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The Citizen, 1988-09-28, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 1988. Editorials Justice comes at last for Japanese-Canadians The first song George Okabata learned to sing when he was four years old was “God Save The King’’ but when Canada went to war with Japan in 1941, that didn’t stop him and his family from being taken from their home, interned in jerry-built camps and having all their worldly possessions seized and sold without compensation. Canada was at war with Japan but Japan was half a world away. An easier target was some of our own citizens who happened to have ancestors who came from Japan. They stood out, unlike people whose forefathers had come from the other enemies Germany and Italy. Given the suddenness of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour the panic of North Americans can perhaps be understood. The desire to strike out can be understandable, if not condonable. But these were not enemies: they were our own citizens. Many, including George Okabata, foughtfor their country when they were allowed to. They have given us many years of service to their country since then. It’s unforgiveable that it has taken Canadian governments40years to right the injustice we did to our neighbours. The government of Prime Minister Mulroney must be praised for last week finally righting 45 years of wrong by offering an apology and a settlement. Now all we can ask of Canadians of Japanese descent is their forgiveness. Whose side are they on? Somewhere along the line after the passing of the new National Transportation Act last year, the officials at the National Transportation agency seem to have come to the idea that their purpose is not to serve the public good but to help railways accomplish their goal of tearing up as much track across the country as they can. Part of this comes directly from the changes brought about by the act. Where once proving retaining a railway line was in the best interest of the public was enough to prevent the line from being closed, now the onus is on the businesses and communities along the line to prove the line may become profitable in the next three years. But the NTA bureaucrats seem to be taking this change in philosophy to heart. When Canadian Pacific Railway applied to abandon its Guelph to Goderich line, the only railway serving Blyth, Walton and Auburn, NTA officials felt it was necessary to give only 15 days notice requiring people to come up with proof the railway could become profitable. They sent out letters only to the County of Huron. These weren’t sent by courier or FAX transmission, just by ordinary mail. More than half the 15 days was up by the time the letter even arrived. Under the new act the period for presentations would have been 60 days. Although under the new Act, advertisements must be placed in newspapers serving communities along the line, no advertisements were placed this time because the CPR application was caught in the twilight zone between the old act and the new act. Asked if the cost of putting ads in papers wasn’t justified given the economic future of communities along the line might be damaged, Ray Baldwin, Head of Rail Rationalization, Costing and Annalysis at the NTA said Friday, the cost of such advertising for every line across the country being considered for abandonment would get to be too expensive. How about 34 cents then for press releases to all area newspapers to let the public know their railway was in danger? Such an approach would not be fruitful, he said, because the only people who can really affect the future of the railway are the companies using the line who would need to prove they could help make the line profitable in the next three years. In other words, the public doesn’t matter. The intent of the new National Transportation Act was no doubt to take rail abandonment out of the emotional realm and put it on purely economic terms. That is understandable given the thousands of branch lines across the country with little chance of turning a profit in the future. Each community served, however, feels the railway is important to its identity and its future. The public interest argument might mean every rail line continues to be maintained no matter how little traffic it carries. Perhaps public sentiment shouldn’t be a factor. Perhaps the CPR line will never be profitable, although with the burgeoning growth of the Kitchener-Waterloo-Guelph area pushing growthfurtherwest each year one wonders if this line might be needed five or 10 years from now. Still, in an age when open government is considered an important part of democracy, don’tpeop leatleastdeserve to be told their railwayisin danger? Isn’t it important that every citizen who might have a chance to turn around the future of the rail line have a chance to speak out? Even if it’s too much to ask the government to continue tosubsidize the rail line, wouldn’t the meagre costs of some press releases and extending the appeal period (to the morally-proper 60 days rather than the legalistic 15 days) be justified? The only way these small requests can't be considered reasonable is if the officials at the National Transportation Agency see their mandate as helping the railway close the line with as little fuss and bother as possible. If that’s the case, maybe we could save the government even more money by having CP Rail pick up their hefty salaries. Fishing Mabel’s Grill There are people who will tell you that the important decisions tn town are made down at the town hall. People in the know, however know that the real debates, the real wisdom reside down al Mabel's Grill where the greatest minds m the town [if not in the country] gatherfor morning coj'fee break, otherwise known as the Round Table Debating and Fili­ bustering Society. Since not just everyone can partake ol these deliberations we will report the ac nvities from time io time The Citizen MONDAY: There is nothing as inefficient as big government, Ward Black said this morning. He said he was trying to phone a government office for some infor­ mation and it took him five minutes to have his call transferred from one department to another and another before they finally got him to the person he wanted to talk to. Tim O’Grady said it wasn’t only government offices that work that way. He’s called many a big private business and got the same kind of runaround. Yeh, said Julia Flint, except that when you get the runaround from a big private business they say the company got that big because it’s so efficient. “It’s us little businesses that are supposed to be the inefficient ones,’’ she said. “Seems to me your company isn’t big enough to be efficient unless you can get lost in their telephone system waiting for your call to be forwarded to the right department.” TUESDAY: Hank Stokes said with it raining out, he figured he could take the day off to go to the plowing match at Stratford without feeling guilty. Billie Bean asked him if he was actually going to go and watch the plowing. Hank said he was but he was just about the only one who likely would. “Seems to me the Plowing Match has gone the way all of farming has,’’ Hank said. “The thing started all about plowing but now it’s all about selling things to farmers, just like farming started out as a way to grow food but now it’s a way for businesses to make money from farmers whocan’t make any money growing the food.’’ WEDNESDAY: Tim says the headline writers in the U.S. must be rubbing their hands in glee at the prospect of having George Bush as president with all the slips of the tongue he makes. It may put more funny lines on the front page Continued on page 22 The Citizen is published weekly ip Brussels. Ontario, by North Huron Publishing Companv Inc Subscriptions are pavable in advance at a rate of $17 (Xj yr (Sib (X) Foreign; Advertising is acceptedon the condition that in the event ot a typographical error onlv that portion ot the advertisement will be credited Advertising Deadlines Mondav. 2pm - Brussels. Mondav. 4 V* e are not responsibletor unsolicited new scripts or photographs are T Copvright p m - Bl'.th Content-, o: I he Citizen P.O. Box 429, BLYTH, Ont. NOM 1H0 Phone 523-4792 P.O. Box 152, BRUSSELS, Ont. NOG 1H0 Phone 8B7-9114 Serving Brussels. Blyth. Auburn. Belgrave, Ethel. Londesborough, Walton and surrounding townships Editor & Publisher. Keith Roulston Advertising Manager. DaveWilliams Production Manager, Jill Roulston Second Class Mail Registration No. 6968