6- Friday, October 4, 1985 - - North Shore News

Editorial Page

Butt out!

CBC’s decision to limit its population of
| Ee to restricted areas of its various of-

fice buildings is one more loud vote to the
hopelessly smoke addicted that toleration for
their habit is fast evaporating.

Public . opinion, thus far a murmur of
polite coughing, has now caught up to the
rasping’ hack of medical evidence linking
cigarette smoke with a myriad of disease and
an accelerated death rate. The annual health
cost’to the United States for smoke related
illness alone is estimated te be $65 billion.

/Non-smokers have been jerked abruptly
out of their somnolence to be told second-
hand smoke. from. their .. suicidal. smoking
brethren is not only offensive to their sen-
sibilities, bat a threat to their own health.

Gone are the days of cinematic sexuality
previously attached to the inhaling of ciga-
rette smoke; gone are the days when working
environments could absorb its poisons.

Smokers affected by ICBC’s decision are
beginning to’ bleat, exhaling. toxic fumes in
protest to their loss of civil rights. Who will
be next they moan, gum chewers? wearers of
offensive clothing? — .
|. What they fail to see, through the haze of
smoke that:surrounds them, however, is the
physical danger they present to those.in their
vicinity “and .the conscious choice non-
smokers are making in increasing droves to
confine cigarette suicide to, dark ‘corners and
avid smokers. ;

Fowl enemies

-F est Vancouver is under. seige by fowl
enemies. Geese and crows have coun-
a threatening ‘strong steps’, but
‘thelr scare gimn is just an assault om the enemies’
intelligence. The airborne divisions will simp-
ly redeploy their troops. Where is West Van-
couver Police’s sharp-shooting ace, One Shot
Scott, who once scoured the municipal shores
leaving ‘the enemy quaking, in its feathers? |

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Val Stephenson

. Tt Vos won is wea veces

“north shore an

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SuPenAy + WEEDEEGGAY © rIGAY

North Shore Newa, founded in 1969 as an independent suburban
newspaper and qualified under Schedule ill, Past Ill, Paragraph It! of the
Excise Tax Act, is published each Wednesday, Friday and Sunday by
North Shore Free Press Lid. and distributed to every door on the North
Shore, Second Class Mail Registration Number 3885. Entire contents
© 1985 North Shore Free Press Ltd. All rights reserved.

Subscriptions, North and West Vancouver, $25. per year. Mailing rates
available on request.

No} responsibility accepted for unsolicited material including
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addressed envelope. .

Member ef the B.C. Press Council
58,245 (average, Wednesda
ecab. | Lf Fridey & Sunday) ¥

SDA OIMSION

THIS PAPER IS RECYCLABLE

Aldermen_shut_off_brains

’ Dear Editor -

‘instead restore the Inquisi-

ANE TAKE A TOUR OF THE
BAMTOH COLUMBIA FORESTS,
STANDS OF VIRGIN TIMBER
TOWERING BESIDE
REPLANTED HILSIDES...) WHAT BM

Since last June we have
had occasion to be present at
a number of District Council
meetings. In our opinion
there are too few members
who have the power of
logical thought. We: agree
with Alderman Crist’s sum-
mation ‘‘they are inept’’.

We were most interested in
the obvious lack of thought
evidenced when some
members cheerfully disposed
of public property for the

sole benefit of one property

Dear Editor:

The year 1985 has produc-
ed some strange pro-
nouncements on the subject
of “Hate Propaganda’’ on
the part of academics,

lawyers, and politicans in this!

country. One of the more biz-'
zare is a recent article in the
Saskatchewan Law Review
entitled ‘‘Hate Propaganda:
A Reason to Limit Free
Speech’’ by Mr. Alan Regel.

In his article Mr. Regel
argues, ‘“‘that. prosecution
may be perceived as a benefit
by the hatemonger-insofar as
it would provide the oppor-
tunity to propagate it’s
perverted ideas further, the
effect of this perceived
benefit could be reduced by
conducting such - trials ‘in
camera’. Mr. Regal goes on
to say that a ‘‘proposed alter-
native to prosecution-‘a

.vigorous program of infor-

mation and education’ would

_be even more likely to leave
the hate-monger perceiving
_itself to be a martyr than

would prosecution.”’

