PAGE 4, THE HERALD, Thursday, April 20, 1978

EDITORIAL

sehtaetreteerancetennareeate ms

The stylishly middle-aged lady was paused on
the sidewalk when I drove down from the bench
to work this morning. She was carrying a plastic
shopping bag in her hand, and looked the sort of
woman a maitre’d would shepherd to a special
table in a posh restaurant and address as
“Modom;’. I slowed my car to offer her a ride —
although I was certain she wouldn’t accept —
and she didn’t. As I drove on slowly, I watched
through the reflecting mirror over the driver’s
seat, to see what was happening. Then I un-
derstood. In the centre of the two-lane hill read
lay a small curshed creature that had obviously
been run over by many cars that morning — and

perhaps all night before. The lady stepped over
to it, her high heels picking the cleanest path,

then reached down, lifted it up, carried it over to |-

the hillside, and gently dropped it in. the grass. I
could see now — it was a dead tomcat.

That’s really all there is to this editorial. It
occurred about 6:45 a.m. — when most of
Terrace was still in bed, or having breakfast.

I tried to guess what must have been the
thoughts that went through her mind that led to
her responses in this fashion. Why would a well
dressed, fastidious woman stop and personally
pick up and remove a dead, crushed cat from the
path of further traffic — when everyone else was
driving past — or even over — the animal, ap-
parently unconcerned? First, 1 felt the usual
pangs of guilt — until 1 remembered I had not
noticed the cat on the road, myself. (But would I
have gone back — if I had? Likely not.) Here, to
me — was an expression of unusual love. How
many other small acts of love and tenderness has
that woman performed that have gone un-
noticed and unrewarded, I wondered. How lucky

for a child who might live next door to that
woman. How fortunate her grandchildren. What
a “plus” it is for Terrace — and B.C. — and the
world, even, to have a “middle aged lady” —
who cares for-even the crushed body of a poor,
dead tomcat, lying in the middle of Kalum Street
at 6:45 in the morning, in Terrace. ,

CHILD ABUSE

Almost everybody, it seems, — except a
criminal few — loves dog -and horses-and cats
and...

Children? What about children?
. According to people who should know what
they are talking about, in the Northwest, there
are a lot of children being subjected to some of
the most terrible cruelty the mind of man or
woman can devise.

Years ago, it was considered part of a normal
upbringing if a child was punished by sending

him to bed without his supper. 0.K. But how]

about the child — of three — a tiny, um-
dernourished girl, whose mother will “punish”
her for soiling herself by sending her to bed (to
her room) for days at a time without her supper
— or breakfast and lunch either -- in other words
is starving her, as ‘“‘punishment'’?

How about another child — a teenager —
suffering from a crippling disease, that confines
her to bed. Unable to fend for herself, when the
family has male friends in to drink and party-up,
she can do nothing to resist their sexual ad-
vances: week in, week out’.. ‘Do we have
situations like this in our district? (Are you
kidding!) —

Can you remember what it was like to have to
bring a “poor” report card home to your

Ottawa Offbeat

Ottawa — The Liberals are laughing.

And it’s not easy. ;

Not with their million unemployed, their in-
flation ballooning again, and the dollar sinking
like a submarine.

But the Conservatives are so helpful. So co-
operative. So obliging.

For if there’s a way to blow an election — and
this time they have a realistic chance of making
with Pierre Trudeau’s stock slumping — they'll
find it.

And they have. un

They’re championing the federal public ser-
vice.

Even if you can credit it, defending the poor,
_downttodden, overworked and underpaid postal
workers. :

One of the Liberal Party’s backroom
strategists — he advises on everything from its

ture in Parliament to its policies on the
election platform — chuckles that the Con-
‘servatives ‘forgot to look at the figures.’

The “figures” are these:

The public service — all of it, federal,
provincial and municipal — one million.

The taxpayers — excluding the public service
which pays taxes too — 13 million. —

So the voting odds are 12 to one.

Chief Electoral Officer J.M. Hamel, is on the
record with a total of 14 million as the vole
maximum this election. ; ‘,

Knowing this — and liking those 12 to one odds
— the power obsessed Liberals, acutely aware of
the unpopularity of the public service, have been
making a dead set on the government staff.

Even the public service itself realizes
that beyond its home base of “Fat City” it is
regarded by the paying public as overprivileged,
_ovetsalaried, underworked and extremely un-

derproductive. : ;

So the Liberals propose clamping a ceiling on
the indexing — its protection against continuing
inflation — of the public service pensions.

And they plan linking public service pay rates
~- jeaders in the inflation spiral — to payroll
levels in business and industry.

All fair ball.

But the public service is screaming.

And not just in “Fat City”, but everywhere at
all levels, because provincial and municipal
services fear the provinces and cities and towns
may follow the federal lead.

That’s just great by the Liberals.

“The people love it,’ gloats the party
backroomer, “simply love it.” mo,

So they do.

In the face of all the evidence and in defiance
of the “numbers”, the voting odds, the Tories
with their enormous talent for snatching defeat
from the jaws of victory, oO

; ..: .
Report from Victoria

The budget was the big news in Victoria this
week as well as in Ottawa. There is no doubt the
change in the sales tax, back to5 per cent‘from 7
per cent, will have the greatest impact on the
north country where prices are generally higher,
and we pay on a per-capita basis more sales tax
for the same items than those in populated areas
| where prices are lower.

This isa definite step in the right direction and
possibly only because the financial affairs of the
Province are in good shape. It is hoped much
more can be done later as revenue increases
from development which fell far behind, mainly
due to delay for studies, regulations and un-
certainty in Government for several years.

The $21 million increase in the Highway 37
from Kitwanga to the North, Highway 16 to
Prince Rupert and Highway 25 to Kitimat. The
amount to be spent on each will no doubt be dealt
with by the Minister when his estimates come

up for debate. ,

I was very pleased to see the home owners
grant for those over 65 years of age will go up to
$480,00. . These are the people that built this
Province and deserve every cent they get and
much more. 8

parents? It was bad enough just having them
look at it — remember? How do you imagine the
young boy of 11 feels who knows his father is sure
to “mess him up” in a most painful way because!
of his poor showing in Math? His father is also
cunning enough to hurt him in such a way it
won't show — and nobody will know but the boy’s
father and the boy himself.

And there are a lot more ‘‘subtle” forms of
child abuse. The problem is, though, not merely to
detect cases of such cruelty so much as it is to
intervene and dosomething about them — as soon
as possible — before it is too late. -

In our dociety people have such a terrible fear
of being called “busybody”. Live and let live —

is ‘almost an eleventh commandment, To “mind]’

one’s own business’’ is considered the norm one
must adhere to — whether it is a matter of a
large country like Russia taking over’ tiny

defenceless Albania — then later the other tiny] ¥

Baltic states of Lithuania, Latvia and Esthonia
— (we mustn't interfere in other nations internal
matters — even though they aren’t internal!) Or
whether it is little Johnnie and Susie Jones whose)

mother leaves them alone and tied to the bed] |

with clothesline while she goes out on an all-night
drunk.

We would like to hear from our readers —
whether they share the same concerns over ca
of child abuse as they do for animal abuse.
Children — particularly smal! children — are
surely equally ‘‘dumb” in the matter of speaking
up for their own safety or for their own life, as the
_ dumbest of dumb animais.
Let’s hear it, now, for the kids!

‘It's interesting to see the Education Budget go up
from $947,709,405 to $1,032,846,805 and increase of
$85,137,400. $10 million of this will go to private
schools as promised at the last election.

increase of over 85 million dollars to educate less
students. .
~ [| would appreciate ideas from interested
ople on how best these increased costs can be
cut back in the future, as the tax payer simply
can’t afford to keep paying more for less ser-
vices. There is no easy answers however. Health
and Education will cripple the tax payer in this
Province and all other Provinces if solutions are
not found.

TERRACE/KITIMAT |
| daily herald .

General Office - 635-6357
Clreviation + 635-4357

Published by
Sterling Publishers

PUBLISHER...Don Cromack

MANAGING EDITOR...Ernest Senior
REPORTERS...Donna Vallleres (Terrace-Thornhill)
REPORTERS...Scott Browes (Kitimat-Kitamaat)

Pubilshed every weekday at 3212 Kalum St. Terrace, .
B.C, Amember of Varlfied Circulation, Auihorized as
secondclass mall. Registration number 1201, Postage
§ pald In cash, relurn postage guaranteed.

| NOTE OF COPYRIGHT

The Herald retains full, complete and sole copyright
In any advertisement produced and-or any editorial or
photographic content publishad in fhe Herald. -
Repreduction Is-not permitted without the written
permission of the Publisher. ° !

I must express my concern to see a budget.

Letters to the Editor

Calling all animal lovers -

_ private property, dogs

Editor, Terrace Daily
Herald; © ;

We realize that Terrace:
did at one time have an |

S.P.C.A.. and we are
appalled that the local
people could not find. it in
eir hearts to continue to
support this extremely
worthwhile enterprise.
However, perhaps all
things do indeed work for
the good of Man: (and
beast). Now we can see
just by. looking out our
windows what the lack of
an S.P.C.A. has done.
As I didn’t live i
area at toe inne oF fbi
former S.P.C.A., I can't
comment on the qualit:
of control it exercized.
Since the S.P.C.A. issue
has been raised over the
last few weeks, we have
had calls commenting on
horses roaming through

Scrouging around a
schools, dogs running
cks in every part: o
wn, cats being run over
on the highway, animal
abuse, and you name it.
Before I go any further,
let me clarify briefly the
difference between the
S.P.C.A. and the existing
animal Control Shelter in
Terrace. By €X-
perimentation, we have
ound that the animal
control shelter does not,
hesitate to refer to itself

as the S.P.C.A. We have

called on three or four

- occasions and each time

we asked if this was the
S.P,.C.A. Each time there
was an affirmative an-
swer. By questioning the
S.P.C.A. representative
for this area, we have
found that the Animal

Control Shelter has no

‘affiliation . with the’

S.P.C.A. The Animal
Control Shelter has no
jurisdiction over any
area not within the city
limits of Terrace.
Consequently,

whenever our S.P.C.A.
representative (one man
on a volunteer basis) is
called out to shelter or

‘exterminate an animal,

he must shelter it either
on his own property, or
transport it for shelter or
extermination to Kitimat.
This'is placing a burden
on both our volunteer and
on the Kitimat S.P.C.A.

