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~ EDITORIAL _

snowed again

Combine ail the Inspection Ratings
for each activity into one Activity
Rating,

Activity Rating Riact) =

n

Where R Inspection Rating for

each inspection as calculated in Step 1
' = Number of Inspection
Ratings for the Activity,

That’s just one of the sections of the
process the highways ministry is using in
its attempt to rank the various com-
panies now doing road and bridge
maintenance in the province.

Aside from requiring a computer
system as powerful as the one needed to
put men on the room, it shows just what
is churning around inside the minds of
the policy makers as they try to make
sense of what they have created.

The problem is that the policy makers

within the highways ministry are reluc-
tant to tell the public just how things are
going. Although this is the second winter
of private snow clearing, the ministry
says their system is still evolving. It says
releasing any information would not be
fair to the companies.

But, that’s not the point. The issue is
adequate service arising from the expen-
diture of public monies, That overrides
all other considerations.

Perhaps the ministry policy makers
and their minister should read again a °
"paragraph in an introduction on how the
ratings system works. In part, it reads: .
‘{4 structured program of inspections
and tests is a commitment which the
Ministry has made towards assuring
both the publie and itself that the stan-
dard of maintenance will be kept at, or

above, that provided under the previous

direct labour system.’?

Reach for the sky

One of the luxuries of being a politi-
cian is the ability to control one’s own
pay. Although various elected bodies
like to hide that simple fact behind all

sorts of cute little tactics the truth re- -
mains they can pay themselves what they -

wish.

With that in mind, council is in the
process of handing itself a 5,2 per cent
hike. That’ll bring the mayor’s salary to
$17,284 and an alderman’s annual
packet to $7,534. (For comparison's
sake, the mayor gets roughly twice the
minimum wage, an ‘alderman just
under.)

As justification, council is tying its
salaries to the Consumer Price Index, a

curious circumstance given that it relates
to the cost of living based on what? S$ g0-
ing on in Vancouver.

But the real issue is not’so much what
‘a mayor and alderman: should be ba aid
‘(regardless if one is able’ to understarid’
their deliberations being broadcast over
the local community cable channel) but
the impact that raise might have.

Two aldermen had it right in objecting
to setting an increase now. Such a move,
they said, might lead to interesting
bargaining with the city’s workers. Car-
rying that one step further, council more
rightly should receive the same increase
it gives its workers. That would be acting
in a responsible manner.

Snowy vacation

Vacations and snowstorms

offer similar experiences. So
why should I drain my bank ac-
count to acquire skin cancer on
Maui when B.C. Medical will
foot the bill if 1 suffer a slipped
spinal disc heaving snow in my

Through

Bifocals
by Claudette Sandeckl

¢

front yard? Either way a hand-

some doctor could come into
my life.

Mainly you yacation for a
change of scene. But why go to
it whena blizzard will bring it to
you?

Last week’s mild-weather
storm fransformed our dreary
landscape into a photographer's
delight of damp snow that clung
to eveything like boiled spaghet-
ti tested on a plaster wall.

Vacations invite a switch in

activities, and switch I did,
from: upholstering, to shovell-
ing. By pampering the driveway
like a baby, every four hours, I
scooped my cubic share of
snowdrifts clear to the street,
using a plastic shovel that skims
over gravel as smoothly as a
limousine over manholes.
Fortunately there’s always
plenty of time-.for playing
snowplow, Snowstorms have a

way of juggling priorities. and ~

preoccupations.

Another ‘given’ of vaca-

tions.is getting away from it all,
’ gspecially phones: and

-cgustomers. Sure, you can’t get
far from them if you're snowed -

in, but you don't have to. A
sizeable snowfall _ hampers
them, too.

Late nights .are a. “holiday
must, Snowbound, ls

stay up beyond curfew, yet
sthere’s little anxiety about wak-
ing on time next morning,
unless you serve on a hydro or
highway crew.

Snow flurries are beautiful ta
watch, particularly at night
under’ the street lights. They
also produce an uncharacteristic .
quiet. Traffic thins to the esen-
tial, or the foolhardy, Dogs

. nap; there’s little to bark at and
every centimeter of snow

shrinks their. line of vision
another notch.

You tend to disregard calories
while holidaying, Only: your
pocketbook curbs’ your: menu.
Snowstorm vacationers loosen
their girdles, too. All those

hours spent rearranging snow

make © calorie
superfluous.
calories are burned during an:
hour of snow shovelling? I
figure it’ ought to balance at
least a wedge of apple pie, or a
fistful of unshelled peanuts.
What of romance? Well, I did
manage to make my. husband

counting

jealous — of my shovel. He

pouts I spent more time with it.
last week than I did with -him,

Maybe so, but the alternative “F

was to wade back and forth un-,

ee Ne

How many ~

ee ee eee eT

removal machine.

To complete the similarity
between vacationing and sitting
out a snowstorm, there’s the
bittersweet ending, when you're

torn, whether to prolong a.

novel furlough or return to a
comfortable routine,

Annual vacations generally

signal the end of summer. In

much the same way, a
snowstorm in this part of B.C:

often marks a watershed in the
winter. Spring won’t be far off.

From here on, folks with
short memories or more faith in
Boeing than I have will collect
brochures and check prices with
travel agents.

