the one on clection doy, adding mechly that he was “not cacouraged 9 ofr discouraged ~ An cqually mech Me Beanctt after observing that “polling wu very complea” allowed that this one “wnteresUng™ and saad “everything affcects nme acither waa Both he and Mr. Barrett can say that again. Despite their outward calm you can bet your last buck that the calculators are working funnously this weck in Socred and NDP party headquar ters. The joker in the deck being, of course. the ex- ceptionally high percentage of “other” responses (32-33%). NOT COMMITTED Basically, it means a theoretical one-third of the BC. electorate is not prepared to commit itself at the present time That's a floating vote far too high to bring joy or dismay to cither the Socred or the NDP camp Especially at this mid term point, Premicr Bennett having recently announced (tongue in check of otherwisc) thet he doesn't plan on an clection before 1984 Midtcrm polls, like mid term by clections, invanably favor the op position party [t's domocracy's built to mechaniam for hocping the clected government on tts toca Im theory, last survey weeks that the Socreds would have to win (hice out of currently ind ates four of the uncommitted voters to regain them 1979 lead over the NDP ain the martial law in Poland was certainly better than civil war, he angered Canadians of Polish background. And, he also angered a great many others who have come to Canada over the past 35 years to escape what the Soviet Union has done to Eastern Europe. Mr. Trudeau argues like a Jesuit, which is not un- natural, considering his when those in power fee] such actions are necessary, That's a different Pierre Trudeau from the man who worked so hard against the repressive Duplessis government of Quebec during the post war years. Mr. Trudeau's instincts are not those of a democrat. He betrays his standards by making excuses for an in- tolerable situation in Poland. Canadian Comment BY PETER WARD . training. He will often offer two alternatives — his own, and another which is patently distasteful — and base his argument on a rhetorical choice. In the Polish situation, Mr. Trudeau, there are other choices. You don't have to have either civil war or martial law. When Mr. Trudeau refuses to level crmticism at the Soviet Union, which has strong-armed the Polish leaders into martial law, he commits a grave disservice to the international com- munity. I can hardly imagine him exercising the same restraint if the United States were to play bully boy. Mr. Trudeau, now that he is in power, sees nothing wrong with those in power using repressive measures ‘—pla Noel Wright popular assignment impossible one over a two year period — as the wild swings in populanty polls on vote. A tough though not an the federal partics have shown since 1976 Moreover, of course, popular vote percentages do not translate proportionately into clected MlAa The Socreds’ modest two per cent lead over the NDP in the 1979 popular vote was still good for a majority of ncarly nine per cent of the legislature scats What the prescat poll docs clearly bring ts) a sharp message to Mr Bennett and his colleagues to smarteo up while there's stall tame NO MAGIC It reflects publ disco chantment: with a growing list of Soc red boobs Durty Tricks and Cremcte s His actions have angered Canadians of all backgrounds and also angered the labor movement. It really should come as no surprise. He runs his government in a pretty dictatorial way. By the time the next election rolls around, Mr. Trudeau will likely not be leading the Liberal Party. It should, however, be remembered that those who inherit the Trudeau mantle were there when Mr. Trudeau developed his methods of operating government. They were parties to the changes in our system which are reflected by such things as the Trudeau’ statement on martial law being not such a bad thing for the Polish people. it cool Finger’, sagging BCRIC shares, obstruction of the Ombudsman, welfare cuts, the housing crisis, property assessments, the inequitable school taxation formula and Allan Williams’ handing of the Olson case. Add the gloomy overall state of the B.C. economy, with surging unemployment and pace-setting inflation, and it’s understandable why the Socreds hardly scored a “pass” mark last week. Even so, the fact that there were as many fence sitters as NDP supporters in the survey suggests con- siderable doubt among the electorate as to whether a change would necessarily be for the better. Aside from “image” troubles of their own making, Mr. Bennett and his colleagues are obviously battling national and world economic problems beyond the control of any provincial administration. In his heart of hearts Mr. Barrett must know that the NDP, too, has no magic formula for coping with the grim economic realities of 1982. A repeat of his 1972-75 -record of budget overruns and in vestorm scuttling for cover — hardly seems likely to help Mr Barrett also knows the difference betweon a hot scat and a comfortable pew. the latter being the safe place to be for the moment Maybc that’s another reason why he) refrained from gloating over the = present poll Meanwhile, on the hot scat, Mr Bennett: showed that he'd got the measage I he can respond tn ume. it could be the most valuable message he cver received