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Page A4 — Terrace Standard, Wednesday, January 10, 1990-

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DITORIAT_ a

- If. taxpayers in B.C. need a hero, they
might look to Victoria resident Conrad
Adams. He was one of four people
which toured the province earlier this

year taking suggestions for changes in

the provincial property tax system. The
others were finance minister Mel
Couvelier, then-municipal affairs
minister Rita Johnston and North Van-
couver mayor Marilyn Baker,

The recommendations of Mr. Adams
in a recently released report make for
welcome reading for those of us tied to
the taxation whims of any public body.

‘Implemented, above and beyond the
needs of time, Christ’s advice to ‘go
forth and muitiply,’ has served as the

motivator for uncontrolled growth, not
only in the world’s population, but also

‘Taxation blues

in the various categories of civil service
Junctions that purport to serve those
who pay the freight,’’ wrote Mr. Adams?
In short, Mr. Adams says taxation
through property is unfair and ine-
quitable for the residential taxpayer.

He favours paying for education -

through income taxes, the placing of
ceilings on education costs, referenda for
any increases beyond cost of living, for
wages to be set by the provincial govern-
ment and for independent auditing —
and publication — of school district ex-
penditures.

_ It's strong but interesting stuff for
consideration because it’s an indication
of the frustration taxpayers constantly
Jeel. Thanks, Mr. Adams.

Taxation bite

CRUNCH, That sound was another
bite taken out of our take.home pay. It
comes courtesy of the federal govern-
ment and means you'll be paying for
more unemployment insurance.

The program began as a rather sound
idea, Workers pay into a scheme that
should they become unemployed, ‘they

receive a cushion until work is found .

again.

That idea became rather hazy in the
indulgent ’70s when all sorts of social
programs became attached. The result
was the birth of yet another cash cow.
This showed in the tough ’80s when the
balance of the account dropped into the
red when it was really needed.

Now, the federal government is
gradually getting out of the unemploy-

’ ment insurance business. Workers, and
businesses, are paying more and enjoy-
ing it less.

The trend in the '90s will be away
from the traditional aspects of
unemployment insurance toward a large-
scale social engineering program of

creating an indentured workforce. It'll:
treat unemployment as.a fault:directly’:

tied to the worker and not at the reasons
for being out of work. The federal

government wants us to be lean and’

hungry for work (while avoiding the
same conditions for itself.)
Of course the irony in this is that the

unemployment insurance program is:

now in a surplus. So why the increase?
Another example of user pay — they
use, we pay.

Vancouver's post office ,
handled 24 million pieces of
mail during the week ending

Dec. 17 — five million more Bifocals
than the same period last year.
Still, Canada Post says its by Claudette Sandeck!

1,200 workers at the main Van-

Through

couver plant are among the
slowest in the country, lagging

behind 28. other major postal chatter.

Crank up the Muzak to drown

observing.
During December, open a

plants across Canada,
Therefore management
removed 40 stools used by
sorters, no doubt aware of
studies which show people think
better and faster on their feet,
‘thereby proving management
offices have ample seating.
Management also forbade

workers to take’ washroom:

breaks without a supervisors’s
okay, claiming otherwise so
many might be off duty at once
delivery could be disrupted.
Chances are these innova-
tions slowed productivity even
more as:workers dug in their
heels. But after a day of
negotiations between the union
and management, the stools
were: reinstated with.a proviso
workers not sit more than five
minutes out of every 60.
Canada Post and the union
ought to try. cooperating.
They're supposed to have a
common goal — serving us.

Efficiency needs to be tackled

from new angles.
- Lower room temperatures ten

‘degrees. This single change.

could have a -measureable
trickle down . effect; heaving

parcels from one bin to another

is warm, thirsty work... i>:

“Help * workers - concentrte:

Handpick personnel. Opt for
speedreaders able to decode
handwriting resembling the tor-
tured trail of a paraplegic
spider, with medical histories of
fluid retention, and the stocism
of Muscovites queueing for
bread.

Provide mandatory annual
Upgrading. Have sorters choose
between strengthening their
dominant arm with two weeks
coaching by a major league pit-
cher, or honing thelr accuracy
participating in a dart tourna-
ment.

Boost output through com-
petition. Mimic elementary
teachers’ strategy. Divide
workers into teams with names
like Couriers, Airlines, and Fax,
then let them vie for recogni-
tion. Recognition could be
observer status at contract.
negotiations so they, too, could
attend a stadium game at union
expense, just like elected:
representatives,

Prevail upon the fire depart .
ment to curtail the legal number
of diuretic sufferers who may
occupy a ‘washroom

Simultaneously.

Assign ° supervisors to. sort.
mall, * Not: just. stand about”

special wicket to only sell
stamps.

Reduce time spent bandaging
frail parcels. Sell sturdy re-
useable return-for-deposit
boxes like those supplied by van
lines.

Spread the workload. Make
posting early irresistible.
Reduce postal rates for ten
days, beginning a month before
Christmas.

Speed up primary sorting.
Supply jumbo = stick-on
labels, one colour for each.
destination province.

