6 - Wednesday, October 25, 1989 - North Shore News INSIGHTS Sackcloth and ashes in the polling department REPENTANT SINNERS always merit a certain respect. Never more so than in the case of the media — readiness to wipe egg from one’s face in public being the litmus test of ethical journalism. So it’s good to find Vancouver’s morning daily admitting it may have goofed in its presentation of a tecent hatchet-job ‘‘poll’’ purpor- ting to show most of B.C. de- manding Premier Bill Vander Zaim’s resignation in a hurry. “This survey called for a fairly big grain of... journalistic salt. In retrospect, we're not sure we dug deep enough in the saltshaker,”’ confessed the paper’s editorial writer on Sunday. The survey in question had ap- peared the previous Sunday, ban- ner-headlined on the front page with two or three follow-up pages immediately inside. Certain ques- tionable details of the survey (to which, in fairness, the reporters did eventually draw attention) were buried far back toward the end. So 5” 0S HARRY and Frances Somerville «the dancing years. workers and firefighters. those concerns. with a pumping capacity. connected by bridges. Both have shipping and wharf facilities dotting their waterfronts. And both are situated on fault lines. Experts say it’s only a matter of time before Vancouver has its big quake. Lower Mainland mayors should act now, while they have the breathing space, to acquire a fireboat. North Vancouver District Mayor Marilyn Baker is track by municipalities bordering Burrard Inlet need a marine on the right firefighting service. Now we need action, while the memory of the San Francisco quake is stil! fresh in our minds. Where's the fireboat? HEN THE City of Vancouver sold the Van- couver Fireboat No. 2 last spring, it was amidst a surge of protest from emergency The recent earthquake in San Francisco vindicates With the help of San Francisco’s aging fireboat, the affluent Marina District was saved from fiery oblivion. In fact, the Phoenix was the sole source of water in the area because the water mains were broken. Ironically, San Francisco firefighters now want an additional, backup fireboat and are urging to purchase Vancouver's former fireboat. The San Franciscan experience is the best argument yet for Vancouver to buy a fireboat or a similar vessel Vancouver shares many geographic characteristics with San Francisco. Both are cities spanning inlets the reader who —- like millions of others — routinely confines himself to noting the big bold headlines and skimming through the opening paragraphs of a story was left with only one impression. A majority of British Colum- bians wanted Vander Zalm to clean out his desk and quit the next morning. As the paper has conceded, the main weakness in the survey of some 5,000 readers was its uns- cientific basis. No way can three per cent of the readers of a single publication be assumed to repre- sent around two million voters. Professional polls are at least bas- ed on quizzing a demographic group which balances age, sex, family status, occupation, income, geography, etc., so as to mirror as accurately as possible the total population, Even then they are imperfect, in that all they do is give us a snapshot of public opi- nion at one particular moment in time. Public opinion, however, is notoriously fickle and can change fast as events unfold. Ask Brian Mulroney, Bill! If the earlier 1988 polls had come true, it would be Prime Minister John Turner we'd be bludgeoning today. Last week also happened to br- ing the release of Margin of Error, a new book by Toronto columnist and author Claire Hoy which does a hatchet job of its own on the abuse of polls by politicians, media and stockbrokers. It may have had more than a bit to do with the sackcloth and ashes in which our local daily clad itself just a week after theoretically killing off Bill Vander Zalm. . Polls will continue to fascinate us all in this information age. But recognizing that the before betting a single buck on their forecasts never forget the simple definition of them by Canada’s late prime minister John Diefenbaker. “*Polis,’’ he snorted, ‘‘are for the dogs!” eek LOST AND FOUND Dept.: If you miislay your family... can’t remember where you left it... just fet us know. Last Sunday’s Brunch told about New Zealander Ron Jones’ search for Canadian relatives, last contacted by Ron's dad in 1925. The first phone call came at 11 a.m. from a West Van gent who thinks he’s a decendant. Several helpful calls later we finally talked to Cyril Jones, the young boy in the 1920s family photo who’s now 81 and still in North Van. He’s the son of George and Minnie Jones who lived on King’s Road East and cousin of Ron’s father who visited with Uncle George and Aunt Min- nie 64 years ago. Cyril, who has quite a family of his own, was delighted to learn about Ron ia far-off Auckland and will be contacting him right away. Cyril’s sister Gladys, now in her seventies, married and settled near Seattle. By evening we'd also talked to one of her schoolmates and the Jones’ long-ago paper boy. Next fost-family customer, please! cat WRAP-UP: Honored at a recent reception in West Van Seniors Centre were Harry and Frances Somerville, retiring after 12 years leadership of the Centre’s more than 150 square dancers. It includ- ed fund-raising dances, hosting Burns Night dinners and entertain- ing at hospitals and care homes — “outstanding contribvutions,"’ said program coordinator Robyn McGuinness... Song, dance and humor highlight three 8 p.m. QUNKE ARTOUANE DSTO Publisher ........... Peter Speck i Seep ANE us meecseeuen Display Advertising 980-0511 Managing Editor... .Barrett Fisher Pirrecgiamcia a: Cassilied Advertising 986-6222 Associate Editor ..... ' A ; : jewsroom 985-2131 Associate Editor . Noel Wright news Distribution 988.1937 vertising Director .Linda Stewart Emil =” Subscriptions 986-1337 North Shore News, founded in 1969.as an independent “V"OAY * WEONEBOAY « FHiDay Fax 935-3227 Suburban newspaper and quatitied under Schedule 111, Parag:aph I of the Excise Tax Act, ts publshed each Wednesday, Friday and Sunday by North Shore Free Press Ltd. and distributed to every door on the North Shore. Second Ctass Mail Registration Number 3885. Subscriptions North and West Vancouver. 525 per year. Mailing rates available on request. Submissions are welcome bul we cannot accept responsibility tor unsaicited material including manuscripts and pictures 8 which should be accompanied by a stamped, adoressed envelope. Cabaret evenings directed by Elizabeth McNeight tomorrow through Saturday, Oct. 26-28, at St. Christopher’s Church, I1th and Inglewood, West Van. Call 922- 5323 about tickets — $10 including refreshments... Culture, business and economic planning join forces under one roof tomorrow when the North Shore Arts Commission, the North Shore Enterprise Develop- ment Centre and the North Shore Economic Development Commis- sion open their new shared head- ' eee quarters at 148 East 2nd, North Van... And from the Better Late Dept., congrats to one-time West Vancouverites Bill and Jo Mason, now living in Lynr Valley, who celebrated their “‘Golden 50th” Oct. H. weak WRIGHT OR WRONG: seven- teenth-century French philosopher Blaise Pascal had a point: ‘‘All the troubles of man come from his not knowing how to sit still.”” ” Photo subm NARCOTICS FIGHTERS...West Van MLA and Legistature Speaker John Reynolds (centre) chairs a panel on social and environmental im- plications of drugs at the recent Commonwealth Parliamentary Associa- tion meeting in Barbados. L 1139 Lonsdale Avenue, North Vancouver, B.C. V7M 2H4 59,170 (average, Wednesday Friday & Sunday) SDA DIVISION MEMBEA