INSIGHTS I hope he was right. Facing a breakfast of immigration statistics WINSTON CHURCHILL ONCE SAID that he’d often had to eat his own words and had found them a wholesome diet. to work. But to me, it tastes better than the ‘'bring-’em-here-in-boat - loads’’ menu which I reported on earlier. If he can muster a few heavy- I'm not QUITE ready yet for that meal but I confess that Greg Wellman of Richmond has provid- ed interesting new food for thought about immigration. Earlier this year ! outlined statistics which —- taken alone — show that we need many more immigrants to save our rapidly growing army of grandpas and grandmas from eventually starving in the dark. Actually, of course, the need is not for any more warm bodies — especially not in the already over- crowded cities like Toronto, Mon- treal and Vancouver. To keep up gramp’s and gran’s future living standards, the need is purely for the MONEY that immigrants us could lock the gates tomorrow and, with a little more fertility, live happily ever afterwards, just the way we are. In a letter to the paper Mr. Wellman argues that there IS a way to get the money without the people. Conventional wisdom that mass immigration brings long-term benefits to the economy is false. Short term — maybe. Fast pop- ulation growth, he points out, gives industry a large labor pool, thereby keeping wages down and creating lots of low-paying service jobs. But this so-called ‘‘prosperi- ty”’ is shared only patchily and, at the same time, adds rapidly to ur- ban overcrowding, pollution and all other social and environmental duty economists to back his theory, I'll be very happy to eat breakfast. Sunnyside up! tet this year. A computer whiz munity College, Douglas and Kwantlen Colleges plus private those pro-immigration statistics for POSTSCRIPTS: Important new resource at Cap College is David Lambert who took over as Media Centre reference librarian earlier dedicated to the latest in database information technology, David's background includes reference li- brarian stints at Vancouver Com- clients such as MacBlo, B.C. Tel, mining and engineering firms. Just ask him — he'll find it! ... Want to allegedly generate in the economy woes. keep working after 65? Make a and pay in taxes. Lasting prosperity for everyone note of the free public forum on If these were any other way to does NOT, he argues, come from mandatory retirement, 7:30 p.m. get that money, the 26 million of boosting the TOTAL gross pro- April S in the St. Paul’s Hospital duct with cheap labor. Instead, it coracs from increas- ing the PER CAPITA gross pro- duct. In short, ain for maximum INDIVIDUAL productivity from by state-of-the-art technology. It’s folly, Mr. Wellman thinks, to pretend that Canada — ‘“‘much of it a frozen wasteland’’ — can accommodate the Third World whose population grows by 16 mil- lion 2 year, or even Mexico, grow- ing by 2.5 million a ycar. The way to help them is to export techno- logy and family planning, so that their people can learn how to pro- sper by staying home. The Wellman solution, of course, may be just a tittle too neat NOTHER HEFTY increase in ICBC rates is being predicted for this year, if we as drivers don’t clean up our sct kehind the wheel. Alberta drivers are off the hock. British Columbians have the poorest driving record in Canzda, and last year we paid for it with a 22 per cent increase in ICBC rates. Last year’s increase cannot be blamed on inflation, population increases or the vagaries of the weather. Carelessnecs and an incressingly iitigation-happy society are the main culprits, and culy individual ef- forts are going to have a rea! effect on the increasing pumber of ICBC claims (up about 46 per cent in four years). We trast ICBC will make all efforts to keep its bu- reaucracy and its costs down, and we congratulate the North Vancouver RCMP traffic unit for organizing its new Saturated Traffic Enforcement Day. Once 2 month, starting April 11, the police are going to remind drivers of the consequences of running yeliow lights, making improper lane changes, speeding and other earmarks of sloppy driving that are on the increase. We would do well to harken back to our driver training days when the roles were fresh in cur minds and the receipt of a driver’s licence was a privilege ezraed, not a right. the workers we already have, aided overflow from countries like India, auditorium on Burrard, sponsored by the Vancouver Medical Association. Speakers for and against include former attorney general Alex Macdowald, NDP president Jokanaa Den Hertog and BCMA lawyer eter Gall — call Dr. Roger Rogers, 734-7046, for further info ... And if you visit Britain this July and would like an invitation to the Queen's Garden Party at Buckingham Palace, Lia Ardiagton of the Kiwanis Lynn Manor says all you have to do is write pronto to Canada House in London. aee WRIGHT OR WRONG: No, kids, the Baster Bunny doesn’t actually LAY the eggs — but a very happy Easter to you all anyhow! 20-21. Hazel ls holding a 1940 group photo. ——— 4 Se SATE grt a] SSS re Publisher Peter Speck Managing Editor Barrett Fisher Associate Editor Noe! Wright ensroom Advertising Directur Linda Stewart & pitas ee daasf Suoscriptions North Shore Mews, tounced in 1959 a5 an independent VNOAY WEDNEEDAN « Emony Fax Suburban Newspaper and qualitwed under Schedute 111 1139 Lonsdale Avenue. Paragraph Ill of the Excise Tax Act. 1s pubisnhed eacr North Vancouver, B.C Veet VUNCE OF MONTH AND WEB tapCOtVER Display Advertising Classitied Advertising Wocnesday, Finday and Sunday by Norin Snore Free Press Lid and aistituted to every door on the Norn = ¥7M 2H4 Shore Second Class . Subscriphions North and West Vancouver.$25 per year 59,170 (average, Wednesday Maing fates avaiable on request. Submissrons are weicorme but unsobcied malenal includeng Manuscripts and pec iules a which should be accompanied dy a stamped. addressed SDA CIVISION Mad Regrstratiun Numbe: 3845 we cannot accept responsibidily tor Friday & Sunday) erreeipe en Entire contents © 1989 North Shore Free Press Ltd. All rights reserved. MEMBER = North Shore owned and managed RTWS phate Nol Luoonte MUSICAL MEMORIES...Hezel Dyer (left), one of the parents who started the North Van Youth Band in 1939, and saxophonlst Jsrett Humphrey, 9, prepare for the Band’s 50th anniversary celebrations May ore es Gan, fe maT vig 980-0511 986-6222 985-2131 986-1337 986-1337 988-3227 G