6 - Friday, March 9, 1984 - North Shore News El editorial page Forest folly school students us- ed to @ @ that S0¢ out of every payroll dollar in the province came from the forest industry. There’s an ominous reason why we seldom hear that boast nowadays. Within as little as 10 years B.C. could be running out of trees. This grim economic prospect is now in sight becanse the provincial government has neglected for years to plough sufficient money from its forest revenues back into the restora- tion of the forests after logging. B.C. has never yet come to grips with the requirements for a sustained yield from our biggest, most valuable resource. AS a result, over a million and a half acres of forest land logged in the past few decades presently lie wasted, understocked or stagnant. several years ago federal-provincial sunday Display Advertising 980-0511 new: Classified Advertising 986-6222 north shore Newsroom 985-2131 rn ew S Circulation 986-1337 Subscriptions 980-7081 Associate Publisher Robert Graham Personnel Director Berni Hilliard Production Director Chris Johnson reserved. available on request addressed envelope CS 1139 Lonsdale Ave., North Vancouver, 8.C. V7M 2H4 Publisher Peter Speck Editor-in-Chief Noel Wright Classified Manager Val Stephenson . Photography Manager North Shore News, tounded in 1969 as an independent suburban newspaper and qualified under Schedule fll, Paragraph Ill of the Excise Tax Act, ts published each Wednesday, Fnday and Sunday by North Shore Free Press Lid. and distributed on Wednesdays and Sundays to every door on the North Shore and selectively on F ndays to businesses. real estate offices, various public locations, vendor newsstands. Second Class Mail Registration Number 3885 Entire contents © 1984 North Shore Free Press Ltd. All rights Subscriptions, North and West Vancouver, $25 per year Mailing rates No responsibility accepted tor manuscripts and pictures which should be accompanied by a stamped Member of the B.C. Press Council §4,700 (average. Wednesday & Sunday) THIS PAPER IS RECYCLABLE be taught Even close. Advertising Director Tim Francis Circulation Director Bill McGown Terry Peters boxes and unsolicited maternal inctuding §,400 (Friday) alk of Aenean - talks on the problem put the price of an adequate joint reforestation pro- ‘ gram at more than $100 million a year for five years. In the event, the program was killed by the recession. By contrast, the miserable scale.of current reforestation efforts is il- lustrated by Victoria’s recent com- mitment of $5.5 million to extend its meagre program for a further year. There are hopes that Ottawa will match that sum, for a grand total of $11 million — one-tenth or less of what is needed today to arrest and reverse the depletion. The failure to date by government to face up to this responsibility is much worse than a mere case of wrong spending priorities. It means, quite literally, that we’re living on non-renewable capital — and the day of reckoning for that ultimate finan- cial folly is looming uncomfortably $11.7 MILLION IN LOAN LOSSES Subsidies bad for business CCORDING to Small Business Minister David Smith, the federal government’s $11.7 million loss on bad loans to small Canadian businesses last year isn’t an indication of failure for his Ministry. In fact, he says, all things considered, this a pretty good record. By WALTER BLOCK A good record indeed! For one thing, this loss was almost double the $6.8 million shortfall posted in 1981. For another, it amounted to 42% of all claims paid since legislation underwriting the Ministry was enacted in 1962. This is hardly a record of accomplishment. Indeed, had any head of a private business concern § suffered such losses, he would have been whining, whimpcring and skulking about with his tail between his legs. AGE OF LIMITS But 1984 is almost upon us. Then, war will be peace, hatred will be love and ig- norance will be knowledge. David Smith, it would ap- pear, is anticipating this Orwellian world by having the temerity to practically boast of his Ministry’s finan- cial setbacks. True, as far as Ottawa boondoggles go, this is only a drop in the bucket. Perhaps we should excuse the excesses of David Smith, for they pale in comparison with the snaf- fus of the really big operators. But this is an age of limits, an age of restraint, an age of unemployment. Surely an $11.7 million dollars saved is an $11.7 million dollars earn- ed, especially in these hard times. As a matter of fact, however, things are even worse for the Small Business Ministry. For even had it not recorded the largest losses in history, it would still have been counterproductive. This is because its job — the fun- nelling of capital to some small businesses — can only be accomplished by making