COT cree @ on Sr | Al WE NVEVICN : SIDNEY I Published at Sidney, Vancouver Island, B 2. i | | | x | Every Wednesd KY) By REUEWIEUETICSTErS Ltd. A | BY 9831 Third Street D0), Bae a @ x > aul = PUBLISHER — John Manning lo AM j > ——— = EDITOR — George Manning SATURDAY To Anglican Church of Canada Angli Church of Canada EDITORIAL STAFF = Maryhelen Vicars, Joshua Perlmutter [Wiese AUG. 2 4 PM BEACON AV ENVE i ie a * ——S ADVERTISING — Ben Hircock PERSONNEL AND OFFICE MANAGER — Esther Berry Member of B.C. Division, Canadian Weekly Newspapers’ Assn Member Class “A” Newspapers SU ECERIDE cephone 656-1151 | N RATE: $6.00 per year b mail. SECOND CLASS MAIL REGISTRATION NUMBER 0128 Display Advertising Rates On Application. Page 4 Wednesday, July 30, 1975 Blue Water Apartments While one can have nothing but sympathy for the several dozen residents of the Blue Waters Apart- ments now faced with the difficult decision of whether to buy their present rented accomodation, or venture out into one of the worst housing) Situations in recent times; one also cannot argue with the explanation offered by a representative of owners Gatewood Holdings Ltd. that blame for the change to condominiums lies not with them, but with others. And those others aren’t hard to find. Leading the list has to be Premier Barrett and his band of ‘little people’ politicians. Protecting the poor tenant from his evil landlord, the government chose to set rigid limits on rents and their increases, yet totally failed to understand the simple requirements of a capitalistic marketplace. While that is not surprising, con- sidering the economics of their political point of view, it is a surprise that they seem consistently unable to see the damage the rent freeze has wrought. Prospective owners of rental ac- comodation have understandably found some other form of investment for their money; resulting in Static growth facing an ever increasing demand. Nearly as much to blame is the federal govern- ment, who removed tax concessions from apart- ment ownership, also making it a less attractive investment. However much some of our leaders might wish it Were not so, our society still functions more or less as a democratic capitalistic state. Legislation such as that effecting rental rates fails to take this into consideration: fails to consider the basic laws of supply and demand clear to any freshman student of economics. The cure, or course, for high prices caused by a shortage of supply is to increase the supply: make it easier and more attractive for investers to put their money into apartments and townhouses, not the reverse. eee Until Barrett and his troops understand this — or until they are replaced by someone who does — the ‘little people’ who occupy the Blue Waters apart- ments of our province will continue to suffer. Minitorial Although past form indicates that he needs little encouragement in order to win, we still offer our best wishes to John Newman, now in his 7ist year and again expected to lead all rivals in Saturday's Fourth Annual Great Sidney Rowing Review. Editorial Of The Week British Columbia has long been known for its weather. It has, in fact, five distinct seasons: fall, winter, spring, summer and strike. We're well into the strike season. The first hint that Strike was around the corner came when brewery workers went out just before Stampede, with their usual cunning. Then the pulp mills shut down, and wildcat strikes in the southern interior lumber industry began. Monday the southern interior IWA and Forest Industrial Relations began talks, while the B.C. Railway wavers on the brink, threatening the August visit of the provincial museum train in Williams Lake, as well as what local industry has managed to survive. If labor insists on huge wage settlements as in the past, they Il run into the law of supply and demand. Right now the price of copper is so low that Gibraltar reports it lost $396,000 in the first six monthsof this year. Demand for lumber is low, for a variety of reasons, and would be lower except that some people are buying now in anticipation of a long forest industry strike. The demand for pulp is down now, too, and consequently so is the demand for wood chips. A big part of the strike problem is government, which is able to meet wage demands without reference to the actual demand, simply by raising taxes. That will be one of the biggest