Ao - Wednesday, May 25, 1983 - North Shore News hem EE editorial page Dead wrong The contention that the state today is encroaching into too many areas of our lives that are nobody's business but our own is shared, in general, by this newspaper. Bureaucrats feed on their own appetite for power over others and rarely know when to stop. A good many drivers regard B.C.’s mandatory seat belt law as a case in point. If I'm willing to risk being maimed or killed, they argue, it doesn’t affect anyone else. In this instance we regret we can’t agree. They're talking plain nonsense because their refusal to buckle up affects a great MANY other people. It affects every B.C. motorist insured by ICBC. The more injuries and deaths on the road, the more ICBC has to pay out in claims and the higher its premiums rise _ for everybody. By the same token, it affects every citizen who pays, through premiums and taxes, for medicare, hospitals and other health servics. The heavier the demand on those services because of unnecessary traffic victims, the greater the total bill which everyone must share. Drivers who scorn seat belts themselves obviously don't see to it that passengers — including vulnerable young children — comply with the law. And the cost, in grief and other suffering, to the families of resultant casualties can’t even be measured in dollars and cents. The statistics are conclusive beyond all doubt: seat belts save lives, money and misery, and the saving involves everyone. That's why we are 100% behind the current police blitz on seat belt delinquents. In this case, being wrong — quite possibly DEAD wrong — is not a private matter. Laugh and live Laughter, they say, is good for your health — and the gift of making other people laugh, especially if you keep right on doing it for over half a century, may be an even better recipe for a long, hale and hearty life. That seems to be the lesson this week from the first gentleman of showbiz and the world’s greatest master of the one-liner, Bob Hope, who was feted Monday by President Reagan and America’s high and mighty on his 80th birthday. FORE WEEE OF ORT AND WET VANCOUVER sunday news north shore news 1139 Lonsdale Ave North Vancouver BC V7M 2H4 Display Advertising Classified Advertising Newsroom 980-0511 986-6222 985-2131 Circulation 966-1337 Publisher Peter Syren & Associate Publisher Blotoere) Car atieatn Editor in chiot Nol Wreath! Advertising Otrector Vier b teste os Personnel Director Mrs Berns ballad Circutation Director Caer At dhs Production Director t Papity Jepby vssenes Oftice Manage: (done Careared, Photography Manago: Dever y Hretans North Shore Mewa fon ded | 9 bos 1 SMe eter bert ntvern siby ON beg pete are 1 ge petbitieec) gest dere See feed te by MD ive cag ge capaho at thee San A Sart) BY TOY Or re A wed Osapedeny toy Neoett Hest Wt gee Ce Ce ‘ Hoey Woe ee thee Nevo tH tet ta Maa Hasgiateaten Mou tee VN EB antiee Contonts 1962 North Shore Free Proee Lid Al nights -oserved Subscriptions North and Weal vancouver $25 per year Matling cates avatlatte on request aoc re ory svat abet, eo asgite tf ty Se qbesrcagt nse teaching Cr er) wv ogre dt VERIFIED CIRCULATION 64,460 Wednesday 54.278 Sunday ee SN% THIS PAPER IS RECYCLABLE Silver linings in the clouds By W. ROGER WORTH CANADIANS tend to dwell more on the bad news that is so readily available, for good reasons, perhaps, than on tidings that might hft their spirits. The unemployment pro- blem, of course, is the top story in the country, as well it should be. With more than t.6 million Canadians out of work, it is hard not to be concerned. Yet there are some brighter elements in the overall economic picture that surely deserve more at- tention than they are getting. Item: interest rates con- tinue to fall, with consumer loans available at 12 to 13 per cent, down from rates that surpassed a staggering 22 per cent less than two years ago. Mortgage and business lending rates are following the same trend, and even credit card companies have dropped rates (although to such a degree that oil refineries are actually reduc- ing prices in many parts of the country as they battle for business. That's a far cry from the recent past when the real concern was about running out of the stuff! Item: while the recession has certainty played havoc with consumer spending, we are saving more money than Mainstream Canada some have added a “user” fee.) Item: the inflation rate has fallen from more than 10 per cent to less than 7 per cent in the last 24 months, and the decline continues. The sav- ings for consumers are substantial. Item: while troubled small and medium-sized enter- prises have been failing at a near-record pace, the star- tup rate for smaller firms 1s growing. About 150,000 new firms were started last year, for ex- ample, and according to the © 64,000-member Canadian Federation of Independent Business, the number