Have you ever noticed
while ‘visiting Kitimat
that there doesn’t seem to
be an animal problem
there? That’s probably
because there isn’t one.

The S.P.C.A. over there

is run by a very capable
woman and her’ best

recommendation is ‘the ;

city of Kitimat. Well, this. -

same woman is very

anxious to help Terrace .-

and area acquire an
S.P.C.A.

We understand that
Vancouver sees our need
and is willing to help. The
only thing they ask is that
we have a list of names of
people who are willing to
attend a meeting, and in
short, support the for-

mation of anS.P.C.A.The

5.P.C.A. will - be
represented at this

meeting,

We've gone without .
adequate animal control
for our whole area for too
long so please show your
support by calling 635-
9680, 635-2750 or 635-6724.

Thank you. ;

Editor, Terrace Daily

"Herald;
_ Thie recent an-
nouncement by the major.

forest company in. the
Terrace area, to curtail
its operation for_a period
of at least three weeks,
and the seemingly ho-
hum attitude of the
community. at large, and
particulariy the company
workers in particular
comes as a surprise.
Prior to the an-
nouncement by _ the
Company concerning the
shutdown, the logging

manager was hear to

have said that he would
be personally makeing
the rounds in the woods to
hand out warning slips
unless production went
up. Needless to say it had
the desired effect on a
few of those workers who
would readily squat if
their supervisor was
heard to utter that four

-strike

Justice in the forests

letter word that means
human excrement. The
end result of this was to
be - predicted, The
supervisor passed .on the
threat, production went
up. and the Company, to
snow its gratitude gave
the supervisors a three
week holiday and the
workers are left to battle
with the U.LC.

The injustices of this
situation are also ob-
vious, to wit: When the
workers withold their
product, which is their
abour, in order to im-
prove their economic
condition, it is called a
, and an inex-
cusable and irresponsible
act, which must be dealt
with by orders-in-council,
injunctions, and back to
work legislation. On the
other side of the coin,
when the companies
decide to better them-
selves economically by

closing: down the woods

permanently or tem-
Porarily, it is called a
curtailment in ' produc-
tion. One has to ask,
where is the legislalion,
orders-in-council, etc, to
make them act respon-
sibly.

This recent layoff af-
fects many workers and

their families at a time

when they are just
recovering from the
usual Christmas layoff,
and all .of winter's
inherent expenses such
as rising home heating
and tranpsortation costs,
epiralling of food orice
railing “prices
it indicates P top
management’s in-
sensitive attitude toward

‘ their employees and their

families,

Once again workers
should realize what side
of the bread their butter
is on and should be

protesting collectively to
ese companies through
union action and to their

remind them of
responsibilities. We
should not be brain-

washed by Captlalist

propoganda into
lie that labour is

always fo be blamed ‘for - .
aur economic condition. -_

Twin River
Timber Sub-Local
(Terrace)
1.W.A. Local 1-71
c.c Green Gold :

Northern Times.

News Advertiser
_ Terrace Herald
Northwest Worker .

PS. It was duly moved
seconded and carried at
the last monthly meeting

aa

-fovernments, at the polls
eir

that I write this letter for. °

the sub-local, this I have
done but I do not wish my
name to be used as.a

signatory to this: letter.

r

- Glass reunion at
Iroquois Fails

Editor, ‘Terrace Dai
Herald; ’ ace Daily

On July ist weekend of
' this year, Iroquois Falls

High Schoo! will welcome
back to its halls all for-
mer students, teachers
and friends, The program
will include a large
picnic, a dance, a
anquet, tours and a
parade, The school began
in 1921 and has become a
very large. and modern
institution of 1100
students. Many changes
have taken place and

m former students are

welcome to share in the

schools’ complete story.
The Welcome Back
Committee would ap-
reciate. your printing

is letter to let former
staff and students know
about our plans, Any

‘former staff member or

student who wishes to
receive further  in-
formation should write to
us in care of the Iroquois
Falls Welcome ack
Committee, Box 455,
Iroquois Falls, Ontario,
POK 1E0, to be placed on
this mailing list.

yours sincerely,

Nancy Festarini

Co-Chairman

ERMAN

. “You gotta stop throwing food at Daddy.”

i