Employ : retired CNCP
telegram typists to address
labels for patrons whose prin-
ting even - pharmacists can't

Socreds doomed

. TOE MOUGAT FAT GUNTS. ¥

AND 'VE BEEN THINKING,
(RATHER HAVE THE MONEY.

no matter what

VICTORIA — He will, he |
won't; he will, he won’t. No
matter how many times I
repeat the old childhood game
of tearing petals off flowers,
the answer always changes.
What's the question? Will
Premier Vander Zalm an-
nounce his retirement from

., politics, when he takes,to the

From the

Capital
by Hubert Beyer

airwaves:on Jan, 172, I suspect: Vim, advised ] iim a publidly, off

‘the preniier, too, is playing the
old flower game. His question:
They love me, they don't love
me.

Anyone who listened to the
premier on the morning of the
Fantasy Gardens love-in,
organized to show support for
the embattled premier, would
have sworn he'll step down. |
That was in the morning, when
only a few hundred people had

- shown up.

By nightfall, he had changed
his tune. Bolstered by the good
wishes of a couple of thousand
fans, the premier didn’t sound
quite so downcast any more.
There were at least hints that
his resignation shouldn't be

considered a foregone conclu-

‘sion.

If Vander Zalm’s true inten-
tions are so hard to read, it is
probably because he himself
keeps changing his mind all the
time. Whenever he encounters
a derogatory news story, col-
umn or cartoon, he’s ready to
call it quits, but then
somebody comes along, telling
him to hang in there, and he’s
all fired up again.

But when all is said and
done, I still believe he will tell
us that we won't have Bill to
kick around any more. My
reasons for believing so
haven't changed.

Above ali, the fun has gone
out of the job, I mean, how

‘would you feel if-nothing you

do pleases your bosses, in this -
case the public? You give them
a balanced budget, and they
don't care; you give them a
good economy and they want
your hide. Where’s the fun in
that?)

There must ‘be family
pressures, 1’m sure his wife

“television, ‘to éall it quitt: Pi

too, is probably sick and tired
of having his father maligned,
day after day.

There is his business, the
amusement park, which hasn’t
been doing all that well and
could only profit from Vander
Zalm’s undivided attention.

From Vander Zalm’s point _
of view, I’m sure, the biggest
obstacle in the way of his
tetirement from politics is the
feeling that he will have been
pushed out, but there are ways
to make ita little more
palatable.

He could, for instance, an-
nounce that he will step down
shortly after the new budget
comes down sometime in

March. There could be worse -

notes to leave on than the pro-
vinces second consecutive
balanced budget.

On the other hand, that’s
probably the mast galling
aspect of Vander Zalm's
predicament. The nine other
provinces will probably pro-
duce deficit budgets this year,
but none of his colleagues will
be expected to step down, ©

Still, it would make things a |

little easier for Vander Zalm,
He could honestly take credit
for leaving his job with the

_ province in great financial —

shape. And if he were the vin-
dictive type, he could also con:
sole himself with the .
reasonable assumption that
whoever succeeds him will be
premier only until the next
general election.

The bottom line is the

 Socreds are damned if they do

and damned if they don't.
They. can’t win an election
with Vander Zalm as leader,
but they can’t win with anyone
else either.

There.is absolutely no doubt
in my mind that the next elec-

' aver the ruins of a party that,

decipher. ~ : Lillian is fed up to the teeth
Ridicule the tradition of ex- seeing her husband.attacked at
changing Christmas cards. every turn. One of his sons,
| aes MARTEN. AND ROSIE EVERYONE'S DRESSED
ARE WAVING A VERY IN THE LATEST HAIL
SOPHISTICATED PARTY! ORDER FASHIONS !
ae
a MH
4 iy a
i

Se a

pee

i AUWAYS TELL A “SRL
NORTHERN PARTY...

Ton

av

~fi see the ian Credit

““Partymot only defeated but eX:

tinguished. What little remains :
of the party after the élection *
will disintegrate in short order...

Out of the temporary chaos -
will emerge some sort of free | -
enterprise coalition party head-
ed by the dissidents who left
the Social Credit caucus some |
time ago.

One of the names ‘already -
bandied about is the B.C. Par.
ty, but whatever its name, you.
may expect Graham Bruce, the
now independent MLA: for —
Cowichan-Malahat, to- Play & a
prominent role in it. . :

There is absolutely no

’ doubt the next election:

will see the Social Credit. °
Party not only. defeated’:
but extinguished;

Whether the new party. will:
succeed in building voter sup
port remains to be seen. The, .
track record of new parties is
not very good in B.C, The lat:
one who tried to float a new--:
party was former NDP MLA.
Graham Lea, but his Unity - :
Party died of malnutrition © ::
shortly after it was born.:

So, i in the end, it won't mat-'
ter to the Social Credit Party :
whether or not. Vander: ‘Zalm.
steps down, but it could well
matter tc Vander Zalm. If he
steps down now, at least he.)
will have been undefeated at".
the polls, He will be able to
take with him the knowledg
that under his leadership;
British Columbia’ prospered

If he stays, heswill presid

may not even be ablé to mount |
an effective opposition. Give
that choice, I know what I°

would do, ve