sure that this credit does not go to other smail businesses. Since Canadian capital —our store of machinery, plant and equipment — is finite, any diversion of capital to some enterprises means that other enterprises, which might have otherwise received the money, will be left out in the cold. ANTI-SOCIAL So even under the best of conditions—no losses at all— the Ministry of Small Business is still engaged in an uneconomic and anti—social activity. For by diverting credit from those who would have otherwise received it, to its less efficient clients, the Ministry always tends to downgrade the total efficien- cy of the Canadian economy. Paper losses or paper pro- fits, the Ministry of Small Business and its subsidy pro- gram are a drain on business in Canada. (Dr. Walter Block is Senior Economist with the Fraser Institute.) Decriminalizing tarts better than legalizing them Dear Editor: I write to comment on the column written by Bob Hunter, called ‘‘Legal Tarts Better’’, February 12 issuc. **Legalization’’ is generally aceepted as a term which means ‘‘state-controlied'’. Far from climinating pimp- ing and rendering prostitu- tion safe, state control mercly switches the profit-making arm of prostitution to the government. In parts of Nevada, where prostitution has been Icgaliz ed for some years, the control of prostitution is rigid: the state decrees hours of work, places of work, what a pro- stitute may do and where she may gO on her days off (shc can only go into town on her birthday and other special oc- casions), health cxamination schodules, every other aspect of the prostitute's life These prostitutes are still subject to all the samc violence, abuse, public con demnation and persecution secn in our own system Under present Canadian law, prostitution itself ts aot illega!. Soliciting and kceping or being found in a bawdy house, are The North Shore Women’s Centre is advocating dccriminalization of prostitu tion, as a step toward its final climination. We would like to sec the law against procuring (pimping ) kept on the books, applicable to cither in dividuals or governinents. but would remove criminal laws relating to the two charges above. Since pro stitution cxists because of the deplorably low cconomic and cultural status of women tn our socicty, we sce improving that situation as the key to climinating prostitution One step forward would be that prostitutes, decriminaliz- cd, would be as ecntre- prencurnal as they wished. They would come off the streets, advertise, pay business and income taxes like everyone cise, and organize cooperatively for thetr own protection Society is) enlightcned cnough alrcady to under stand that the men who buy the services of women and children arc at Icast as guilty of crime, sin or whatever, as those who scll. Yet none of these men are being **forced’’ by ther cconomic circum stances to buy Women and children ARE forced tnto prostitution by cconomic nocessity Faye Coopea North Shore Centre Women's Cleanup Trustees don’t invite MILAsS WV mess Dear Editor 1 gucss Ald. Hutchinson hasn’t got anything clse on her mind than change the spelling of some street names in| West Vancouver. She would have been better off on the school board with her spelling crave, and sure West Vancouver's kids would benefit There are more tmportant things to be done Once West Van was a showpiece with their lovely well kept gardens, now it books like a garbage dump in some places, which must remind us of some dumps tn Meaico o1 the jungle Why doesn’t she put her effort into straighten ing this mess, where home owners are held responsibic for the mess in ditches and boulevard, and why not fine them for thet neglected property? F Falla West Vancouver Dear E-ditor Recently, Rev Dungey, Chairman of the North Vancouver School Board, alleged that my col- Roy leaguc, Jack Davis, the Mi iA for North Vancouver Scymour, and myself were not available to mect with the School Trustees Since [| became an M1 A five years ago, I have gone out of my way to mect with the School Trustees at any time thcy have given an invitauon This has involved evening and Sunday morning meetings In over the last 14 years, there has been no re quest to meet with the School Trustees cxoept for personal meetings with Dr Ross Regan Of all the members of the School Trustees, he has been the only person to take the initiative to mect with the M1 A.s representing the arca { extend an invitation to meet with the School Trustees at any ume should they wish to communicatc with me. Angus Rec, M1 A North Vancouver Capilano Big Mac birthday Deas Editor Applausc, applause for the McDonalds in West Van couver. The staff made our son Chris’ 8th birthday on February 29th a very special ceichbration Thank you McDonalds! G Vernon West Vancouve: