A6-Sunday News, November 2, 1980 North Vancouver City's rejection of a referendum on extending Sunday shopping to businesses beyond those already covered by the new provincial Bill 56 calls for reconsideration by the city fathers. Bill 56 gives all municipalities the referendum option. Our own readings of North Shore public opinion to date suggest that a majority of residents are not in favor of wide-open:Sunday shopping on the U.S. model. Smaller merchants, by and large, seem vigorously opposed to it, as do even some of the bigger’ stores. Aside from neighborhood. convenience outlets, we have the impression that the North Shore favors a “quiet” Sabbath. However, we COULD be wrong. A referendum fs the only democratic way to settle the matter once and for all. It has been argued that if one municipality makes?any move in the direction of ex- tending | Sunday shopping, the rot will quickly pread to neighboring 7 s ‘This isn’t necessarily true. : Th different. decisions by North Shore ‘Ta sin the case of late shopping hours prior to Christmas indicate that each municipality has its own strong personality in the matter. ~ The referendum option was presumably included in’ Bill 56 because of the very large number of citizens -- virtually every mer- chant and every shopper -- affected: by Sunday shopping decisions. We doubt whether a mayor and six aldermen are competent to speak for such a broad con- stituency on such a controversial subject. It might be much wiser to ask the people concerned. Hidden message Sex, it seems, ts good for the figure, or at any rate the reverse is true. Most of the 90 men at Australia’s three Antarctic research stations put on between 18 and 29 pounds during a year of monastic life on the ice -- through overeating to compensate. Now we understand about those seductive young ladies in the slimming studio ads. In place of 1202 steaks they're obviously in- tended to offer food for thought. ‘VOR VINCE OF DHOITTH AND WEST VANCOUVER sunday 1139 Lonsdale Ave North Vancouver 6 © V7M 2H4 (604) 985-2131 north shore news NEWS| ADVERTISING CLASSIFIED CIRCULATION 985-2131 980-0511 986-6222 986-1337 Publisher Peter Speck Associate Publisher Editor-in-Chict Robert Graham Noe! Wright Advertising Director Eric Cardwell Classified Manager & Office Administrator Berm Hilhard Creative Director Tim Francis Production Rick Stonehouse Faye McCrae Managing Editor Andy Fraser News Editor Chris tloyd Photography tlisworth Oic KOM Accounting Supervisor Barbara Keen North Shore News, tounded tn 1960 as an muapandoat (Gruman: ty Newspaper and qualified under Schedule Hh Pad Wl Paragraph Ml oft Ihe Eaciae Tas Act 1s published each Wednesday and Sunday by North Shore Free Press Ltd and distributed ta every door oe the North Shore Second Class Mall Registration Number Subscriptions $20 per year Entre cor icedtn tree Presa Lid Alt nghts reserved 308% 1DABO North: Shore No reaponaibility accepted for unpube ited nate sal wee manuscupts and pictures which should be ow: slamped addressed return envelope Kaede vy werypoearvierct boy a VERIFIED CIRCULATION 60,8070 Wednesday 49.913 siinaay xo 9» SN. 1 THIS PAPER IS RECYCLABLE By W. ROGER WORTH The Quebec government recently . paid a_ supplier $2,400 for materials, four months after the bill had been sent. No interest was paid on the outstanding amount. A small contractor in Northern Ontario came close. to having his business placed in receivership or bankruptcy when the provincial government kept him waiting more than three months before paying a $28,000 bill. Again, the hard-pressed entrepreneur received no interest on the overdue account. For - people operating small and medium-sized businesses, dealing with provincial and _ federal governments and _ their agencies can be risky in- deed. While governments have made an attempt to speed up payment procedures during the last few years, the system still leaves a lot to be desired. The bureaucrats argue that most bills are paid on time, which is probably true. The real dilemma for en- trepreneurs, however, is UN-REAL ESTATE: A local couple bought a waterfront home in Lions Bay less than two months ago for $265,000. They were scheduled to take possession early this month. A week or two ago the peopie from whom they'd bought ap- proached them with an offer to buy back the house — for $285,000. These origina! owners, incidentally, had purchased the pad just over a year carlicr for a trifling $195 000. The new owners, offered a cool twenty grand profit before they'd spent a single night in their new home, were understandably a little confused. They asked a real estate agent (the source of this alarmingly truc story) what to do. His advice was unhesitating. “Don't soll! I know somcone who'll pay $350,000 for the place today ~ Only a year or two ago they would all have been carted away to the funny farm North Van City Engineer Tom Scott spent his last day at City Hall Friday. After a decade of dedicated service to the City’s roods, bridges and sewers, Tom (who's still quite some distance from retirement) has got itchy feet in a