A6 - Wednesday, February 10, 1982 - North Shore News GE editorial page | | A rising tide | There’s a saying that you can tell a man's character by his garbage. If that is true, the characters of modern North Americans — including the citizens of the North Shore — leave a good deal to be desired. The crisis that has developed over recent months at North Vancouver's Premier Street landfill challenges us to mend our ways or face even more unpleasant con- sequences by the later 1980s. The landfill — which serves all three North Shore municipalities — will be full in about five years. And there’s no future in the idea of then dumping our garbage on our neighbors, even if they'd take it. Landfills in Coquitlam, Surrey, Richmond and Maple Ridge will also have to close their gates at various points between 1983 and 1989. In short, time is rapidly running out for the whole archaic concept of landfill waste disposal. There is only one practical solution for to- day’s society, with its high consumption, elaborately packaged goods and love of “disposables” (everything from diapers to junked automobiles): incinerations accom- panied by maximum recycling. ; Incineration plants cost millions to build and three to four times as much to operate as landfill disposal. Inevitably, they mean increased taxation.. Recycling has its costs, too — including the cost in time to in- dividual householders who have to sort their garbage prior to collection. The harsh truth, however, is that we real- ly have no alternative. Within a decade the landfills simply won't be available. We shall have to either pay up or drown in the rising tide of our consumer excesses. Folk hero Sir Freddie Laker, whose airline crashed financially last weekend, is a rare blend of tycoon and dreamer. The dream of cut-rate Atlantic air fares which he realized brought pleasure to thousands, as shown by the out- pouring of public support and money in an effort to keep him flying. For the moment ft hasn’t been enough — but folk heroes like Sir Freddie don't vanish from the scene that easily. sunday news narth shore news 1139 Lonsdale Ave North Vancouver, 8 C V7M 2H4 (604) 985-2131 ADVE RTISING Nt WS, 980-0511 985 2131 CLASSI te) 966-6222 CIRCULATION 986 1337 Publisher Peter topes & Associate Publisher Rotbedt Granam Editor in-Chieft Noot Wright Advertising Dir or tor tre Cardwell News Editor Cohwis lboyd Managing Editor Andy Fraser General Manage Administration Berns billiard Creative Olrector Torn Focaarec ts Production Director Photography Fick Stonehouse tC iltsworth (ne Re Accounting Supervisor Circ uration Director thar Dara Koon tari AE ths Pus. 2 oe Haye Met cn North Shore News lon smiaterct ewe Sg eenp rene anid posatbifeercd conse hess am AGS Lae Se Os TS OOO SEETE | Oot Oe ned pa Pees De abe UC bape RDB ewe eyge ag at THE ot tte bone ine ry pM ed eset Wash chay ad natocdany toy Naot Peebiobe be ote ‘ eee deo ” the Nae TE ced CO ben Mail Pbesc greets natin haa tres a ATO Ce Me Ye a aed ‘baer es Speen TPatl’ Sheek pene ehprthareve $320 por yoo: Entre cuntents YOH) North Stuee bree Presa tid All rights roserved Ne sooag re reel abet, cyte: peg amesed gnee bem ens Aone eee re wt * ert opee VEDA IE GPA Cr Are. OS SOD Wet. mada, Y4 340 Deane abe y A se. THIS PAPER IN HEC YC CABLE ork barrel politics WORK ONE OF the Tory members of Parliament from the Maritimes was chatting over coffee the other day and offered one more example of why his party has trouble getting into power, and then staying there. In the small Mariume parts there’s a system of patronage for harbor opera- aN Gigs ae an tion which is practically as old as Canada. Each port has a harbor master, and a whar- finger. These two gentlemen are appointed at the federal government's pleasure, and they collect $2,000 or $3,000 each a year in part duties, commissions, etc., for very little work. An appointment as harbor master or wharfinger is regarded as_ straight patronage. When the government changes, the ap- pointment changes, so that those of the same political stripe as the winning party get the fruits of victory. ment in the job fairly rapid- ly. The Liberal patronage recipient allowed as how he wasn't worried. “You Tories may be in of- fice,” said the Liberal, “but we Grits are still in power.” Well, the Tory moved heaven and earth back in Ot- tawa to have that perk of of- fice switch. He wanted to split the lucrative posts that had been consolidated under one man into four separate jobs, thus making four Tories happy with re- “e Canadian Comment BY PETER WARD The Maritime Tory MP in question had watched the system work for years. In his town, one retired individual of the Liberal persuasion had worked himself into a posi- tion where he was both har- bor master and wharfinger — not just for one small port, but for two. Even some of his political alles regard- ed such patronage pigginess as being