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The Goderich Signal-Star, 1978-06-15, Page 4PAGE 4—GODERICH SIGNAL -STAR, THURSDAY, JUNE 15, 1978 sykes Mop that matted brow and pull those wrinkled hands from the depths of the dishwater, Canadian housewife, your lot has been duly recognized. The Canadian federal advisory council on the status of women to the economy stated this 'week that a housewife's work in the home is worth at least $26 billion a year to the Canadian economy. Translated into individual figures, the advisory council admits that each housewife in the country is worth at least $6,000. And nary a penny of that amount has crossed your palm you say. The council released a 90 -page report called Five Million Women and it states that the five million housewives produce services equal to 27 per cent of the gross national product of our country. If the government accepts the report, our nation's homemakers may take the responsibility to draw the battle lines, mop in hand, and demand THE „ suitable monetary compensation for their untiring efforts. What if Canada's homemakers decided to toss in the dish rag and unplug the vacuum cleaner, in demand that their jobs be recognized as gainful employment with full benefits? It surely would be difficult to place a monetary value on cooking, cleaning, washing, ironing and the unlimited maternal services performed by the life partner with unhounding love and usual good cheer. The council said 'the average housewife is worth $6,000 a year but if the government was to pay housewives a nominal annual salary, certainly it would be difficult to arrive at a suitable remuneration for the duties performed. Should our Canadian housewives be given nominal sums of say, $9 for the preparation of each meal, $5 for cleaning, $10 for washing, $7.50 for ironing or $10 for shopping with the balance to be paid for other maternal chores. Maybe so. But if a pay scale is established then it would be subject to certain standard deductions. If the life partner habitually serves breakfast in a tattered housecoat that her overweight sister handed down, her head topped with mounds of curlers. arid her mouth agape in a yawn - deduct 50 cents. If the meatloaf bounced off your plate, the Hollandaise. sauce glued the asparagus togetheror it was difficult to differentiate the .vegetables from the potatoes or you were unable to penetrate the dessert with a fork - deduct 25 cents. If the better half decided to trim the family budget by not sending your suit to the cleaners and washed the three- piece, off-white double-knit with your coloured underwear - deduct $1. If you find duriv a hot gruelling day • 1 t at the office, after removing your sport jacket in fatigue, that the wife only ironed the collar and front of your perma press shirt - deduct 75 cents. If you discover, despite unyielding pleas to the contrary, that your shorts are being starched - deduct 50 cents. If the better half explains that the old shirt you loved to wear on lazy Saturdays made a simply marvellous dust cloth - deduct 69 cents. Iff the little homemaker accidentally left the hot iron sitting on the crotch of your best sport slacks while she discussed current coiffures on the phone with a friend - deduct $1.39 If the average housewife, during a cleaning session, vacuumed the top of your dresser, scooping up cuff links, loose change and other important bits of memorabilia and business in- formation - deduct 56 cents. Hopefully, there wouldn't be a deficit at the end of the week. WEEK AFTER INFORMATION, BACKGROUND AND OPINION The Ontario Government's plan for property tax reform and market value assessment of property has been shelved indefinitely. Ontario Treasurer, Darcy McKeough, who had promised a fairer method of taxation when he was Municipal Affairs Minister in 1969, dumped the long promised province - wide taxation 'scheme in the Legislature last Thursday. In a ,brief statement before the Legislature, McKeough said the province would not introduce the plan this year to go into effect next year. And he didn't talk about a new deadline for the plan, but said he will study the { b PROVINCIAL POINTS problems of municipalities which, are especially hurt financially by a series of shortfalls in the present taxation system. The move came after nine years of promises, studies, public meetings and political pressure that probably cost the government millions of dollars. In fact it cost the government $500,000 for a royal commission study by former East York mayor Willis Blair, who issued his report last year. Although McKeough never did refer to it, NDP leader Michael Cassidy raised the question of Proposition 13, passed by California taxpayers last week in a 'citizen revolt that cut their • New Democratic Party leader Ed Broadbent said that Canada should follow steps taken by the United States, which has successfully embarked on the biggest job -creation program since the depression. The number of unemployed in the U.S. has dropped by one million or nearly two percent in the last 18 months. Broadbent pointed out that at the same time unemployment in our own country was going in the opposite ,direction and had exceeded the one million mark. The NDP leader was on a two-day visit to Washington and spent an hour • property, taxes from 21/2 to 1 percent of the assessed market value. McKeough's decision to abandon the scheme meant both good and bad news for residents of Toronto. Single family residence owners would have paid an average of $16 more in property taxesif the change had been in effect but owners of multiple dwellings would have paid $184 less per unit. `In other parts of Ontario the average single-family residence would have paid $1Q6 less last year and apartment