big, romantic way On November 15 he flics to Ethiopia. There, during the next two years, he'll be showing the natives of an what happens when a cheque from Ottawa or the provinces doesn’t arrive. In normal business cir cumstances a_ simple telephone call to the “slow- pay” customer might rectify the situation, or at least provide an indication of the likely payment date. With governments, though, even tracking down the unpaid invoice can be a major achievement for the most concerned civil ser- vant, 7‘ The real problem, however, is a_ general government policy eliminating interest “How on earth could you flunk multiplication?” sunday brunch by Noel Wright isolated litte community called Awassa how to put in a proper water supply system. Awassa, like many other Third World com- munities, suffers from poor water. This, of course, leads to widespread ill-health which, in turn, makes it that much more difficult to train and cducate native peoples to help themselves. So pure water, Tom explains, is the key to solving numerous other Third World problems. His stint is being spon- sored by Canadian In- ternational Development Aid (CIDA). He'll be ac- companicd by wife Margaret and their teenage son and daughter. Only about 20 other white people live in Awassa, “mostly missionanes,” and schooling will have to be by correspondence from BC Half my fnends think crazy,” says Tom other half envy me ” All the best, Scout family — we like your style! ELECTIONITIS (most of it transferred chia weekend to page Al7) Good to see that Raiph Hall — former City alderman and former editor of the (ormer) Citizen — 1s having another crack at City council in the November 15 election to fill the single seat vacated by Alderman Gordon Croas. Ralph missed out by only three of four votes last ycar and should bc a strong contender I'm “The Hes up against another hairbreadth 1979 loser, former city alderman Marc Howard, and bright young Dana Taylor who also failed to make it a year ago but has lots of time on his side. Meanwhile, zero in on the North and West Van school board races this month where the real action is — they spend more of your moncy than any of the councils. HELP WANTED: The North Shore Light Opera Society is in dire need of more male voices for its 33rd annual production, this year Carl Zeller's “Bird Seller”. Fruity baritones and deep brown basses sifould call Pat Robson at 985-4762 .. And don’t forget the blood donor clinic this Tuesday at the West Van Legion Hall, 580- 18th Street, from 2 to 8 pm. You don't have to be a Legion meomber to give the gift of life If you thought the provincial Munistry of Deregulation invented by the Socred government two yours ago was intended eventually to self-destruct, think again In o breezy presentation last weck to North Van Chamber of Commerce directors about the work of the department, Director of Deregulation Richard Anthony made ut clear that he and his staff arc here for keeps Seems they ¢a0 acver hope to catch up with deregulating all the payments on overdue ac- counts, forcing suppliers to pick up the tab when the system fails to work ef- ficiently. Simply put, in payments cases effectively subsidizes government sloppiness. Businesses have to borrow morey at interest rates of 14 to 15 per cent or more to finance their operations as they await overdue: government payments. late- business Normally, business trade accounts are charged a not unreasonable 1'4% per cent per month to cover such losses. Not every government department, of course, follows the “no interest” principle. Just ask the person with an overdue tax bill. The message from the bureaucrats is clear. Pay up promptly, please, and don’t forget to include the in- terest. Roger Worth is Director. Public Affairs Canadian Federation of Independent Business. regulations made weekly by other Victoria departments PEOPLE PARADE: Happy 91st birthday Monday to former (1951-52) West Van reeve J. Howard Fletcher, . still hale and hearty. Former manager of the old Hollyburn Theatre, he served carlicr (1946-48) as a councillor and, 23 years later, on the 1971 Centennial committee _ Congratulations to West Van's JM) Boothroyd on winning scholarships worth $500 from the University of Victoria where she's a fourth-year student majoring in French. A former Cap college student, Jill plans a carecr as a_ lawyer Meanwhile, $500 entrance scholarships to UVic have been awarded to Pauline Michelle Nash of North Van and West Vah's Catherine Elizabeth Ostler and Angela Dawn Tambosso West Van resident Peter Maia heads a group of local in- vestors who have bought Mortifee Munshaw Ltd., one of western Canada's biggest photo-finishers. Main was fromerly with White Spot and latterly president of Controlled Foods In- ternational...Les Udy 1s opening a new North Shore branch of Sight and Sound this month at 1309 Lonsdale — storco buffs take note . Welcome to newly ap- pointed West Van teacher Lofts Mararo, and tcacher aides Namcy Nelson (Westcot) and Marnie Baxter (Gleneagles) WRIGHT OR WRONG: In most instances there's nothing more expensive than the economy.