The Wingham Advance-Times, 1985-04-10, Page 2511
Page 10 --Crossroads- Apr. 10, 1985
FUTURE JOBS
The outline of the job
market over the next 'decade
in large measure can be pre-
dicted with some certainty.
What the effects of this new
employment profile will be,
however, are more uncer-
tain.
It does not take much in-
sight to determine that cer-
tain jobs will decline in
number or disappear 'en-
tirely, for instance, elevator
operators, lino -type workers,
farm laborers, secretaries
and file clerks. Other oc-
cupations will experience
dramatic increases: any-
thing to do with computers,
robot technicians, experts in
bionic medicine, and day -
.care workers.
All of these changes will be
of particular benefit to wo-
men; most of the new jobs
will " be substantially less
gender-based. Even the jobs
that hitherto required heavy
work, such as certain as-
sembly line tasks, will be-
come available to women be-
cause of greater use of
robots. Therefore, the pay
differential between men
and women should lessen
significantly. The high -pay-
ing jobs, artists, writers,
sculptors, or unique per-
formers, have no gender re-
quirements, but require only
the ability to be an original
worker. The lowest paid job
will involve, as they do
today, routine tasks.
It is widely feared that the
anaqa's
Business
by Bruce VVhitestone
replacement jobs in the 1980s
and 1990s will entail dis-
placement of workers with a
consequent rise in unem-
ployment. However, history
shows that when various jobs
cease, others are created in
greater numbers than those
that have been displaced.
Blacksmiths and buggy whip
manufacturers have been
more than replaced by auto-
mobile " manufacturing and
maintenance. As secretaries
are superseded by operators
of word processors and file
clerks by computers, the
overall demand will rise
more than.enough to ensure
higher levels of employment.
Along with these shifts,
however,' the work week
should continue to decline.
As the 40 hour week has been
cut to 36 hours for most
workers, it is logical to as-
sume that the 32 hour week
will become the general rule
eventually. As some point a
20 hour week will become
commonplace:
The consequences of a
shorter work Week, however,
are uncertain. It is possible
that some will "moonlight"
and work at two jobs. Others
will have to learn to pursue
leisure -time activities.
Inasmuch as many of the
new jobs will not require a
university education, the ef-
fects on university attend-
ance cannot be determined.
Obviously in the 1950s and
1960s, large numbers went to
university to, increase their
SAFE NOT SORRY
DANGER, —
CHILDREN AT, PLAY
Many of us take for granted that public playgrounds are
safe -.places for young children at play. Emergency room
records show that this is not always true. Reports
indicate that children fall from slides and climbing bars, •
get cut and caught on sharp edges and protrusions, and
are hit by swings. Cuts, bruises, abrasions and sometimes
even fractures and concussions are the result.
Site Checklist.
• Playspaces should be Located in an environmentally
safe area avhy from thoroughfares or industrial'
wastes and easily accessible to neighbourhood children.
• The site should be enclosed to ensure that children are.
protected from vehicles.
The playground should be! large enough to safely
accomodate a variety of play' activities. Areas for
young tots ,should be separated from areas where
older children play.
•. Active sports and games areas should he well away
from the play equipment area. '
• Playgrounds within• sight of a building. neighbour-
hood homes, a street or walkway are safer than
isolated playgrounds.
• The playground should be a pleasant. place to go to
with both shaded and sunny areas.
Playground Lquihntent Checklist:
'• Playground equipment should he located on a soft
resilient surface which has.ener,g.v absorbing_capgcity,
like sand. Hard surfaces, like asphalt. 'contribute to
injuries.
• Apparatus and equipment should he free of sharp or
rough edges and projections which call' cause serious
cuts or bruises.
• I here should be. no ,protrusions v ich,,could,tra,p or
entangle a child's clothing.
• No part of the equipment should be constructed with
angles or openings which could tarp a child's head:
• Ramps, stairways and ladders should he designed so
they are not too big for the children that use 'the
playground.
