A6 - Wednesday, January 5, 1983 - North Shore News Worthy gift horse There has been no shortage of gloom and doom prophets to greet the New Year with dark forebodings. It’s timely, therefore, to remember the bright spots as well — especially those in our own backyard. One of them is very definitely the year-end progress report on Lonsdale Quay, which brings nothing but good news for the North - Shore in general and North Vancouver City in particular. 3 00 Nae activity at the Quay created ‘ 1,4 mane ri) is & t 3. and promises a farther 300 man-years in 1983. The big head-office comprexes of completion within the next six months — will add nearly 2,000 income-eamers to the commercial population of the area. That’s in addition to staff and students of the ‘Pacific Marine Training Centre, and the eventual occupants of two other large office buildings to be started in 1983. Meanwhile, the City last year collected $330,000 in taxes from the development and is looking to $400,000 this year on the way to a 1985 target of $750,000. The rehabilitation of the rundown Lower Lonsdale core will be another major gain and the economic spinoff benefits elsewhere on the North Shore are equally obvious. As with Vancouver’s new stadium, the Socred. ~ government will be hoping for a political payoff from its North Van project, -but that’s no reason to look the Lonsdale Quay gift horse in the mouth. it promises to be one of the best things that ever happened north of the Inlet. Only glitter ‘ Those 1983 property assessment notices that have just arrived, showing assessments down an average of 20-30% from last year, won't necessarily reduce your taxes, because cash-strapped municipalities and school boards may simply up the mill rate to compensate. And for owners who want to sell, a drop of 20-30% in the value of their home isn’t exactly good news, either. Like they say, all that glitters isn’t gold. Fem VINCE OF HORTH AND WEST VARCQUYER sunday news Display Advertising 980-0511 north shore Classitied Advertising 9686-6222 news Newsroom 985-2131 » Circulation 986-1337 yt M - eo 9 Lonsdaie Ava : rae Vancouver,B.C V7M 2H4 Publianher Peter Soeck Associate Publisher Hoberct Gratis Editor -in-chiet Noel Wrgtt Advertising Director Tieny Foran os Personnel Director . * Circulation Director Men. Eerste bitte Broan A 6 thts Production Director Office Manager Photography Manager Carts jonnson Donna Grandy Terry Peters North Shore Newa tousded ws: 1V60U as an mUdepeEndeaL Community CewApape: and qaalhed andor be hecwe I Patil Paragraph Il ol the Beene Tae ACT os poblinhed each Wednaencay, and Sunday by North ror bee bes bled sec datetribotered be ervey denon conn the North Dre od ( laos Mal He getiaton Number: iat Entire contents 196? North Shore Froo Prose ltd All rights served “hae e Subscoptons North and West Vanover $y? inten avallab ives rere rerts! por your Mathriy Me etepc at a ee aa CTO COR CTT bayelooow pe tare wt t Lonyeed ‘ TACT ee REET er TUOTE IE ~ VE HIF IE O CIRCULATION 64,643 Wednesdey $4 093 Sunday “ou SN A ae aN a THIS PAPER IS RECYCLABLE Even high interest rates, unemployment burgeoning a recession and haven't caused Canadian banks to cut back on advertising ap- peals to consumers. All borrowers need, it seems, is a reasonable credit rating, a 20 per cent down payment, and presto, anyone can have a $10,000 ° pay off the loan. car or truck sitting in the driveway. inq ; eo ati) THE STORK is the symbolic bird of the first few days of January. The New Year is traditionally linked with the happy act of birth and the first babies to squeal their little hearts gut after midnight on December 31 are assured of making the local headlines. But a word of caution. B.C. this According to the Central Credit: Umon, year's crop of babies and their successors through 1989 may be making a good many other headlines of a nature before they're throu gh The Central Credit Umion's year-end economic analysis predicts a new baby boom dunng the = 1980s which could rival that of the 1950s. And-the big question is how the cconomy of the closing 18 years” of — the twentieth century will cope with it The analysis forecasts that as many as 50.000 children will be born in BC chs year, That figure compares to about 38,500 born in 1980 Tt would Be 10.000 births more thantin 1941 and would represent a 48 per cent increase over the average yearly births of the cary 1970s The 1980 figure amounted to about 145° births = per 1.000 populadon — just over half the all (ime high average of 26 per 1.000) recorded between 195) and 19YSS the penod of post-war cuphoria m an cconomy explode powsed to 500,000 