AG - Sunday, January 8, 1984 - North Shore News BM editorial page Spirit of ‘867 A $10 million scheme for a monorail from Park Royal to the Second Narrows is being touted as the North Shore’s monument to Ex- po ’86. We suggest an infinitely cheaper salute to the marvels of modern transportation — one that could start next month and benefit thousands of local citizens. . .We’re talking about a direct bus service three or four times a day between West Van and Lions Gate Hospital. From Dundarave the j journey presently en- tails three buses, two waits (often cold, wet and windy) at transfer points and upward of an hour in time. Even for healthy adults the inconvenience is bad enough. But for ailing senior citizens and other seniors who want to visit them at LGH thé situation is much worse, especially during harsh winter weather. In West Van, with its exceptionally high proportion of elderly residents, these categories of hospital visitor run into many hundreds, if not thousands, every month. And the round-trip taxi fare of at least $16 is obviously far beyond the means of most old age pensioners. The cost of the service — which could pro- bably run in off-peak hours — would be the salaries of two or three additional drivers plus a little extra diesel fuel. LESS the revenue from fares. Maybe $70,000 or five bucks a year for each West Van household. It should have happened years ago for a community of 37,000, 15 per cent of them over 65, separated from their only hospital by anything from five to 15 miles. Until it does, forget about saliiting Expo ’86. North Shore transit thinking is still back in 1886! Chancing it! For those who reject the idea of living in Hawaii because of its ‘‘monotonous”’ year- round sun and warmth our recent weather has excelled itself.. Not only have we four distinct seasons but also variations just as wild WITHIN the seasons. Even so, after last week’s 14-degree/100 mm spectacular follow- ing an icebox Christmas week, the boredom of Waikiki skies begins to look like a risk we'd be prepared to take. sunday news north shore news 1120 Lonsdale Ave.. North Vancouver, 6.C. V7M 24 Publisher Peter Speck Associste PubUsher Ed@itor-in-Chiet Advertising Director Robert Graham Noe! Wright Tum Frances Personne! Dwector Classified Director Circulation Director Berm Hithard tsabefle Jennings Bill McGown Production Directos Office Manager Photography Manager Cans Johnson Donna Grandy Terry Peters feorth Shore Mews, tixsuied 6 1969 an an inGepondent CoOMenunty fowspape: and Qualified unde: Schodute Il Part ill Paragraph tl of tw Excrse Tax Act 9 Qg“uttishod ach Weonesday and Gunday by North Shore Free Press Ltd and drstr@ated to every door on the Month Shore Second Class Mad Registration Numbc: 3685 Entire contents « 1984 North Shore Free Presse (2d AR rights reserved Guo cptons, North and West Vancowo: $25 pe: year Maming cates avatiabte On requersal revelers wai No lreapors@ehty acc apted ote us natacttend om Nady mwas cts ard) Mac huves which 6lunsk) OO aCOOMeparend ty a stangan) akheossed emvveatope: Member of the B.C. Press Council = “A Leet Ne PN @ esa ied $4,700 taver age Wodinesday & Sumi) sm & =a, THIS PAPER IS RECYCLABLE ABOVE-AND-BEYOND award for December goes to West Van Blue Bus driver Graham Kitchen. He gets it for deserting his passengers - who subsequently gave him a round of applause for doing sO. During the noon hour on the Sunday before Christmas Graham stopped at 20th and Marine to pick up Beth and ticular time Marine Drive was apparently like a two-way drag strip, with unending streams of cars barrelling along in both directions. After taking their seats, Beth and David suddenly became aware that the bus was still stationary. And also driver- less. Then, on the far side of the road, they saw the little old lady who had been teetering on the curb for-heaven knows how long, afraid to take the first step towards crossing as the torrent of vehicles roared by her. And with her, of course, was Graham, who’d noticed her plight, run over to her and was now pro- ceeding to escort her safely across with a warning, uniformed arm held up to the traffic After that the bus finally got going again. It could only happen in West Van ... ses It’s haggis time again next Saturday (Jan. 14) for North Shore Scots and their hangers-on at a dinner-dance in the Coach House to celebrate the 225th anniver- sary of the birth of The Im- mortal Bard, Rabbie Burns. Proposing the toast to The Immortal Memory will be guest speaker Archibald sunday brunch by Noel Wright Cook, Grand Chief for Canada of the Sons of Scotland, who comes from Verdun, Que., and will also bring greetings to Verdun’s sister city, West Vancouver. Piper for the evening is Stuart Johaston who will also perform traditional Highland dances with Tanya Wilson. Featured soloist is James Graham. If haggis and Burns are your dish, phone 987-1561 or 985-3856 for tickets. Fast. North Van’s ‘‘Mr. Heritage’’, Jack Watts, reports that restoration of the venerable sailing ship Maple Leaf has progressed to the point where she should be available for charter this spr-_ ing — though minus masts, ngging and sails, which will be added in time for Expo "86. The Nautical Heritage Seciety of B.C., of which Jack was recently elected president, hopes to berth the DURING MY RECENT visit for an academic con- ference in Chile, conversation with the locals often turned to the question of democracy and the military junta. Everyone I spoke to said they long for a return to democracy as soon as possible. But none thought that is possible. By HERBERT GRUBEL 1 cannot understand the reasons for this atutude fully But the following bits of 1n- formation | obtained may give some indicalion of is ofigin The junta docs not run the kind of