of new firms will hit 200,000 in 1983. item: Canadians have cut back on energy consumption ever (about 13 per ent of disposable income, com- pared with about 9 per cent in the United States.) What's more, imports of manufac- tured goods are down, and we're buying more Canadian-made products, thus keeping jobs in the country. It's true, restraint pro- grams by business § and governments have resulted in limited salary increases, and even cuts in some pay packages. And it's hard to ig- nore the fact that the federal government alone will have a deficit surpassing $31- billion this year. But at least there are a few tidbits of good news to offset the bad. It has been a long time in coming. (CFIB Feature Service A sunshine cure for red ink ? RESTRAINT took a welcome holiday on the Sunday of Victoria weekend at a sun-drenched Squamish playground — where B.C.’s Tourism Minister, Claude Richmond, earned the biggest hand of all the dignitaries at the happy lhittle ceremony there with a one-sentence announcement. “As long as | have didn't finally add up to same anything to do with it.” said Mr Richmond, “the Royal Hudson will be running to Squamish for # long time to come ” The occasion was the in augural “Boatrain Daytrnip” of BC's famous tourist at tracvon, now embarked on us 10th season There were anxious months last year when many feared that the Royal Hudson's ainth season might prove to have been its last From ats very first run along the seen 42 miles between North Vancouver Squanmnsh on June 20 19/4 uowas clear that Lournsm BC had found a winner in the resurrecQon of the long transcontinental train and passenger drawn by tts steam locomotive No Ihe “royal” tithe on thas hupe 2860 the nang particular tourist cake was carned 44 years age when a sister Hudson locomotive, No 2850, pulled the train Carrying King George VE and Queen Ehvabeth oon thew lo cross Canada (our from Oucbee City to Vancouver BOTTOM LINE Untlortunatety capacity trainioads oof | enthusiast and fascinated fans Visitors answer as the bottom line Last year, with costs conti nuing (to sear the Royal Hudson Tost nearly $700, 0000 during its three and a half month season With Premier Bennett's restraint program in full sw ing. the strong indications trom the top last fall were that the Royal Hudson would regretlably have to be Cann ed Vhe theless itis once again ¢ hup ging, puffing and wasling its fact tbat never way along the West Van couver waterfront ais oun Joubtedly duc in part to the strong public erected the the train balled North Vancouver Capilans MIA Angus Ree ts also suspected of doing some mosculanr pro Hudson botby mg And ul scems probable tow that the oublory which that moth SUR KC sthon maght be potential of tourism to become the pre biggest afles the vinecs sete Moncey Ccatneer flovrest tndhastey ous being in creasingly recognised ia Bovecnmnment oiredes Just the same the traooks stl have ta be batanc cd whieh terings as back to the special new feature of Suan day x ceremonial outing The Bootrain Davtrip scheduled te tun cach Noel Wright Wednesday and Sunday and on statuary holidays summer combines the Royal Hudsbn throughout Che erxoursion owith a Howe Sound — cruise the whole package lasting seven to eight hours TWO WAYS Hts alse designed to woo tourists south of the Inlet cant be bothered to make thee way over to the Ho RK aal North Nan You can do. the travelling on oa who Slathon oon inp by train from North Van to Squamish and after lunch Chere embarking onthe M Vo Britannia for an equally scemne two and a half hour cruise down Howe Sound and along the West Van shoreline to Coal Har- bour — whence charter buses take you back to the North Van parking lot. Or you can do it the other way round, starting from Coal Harbour up Howe Sound and returning on the train to North Van. again with charter buses to take you back to your car at Coal Harbour. Tourism B.C is betting on carning cnough = extra revenue from the new ven ture to wipe out most, if not all, of last year’s $700,000 worth of red ink. I'd say a bot will depend on the sun On a glorious day like last weekend the combined rail and sea journcy along onc of the most breathtakingly beautiful routes anywhere on this) planct ts) probably worth every cent of the 334 ucket (children up to It hal! pnce) On 4 cool, rainy day however, the $102 pnee tag could possibly strike Mom Dad and their (wo pre teens asa bit stecp Stall, there were one ncgative thoughts around as the sun blazed down on the mayor of Squamish deliver ing his welcome speech to Sunday's first happy crowd of travetlers During the nex! three months thousands Brittsh Columbians and then visitors will be keeping thet fingers crossed for Mr Rach mond's bet to pay off and assure the Royal Hudson ol 4 continuing future If he and they win |! almost certainly means we ie going to have some wondes ful weather this summer