The federal civil service — like civil services the world over —comes in two sections. One section plans legislation; the other section enforces . legislation. On paper, this is a 1 very | sensible arrangement. The. . thinkers are left alone to think while the enforcers are left alone to enforce. The only problem is the lack of communication from thinkers to enforcers. So the enforcers frequently find themselves dealing with regu- lations whose purposes they do not appreciate. The consequences of this communications breakdown can be downright peculiar. The Lee Valley Tools Ltd. case is an excellent example of the sort of administrative boondoggle which can result. Lee Valley is a Canadian- owned firm that dependsfor | a large portion of its revenue on an ingenious wood stove that comes in kit form. Ac- tyally, Lee sells a kit which - includes legs, stove pipe and a door; the purchaser hunts up a 45-gallon drum, puts all the pieces together and has a dandy wood stove at rock- bottom price. The Lee Valley stove kit stands out as a first-class ex- ample of Canadian ingenuity - the sort that could make Canada into a first-class trading country, given half a chance -- at work. There has, in fact, been only one tiny snag in an otherwise perfect story: according to Revenue Canada, the Lee Valley stove kit is not a wood stove. Now you or | would have trouble finding any other use for the Lee Valley kit except as a stove, However, you and ! are not members of the civil service upper class. Be- cause the Lee- Valley kit came without the drum, Revenue Canada ruled that the kit does not qualify asa wood stove, This interesting decision was upheld — after || appeals by Lee Valley — by’ FIRST LICENCE E PLATESare handed over to Pat t McCue, president ¢ of the new car . rental firm “Oldies But Goodies” on Pemberton Avenue, North Vancouver, by Arlene Botterill of Brian Coyle b Insurance Agency. byJimSmith False impressions then-Revenue Minister (now Senator) Joseph Guay. So what? you ask, inno- cently. Does it matter wheth- er Ottawa labels the kit a wood stove_or a pogo stick? Indeed it does. Because of RgWnue Canada’s ruling, Lee” Valley has been fighting for its life. - ‘The regulation-making side of the civil service, you see, decreed under the Ener- gy Conservation Equipment Exemption Regulations that ‘wood stoves (assembled or in kit form) would be exempt- ed from the 12% (recently reduced to 9%) federal sales tax. Although Revenue Canada did not make the rules, it does enforce the - regulation. So Lee Valley has been living with a 12% gov- emment-imposed price dis- advantage compared to other | wood stove manufacturers. There’s a new Revenue Minister in town — Tony Abbott, who also happens to be the Small Business Minister and is sympathetic to little guys like Lee Valley — and he’s promised to resolve the mess. But the problem. should not have come up ‘in the first place. Lack of communication in the bureaucracy is one of the greatest sources of frustra- tion for the small business community. Woodcroft View select rental Suites Studios/One and Two Bedrooms ‘Adult Oriented No Pets, please #115 - 2012 Fullerton Avenue North Vancouver, B.C. V7P 3E3 Telephone: 926-7894 Viewing hours: noon to 8 p.m. noon to 6 p.m. Weekends Weekdays Technology, _ probation Between midnight and 3 a.m. one out of every three—.. provincial. . drivers on the road has been ~ _ drinking. One out of every. 10 is drunk. A parallel program to the adult drinking and driving campaign “Counter-Attack” is being launched jn the public -school system as a joint effort of the’ Ministry of Education, Science and Technology and the Ministry of the Attorney-General. General objectives. of the new campaign, according to | Dr. Pat McGeer, Minister of: Education, Science and will be to analyse and evaluate drinking and driving at- titudes; illustrate the problems associated with the consequences of drinking and driving; help students develop decision-making skills in this- area; and identify solutions to the dilemmas in which students may find themselves when faced by pressure from their friends. ° Counter-Attack organize- rs hope doctors, coroners, officers, pathologists, police officers, judges, lawyers and treat- ment centre counsellors. will all be invited to help with the course. They also hope that students will involve the community through parent evenings, mall displays, the surveys and use of media. " Page 39, January 14, 1979 Sunday News | ‘The | decision of the government to the. fact that B.C. has the highest per: capita rate of alcohol drinking in Canada. An official of the Con- sumer and Corporare Affairs Ministry said it is impossible to estimate how much alcohol abuse costs tax- ‘attack the whole alcohol. problem was. influenced’ by consimption, of . alcoholism and of problem. payers, “but we do know that - - the social and. economic. costs are many times higher than the revenues we receive - from the sale’ ‘of alcohol products. . “We kriow. that. alcohol — misuse in Canada is a factor in 40 per cent of ‘hospital admissions... cent of all homicides, and 40 per cent of family court problems,” t the official said. The public is cordially invited to the ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING of LIONS GATE. MEDICAL RESEARCH | FOUNDATION Wednesday, January 24th, 8 p.m. Lions Gate Hospital Auditorium The program will include tatks by North Shore doctors on some recent medica! . research projects which have been assisted by the Foundation. Lions Gate Medical Research Foundation 230 E. 1 3th St., North Vancouver Save | — 20%. on every fur in stock Hurry to the Bay Park Royal for the most sen- sational fur sale of the season. Select now from our complete line of luxurious coats,. jackets, stoles and hats in mink, fox, coyote and cape seal. If the fur you wanted wasn’t under your Christmas tree, don’t delay. Make your wishes come true now, and enjoy real savings. Many are one-of-a-kind items and all are fabulous furs ata terrific 20% off. Personal shopping only, please. The Bay now welcomes Mastercharge and Visa, and your Baycard of course. Hudsons Bay Company Furs, The Bay Park Royal only y f thirty-one per. . -cent of all suicides, 60 per