taxes would have dropped by $86'a unit. Areas that are already on market value assessment will remain so. They include Peel and York regions, Bruce and Grey Counties, the district of Muskoka, Manitoulin and Parry Sound and other small townships. The move to market assessment was scrapped partly to accommodate McKeough's commitment to balance the Ontario budget by 1981. He said if the change were made next year the government would have to come up with $400 million more in payments to municipalities instead of property taxes on provincially owned property and in other tax credits demanded by local governments. McKeou_h said his government woule to pay-putsuch sub- stanunts to municipalities unless there was a more solid com- mitment to reform. He also said there were two other problems preceeding the implementation of market value assessment. He pointed out that 15 municipal politicians who analyzed tax reform proposals came up with 10 dissenting opinions to accompany their report. Some local councils are st,•ongly in favor of the move and others are op- posed. McKeough said that local politicians have not yet realized the need for moving on tax reform. He added that tax reform may be something they wish for but is not worthwhile if the cost decreased grants. As for the taxpayers ' McKeough believes they are more concerned with the cost of reform to them than they are about removing inequities from the system. The other reason for not proceeding is that much more work is needed to come 'up with a fair system. The committee of local politicians said in their April report that reform should be phased in over 10 years. McKeough said that was too long but a new system won't likely be in, troduced until the budget balances. CANADA IN SEVEN discussing, the American strategy against unemployment with Ray Marshall, US secretary of labor. The unemployment rate in the US last month was 6.1 per cent compared with 7.1 per cent a year ago. Official statistics indicate the total number of people at work in the U.S. has grown by . 3.6 million, including nearly a million in government job - creation programs over the past year. Broadbent believed that credit for the success- is due to Jimmy Carter's job creation programs into which the government pumped $5 billion last year, $11 billion this year and will put • { Olt The taxpayers of California voted unanimously in favor of Proposition 13, a bill which reduced, property tax funds for cities, counties and schools from $12 billion to $5 billion and im- mediately prompted a freeze on all state jobs. Almost immediately some California cities began handing layoff notices to their employees while others expected to keep all of their employees on the payroll despite the massive tax cuts. The taxpayers voted nearly 2 to 1 last Tuesday in favor of a measure to cut the $7 billion from property taxes in the state. But the tax cuts can also work an estimated $11.5 billion next year. Carter's program included giving tax rebates and credits to individuals and industry to increase the amount of money in the economy. He also in- troduced job training schemes to get unemployable people off the welfare lists. Broadbent said that the American effort compares with $500 million being spent in the same area by the Canadian Government and added there was just no comparison between the attitudes of 'the two governments. He said that spending in the United States ismuch greater than in Canada adding it was no surprise that unemployment went down in the United States and went up in Canada. Broadbent lauded the American scheme and said it was better to pay people to do something rather than pay unemployment benefits, welfare benefits and food stamps. For every dollar the U.S. govern- ment has spent creating jobs, it has saved 40 cents by not having to pay out welfare assistance and related unemployment benefits, Marshall told Broadbent. The NDP leader claimed that direct job creation programs had spin -off WORLDWEEK against Californians since the tax is deductible from income-tax and a home -owner whose property tax on a $55,000 home is cut from about $1,500 to as little as $500 will pay taxes on $1,000 more to the United States govern ment. In most cases a city's revenue from property taxes amounts to 30 or 40 per cent of the total budget while the remainder of the operating capital comes from licence fees and state and federal grants. In several California cities property taxes had been rising by as much as•20 per cent a year and small homeowners found the increase unbearable. Now the cities are faced with the same problem. In Santa Barbara the city has given notices to 100 of its 720 em- ployees, effective July 1, but some 'of the employees may be called back to work when the budget is finalized July 1. Proposition 13 will limit property taxes to 1 per cent of taxable value while most areas have been collecting about 2-21/2 per cent. It will now be up to the State Legislature to decide how. the 1 per cent will be divided up among the various cities and agencies. The average property tax in the city of Santa Barbara, population 75,000, is between $1,200 and $1,500. The city manager of the state capital city of Sacramento said he has drawn up a plan that would call for the laying off of about 700 full and part time workers from the city's work force of 3,500. Notices have . already been handed out and the city expects a five per cent cut in police and fire services plus cutbacks in' parks and library services. After voting Tuesday, California governor Edmund Brown proposed an immediate freeze on all jobs in the state. The Democratic Governor said effects on the economy, was less of a drain on the economy and the program has in fact stimulated the