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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes-Advocate, 1981-06-03, Page 4Pege8 Times -Advocate, June 3, 1981 times Establrsh•d 1873 Advocate Established 1881 cfjdvocate SERVING CANADA'S BEST FARMLAND C W N A O W.N.A. CLASS 'A' AND ABC MEMBER ONTARIO PRESS COUNCIL Published by I.W. Eedy Publications Limited LORNE EEDY, PUBLISHER Editor — Bill Batten Assistant Editor — Ross Haugh Advertising Manager — Jim Beckett Composition Manager — Harry DeVries Business Manager — Dick Jongkind Phone 235-1331 eNA Amalgamated 1974 Published Each Wednesday Morning at Exeter, Ontario Second Class Mail Registration Number 0386 SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Canada S17.00 Per Year; USA $35.00 Why stipulation? According to a recent letter from the manager of the field services branch of the ministry of in- tergovernmental affairs, members of the Exeter Public Utilities Commission have no valid grounds on which to base their recent decision on the request by council for certain information. The letter from C. A. Godkin pointed out that under Section 47(2) of the Public Utilities Act, council may request information as they deem necessary from the commission at any time. Of course, he wasn't explicit in say- ing that the commission had to supply the information, although that would be the natural conclusion tc bereached from -- his letter. Mainstream Canada It's a topsy turvy-world By W. Roger Worth ' Somehow, the world of commerce seems topsy-turvy these days as interest rales continue their upward spiral. Consider what's happen- ing: • While the country's char- tered banks spend millions of dollars advertising "low-cost" loans for consumers to buy cars, boats or European vaca- tions, charging 181/4 - 200/o in- terest rates, productive small and medium-sized companies employing a third of the na- tion's work force are paying even higher rates for operating capital. It is not, however, a natural conclu- sion that council must divulge their in- terest or intent in seeking the informa- tion. That is never a stipulation placed on anyone seeking information that is in the public domain. Regardless of what motions they may have on their books, members of the commisssion should move swiftly to ascertain their responsibilities to council and the public in the matter of information. Members of council were quick to accept the expert opinion of Mr. Godkin as it pertained to the responsibility for setting the budget and water rates and the failure of the commission to do likewise on the matter of information is inexplicable. Need protection Several months ago, Exeter council embarked on a plan to object to one of many price increases being requested by Union Gas. Being comparatively realistic people. council members didn't expect to enjoy much success, and therefore probably weren't par- ticularly upset when their lack of success became a reality. However, it is a matter that should be of concern for everyone these days, particularly now that the federal government has announced plans to offer rebates of up to $800 in their off - oil program. People in this country just can't get off oil by ripping out their heating systems. Mother nature has required that getting off oil must be accom- panied by a subsequent move of getting on something else. One of those things many people will have to get on is natural gas. Adver- tisements indicate that Canada has enough gas to keep us warm into the "Men are terrible drivers — that's the fifth one I've run into this week!" 21st Century and that is as long as many will have to worry. The federal government program is designed to make the nation less depen- dent upon the whims of the OPEC moguls who periodically boost the price of their oil to more liberally feather their nests. However, there is evidence that the off -oil rebates may also help feather the nests of those who control the supp- ly of natural gas in this country. The only real benefit to the beleagured home owner is the realization that the money is staying in Canada. Exeter council members became dis- mayed over the frequent rate increases being requested by the gas firm and equally dismayed over the fact they were almost routinely granted even though there is an apparent abundance. Hopefully, the federal government agency in control of gas prices will be more vigilant and less generous in light of the government's program to en- courage people to get on gas. Taking advantage The change in the Provincial Government tax on gasoline from 4.64 a litre to 20°/r of the net selling price of gasoline is a 'hidden' tax of the worst sort. that will cost Ontario motorists hundreds of millions of dollars in extra taxes as the price of gasoline continues to increase dramatically. In fact, it could represent billions of dollars over the next decade. On the face of it. there appears to be little difference in 'the switch from a fixed price per litre to a percentage tax, but as illustrated in the recent Tax Study submitted to the Provincial Government by the Ontario Motor League, the Federal Government's move to a 97, ad valorem Federal Sales Tax from a fixed 54 a gallon tax resulted in a shocking and un- unconscionable62% increaseintaxespaid by motorists in one