PAGE 8, THE TOWNSMAN, Thursday, September 22, 1977

Education...

expensive business

If outfitting one child for
school is an eye opener, try
welcoming back millions.

Families and provincial de-
partments of education alike have
to budget for the retum to
classes. Education is no longer
the growth industry it was. En-
roliment is down in most elemen-
tary schools across Canada and
the dizzying spiral in education
costs so common inthe sixties are
moderating.

Here are a couples of exam-
ples:

This September, the province
of Manitoba began its task with
an education budget of $373
million for the 1977 school year,
an increase of 10.1 per cent over
1976. The 1975 to 1976 increase
was over [4 per cent, and 974 to
1975 was a hefty 20.1 per cent.
School boards, teachers and pa-
rents are all vitally concerned in

A glance
at the |

economy ‘

Total Gross National Product
output fell at an annual rate of
2.4 per cent during the second
quarter, Statistics Canada re-

ported last week. While it was @

still too early to say chat Canada
was in recession (generally de-
fined as three consecutive quar-
ters of decline in GNP), the
agency said ‘recession cannot be
ruled out.”

Among other statistics ré-
leased by Statistics Canada: wage
and salary incomes grew at an 8
per cent annual rate, down from
nearly double that rate on a

quarterly basis last year; business °

investment in machinery and
equipment, real private invest-
ment in new production opera-
tions and pre-tax profits for
business were all down during
the second quarter.

Exports, which had risen 7.2
per cent during the first quaster,
dropped [.3 per cent in the
second and Canada’s current
dollar deficit in balance of trade
rose to a record $6.5 billion at
annual rate. Total revenue of all
Bovernments declined by 9.2 per

cent while expenditures in-

creased by 10 per cent at annual
rates.
Wholesale Prices Dawn

Stalistics Canada reported Sep-
tember | that wholesale prices
declined four tenths of one per
cent between May and June,
although they remained 8.3 per
cent higher than a year previ-
ously, The decline was led by
lower prices for vegetable pro-
ducts, textiles, iron and non-
ferrous metals.

$f per Gallon Gas

A survey conducted for the
Canadian Automobile Asscocia-
tian indicates that the national
average price for non-lead
zisoline will rise to just over $1,
due to the 3.2. cent-a-gallon
increase wuthorized by the go-
vernment,

As well, the AIB has allowed
six major oil companies an addi-
tional increase of between .2 and
1.5 cents in the price of gasoline
and heating oil.

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harder when
you're not in the
game. Get fit —
and turn the
clock back.

Fitness ia fun.
Try some.

PRATICPACTITE™ o

the struggle to hoid down the
increases. .

Ontario's experiences have
been similar, if not quite so
dramatic. The rate of increase in
the education budget has de-

clined from [6.6 per cent for
1975 over 1974, to an increase of
alittle over 12 per cent for each
of the following two years.
Teachers’ salaries accaunt for
a major portion of the total

education budget. Since October
1975, these salaries, along with

those of most other provincial

civil servants, have been under
the restraints of the anti-inflation
program. This restraint has con-
tributed to a slowing down.in the

annual increases ofthe education «

budgets of most provinces,

But teachers’ salaries are only
pat of the story. For school
boards, there are mountains of

erasers, pencils, paper and
books; everything from basket-
balls to soccer nets, snow shovels
to thermostats. Supplies come
from many industries, and many
of these companies must report to
the Anti-Inflation
keep prices in line with costs.
The AIB does not contro) munic-
ipal taxes, but many of the costs

of education which must be met °

with tax revenues, are being
carefully monitored.

For parents still preparing the

family for school, major clothing -

and shoe manufacturers. also re-
port to the AIB..1t may pay off if
consumers getting ready for the
school year ahead watch the
fewspapers for alinouncements
of excess revenue cases ‘which
require companies to either re-
duce prices or absorb increasing

costs. These can translate into’

bargains for consumers.

Board and.

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