problems to solve if the annual strike psychology is to be broken, as government settlements become an incentive for the private sector. Ultimately, if workers demand and governments grant more than the consumer is willing to pay, B.C.’s fifth season will become longer and longer each year. The scales of supply and demand will not be balanced by reason and compromise, but with unemployment due to strikes and inflation due to inequitable wage settlements. If management, labor and government can come to realize that, then perhaps we can break the cycle of annual strikes and get back to a regular four season year - The Tribune: Willia Wed. 30 0450 4.8 1130 7.8 1520 7.0 2200 10.3 Thur. 31 0530 4.3 1330 81 1545 7.9 2235 10.3 Fyi. 1 0625 3.8 1520 8.7 1730 8.6 2310 10.3 Sat. 2 0715 3.1 1620 9.4 1855 9.2 2345 10.4 Sun. 3 0810 2.5 1705 9.9 2015 9:4 0050 10.5 Mon 4 0905 1.9 1745 103 2125 9.4 Tue. 5 0150 10.6 0945 1.4 1805 10.6 2230 9.1 Wed. 6 0250 10:6 1030 1.2 1835 10.7 2310 5 4 ms Lake SS f cs lls OW? AE “SOUTH SAANICH _ PARISH OF ae Sunday, August 3, 1975 TRINITY X ST. MARY’S 9:30 a.m. Matins ST. STEPHEN’S The Editor, The Sidney Review, Sirs: So the local water board is alarmed at the continued heavy use of water in the area! It now threatens Punitive Action against those citizens, who abuse the system. Do we detect a note of suprise in Mr. Gobb’s revelation that area residents have ignored the call for restraint, in water-use this summer? Really, there can be no cause for this. For years and more years than most of us can remember, the local council and the water board ignored the pleas of concerned citizens for restraint in their policy of continually allowing population growth thereby _| overtaxing the already limited resources of the area. “We have water!” had long become the warning cry of the concerned (including some of our more clear-thinking of- ficials) before neweommers like myself arrived here in 1969. Yet, the Sidney council, in itS overriding concern for “a broader tax base’ con- tinued to zone and re-zone and the water board issued permit after permit. We have all watched family dwellings mushroom here at an alarming rate during the last four or five years. Every resident of the area is aware of this. As a matter of fact, many of us have long become convinced of the fact that the water problem had been solved years ago and that our elected officials have been keeping it @deep, dark secret. How else could they, in good conscience have allowed all that development at such a rapid pace? Imagine our surprise, Mr. Editor, when. we read in the press a few short months ago, that the problem had reached crisis proportions and we were requested to mitigate our distress by using less water. We were prohibited from watering lawns, washing boats and cars and indulging in any’ other such frivolous activities. However, the Sidney Waterworks district is not ungenerous, and our flower and vegetable gardens will be spared, pending the need for further restrictions. Now we have been informed that the wasteful people of Sidney have failed to co- operate. Naturally the residents have failed to co- operate! Who listened to them, when they asked their representitives to practice restraint? How dare the water board issue threats when for so long, it has been irresponsible in its duty to its citizens. Long-time residents of the area, have a strong claim and | indeed, a moral right to the -available water resources. The new resident have an even greater claim and need, for they have been allowed to come here under false pretences. They received their permits in the belief that there was an adequate domestic water-supply. Naturally water boards do not issue permits, if they can’t deliver the goods. municipal officials, from their wealth of planning experience are generally aware of the fact that new housing developments, initially present an extra drain on existing systems and supplies. This is not only due toa rapid increase in numbers, but also because of the new arrivals’ need to plant and develop trees, Shrubs, lawns and garden plots. What are the new residents asked to do now? Watch their investments in time, effort, money and aesthetic pleasure shrivel in the heat? It’s not their fault that the water supply is inadequate to meet the needs of the population. Before Sidney Waterworks. District takes drastic action and cuts off the