Meanwhile I'll hang my show

‘shovel in the shed and tune in

for the weather report.

g ys, 165 FROM CANADA -
a NEEDED 1 v PRACTISE.

Hubert has friend

here in Terrace |

‘VICTORIA — One of the:

most important parts of any:
newspaper are the letters to the

’ editor. They reflect the

readers’ assessment of the pro-.
duct, and that’s important not
only to the paper itself, but to
everybady else, including
advertisers and readers.

Letters to the editor are also
a reflection of the readers’ in-
terest'in their community, their
province, their country and the
world. ;

A newspaper that doesn’t
eet Iptters: from, its. senders | i rt
doing something wrong... i,
Perhaps | its coverage © news:
and events is too bland, and it
fails to stir the hearts and |
souls of its readers.

I once worked for a daily
newspaper whose managing
editor maintained that people
weren't interested in politics,
He had us all writing soft
features. He should have been
put out to pasture,

I consider letters from
readers in response to what ]
write of paramount impor-
tance, and it doesn’t much
matter whether the response is
positive or negative. What
counts is that people are
reading and thinking.

Most of the mail I get,
either personally or via letter
to the editor, is well-reasoned,
Readers who disagree with me,
make their points logically and
convincingly, But there are ex-
ceptions.

Over the years, I have
received letters calling me
everything from a filthy com-

* mnunist to a dirty nazi, On the

same day, ] have been accused
of being a Socred lacky and an
NDP propagandist. 1 suppose
you can’t please everybody.
Some say as long as a colum-
nist gets raked over the coals
by all sides, he’s doing
something right.

Some writers have suggested
I go the hell back where I
came from others thought
Siberia was perhaps a more fit-
ting domicile for me. I have
consistently rejected either in-
vitation. I like Victoria just
fine. |

T have received threatening
letters, and when my kids were
younger, they were subjected
to the odd insult because of
their father's job, But, I’ve
always felt that this sort-of

From the
Capital

by Hubert Beyer |

thing comes with the territory.
That’s why, unlike some col-
umnisis, [ don’t have an
unlisted phone number. _
Anyone can call me anytime,
night or day. And ‘believé'me, ”
some readers do, I wouldn't _.
have it any other way.

Apart from all the above-
mentioned letter writers, there
is the odd one who goes
beyond even the bounds of my
considerable tolerance, They
are the ones who run off at the
mouth, week after week,
usually somewhat disjointed
and more than a little mean.

Every columnist has been
subjected to abuse by such
people, One of my favourites
lives in Terrace and sends iet-
ters to numerous editors on a
regular basis. A lot of them
need severe editing, because
apart from being very funny,

_ they’re extremely libelous.

One of my favourites
lives in Terrace and. .
sends. letters to:
numerous editors on a
regular basis.

Normally it’s best to ig-
nore such capricious
critics, because one reply
invites an even steadier
stream of venom, but TH
make.an exception in this: .
case, because this chap is
unique: his styleis
noteworthy, His rantings :
deserve mentionin the =
Guinnes Book of Records, ~

Here are some excerpts
from his latest offering,
written in response to my.
Christmas column.

“Not so dear Hubert,
you must have written -
your Christmas sermon on
love and tolerance with-
tongue in cheek. Nobody
is more full of hate’ against
the premier than you,

“You are.Mr. Hypocrite
a la Adolf Hitler himself,
He said one thing and did
the other. Everything

without my critics?

sounds so familiar. Are
you speaking up for the
Jews now and against the
Christians? Nice try. Sure,
blame the Christians for
killing the Jews,

“Blame the Christians
for ‘everythihg. Hitler
blamed the Jews for

everything. Same principle.

It happened because your
Deutschland turned its

* back on God. It still does. |

The Christians were about
the only ones that risked

death by hiding Jews from.

your murderers

Vaterlanders, who’s (sic).
god was the fuehrer. Who -

is yours? Not Bill Vander
Zalm's.

“Here is a decent honest -. : ~

premier who keeps smiling
in the face of them that

- want to shred him to

pieces, like you, and you
prefer dirty perverts like
Svend Robinson in your
NDP future government. -

Dirty pigs, as popular as)
dirty ‘“king” Elvis Presley.”

“By what standard do.
you live and write? Not
the Christian standard of |
true love, By the way,
Jesus was not tolerant, cer-
tainly not of characters :

ear

like you, who speak out of 25 7
two corners of thesame =< >,

‘mouth, |

“We never had such a”

.; fine premier and the fact.

‘that the people of B.C:

_ doesn't (sic) want: him,’
: proves the immorality of *.

the majority of the people.
of our province. May.God |

have mercy, The old Jews

too believed in choice, -
They chose Barrabas

~ above Jesus of Nazareth.

The same thing happens io
the followers. of Jesus,

named Bill Vander Zalms, . :

Study some history, —

Hubert. You might see :
history repeating itself”.

Ah, what would I do a

_ fil the snow reached a depth . by
jarorthy, OF! “hiring “a Snow

AW YER MOTHER
WAS'A MULE!

| <7 SAE WAS Nor! sie
WAS A QUARTER: Horse!

OYyEAN! AND

“THREE-QUARTERS YI wi
Donkey 1) N

NEVER § FAILS, evERY Lt
GYMKHANA TTANGLE.”

Ten RD prey