CHILDREN Ihe 198) prophesy of SO_.000 BB ¢ births would girecady raise the ratio to about 18.5 per 1,000. If the credit umon’s anthmetic ts right, we shall be heading back towards the all-time high at a fast lick by next December 31. - Overatt; — the = anatysts foresees half a = million children born in B.C. during the 1980s — about 150,000 more than in any previous decade. The reason, it says. being that many couples have put off having children until later in life Now. “the biological clock has caught up” The analysis goes on to note that “the sharp increase in the number of children being born will altor the age structure of the province and thas will have far- reaching social and economic impacts inthe years to come You can say that again The first impact (are you hisiening, Bill Vander Zalm?) will be on schools By 1987 the credit union — boffins predict that “many clementary schools in the province will see corolment increases in grade over 40 pepoent | Aad because of the one) of the baby goneradon are parents new boom gencrally older and better cducated there will inevitably be a demand for higher quality teaching But that’s only onc aspect Ne In the coming months By ROGER W. WORTH If the borrower fails to pay, the bank simply sells the collateral (the vehicle) to Now consider the plight of an entrepreneur arriving at the same bank for a business loan. Unlike the 20 per cent down payment for ordinary consmers, the banker will require collateral valued at as much as four times the ATMO t Qg ne Oa n U there are few small business People who haven't pledged | Mainstream Canada their homes, properties and other personal assets when they borrowed. That's just one of the intriguing facts that turned up in a study prepared for the 64,000 member Canadian Federation of Independent Business. “We were astounded,” says Patricia Johnston, Vice- President of the organization, “Smaller firms _ are being treated unfairly.” Johnston says the study indicated the average , amount of collateral pledged on such business loans in EEG ocus by Noel Wright and years (there will changes jn carried by department stores, an increase in babies’ and children’s products and a lowenng of savings rates as parents iced, clothe and = cducate thear children,” says the credit union study be) NOT ENOUGH 1OBS? that, of course, fooms the key problem of all emptoyment op portunities for the big 1980s upsurge in the pupulavon The nature of the current recession suggests it may be a problem which = defies tradhtional solutions Today's 1 5 millon joblcas Beyund Anerchandise . Canada is a massive 279 per cent of the amount borrowed, of which two- “thirds is personal security. New firms were forced to put up. an unbelievable four times the value of the amount borrowed. To put the situation in perspective, in the United States, more than 20 per cent of the value of bank loans is umsecured by collateral. For small business and the 10 sub! avi te.tb: o is crucial because, under the present rules, potential - ony entrepreneurs are less likely to go into business, thus depriving the nation of badly needed jobs. The banks, of course, are winners, taking very little risk as they charge relatively high interest rates. Perhaps it is time our banks started to emulate their counterparts south of the border, rather than placing so much emphasis on consumer ._ _. As. it stands, the bankers are it as well. ‘(CFIB Feature Service) ither baby boom No. 2? are, in the main, victims of an exploding labor force and exploding technology over the past 20 years. In 1961 Canada’s work force formed 35 per cent of the population. By 198! i had soared to 48° per. cent. Meanwhile. automation and computers are now replacing human hands and brains at a dizzy pacc. We may already be at the point where there will never again be enough = con- ventional employment for all who seek it. Professor “ae Farina of belicve high uncmployment is here to stay — and that long term pla gots urgently needed for'W world where fewer and fewer peoplic will be working in paid jobs as we now know them. Fanna sees ny Problem abou financing such aiewortd New tcchnology alonc, he mainiains, can kecp the economy growing But he admits that new ways of distributing the = procecds will have to be developed. basic If he and bis lhe thinking collcagucs are nght — andif they can figure out how to orgamze robuts and com paters to keep millions of humans in comlortable, Iifclong teasure © the babies of the 1980s could be the luckiest gencration yet born Otherwise, they may have to learn to be anc of the toughest Sat oe rah aude ie . ah ~ Ne -_