The Wingham Advance-Times, 1984-09-12, Page 52Page 4--Crossroads-Sept._19, 1984
Hard truths
for labor, management
By Tony Carlson Labor leaders have dis-
This has been the summer missed the competition
of our discontent. argument, urging instead
From sea to shining sea, that management productiv-
•organized labor and man- ity come under close scru-
agement have been at tiny. There is some merit in
loggerheads - trawler oper- their concern.
ators in Newfoundland,
police in Nova Scotia, gar-
bage collectors, bus and sub-
way drivers in Ontario,
transit workers in British
Columbia. There are even
rumblings of yet another
postal strike. But our lack of compet-
side
brushfires pale be- itiveness will not go away. It
side the chaos in Britain's is reflected every day in our
mines, but they are all
symptomatic of a deeper
condition which is troubling,
to say the least.
We have jsut spent 20 belt -
tightening months nursing
the economy out of deep
recession and many ob-
servers say we're on the
verge of a relapse. Yet
unions still use or threaten to
resort to their ultimate
weapon, the strike, with un-
settling frequetncy.
To be sure, unions have
been accepting lower raises
- an average of 3.9 per cent
in the first three months of
this year compared 'to 12.8
, per cent in 1982. But for
thousands of owners of small
businesses, there have been
no extra dollars in the pay
packet recently. Indeed,`
many have made do with
less in order to keep the,
company afloat.
There is, in short, a grow-
ing concern that organized
labor's reluctance to bend is
pricing our goods out off the
market and thus costing us possible specialized market:
jobs. ing techniques, have broken
A York University study down• the old mass markets.
shows that labor . costs per • Consumers are demanding
unit of production' are more more individualized and dur-
than twice as high in Canada able goods.
as in Japan, and 30 per cent Successful small firms
higher than in the United - have seen that and gone af-
States. In fact, only Britain ter these target markets
has a higher labor cost than where they can compete by
Canada among• our major concentrating on quality, not
competitors --in man- quantity.
ufactured'goods. And . the strategy, unlike
We have, it would seem, too many unfortunate
lost our competitve edge, Canadians, is working..
One can also sympathize
with auto workers who seek
substantial raises after see-
ing record profits for the Big
Three and executives voting
themselves unconscionable
bonuses. �.
unemployment statistics.
'-`-Union members must
realize that with 1.3 million
unemployed, they're the
tacky ones," says Jim
Bennett, Vice -President of
Legislative Affairs for the
Canadian Federation of In-
dependent Business. "If we
don't address this issue, we
will o ly lose more jobs to
offshore firms."
Labor and management
together must recognize that
in a changing world, flex-
ibility is the key to staying
alive. CFIB studies show
that from 1975 to 19$2 in Can-
ada, small manufacturers,
that so-called dying sector,
were the largest single
source of new jobs.
The reasons are clear.
First, these companies real-.
ized they could not compete
in mass-produced,'Standard-
ized goods created offshore
by manufacturers with lower
labor costs. Second, new
technologies, which make
tl
1
t�/
are not wood, but are painted •
to resemble'wood.
Theproblem is that the
desk has a peculiar odor. It
smells almost like mildew. I
complained to the store and
they brought out another
desk which wasn't finished
as nicely. It had brads stick-
ing out and the color wasn't
the same. Sol sent it back
and kept the original one.
It has been months and
that odor is still there. Can
you figure out what causes
this? The store people can't.
1 live in the desert in a very
dry climate so it cannot be
dampness. I would ap-
preciate anything you can
tell me as it is a beautiful
piece of furniture. Pauline
M.
A. I can't tell you what
FRESH ONTARIO
causes the odor, but here is a -
suggestion on how to remove
offensive odors from fur-
niture. Material in my files
tells me that once an offen-
sive odor penetrates wood, it
is there to stay. Therefore,
you must try to mask the
odor with a more acceptable
fragrance. .
Place about 11/2 pounds of
red cedar shavings, which
should be available at a local
millwork company, into an
old nylon 'stocking. Remove
the bottom drawer from the
furniture and tack the nylon
bag to the back side of the
drawer. Replace the drawer.
Soon your furniture should
smell of cedar.
Q. Where should a septic
tank be located in relation to
water supply? - Arthur M.
A. A septic tank should be
at least 100 feet from the
source of water supply,
farther if possible. Also the
drainage field from the tank
should be on the down slope
below the water supply.
