6 - Wednesday, February 25, 1987 - North, Shore News Historical truth istory is where it happened. EXACTLY where it happened. This sums up the position of the North Shore Heritage Committee in its bid to stop West Van council from moving the old ferry building at the foot of 14th Street to a new location nearby. The venerable structure, with its memories for many West Van seniors of the Hollyburn Ferry days before the Lions Gate Bridge, could be preserved for all time as a heritage building with a grant from the B.C. Heritage Trust. But the Trust requires such baildings to remain on their original sites. The architect’s plan, municipal officials say, would move the building only 60 to 100 ft. ‘io iraprove (he view’. That argument, however, is irrelevani. The original London Bridge has been re-erected, stone by stone, at an Arizona resort, cre than a few other historic European edifices have been transported piecemeal to the States and rebuilt there. Though they make popular tourist attractions, their relocation reduced tiem to pimmicks, not history. This principle remains valid whether a building is moved 6,000 miles or 60 ft. With the demolition of the former bus sheds, the view from the foot of 14th has already vastly improv- ed. It’s hard to see how destroying historical truth for the sake of 60 ft., .nd thus losing a preservation grant, would enhance the future park development of the area. Council should send the architect back to his draw- ing board and leave an all (oo rare monument (o West Van’s 75 years where it is — and WAS. LESSER MEN might have thrown in the towel by now. There’s a-limit to the amount of political and bureaucratic stonewalling most mortals can take. Not so, however, Zoltan Kuun, chairman of the North Van Chamber of Commerce’s transpor- tation committee. For more than three years he and the chamber have been urging an unresponsive Vancouver Park Board to agree to an upgrading of the hazardous Stanley Park causeway. So far, still with no result. JACK DANCEY ... honored pharmacist. In the l1-year period from 1975 to 1985 the narrow three-lane link between the Lions Gate Bridge and downtown Vancouver —- used by close to 100,000 people daily — saw over 1,200 accidents (more than half rear-enders), nearly 300 personal injuries and six deaths. The propesal by Zoltan and the chamber is to widen the causeway to at least four lanes, but” preferably to add also a fifth nor- thbound bus lane. ; Zoltan’s studies (he’s a P.Eng and a consulting traffic engineer, heading his own firm) show that the four-lane solution would re- quire no tree-cutting at all. And even a five-lane artery would entail minimal tree removal. In each case the present foot- paths would be relocated among the bordering trees, protected by a green belt from obnoxious noise and exhaust fumes. It would make equal sense both for West and North Yan com- muters and for the thousands who * flood NORTH along the causeway every day, bound for the Horse- shoe Bay ferries and Whistler. This is no scheme simply for pandering to fat cats from the North Shore. Vancouver's city engineer backs LETTER OF THE DAY Public schools Dear Editor: In your Wednesday, January 21 editoria! written by Michael Walker, entitled ‘Autonomy is Good for Schools”, Mr. Walker makes some statements which necessitate closer invcstigation. The thesis of his opinion is that “it is widely acknowledged the education and general training received by children in the private schools is far superior (to public schools).’’ Public schools, Mr. Walker therefore claims, should Jearn from private schools. I do not disagree that learning must take place; 1 only disagree with the lesson plan and who should do the instructing. To begin with, Mr. Walker makes a rather vague assertion for a professional economist. ‘‘Widely acknowl- edged’’ is another way of saying, “? think that ... but don’t really have the facts tr prove it.’’ Using the evidence of facts, Mr. Walker’s assertion simply does not bear out. THE vi ifn sew erm PEE quotes cet SUNDAY + WEONESDAY « FHIDAY 1139 Lonsdale Ave. North Vancouver, B.C. V7M 2H4 58,287 (average, Wedreruhsy aa Fy Friday & Sunday) SHA DINERO Display Advertising 980-0511 Classified Advertising 986-6222 Newsroom 985-2131 Distribution 986-1337 Subscriptions 986-1337 Publisher: Editor-in-Chief Managing Editor Advertising Director Moviakets Peter Speck Noel Wright Barrett Fisher Linda Slewart PTO idibed under Gitadule it Barageatay We ot te LS ates Seete Gaon tr Vanconetet $2 at Mailing tates sc HeAd ate ntl 0g MUU Entire contents «© 1987 North Shore Free Press Utd All oween mrmeareey of amos nights reserved WHATS HE. DIFERENCE BEINEEN AGUERNWENT sy GAMBLING SHIP. AND A BC. TERRY? Noel Wright the project. But as the weekly ac- cident toll continues, the park board, which has the final say, still drags its heels. Every Lower Mainland motorist is entitled to know just WHY? ore NAME GAME: The recent tragic death of a 14-year-old Richmond youth on Cypress Bowl and a rash of other North Shore mountain rescue incidents have prompted a letter from Ist West Van Scout Troop Scouter Gary Skett — reminding us that boys and girls in the scouting program learn all the skills and techniques for surviving such situations and have a lot of fun doing so. He cites, as just one example, Robert Helm, 18, who with a friend spent a safe night ina snow shelter because he had 10 years scouting experience. Thanks, provide It certainly is difficult to measure quality of education, because it is difficult to find an appropriate in- dex. One that is often used howev- er, is success on government scholarships and exams. The facts are that North Vancouver public schooi students have outscored private school students consistently the past number of years. As for the lessons to be learned, Mr. Walker claims tht the autonomy allowed private schools accounts for the ‘‘superiority’’. 1 @ focus ® Gary, for a timely point well made ... Violinist Gerald Jarvis, former VSO concertmaster and a North Van resident, performs Saturday. (Feb. 28) with mezzo soprano Delia Wallis and baritone Richard Morris at Deep Cove Yacht Club. Proceeds from the 8 p.m. concert, sponsored by parents from Ross Road Elementary, will help pay for a trip to Quebec City in May by some 60 Grade 7 French Immer- sion students -— call 987-3496 for tickets ($15) ... Busy Barrie Wall, the voice of BC Rail, is finding 1987 busier than ever. Currently up to his ears orchestrating BC Rail’s 75th anniversary celebra- tions, the company’s PR boss is off later this year escorting a group of rail enthusiasts on an 18-day tour of Britain’s rich assortment of working steam railways and museums ... Congrats to Jack best role can certainly agree with the con- cept of autonomy. However, | could stress that the school is made up of the teachers and the students within it. Therefore, if autonomy is the desired goal, then it must mean allowing teachers the right to negotiate their own working condi- tions within that school, with their employers. Teachers in this pro- vince are in the midst of pursuing exactly that goal, asking that the School Act be changed to guaran- tee such autonomy. ON A BC. FERRY, YOU GET OKINNED AT THE Dancey, director of pharmacy at LGH, on receiving the Distinguished Service Award of the Canadian Society of Hospital Pharmacists for ‘‘his outstanding contribution to hospital phar- macy”’ ... And the same again to West Wan Secondary where a staff-student team was humiliated in a basketball game against a team of wheelchair athletes. The item, however, is that the assembly in question saw the school raise $500 for the Rick Hansen Man in Motion fund. BARRIE WALL ... railroaders’ year. odel Finally, | would agree with Mr. Walker that an increase in resources devoted to education must be accompanied by structural changes within it. However, I would urge that those changes reinforce the obvious quality of education which the present public school provides, rather than try to reflect the shortcomings of private schooling. Andrew J. Krawezyk President, NV Teachers Assn.