American economy. Broadbent explained that spending money on unemployment insurance and welfare and lost production is inflationary. The U.S. labor Minister received an increase in his budget because he showed that it makes sense to provide opportunities for people to work rather than paying them with handouts. The NDP leader claimed the Canadian government could im- plement the same program in Canada but they have totally lacked initiative. he will now propose cutbacks to the state Legislature but said his proposals will involve no new taxes to replace the $7 billion property tax cut. In California in the last 10 years the prices of homes has doubled and tripled and with the continuous rise in property taxes coupled with mortgage payments many residents were forced to abandon their homes. - The fight for Proposition 13 was led by 75 -year old millionaire, Howard Jarvis. He told cheering supporters that their task was to spread this message through every state in the union and to the Government. He said -. The NDP has repeatedly called 'for increased public spending in a number of areas including, urban transit, energy resources and improved grain handling facilities. Before returning to Ottawa on the trip, Broadbent was to meet with Tulius Katz, assistant secretary of state for economic and business affairs, to discuss the auto pact. Broadbent has complained bitterly about the workings of the pact and has argued that a massive imbalance in trade in automotive parts has cost Canada a net loss of 20,000 jobs. their victory was a taxpayers victory. Jarvis added that the move was a new revolution against the arrogant politician and bureaucrat whose philosophy of spend, spend, spend is bankrupting the American people. Jarvis and his co-sponsor, a retired real estate agent, collected 1.2 million signatures to puttheir proposal on the ballot form. The huge California vote gave im- petus to several other votes being considered in other states. Jarvis is expected to send his supporters to other states to tell politicians they want tax cuts. The public meeting held in Clinton Tuesday night to discuss the issue of dirty books being used in county class rooms was a spectacle that should have been witnessed by more people. For nearly three hours people with a wide variety of backgrounds, ethnic origins, livelihoods, religious beliefs, moral standards and different ages filed up to a microphone in the centre of the gymnasium at Central Huron Secon- dary School and spoke their mind. In a society where people seldom choose to get involved in any issue, no matter how important, the scene was refreshing. The democratic process was in action. Freedom of speech, thought and religion was evidenced by the wide variety of opinions offered. But freedom to listen was ignored. The people that gathered up the courage to stand in front of a group of 500 emotionally high people and state their opinion were virtually ignored by many of the listeners. What's the point of having a public forum if you go with the intention of ramming your views down another person's throat while ignoring his attempt to do the same. Several times during the course of the debate people arose and pleaded with the gathering to listen to other views and weigh their worth. Many people said they had a profound respect for someone who felt strong enough about their opinion to get up and say so but felt that the respect was poorly placed when the opinion fell on deaf ears. The meeting went full circle emotionally, At the outset of the pub is portion it became obvious that many of the people there were merely waiting patiently for their chance to speak. They appeared to be attentive for the first few seconds of each new speaker's address and then when they felt they had heard enough to know what the. person was going to say they began shaking their heads, frowning, smiling or talking amongst themselves. After the meeting comments made in the foyer of the school suggested that many people agreed the meeting was worthwhile but few had heard anything to change the opinion they had when they went in. One man, a teacher, said he was glad to see so many people taking an active role in the education system• but felt that many of the problems affecting students in schools were being ignored. He said that many -of the things in the novels that people objected to were happening in the schools but few parents seemed to suspect that or believe it was true. Another man shrugged and said he felt the meeting was interesting but nothing was resolved. He said the exercise produced nothing from which anybody or organization could base a decision. A worrtan still brimming with anger said she felt this was just the tip of the iceberg. She said the books were ob- scene and that she intended to see them taken off the lists. A man standing near her said he felt many of the critics of the books were hypocritical. He said students could be taught moral values and religious beliefs all day but if they come home after school and see parents drinking beer and swearing about the day they had or the quality of supper the training goes out the window. • One young father perhaps summed up the meeting best td my way of thinking when he said he felt he would have failed his children if he sent them to high school with no understanding of human emotion, the facts of life or what is morally acceptable. He said he was trying hard to teach his children what he believed to be right and hoped that his efforts would result in his children adopting those beliefs and standing by them despite what society confronted them with. "I would hope they would hold their parents up as an example rather than a ch'arac'ter from some novel they were reading," he said. jeseddon