At present, just over. $1
billion per year is spent in
Canada on all aspects of
forest management^and ad-
ministration.
Here's
How
By Gene Gary
Q. Is there any difference
between glazing compound
andputty?
1 have to replace several
cracked window panes and
have always thought that
putty was the material used
to keep the panes in place,
but I read some instructions
recently that called for use of
glazing compound .,-6.11erry
H.R. .
A. The substances are very
similar, but glazing com-
pound usually costs a little
more° and is less inclined to
dry out than putty:
Also either glazing com-
pound or putty is used princi-
pally to keep out the
elements rather than to just
hold the panes in place, al-
though it does play a small
part in doing just that. What
holds the panes in place are
glazier's points, bits of metal
inserted into the frame and
pressed against the glass.
Incidentally, glazing com-
pound, not putty; should al-
ways be used on metal win-
dows. Glazing compound,
however, is suitable for
4 either wood or metal win-
dows.
Q. We have a wide con-
crete step at our side door.
• The step and the foundation
have an open space between
them. How should this open
joint be filled? - Carl K.O.
A. If the open space is
relatively small, say lh to 3/8
of an inch, use a light-colored
caulking compound to fill the
joint.
If the space is more than
t z -inch deep, fill it with sand,
then put in the caulking.
For a larger open space,
brush out loose particles,
moisten 'the side and patch
the- space with patching
cement, keeping the patch
moist for about a week to
allow slow curing.
Q. 1 purchased what was
supposed to be a new oak
finished roll-top desk from a
reputable furniture store a
few months ago. The sides
Freiarger's Fresh. Regular or Garlic
Pork Sausage
79 k3.95
Schneider's 454 gr.
Regular, Red Hot or All Beef
Wieners
1.48
Swift's 175 gr.
Mac & Cheese, Chicken, Dutch,
Luncheon, Bologna, Headcheese
Popular
Cooked Meats
.88
lb.
Fresh Picnic Style
Pork Roasts
.99
kg.
lb.
Fresh
Spare Ribs
L89g4j17
Fresh Boneless
Pork Butt Roasts
Z.18 T9
Schneider's 10 lb. box
Wieners
,ela28 .g2•82
lb.
FROM THE DELI
Swift's Old Mill Sliced
Ont. No. 1
4 litre basket
Blue
Grapes
2.99
Canada Dry 750 ml. btl.2
All Flavours,
Gingerale deposit
111
Dove 4 roll pkg.
Bathroom
Tissue
Astra Bedspring 73/4 oz. tin
Salmon ....
Libby's 14 oz. tin
Bean with Pork .
Libby's 19 oz, tin with Tomato Sauce
Spaghetti, Alphagetti or
Zoodles
Queen's Royale 48 oz. tin
Pure Apple
Juice
L59
... . .69
.89
QUAKER TRUCKLOAD SALE
2.25 kg. Regular or Malted 500 gr.
Quaker Oats Quaker buffets
1.49 1
39
•
3:95 kg.
swifts
Whole Bologna
lb.
.98
kg
Z.16
Ont. No. 1
4 litre basket
Bartlett
Pears
x.69
0./
Orlt. No. 1
Pepper
Squash
5/.99
Ont. No. 1 �-
liead Lettuce
■
kg. 2.11
Place. to Seedless Green or
Red Grapes
• • lb:-
„Old
b,-
.Old Dutch 3.6 litre jug
Liquid
Bleach
FROZEN FOOD
Welch's 12 oz. tin
Grape Juice
Seales 10 lb. box
Kernel Corn
DAIRY PRODUCTS
co CI Oa
.99
9.89
Millbank Biilk Cut
Mozzarella Cheese -
Millbank Bulk Cut
Farmers Cheese
Kraft 500 gr. pkg.
Cheese Slices .. .
1 1b. lb. 2.75 kg. 6.06
5lb. lb. 2.65 kg. 5.84
1 1b. lb. 2.65 kg. 5.84
51b. lb. 2:55 kg. 5.62
2.88
BAKERY PRODUCES
Old Mill 450 gr.
Bread .
Granny pkg. of 10
111
Butter Tarts
... 2/.99
1.19
CI 0 LI
F
0
' Elmira Open 6 Days a Week Mount Forest Open 6 Days a Week
121 Main Street 8:00 a..rn. to 6:00 p.m,
Street North Wed Thurs. Fn: till9:00 pm. Thurs. Fri. till 9:00 p.m.
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FREE PARKING
AT REAR OF
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