Zurich Citizens News, 1974-10-17, Page 4PAGE 4
ZURICH CITIZENS NEWS THURSDAY, OCTOBER 17, 1974
New system needed!
It is high time that a more sensible approach be worked out
in the field of minimum wages. The increase which became
effective at the first of this month enforces a 12.5 per cent
increase in the basic wage rate right across,the province, wheth-
er consumers or employers can pay it or not.
Of course any suggestion that minimum wages are too high
brings forth an immediate howl from all the "oppressed" workers
who feel that society in general and employers in particular
are trying to starve them to death.
Society has the utmost sympathy for the head of a family who
happens to be a good workman, but by force of circumstance is
trapped in a job which he dare not leave and is grossly under-
paid, It was for this sort of person that minimum wage laws
were written --and rightly so. However, in common with so
many other laws in this regulation -ridden land of ours, the
coverage is too broad by a country mile.
• Under the latest ruling the minimum wage for a person under
18 years of age is $1.90 per hour --a weekly wage of $76. for 40
hours of work. That is just great as long as the youth is full of
steam, of even above intelligence and interested in his job.
Apply it to a part -tune youngster who is only interested in some
spending money and has to be followed around by a busy adult to
make sure even the basics of the job are fulfilled and the situat-
_ion becomes ridiculous. So ridiculous, in fact, that thousands
of jobs which were open to youngsters when the rate was $1.00
per hour are now being eliminated. And there are all kinds of
young people who would. be happy to get $1,00 an hour --touch
less holiday pay at 4 per cent of all earnings.
And of course the whole structure vaults upward when the
youth reaches the age of 18 --not so much because he is worth
more money, but, in fact, because he then has the right to
vote and good old government wants to buy his goodwill.
It is time that our legislators gave some thought to the origin-
al intent of the minimum wage act --and that was to assure that
no responsible, hard-working wage earner should be enslaved
by a miserly employer. It is scarcely conceivable that a younster
working at a part-time job after four will face real hardship if
he is paid less than $76.00 for 40 hours of work.
For some reason the people who operate businesses in this
country are expected to submit meekly to every interference
dreamed up by government --with none of the protections which
are available to every other sector of the economy. For example,
Andre Ouellet, federal minister of consumer and corporate
affairs, recently stated his intention to get tough with business
because the public is losing confidence in the business world.
His weapon will be a revised and stiffened anti -combines act,
which, among other things, imposes very heavy penalties on
business which are convicted of getting together to "fix" prices.
The reason, of course, is that in Canada we operate under a
system of free enterprise, in which the consumer of goods and
services is afforded the protection of a competitive selling
market. Thus, the supplier who cannot sell at the lowest price
is eliminated and the consumer gets the most favourable price
in the field.
That's a great system --particularly when foods are held back
and even destroyed rather than being allowed on the market at
the best figure and when labor --the most costly commodity
we ever purchase --is guaranteed the right to cease operations
until the best price is obtained, And that price is often backed
by government intervention --such as the recent award of a 65
per cent increase to lake shipping officers. (Listowel Banner)
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International Scene
(by Raymond Cannon)
A QUARTER CENTURY OF
COMMUNIST RULE
This month it is 25 years
since the communists took
power in China and frankly I
am surprised to see Mao Tse-
tung and his No 2 man Chou
En-lai still on the scene.
Admittedly they are getting on
in years since Mao is 80 and
Chou is 76 but in the turbulent
world of communist politics,
25 years is a long time to stay
in power. About the only other
person that I can think of who
has been as successful is Mar-
shall Tito of Jugoslavia and he
has been around even longer --
since 1945 to be exact, Both
Mao and Tito share a common
achievement --they have both
told the Russians to go fly their
kite and to date have got away
withit. Tito didn't waste much
time. He decided to evict the
Soviets in 1949, only four years
afterhe got in power. The
Chinese waited a bit longer but
eventually they had a falling
out too and these days a Russ-
ian is not too welcome in Pek-
ing.
Such a great and large nation
as China has had volumes writ-
ten about it and I am often
asked who is my favorite author
on that country. There is no
hesitation at all in my reply --
it is Edgar Snow the American
journalist who died just about
the time President Nixon arriv-
ed in Peking on his epoch-mak-
ing visit. It is tragic that Snow
was not there to witness the arr-
ival as he would have enjoyed
every moment of it. Ask your
library at school or in the town
you live if they have something
on China by this writer and if
they haven't, see if they will
order at least one of his books
on China. They are well writ-
ten, easy to read and they are,
in in opinion, a must if you
want to understand China.
Now that I have said some-
thing about my favorite author,
I would like to say something
about my favorite Chinese. It
is without a doubt Chou-En-lai.
He is my kind of politician and
I don't think I am running,the
risk of being branded a commun
ist by making such a statement,
As I said in one of my state-
ments above, yoy have to have
something going for you to be
able to stay at such an exalted
level of communist power pol-
itics for so long and Chou is a
pragmatist par excellance. He
is dedicated, works long hours
at a highly efficient level and
never tries to thrust himself in-
to the limelight. I have never
got the impression that he was
cruel, just dedicated, realistic
and not so dogmatic that he
couldn't recognize an impasse
when he saw one and make
adjustments. He has had his
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political ups and downs but he
has always bounced back and it
appears that it is old age that
is slowing him down, not his
political opponents. He has not
been too well lately, having
spent some time in hospital
and when the time comes for
him to go, I for one will be
sorry. He is a man the west
can do business with. They
may not like what he stands for
but they certainly know where
they stand with hint and that is
important in any political syst-
em.
Mae does not impress me as
much but there is one thing I
will say for him. In all the
measures he has managed to
introduce in China in his drive
to modernize the country and
raise its standard of living, he
has shown a grim determinat-
ion thatthe peasants should not
be left behind as they usually
are when countries try to catch
up in the 20th century.
Mae and Chou will not be
around much longer and then
what? That is hard to say. A
great many people find it diff-
icult to believe that there can
be differences of opinion in the
higher echelons of the comm-
unist party. I assure you that
there can be any number of
differences and who follows
these two inen will depend on
which of the opinions is in the
majority. Chou is considered
(continued on page 9)
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