• Stairs and other climbing apparatus should be con-
structed with continuous hand rails and an adequate
„gripping surface. Guard rails should exist around
platforms except for access points.
• Slides should he constructed with an adequate run-off
lip to create a smooth stop. Straight slides should
have sides above the sliding surface that extend the
entire length of the slide.
• Swing seats should be lightweight and made of rubber
or plastic straps. There should be no pinch. crunch or
shear points that could harm small fingers or limbs.
Though equipment 'may he safe when installed, weather
and breakage make regular checking and repair essen-
tial. Parts may he missing, damaged, or loosened. Worn
hearings. splinters, rust, protruding bolts, missing rungs
or steps require immediate attention. Sandboxes should
he rcgularTy raked for debris and-anrmaTTeasrngs and
fresh sand added,
If you have questions about the safety of your local
playground get in touch with the responsible authority
the school hoard or the municipal parks 'and
recreation department. Make them aware of your
concerns.
Canadian /n.slittne of Child Health, 17 York Street.
Ottawa, Ontario A'I V 557
•
potential earnings. In the
next two decades that moti-
vation will be off less signifi-
cance: On the other hand,
some will attend university
to enrich their lives and
leisure. Adult education pro-
grams have increased partly
in response to widespread in-
terest in learning as such
rather than'as part of a pro-
gram to make more money.
Perhaps the reason for at-
tending university will
switch from a materialistic
basis to a more intellectual
one. Long ago, Socrates as-
serted that the application of
knowledge is a misuse• of
knowledge, that knowledge
should be pursued for its own
sake. We very well may re-
turn to that philosophy in the
future.
It is clear that ouca-
tional system will have to be
altered. In place of social ex-
perimentation laboratories,
schools will have to become
more rigorous centres for
either technical training or a
source of wisdom and intel-
lectual development.
Don't
touch
the bears
By PHYLLIS WEAVER
Did you know that nation-
al parks' tourists just won't
leave the bears alone?
Our national parks and
monuments are owned and
protected by the federal
government for the use of
the people. These tourist at-
tractions bring many thou-
sands of visitors each year,
people who come to see the
scenery, historical objects
and the wildlife.
Tourists are constantly
reminded to not go near the
bears, whtchi despite their
tame appearance are quite
dangerous. Cartoon bears,
toy teddy bears, even Smok-
ey the Bear may seem to be
quite benign.
But bears, contrary to
their tame appearance are
quite dangerous! Onepark
ranger rescued an 18 -month-
old child from the back of a
park bear. It seems the
mother had stupidly enticed
the adult bear onto the road,
and then placed her son on
its back, while her husband
took pictures.
That family's park memo-
ries may have been tragic if
the `ranger hadn't punched
the father and saved the tot
from an unpredictable wild
animal. The ranger prompt-
ly resigned, but was rein-
stated the same day.
BOOK
REVIEW
ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS'
ABOUT OLD JEWELRY
"1840 to 1950". ,By. Jeanenne
Bell. 2nd Edition. Books
Americana, Florence, Ala.
Distributed by . Charles E.
Tuttle Co., Inc., Rutland, Vt.
400 pp. Paper U.S. ;10.95.
Reviewed by
PERCY MADDUX
A good antiques .guide to
the jewelry between the
years 1840 and 1950 is
Jeanenne Bell's handy
volume on "Old Jewelry" as
it is full of black and white
pictures of the items to-
gether with their standard
value. There are also eight
pages in color.
There is much more to this
book than a guide to dealers
and antiques collectors.
There is an extensive text
which gives something of the
social history of the 110 -year
period. .The facts are
basically correct, but the
composition is an 3llit rare
one. We are not told where
the type was set, but it ap-
pears to have been done by
someone not conversant with
the English language, as the
misspellings are so
numerous and in many cases
quite unlike what would be
made by an English-speak-
ing person.
4
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