Sound reasoning, Mr.
Regal, but. let’s take your
ideas to their logical conclu-
sion. Instead of having secret
trials, fet us dispense with the.
trials altogether. We should

owner who found that he was
short of land for subdivision.
Ratepayers in the North
Lonsdale area had strenuous-
ly objected by petition to this
“deal’’.. We understand that

the Planning Department was:
not in favor of it, and further.

that legal counsel advised
that they, the council, were
treading’ on touchy ground.
Mayor Baker. and Aldermen
Gadsby and Crist’ voted
against it, while the’ remain-
ing four members shut off
their brains and declared
“‘precedent’’ drove them to
vote for it.

}

L

tioh, with Mr. Regel ‘as
Grand Inquistor. The rack
and thumbscrew would con-
Stitute “‘a vigorous program

‘Of information and educa-
‘ tion” and would ensure that

We feel the aldermen were
again . demonstrating the
“don’t confuse me with the
facts, I have made up my
mind”’ syndrome. We suspect
that if they jumped from
Lions Gate Bridge and sur-.
vived they would jump again
on ‘‘precedent’’. In our opi-
nion two wrongs never have
made a right.. :

We are now being asked.to::
approve the North Lonsdale
Plan which specifically states

We would like to ‘thank
Mayor.’ Baker, Aldermen
Gadsby’ and Crist ‘for their:

help throughout this exercise .__
and ask the remaining ‘
_aldermen to stop giving our”

land away and destroying our.

neighborhoods, Our iand is 7

‘too precious.
We.trust that the owner of:

. the property concerned will

.enjoy: living :in. our

neighborhood after, he’

downgrades it, by squeezing

—no spot-zoning. Will coun- ,/another house on his lot.

cil allow “precedent”? to’: J.C. Hackett...

override this in the future it
they are so inclined? a
. ‘ f

,

Why not restore inquisition?

the ‘hate-monger’ would
soon repent his ‘perverted
ideas.” ;

Finally the heretic would
be burned at the stake,
preferably on a pyre ‘built

J.M. Langdon ;
North Vancouver

my y

from his own, ‘confiscated

books.

R.H. Jarvis ; ;
Director: B.C. Free Speech
League:

Yarrow, B.C;

Improvements will
be obvious soon

Dear Editor;

In the News of Friday,
September 6,.a letter from
Ted Kingan claims my state-
ment that a reduced
pupil/teacher ratio has not
resulted in improved educa-
tion - was mere convenient
speculation!

In 1973 one teacher was
employed for every 22.65
pupils in B.C. By 1982 the
ratio had dropped to 16.65
pupils for every teacher, this
amounted to a 26 percent in-
crease in the number of
teachers but. during this
period the standard of educa-
tion across the province wen!
down, The drop in standards

was proved by the Provincial
Learning Assessment Tests
carried out by the Ministry of
Education and by the grow-
ing need for remedial pro-
grams in all post secondary
institutions. The educa-
tionists of B.C. were given
their chance. They ‘blew it.’

For the past several years
we have heard complaints
from Universities, Colleges
and other seats of higher lear-
ning regarding the low stan-
dards of high school
‘graduates’, many of whom
were ignorant of the basic
elements needed for advanc-
ed education. To quote from
one learned professor, ‘we
try t« educate the ‘whole’

child. We don't do a good
job educating the head.’ ~

Thanks to. increased
government control and the
return of province wide ex-
aminations there is hope

(despite the present restraints -

in spending due to the conti-
nuing recession) for improve-
ment in the future.

As a teacher at the com-
munity college level Mr. .
Kingan should soon see the

results of these im-.

provements. Although they
may not be very apparent in
his studio arts area of
specialization, they should be.
obvious in academic realin.
R. Kelly

North Vancouver