water-supply all together, perhaps it would be good enough to tell con- sumers (and over-consumers alike) how much is “too much’’. We have been told not to wash our cars, but how will we know when we have ex- ceeded our quota? Surely we will be given some clear guidelines before we are punished for our crimes. How is’ the ‘‘spot- check’’system, Mr. Gibbs speaks of going to be carried out? By comparative studies of users past consuption? We are pleased to note that the Sidney Waterworks District is so liberally endowed with Staff. However, in case they have not noticed, this Summer has been dry and frightfully hot. Now, what happens is Mary and the five growing children turn up for a long visit? That would really in- crease water consumption even in the smallest ‘household. Let’s hope Of- ficialdom will check —before they lower the boom. It will be a busy season for all. Of course, we could ask Mary and the kids to stay on the Prairies till next Summer, when we will have the problem solved. Municipal officials should be prepared to check the water-consumption patterns of all its users or forget the entire idea. The time for issuing unenforcable threats is over. Council and the water board, along with its employees, must act responsibly and in unison to convince the citizens that they can and will do something to overcome this long-standing problem. Stop the building program. Stop issuing water permits. Say it and mean it. The administration’s first and most important com- mitment must be to the tax- payers already living in the area, and not to those from whom it hopes to garner ad- ditional revenue in the future. Residents will offer more co- operation when they sincerely believe that officials respect the wishes of the people. Several of us still remember the unselfish efforts of the Greater Victoria area residents to save the salmon run in the Goldstream river a few years ago. They saved alot of water that year. People will always rise to the challenge, if they are satisfied _ with the reason. Mrs. Joan Buckingham 2513 Amherst LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Editor, The Review, Sir: No one, I am certain, in their right senses, would buy those tasteless imported berries (and other fruits and vegetables) if they could buy our own beautiful fresh local grown ones, if they were easier to obtain. “Pick-your- own’ is fine for younger people, but a bit hard on older persons. : So, come on you farmers, UNITE and get organized ona central place to bring all that bounty for our own good soil and toil, and we, the con- sumers, will tell the super- markets what they can do with all their stale, imported, limp, tasteless produce! Yours hopefully Eleanor Cringar 6311 Rudolph Road Editor, The Review Sir: I have a collection of ex- pensive plants at Sidney. These were in Victoria Thursday where I hoped to pick them up, and would have done so had I received the customary courtesy phone call. Presumably Victoria thought to do me a favour. I got notice by mail, Saturday, that parcel was to be picked up at Sidney Customs House. Verifying parcel was at Sidney, phoned I would be right down. “‘Oh no: we are not open for business on Saturday”. This was an equivocation; there they were doing business at the ferry dock everyday. I finally gathered that for this service they were not open for business; this being Saturday holiday. I spoke to the effect that I would like to get delivery and wondered if officialism had ever heard of Shakespeare’s dictum, ‘‘to do a great right, do a little wrong’. How futile. Shaw NORTH SAANICH | a ST. ANDREW’S CHURCH 8:00a.m. Holy Communion fr: THE PARISH OF © Sunday, August 3, 1975 3rd. St., Sidney 2 Blocks S of Beacon \ {i} —— 11:15 a.m. Holy Com- : i cama 11:15a.m. Morning Prayer cess L | Rey. Ivan Futter 5 i ys aa 652-2812 HOLY TRINITY CHURCH | tm Patricia Bay | A += ASSEMBLY OF GOD West Saanich & Mills H (P.A.0.C.) . :00.a.m, 4 9182 E. Saanich Rd. ee med oly Communion | | = North off McTavish 10:00a.m. Family Service Rey. Chas. Barker, Pastor | and F lower Festival \ —___——_- . AY Ss Phone 656-2545 = See s : Rector Rey. Robert Sanson = Sunday, August 3, 1975 656-4870 656-5322 | leyra\e 9:45 a.m. Sunday School S AL? ~ , 11:00a.m. Worship service Wit Ganon 2 ; COMMUNION OME TOBOTH FOR —SIONEY Review - 7:00p.m. Gospel outreach CHURCHES THE VALUE OF AN FROM BROOKLYN, EX? NICE BRIDGE You-Fou