year. The new tax also contradicts statements made by government spokesmen including Premier Davis and the Provincial Treasurer, the Hon. Frank Miller, before the recent elec- tion, in which they indicated concern for the "rapid and excessive increases proposed by the Federal Government in the price of oil". Now Ontario is adding to those "rapid and excessive in- creases" at the expense of motorists and inflation. Clearly the government is taking advantage of using gasoline prices to escalate its revenue at an ever in- creasingratewithout appearing to be in- flationary in its fiscal policy. This method of taxation is totally unaccep- table and is akin to 'taxation without representation'. From: Mr. Craig Ainslie, Executive Vice -President & General Manager C.A.A. - Windsor Stand up and be counted Today is the day when everyone in Canada is supposed to stand up and be counted. It's census day! The people who are organizing the mammoth list of statistics point out that it is very important to have such information on hand. It provides various levels of govern- ment with a source on which to base their predictions of what the population will need most in the days ahead. Private business also uses the facts and figures to project the requirements of the market place. For instance, back in 1952 and con- tinuing through 1965, it was found that between 400,000 and 500,000 children were born in Canada each year com- pared to an annual average of only 275,- 000 for all other years of the century. Armed with that information, the baby food manufacturers, record com- panies and frisbee manufacturers stepped up their production and made a fortune out of the baby boom. They were described as the Big Generation, those seven million Canadians born between 1951 and 1966 and they are moving with the calendar through the political, social and economic systems of the country. As the Big Generation ages, it will threaten the survival of pension funds and place incredible strains on medical and hospital services. Today, according to the 1976 census, there are 100 workers for every 15 pen- sioners. If the retirement age stays at 65 years by the. year 2026, one hundred workers will have to support 30 pen- sioners. The Big Generation is also making itself felt in the economy. Members of the baby boom, one-third of Canada's total population, account for 20 percent of the money spent by Canadian con- sumers. By the first decade of the next century, boomies will account for between 40 and 50 percent of all con- sumer spending. The boomies will also become a political force with which to be reckon- ed as more of its members reach voting age. In 1971 none of the Big Generation could vote in the general election, but by 1983 they will make up 40 percent of the electorate. Today's census will probably confirm that among other things, the Big Generation isn't too smart. It's members aren't having children. The 1981 census is expected to confirm the trend towards a lower fertility rate, with fewer than two children per fami- ly now being the norm. It is predicted that the fertility rate will continue to decline to a rate of one child per family by the mid 1990s. If thathappened,the country's population will still be below 25 million by the year 2000. The ramifications for the big Genera- tion are gloomy. The fact is, they won't have enough people in the working force to pay for their pensions and medical care. That could be a bitter pill to swallow...which is a bit of a pun on what will be the contributing factor to their predicament. Speaking of pensions, one illiterate gentleman in Italy, collected his by signing his cheque with his thumb print. When he died, the surviving members of his family amputated his thumb and used it for six months to cash his pension cheques. Many people have special projects and ideas on how they are going to spend their first Old Age Security che- que. One of the most novel was the chap in B.C. who, on receipt of his first cheque, immediately enrolled in a course on hang-gliding. Just goes to show you're never too old to learn.' One of the things the census won't show is the increased crime rate con- fronting society today. Predictions are that as the economy continues to falter, more people will choose this method of making ends meet. There are, of course, several pitfalls for the would-be criminal. To point out that crime does not pay for everyone, the column concludes with these ex- amples of poor planning and lack of nerve. * A would-be bank robber in New York had his career cut short when he handed a teller a note in which he asked, for "all your tens, twenties and thir- ties". The teller started laughing, whereupon the robber cursed and ran away. • A small-time mobster in Miami decided to blow up the business premises of a rival. He drove Slowly past the building and tossed a homemade bomb. Unfortunately, the device bounced off an awning and land- ed back in the thrower's convertible, where it exploded. • In Denver a visibly nervous beginner entered a bank, hung around for a while, then slipped a note across the counter asking for money. The teller stalled for a few minutes and the thief lost his nerve and ran away. The police caught him without any trouble, however. He had written his note on the