dictatorship that Iced to the revolutions in) Cuba and Nicaragua Public cniicism of the regime's pohcics 15) permitted ino the media There is no evidence of a secret pohce agent in every crowd In meetings of all sizes) people discussed pohocs wth them frecty Canadians can enter the country without visas Public demonstrations are permitted and tead to less violent clashes with the police than in Crcrmany the United States and many other demon rat countites The regime ts not cornuges and ws tceaders are not ob viously accumulating vast wealth. One of the Chicago boys had been governor of the central bank for five ycars and minister of finance for one year. He ts now back teaching cconomics at the university. His financial status has not changed. He had to reveal his assets before and after joining the government How this junta deals with enemics of the state, | only know from Western media The fact that former finance manisters are not dead, in yal or abroad wt an important reflecuon of how the regime deals with those who are no longer in favor Publkc honesty and safcty in Chile are remarkable There were no signs ino my hotel rcoommending the use of chains and cxtra door locks During my vosit downtown strects and parks, cven late at mght. were fall of strollers cnyoying balmy au smctis of late spring flowes ing bushes and trees Ihe historic vessel eventually at North Van City’s Waterfront Park. Meanwhile, with his other hat on as a director of the Heritage Society of B.C., Jack is also busy planning provincial and local celebra- tions for Heritage Day (third. Monday in February) which heritage types nationwide are pressing to have proclaimed as an additional statutory holiday, during the long, gloomy haul between New year’s and Easter. More power to them .. FOLK TALES: On the warm seat this Thursday (Jan. 12) is North Van-Burnaby MP Chuck Cook who will explain his work in Parliament at an 8 p.m. public ‘‘accountabili- ty’” meeting in the Capitol Hill Community Hall, 361 Howard Avenue, Burnaby. Bring questions . Deep Cove’s Nastasha Betancor- Leon has launched a unigue video business supplying cascading waters of foun- tains, window-shopping and the signs of other well dressed strollers. In a tennis club change- room my host suggested thal I leave my wallet in my slacks hanging on an open rack. A recurring theme in discussion with Chilcans is the notion that the gencrals and the army arc. thetrs. What they mean is that the junta policies are not design- ed pmmarily to help the generals to stay in power and enjoy the good life The pohores are designed primar. ly to assure a prosperous and safe country Every general in the junta has an advisory board deal. wing with mayor areas of government poticics Representatives from major interest groups in socicty are silting on these boards While the punta appears to be a rather benevolent dictatorship, Chileans | met tcadily and cmotionally tcc alll the Allende tragedy A coun try that had many decades of a workable democracy saw the reins of government by a president whe received JO per cent of the popular vote in short order he changed all the ofd taken over tapes of golden oldie movies to regular video stores for renting out. Her more than 200 titles include such classics as Battleship Potemkin, La Dolce Vita, The Blue Angel, Grapes of Wrath, Janet Gaynor in A Star is Born and the 1916 version of in- tolerance ... Despite frigid Arctic cold outside, an SRO congregation brought joy to Rev. John Robertson, rector of St. Monica’s, at his Christmas Eve midnight ser- ~ vice when 130 people packed the little Horseshoe Bay church whose pews. accom- modate barely 100. There’s a message of some kind there “‘All in the family’’ was the Dec. 28 wedding of News photographer Elsworth Dickson and Leilani Kass in St.. Simon’s. Church, Deep Cove. Leilani herself is a former News staffer and the Marriage service was con- ducted by Rev. Trevor Fisher, husband of Andrea Fisher, secretary to News publisher Peter Speck who, with wife Mary, was among the guests ... Welcome home to West Van Mayor Derrick Humphreys and his wife Margaret, just back from their Christmas cruise to Acapulco aboard the Nieuw Amsterdam . New Year’s Eve dinner was an occasion to be remembered by the more than 250 patrons who packed Willy and Martha Brueckel’s Ambleside Inn for the feast cooked up by their new ‘executive chef Frank Mattman — and served by a staff .of real professionals . And a closing salute to West Van Lion Jim Burrows whose personal effort raised $2,393 for the Lions’ crippled children fund . : WRIGHT OR WRONG: There’s no problem about keeping New Year regsolu- tions. As long as you don’t use them, they'll still be as fresh as ever on January 1, 1985. nother view of Chile rules of the game and proper- ty rights. Inflation jumped to several hundred per cent per year. Stores were empty. One per- son told me of physical abuse he suffered from bullics dur- ing his first year at university, whicn he resented especially since his political sympathies were with the left. A woman told mc how she took off her rings because their presence invited bullying on the street Military advisers from Rus. sian, East Germany and Cuba blandished their uniforms in public. Their cx pertise was needed not for Protection from external enemics but to create a ncw internal order, a dictatorship of the Icft, When the junta deposed Allende and = cexpelied the foreign advisers, there was dancing in the streets The politictans and leftist tdeologues. bchind Allende were not killed. We have cn yoyed the presence of many of them in Canada. Some of them are returning to Chile now Some Chileans claim that Allende killed himsclf Ihave no way of checking the accuracy of these CONTING ED ON PAGE AT