page 6 - December 14, 1977 ~ North Shore News | The theory that govemiiknts know far better how to. spend the taxpayer’s . ‘dollars than the. taxpayer himself has become.so firmly’ entrenched thatany questioning of the theory, nowadays. is regarded by Ottawa, Victoria and city: ‘hall. alike as - bordering on sedition -- or, at. best, as being im -volve arotind . the current: extremely bad. taste. It’s no. longer. sufficient to. problem. of declining School o give ‘politicians our votes. When we mark our ‘X’ enrolment: What * surplus: space im schools? on the ballot paper, we are expected" fo: give them Should costs go ‘down - 28. our pocketbooks and. ‘Purses: ‘as. well, with: no than that. Possibly it’s a little too fundamental for | fhe School Board. _ WASHING Irs HANDS “The: ‘other. ‘questions re- enrolment. goes down? | strings attached. ° That's why the decision by : Mayor Peter Jones of West - Vancouver to hold a public | survey next month in order to find out how West Vancouv-' erites want their hard-earned tax dollars ‘spent is one of _ the msot refreshing ‘things that any level of gernment in. Canada has done in years (the survey will be the firstof its. kind in this. country, though numerous have been conducted by U.S. cities with beneficial results). - But wait a moment.... Mayor. : ‘Jones the taxpayers’ ‘money accord- ingly. Unfortunately, | how- ever, that’s only . half ‘the - story. - If the tax bill you pay next June at West Van municipal hall is, say, $1,000, Mayor Jones and his council col-: leagues will get only a little over half of that amount. to disburse on the various services you want...like.. by the people who provide ~ ‘‘government”’ in its own — om om > ome os a roads, sewers, garbage col- those dollars are apparently right. It doesn’t have to. . . oR. uo lection, recreation facilities, parks, police and fire ‘Protec- tion and so on. WON’T PLAY | _ The other 45 per cent or so. will” go to the West Vancouv- © er School Board. Amd the School Board has refused to take part im. the . survey. Rather than listen (officially) to the ideas of West Van citizens on how the huge and . ever-increasing chunk of tax dollars earmarked for educa- tion might best be spent, the. Board has picked up its marbles and gone home. Enid Ross, the 1977 School. Board chairman who lost her seat at November’s | elect- ions, described the planned | survey as ‘‘dangerous’’. She did not elaborate about who, exactly, would be endanger- . it certainly | won't be the West Van. ed, although taxpayer. Was it the School Board itself and the vested interests — of the B.C: Teacher’s Feder- | ation which were about to be and “his council have promised to” take careful note of the results of the survey. and to. shape their expenditures of . ‘in ‘very - wouldn’t make much differ-— -ence to School Board decis- - clude questions about the - education system and sums — up her opposition as follows: a “The most disturbing as- pect of the questions...is that they give the impression of | public involvement in plan- ning and: policy making when, in fact, because of the | limitations of the questions, public opinion expressed in this form can have very little influence. ‘on those decisions _ when and if they « can and will’ be made.”” As I ‘said, for Mrs. ‘Sojonky 7 (and presumably for her 1977 - colleagues) . School” board questions and expressions. of opinion about how education. { tax dollars should be spent ‘poor. ‘taste. ions anyhow. The questions. to which | Mrs. Sonjonky refers were drawn up by a community group called the. Citizens’ Task ‘Force on Education. They start. by asking: ‘‘Do you feel there is good. value for school taxés?’’ You can’t _ get much more fundamental ~ Meanwhile, Force questions on education | » Spending’ will probably. be. and — Should ‘scheal ‘faxes. ‘go up,:. ,-. down or. remain. the. same? _. They may seem irrelevant to . the School: Board, ‘but they . make quite: a lot. of sense to oa the simple peasants who foot. the bill: They’re ‘also very: - -much:in line with the kind of upon. . ied with the quiz proposed by ‘the Citizens’. Task Force on Education. The Board wants that made. quite clear, and it. has . also: declined. to put forward any: questions of its own. for the survey. Like Pilate, it has simply washed it hands - exercise.” omer the Task: included © in the overall. January survey anyhow. And whatever: the answers, the. School Board will...according to its present stand...pres- umably refuse to recognize them.: -After . all, it’s - ; separately elected level of kow-tow to Mayor Jones and’ his. council or anyone else “about - how: it spends West Van’s school tax dollars. Not, at any rate, until next .November’s elections...still a comfortable distance away. By which time, no doubt, it ‘hopes that the whole taste- less business of public opinion surveys about its activities will have been. safely forgotten.’ questions “Mayor Jones: is. going to ‘ask .about other municipal 's services...and act "So the piésent position in a nutshell is‘this. The School Board refuses to be identif- . of the .whole- mY From one of the. oldest _C.B. ‘ICASSE | ! il . : 1c - AMISSB Model 224M we can save you ; The government recommends that all new v homes should have. an insulation rating _in the ceiling of R20. To bring old homes up to this standard requires an additional | _4"" to 6"' of insulation in the attic. Additional insulation in the walls is helpful, too. Blown Celufibre, 6'" thick, has an insulation rating of R20. This product is CHMC. and. CSA. approved. it is non- irritating, vermin and fire resistant. We have material i in stock - “QQ? shops in town, and Digital Readout | from Fits any 8-Track unit ‘Home or Car _ D: O. Cc. Approved 30% : . “an cr naling in 54° | SETTE E ADAPTER | ‘FIRESTICK! C.B. Antenna 3° 5’ 0 AI | DOUBLE TRUCKER. 3% 58 bag a. TW. CONVERTER [ Hamlin VHF-UHF © 50 only 88° | , stom only 168 1 PORTABLE AM/ t FM / SW. CO-AXIAL Surface. Speaker fits any car only 2 ermnn marmot rats as BIG THUNDER _ power speaker complete | Cassette & Phonograph | complete in attache case 2 german seem svanopnnarmmreanm _ COMMANCHE ‘Ham Tranceiver | __«___Introduetion offer Lt imperilled by taxpayers exp- ressing their views on the stewardship of their educa- tion dollars? Or who? As | Mrs. Ross has now departed the School Board scene, we may never know for sure, but meanwhile one of her colleagues, West Van school trustee Audrey Sojonky, has leapt into the breach. 149°| : 7 1/3 off Ln anerenstanmatedeblipabaonenntemmasmmnueetaren eeameecd "|COMBINATION CARI kc tte- 7 STERO Fi ge 7 fits any car | stanley | laursen: ae ‘1 offer personal | service and installation, coordinated and estl- mated in your ‘home... Free. estimates given with no. obliga- - tion. | carry hundreds of drapery _ samples in our equipped van and | can show you exactly what your. | 1 new drapes will look like--in the a the 00 i HORE REIE 88 waren Lraecndhamwmnomnanun yond yee nna a i ctnlatareintren " a, room they're designed to comple- . ~ UNIVERSAL C. B. 9512 MARINER “LITTLE INFLUENCE” ment. Labour Is $4.50 per panel _ 1. ANTENN A. “complete | WHE Radio - In a long letter published unlined, $5.50" lined. Phone : Now 25 watts. 00 | in Inst Wednesday's North 987-2966 (9 am - 5 pm) and leave a | Roof or Trunk Mounting ‘8% Channel meee Shore News, Mrs. ‘Sojonky ; message. I'll return your call as re cums ame _— — oe som : 2 Channels — I pays passing jie service to Soon as possible.” : \ |e Ann ae , WY rca eASTINGS the _ va ue of public opin- | ™ TT i yo = ion’’. However, She eins 1374 MARINE DRIVE | mM Mn wf ee \ sh LUT: Hp ea ig y firmly opposed to having NORTH VANCOUVER | - UT | | 4 had 4 Mayor Jones's survey in- wn ZB cross 2nd Narrows Bridge, G@ QV blocks past: P.N.E.