too greedy. Well, the election of 1979, February, took place, throw- ing out the Liberals and br- inging in the Tories. The vic- torious Tory MP had a few words with the Liberal har- bor master-wharfinger and told him to expect a replace- directed patronage. He couldn’t do it. The Tories wanted to centralize their appointments channell- ing them through Joe Clark's office, and there were delays in selecting names. There were also delays in deciding who would be fired, and there was a certain amount of bureaucratic obstruction, too. Result? The man who was wharfinger-harbor master in two Maritime ports, and a vocally partisan Liberal, still held his four jobs when the Liberals came back into power. He made a point of telling the frustrated Tory MP about it, too. Cost of saving the innocent WHAT MUST BE DONE to protect innocent citizens — and, above all, children — from sexual and violent offenders turned loose on the streets after serving time in jail? And how much would it cost? In the wake of the Olson case the first question 1s br inging some strong reactions from a concerned public But iCs the dollars-and-cents question that seems likely to determine the answer for the foreseeable future On tnal for public safety activists is Canada’$ present parole system, even though Olson btimself was not) on parole at the (me he com mitted ms first murder There are plenty of other grounds, however, for anxie ty about the system as it presently operates Many of the them are con tained in a five year federal survey released last March under the tithe Sob maton Generals Study of Condi tional Release lt shows that in the five years studbcd, no less Uhan "2 people ched at the hands of prisoners serving the balance of thei sentences outssde paul Phe toll taken try the parobe system dura that poreod was 40 murders W) thanslaughters and two cases of Crtminal neghgpeneec caus tag death Lo mcbhathont there were TI attempted murders 21 hid Happiags Mo rapes and at tempted tapes and various other ceumes About tialf oof the 40, OOD] Conmdilhoual tclease cacy cramtoecd were hauled back into yall before completing their “street me”, as it’s known in the parole trade AUTOMATIC RELEASE There are actually two types of conditional release A prisoner may apply for parole after completing onc third of his) sentence Whether or not it’s granted depends on his behavior in yall and the parole board's estimate of his rehabilitation potential Parole is cnturely disc rethonary “Mandatory supervision however. 1s not rent Under cur Canadian law all prisoners except those guilty of “a major act of violence! must be released from jai after: serving two thirds of thea sentencc and allowed to complete the temasainy one third outside uader the cye of a parole offices Ulaless on until they cannes ao further offence whieh half of then de ac. cordiag te Cyc salen shane generals stoady Phas as the probot vapmos, which a receuthy tome Kiernage of prurtolac Saletly om Uivistx cm Vancouver Esta tn fan UALR Phe Dhan an based Citizens boited ten Nafety and lustice thw beginning oto make ucda wianses Mere Canada Noel Wright Gemands that the safety of children aod tonocent cltirens must take preeedence over the tights of criminals Specific ally the CUNT, ~OVCH Point pooprass sceky a beefing up of the Dangerous Offenders Act twhich oan paul om Comsat for oan oan Sefiaite sentences beverge teeny poye tater treatment for all Coty ted sea and wrolent of fe taders aod sentens es cn Suet offenders te: be screed tee thete full teria watteout any footty of telease A fostered vers dety Ves rit ttacif ay teeny peohit mon prolitae al ane neon tachi al the etsy ts presently lobbying MPs and MLAs throughout the coun- try. It claims endorsement to date from numerous municipal councils, at least two trade unions and sup- porters in seven provinces coast to coast. (Incidentally, the group has its eye on a North Shore branch, among others. Anyone interested should contact chairman Dan Hughes at P.O Box 779, Duncan, BC VIL 3SY1 ) $23,000 CHEAPER The pnice tag for cracking down on paroles and man- datory supervision 1s another thing again In fact, it's almost certainly the im- mediate key to the whole tasuc of carly release Supervising a prisoncr on parole costs around $2,000 a year Keeping him in jail averages $25 000 a ycar So in 1980 the $7000 tn mates out on parole or man datory supervision saved the taxpayer around a cool $1 3 billion Meanwhile. Canada’s prisons today have almost) full occupancy and new oones cost the carth to tral The Olson case and others mer teas Cragin raise (he ques thom oof thaw long we can morally afford to impernt! the Innocent bee ause we Cannot financially afford to keep dangerous unechabilitated offenders off (he strects AS Se bowks Gown to money in often the «howe (his tnatance money in huge sums Batits ac hoee sonie tyoannot evade todefinitely