back of one of his personal cheques, with his name and address printed on the front. • Detroit police recently heard a cry for help coming from a parking lot at 2:00 a.m. They found a man kneeling beside a car with his hand firmly jammed between the tire and the fender. He had been trying to steal a rear tire when the jack slipped and trapped him. Suiar and Splce Debased by Smiley )?oger Worth is Director, Public Affairs, Canadian Federation of Independent Business. It appears to be easier to finance a new camper trailer, than it is to negotiate a loan for a piece of productive equipment. •While millions of Cana- dians are getting a "free ride" on charge cards that are paid off within 30 days of the bil- ling date, a lot of farmers are having trouble raising the cash to plant crops, even if they're prepared to pay through the nose for the money. And the country continues to Import 20°/o - 25°lo of lis food. • The Governor of the Bank of Canada and the Finance Minister ensure Cana- dians that the tight money and high interest rates we've lived with for the last 12 months or more are the only real cure for inflation. Meanwhile, the cost of living index has actually risen during the year-long period to the 12010 - 131/4 range. The war against infla- tion continues. • While Ottawa argues with ,the producing provinces over energy pricing policies, Cana- dians are investing their money south of the border, helping to weaken the Cana- dian dollar. In addition, two multi- billion dollar tar sands pro- jects that could result in massive new employment op- portunities throughout the country are held up for the same reason. Meanwhile, more than 900,000 Canadians are out of work. As we said, the whole thing seems topsy-turvy, but it's what a lot of Canadians have come to expect of their leaders. DOtIAR 1EAfE Keep the gas guzzler, or borrow for a new car? By John G. The old clunker needs a brake job and the body is showing a lot of rust. But by golly, it's financially yours. And besides, a new car costs an arm and a leg. How do you decide whether to have the repairs done or opt for the major expense of a new car? Following are some use- ful guidelines in making this major decision: If you're borrowing for a car (and most people do), you are dealing with lend- ing rates of close to 20 per cent and cars worth *8,000 or more, plus 7 per cent Ontario sales tax. That means the carrying cost of a new car is at least *100 a month. So as a general rule, you're advised to keep the old car going -- providing Dollar Sense offers general financial advice by members of The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario. Both amusing and confusing mR By SYD FLETCHER This year is the United Nations Year of Disabled Persons. I think that most people do not realize the number of Canadians that are in some way or another partially disabled. The ratio in Canada is about 1 in 10. That means that out of a population of about 23 million, that there are over 2,000,000 people around us that require some special Perspectives attention, be it ramps on the edge of sidewalks so that wheel chairs can go up them easily, or special schools for mentally handicapped children. Gone are the days, I hope, when people with some handicap were shut up in a dark room and kept totally away from society. Gone are the days when people who were not normal were shut up in prisons or 'asylums.' Or are those days gone? I would have to say that our prisons are just a little more organized in nature, more sophisticated in style. No, we no longer shut people up but we d0 things that are perhaps even more heartless. Handicapped people are still refused jobs for which they are capable. Access to public transportation is still largely denied to them by an uncaring public. Even though employers of handicapped people report excellent production, safety, and attendance records there is still a prejudice against them that is very subtle but still there. It shows itself in things like name-calling, in thoughtless jokes, and other ways of putting them down. Let's work on this problem in this year and in all future years. Let's make the handicapped first-class, not second or third class citizens. Life is often confusing, occasionally amusing. If you can't cope with the con- fusion and enjoy the amusement, you're in bad shape. A couple of weeks ago, when we had to change the clocks, 1 managed to con- fuse and amuse myself at the same time. On the Sunday night, I dutifully mov- ed the clocks ahead an hour, following that old aphorism about changing from Daylight to Standard and vice versa. I'll give it to my faithful readers, es- pecially those who turn the hands in the wrong direction and arrive at church an hour early or at work an hour late. It is: "Spring forward; fall back". And that has saved me many a muddle since the dayswhen I used to do what I've described above. Well, that's what 1 did. At least 1 thought I did. On the Sunday night, i set my alarm clock an hour ahead, and was on time for work, with my usual four seconds to spare.. But the next night, Monday, got con- fusing. I fell asleep after dinner, as us seniles so often do. I woke up. My wife had gone to bed, probably in disgust. 