Ab - Sunday, February 28, 1982 - North Shore News

Ungovernable?

The widespread threats of defiance greeting Premier Bill Bennett's announced guideline curbs on public spending are a thought-provoking comment on where our society may be headed.

B.C. Federation of Labor boss Jim Kin- naird told the premier, minutes after the latter's telecast, to “go to hell”. The powerful B.C. Government Employees Union — with which a major battle looms when its contract expires in July — has categorically stated it will ignore the guidelines. Hospital workers are rumbling matiny.

Here on the North Shore, West Vancouver School Board, by coincidence or otherwise, rushed through pay hikes as high as 16.79% for senior school administrators in the $52,000-S60,000 bracket a bare five hours before the premier went on the air. North Vancouver school trustees are railing against the restraints, promising not to take them “lying down”.

Potentially, it all adds up to a solid election issue for Mr. Bennett if head-on confrontations drive him to the polls on the question of who runs the province — the unions and job-secure public servants or the elected government? Since all the money involved comes from the taxpayers, an in- creasing number of them fearful for their own jobs, he might well win a decisive mandate for restraint.

Whatever its imperfections, his 10-12% curbs program can hardly be called harsh. It represents the leadership for which governments are chosen. If powerful interest groups defy it without a fair trial, a more disturbing question emerges.

Are economic woes ungovernable?

Sleep well, Tom

ICBC boss Tom Holmes, whose monopoly has just taken B.C. drivers for a $500,000 ride by accidentally double-charging them for 1981 premiums, says ICBC is a most efficient insurance organization. In fact, he claims, the only thing it isn’t doing well is telling people how well it’s doing.

Forgive us if we're somehow reminded of Shakespeare’s immortal line: “Perchance to dream...”

making us

sunday a news

narth shore.

news

1139 Lonsdale Ave North Vancouver 8 C VrTmM 2H4

(604) 985-2131

ADVE RISING

NEWS 980-0511

965-2131

Ct ASSIF IE O 886-6222 CIRCULATION 986-1337 Publisher Peter Speck

Associate Publisher Editor-in-Chiet Advertising Director

Robert Graham Noet Wight Enc Cardwell Managing Editor News Editor Andy Fraser Chins Lioyd Geners! Manage Creetive Administration Dtrector Bern Hilhard Tam Frances Production Director Photography Rock Stonehouse t Rsworth Ckch son Accounting Supervisor Circulation Director Purchaser Barbara Koon Bian A Et hes faye McC rae North Shore Nows foumchod 6) 10W an in ecberppenierit cme ait, Newspaper and quate” vce: Octreodhd@e HD Pat Ml Res agragth mt the tonne fae Act on pautatinieed each Woke iiay and Samay try Newtt Shoe bee Press tte amd cantina derd to avery oe ce thre Nett Shore De ond (lash Mart Regymtraton Nurnitie §605 Subcriptione $20 pe: yea: tnthe contents 1081 North Shove Free Prese (td All rights -eserved Ne Cv rag e vee real ete oe ary rte) the vat i Rese! seneators itl We Bees Doe ag, Tee a ipet ame pate De owt Fe abe mie) Cre ae a erga) Try nm atari evel Pee ne en VE IEC Ra OR A THON: 8.2 348 Wednesday 52 546 Sundesy

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THIS PAPER IS RECYCLABLE

Leave self serves alone!

By WALTER BLOCK

(Dr. Block is Senior Econ- omist of the Vancouver based Fraser Institute.)

Once upon a time, long ago, when gasoline cost 30¢ per galion, there were no self service gas stations. Every gas station employed atten- dants who would pump the gas, change the oil, check the air pressure, wipe the car windows, etc. — and skilled

mechanics who would undertake more sertous automobile repairs.

But then, a decade or two ago, began the introduction of the self serve gas station. Retailers would supply air hoses, paper towels, and running water but the customer was expected to pump his or her own gas and take care of any additional minor maintenance = re- quired. Often, the only employee on the premises was a cashier.

The customers were hap- py with this arrangement as shown by their increasing patronage of this type of establishment. True, the motorist could not rely on the self serve for repairs. But the wage costs saved by the station owner were passed on to him in the form of cheaper gas and he could always patronize a full ser- vice station when mechanical work or other services were desired.

In effect, the earlier widespread use of full ser- vice stations was shown to be a waste of labour resources, at least m terms of changing demand. In many cases, the travelling public saw the reduction in gasoline prices

FORTY-YEAR BACK came February 13 for Major “Mike” Warnngton, clad in helmet and combat

FLASH.

uoiform, as he treated “wounded paticnts” in a ficld hospital tent at Vancouver's Bessborough Armoury His military carcer began in 1942 as a (trooper with an ar- moured corps in his native England

Betier known to has North

Shore paticnits and 1GH colleagues as Dr A.M. Warringtos, Major “Mikc™ i © QO of the 12th (Van

couver) Medical Company Canadian Armed Forces Reserves Two weeks ago he was dirceting bis (Company in the annual Ryerson Shilling ton cifheremcy Competition for Canadian Army Mihatia Mcedac al Uaats

Alter being Commissioned

from Sandhurst Britain s crock military college he became oon oof Monty s Desert Rats served during

the anvastion of Normandy

ond was wounded in the push for Arnhem when has tank was hooked oul by an cncmy bazooka (Graduating tn mecdhcinc alter the wart he tater came te

practised in

Canada Sashatchewan and

Vie Canta amd

North

finally opened tas Van

practice in O70

“See if that’s any better.”

as more valuable than the extra services provided. The imstitution of the self serve gas station freed valuable manpower for work deemed more valuable by society. Into this happy idyll step- ped Vancouver Mayor Mike Harcourt last month. B.C. County Court Judge A.A. Macdonell had struck down a 1975 bylaw limiting the number of self serve gas sta- tions in Vancouver to 65 and Mayor Harcourt is determin- ed to pursue alternative means of reducing. the number. 7 Why this sudden attack on consumer sovereignty? Was the mayor purposefully try- ing to reduce the level of social welfare mn Vancouver’

Not a bit of it. According to Harcourt, the real pur- pose was not to restnict self serves but to protect the disappearing full service sta- tions in order to benefit the motorist who is not mechanically inclined and to help disabled automobile drivers.

This is however.

If the real aim of the mayor is to promote full ser- vice stations, he could have advocated subsidizing them, not penalizing their competi- tion. (Of course, a business subsidy would hardly be politically palatable in cash- strapped Vancouver.)

On a more basic level, the mayor fails to realize that the

disingenious,

sunday brunch

by Noel Wright

But the call of the mibtary remained strong He joined the BC Regiment as a unit surgeon with the rank of mayor in 1974 and took up his present command tast summer Old soldicrs. Uncy say. never dic Mayor “Mike” hasn't” the shghtest tatention oof fading either

away

French instrachon nowa days oormally conjures up prutures of perky grade oncs baffling mom and dad when they return home paricz ing vous from thea immernon classes But its going on just as cnothusiastically

among West Van semorm to whom Yotande Lepine has been

teaching Preach sine 19 6

The Semors Activity Centre now hana booming fee classy program

with fovue in

sOrue lors

Ihe Csutemens Book of Kecormls hinows oo bounds On March 1) Pat Riccardsls Lowes Lonsdale pioball saloon

Right On Sub

marine has arranged with

the famous Brush pubt catton to hold a world ca Surance tithe ¢ OM pctithearn bos pinball player starting at Aon AU tachket

prowcecads

and sponsor fees to Variety Club « harities

Hurry. loo ote get your tickets (SIS a head) for West Van's second annual civic

Ball on that samc Saturday. March 1} - they're selling out fast for this social high light oof | the Tiddlycove season Tuxedos, etc

welcome af youre in the mood Call Diane Bebbing-.

ton at Municipal Hall, 922 p20)

FOLKLORE: West td Peck, former Relathons Board

Vans Labor vice chair man appointed last week as Premicr BO Bennett's : oll back hit man under the new

publse sector pay curb guime lines

may not have far to walk to his fest pob like the West Van School Dusteet

offtecs just four blocks from

his home (see story page Al)

boemer British Properties mover and shaker Will Ray, who moved to Maple Ridge last summer after a 24 year sint as Jimmy Patthon'’s PR mentor which «ulminated in o heart attack

is COyoying his new life

hugely ons tas estate Hie = waa elected a Maple Ridge alder man last

couatry

November at first Wills

is ope] hing

try Meanwhile

better half Jame

present allocation of resources between full ang self service gas stations is itself a product of free | choice. If there really were - not enough access to full ser vice stations, ci — the mechanically aie , (most of us), then long |” queues would develop, in... creasing the profits of such - establishments. If self serve’. stations were really not | needed to the extent now. > available in Vancouver, peg- °”- ple would stay away in droves, reducing the profits of these firms. Under such - stipulated conditions, it is — easy to see that the increas- ing role of self serve Stations would be arrested and in- vestment would turn more toward full service establishments. So, even if true, there would be no need for any municipal bylaws. and of course, nothing of the _ sort is happening, despite _ the agonized wailing and gnashing of teeth at City Council.

Nor may it be any accident that among the most vociferous advocates of limiting the self serves are representatives of conven- tional station operators. David Bruce, immediate past president of the 6,000- member National Automotive Trades Associa- tion of Canada, complains of a “drastic” increase in the proportion of self serves to conventional stations.

If politicians really have the interests of the long- suffering B.C. motorist in mind, they will adopt a laissez-faire policy in this matter.

a shmming. shop. Jane's Figure Salon, next month at 130 West 14th, North Van, just opposite City Hall ... Incidentally, Wilfs Milk stream mansion was bought by Canuck “Tiger” Williams who can train his binoculars on Richmond and says “I'm now on top ali the ume” ... One-time City alderman Marc Howard, together with Anne Holstein, heads North Van's upcoming Cancer Fund dnve Sphce the mainbrace for Les Heatherington and Graham Fisher, 1982 commodore and vice commodore respectively of Deep Cove Yacht Club North Van's Shirley Kepper and West Van's Anme Sturrock will represent Vancouver March 1719 at an international Jumor League seminar on marketing strategies for 200- organizations at the Four Seasons They I join 78

profit

other delegates from the western us Hawaii, Meano Calgary and kd- monton Happy tirthday

today to Jeanette Morris Greetings also today) lo jim

and Jean Young on their hitching anniversary And dont mass the Red Cross

blood donor clintc tomorrow (March Liat Cap College iD the Stodeat | ounge loam

to4pm

WRIGHT OR WRONG: If you ask cnough people, alwoys find some body who ll advise you fo do

you can

what you were going to do

anyway