1 checked the clocks in the house. First call was my alarm clock.Ithad stopped at twelve noon, and it was pitch dark outside, so I knew that was wrong. I don't have a watch, so I couldn't check that. Then I checked the two electric clocks, one up, one downstairs. They were the same. A horrible suspicion lurked inmy mind. Had I really moved those two ahead on Sunday night? Had my'wife expected me to do it, and not done it herself, which she should have done? I could have wakened her and asked her. She also has a watch. Does one waken a sleeping crocodile, even if it has a watch, to ask the true time and have it say, "Hold out your wrist."? I decided to use that great gift of manking - reason. I switched on the TV set, and there was Knowlton Nash blat- ting away about something or other. Mr. Nash,as you may remember, delivers thCBC News every night at eleven. Except in Newfoundland. Bang on. Reason had once more prevailed over panic. I knew it was between 11 p.m. and 11:20, when they seem to run out of news. Easy in my mind, rather proud of my logic, I set all the clocks for 11:15 p.m., which seemed safe, and went to bed. When my alarm went off, it seemed rather dark out. "Oh, well, one of those gloomy days," I reckoned. Had my breakfast; read the paper. But something seemed strange and out of kilter. Checked my neighbours. No lights showing, and they're early' risers. Checked the street outside. No cars streaming by, no reluctant students plodding off to school. Began to have a horrible inkling, whatever an inkling is. A few cars began to appear. Finally a school bus, either very early or very late. Still no students stolidly marching up that hill to the Big School at the Top. When it was 8:30 b j my clocks, I decided to make a move. Put out the garbage. Not another garbage -putter - out in sight. Got out the car and drove to work. Nobody in sight. Either I was an hour late for work, or an hour early. I'm just terrified of losing my job, as you can imagine, so finally I arrived at the school. Three cars there, instead of 300. The night watchman let me in. It was five minutes to eight in the a.m. It was only then that I realized my in- kling had been bang on. I had put myself on double -Daylight time. All the clocks were two hours ahead of what they'd been last Sunday. It wasn't so bad. Now I know what freaks those people are who get up ear- ly and get to work half an hour ahead of time. My assistant department head walked in at 8:30 and fainted dead away when she saw me sitting there, perfect- ly groomed, chafing to get started, in- deed, already yawning a bit. By 4 p.m., the ass of my pants was it's safe -- if you can keep repairs to under *100 a month. New cars will be cheaper to run, even if you're using the more expensive un- leaded gasoline, and you'll spend less on maintenance because of less frequent tuneups (with electronic ignition), oil changes and lube jobs. But these considerations may not mean much if you need plenty of trunk space, Sayers, CA demand old-fashioned pow- er, require three bench seats in a station wagon for your six kids, or have a heavy trailer to tow. In that case, keeping your 8 - cylinder gas guzzler going as long as possible may be the way to go. You may have dropped the collision insurance on your five-year-old car because the high cost of major repairs would prob- ably not be justified. But you'll certainly want coll- ision coverage with a new car, and that could double the cost of your car in- surance. Whatever you do, don't opt for a new car, then decide to keep the old one as well when you find you can get only *200 for it as a trade-in. If you keep your old car you will have the worst of two worlds •- the ekpense of buying a new one, the repair costs for the old one and insurance for both. You'll be ahead of the game if you can afford to keep, your current wheels going for another year while you save money for a new car. It takes just *83.33 a month for you to save 11,000 toward a new car, whichmeans you'll be facing close to 1200 Tess in annual interest costs when you do buy that neL, car. John Sayers is with Dun- woody & Co., Chartered Accountants, Toronto. dragging on the ground, I could have used a cane, there was a special meeting I couldn't avoid, and they carried me out to an ambulance at 5:30. By the time I got home, my chest was heaving rhythmically, my eyes were tightly shut and I was sucking my thumb and searching around with the other hand for my security blanket. My wife was all out of kilter, because she, too, had been on super -Daylight Savings Time. She'd had lunch at 11 a.m., dinner at 5 p.m., wondering where I'd got to, and was ready for evening snack at 7 p.m. The only thing that really disturbed me was that someone, in the general confusion, realized it was Column Day. They had to give me amphetamines to wake me up, hoist me into a chair with a block and tackle to write this, prop my eyelids open with broken toothpicks, and then give me the Great News. "Tonight is the night we do the income tax, dear, because tomorrow is one day too late." I think I'll move the clocks one more hour ahead and do the income tax return tomorrow, commencing at 5 a.m. And I'm going to strangle Knowlton Nash for appearing on a 10 p.m. show. 1-20 "But how will It look if I go back 'to the office and tell them my own mother won't buy one?" V 1