Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - February 23, 1980, Winnipeg, Manitoba Free feb Fulty 23 Winnipeg free press of Trade duality of a Lull rights Liberty of religion published six Days a week at 300 car Tofi Winnipeg r3c 3c1 by Western limited Telephone 9439331 second class mall registration number 0286 Bonab Micol publisher Malone chairman John Battje Edify real editor Mursay 6urt managing editor Peter my Lutock editor 6ffl6rrtus Shel orb president general manager forum Gferry frees Pierre Trudeau and his new Cabi tet return to their to faces of parliament Mill next first task facing item will be Oil living up to the implied promises of see Elee Tiofil Campaign at the same unset doing what is a right for the will not be Peter Lougheed of Alberta has already served Totice that he will not accept Trudeau proposal of a a tended Domestic Oil Price which combines a Low Price for already discovered Oil with a higher Price for imports and hew Lougheed position is understandable under that almost All of the til would be in Alberta while the High priced supplies could from the Arctic or even the device should have no More Appeal to Oil Consumers in other provinces apart from Chi Selling it does nothing in itself to Deal with the problems of Energy in apply and other aspects of Lougheed Energy statement Ikeem equally me wants his province to get As much Revenue from the new Oil Deal As it would from Tife agreement which was aborted by the Federal he to consider variations in the agreement so Long As Lambert ans get the he carefully avoided bombast Tor threats of turning off the Oil taps if his province did not get its Way but his position on this occasion is eminently reasonable that even Beholden though he is to can scarcely reject if he and if he were to carry out the election threat of his ministers to use Federal emergency Powers against the producing the damage to the Unity of Canada would be immense and the upshot is that canadians Are Likely to find themselves paying just As much for Energy Over the next five years under a Liberal Gove Ternent As they would have under the the difference will be that the liberals will attempt to hide More of the Cost by doing will make our dependence on imports progressively More Trudeau has already made it Clear that his govern ment will not go ahead with the 18cent excise tax on but his government will still have to find the billions of dollars which must come from the Public Treasury every year to subsidise More than half the Cost of Oil imports to Eastern me can get it by raising other which would be less equitable than a tax on or he can further increase the horrendous budget though going into debt to encourage of scarce Petroleum is As close to madness As any govern ment could come whatever course he canadians will end up paying the the one other Way in which Trudeau can make canadians believe they Are paying less for their gasoline is to reduce the share of the proposed Price increase that goes to the Federal that would Meari less Money for conservation and less for the development of alternative Energy it would bring closer the Day when we would run but of it would in the Long a High Price to pay for an irresponsible election stick to the Boycott v Joe Clarks deadline for a Canadian decision on taking part Moscow olympics has passed and that decision is now up to Pierre the evidence available Trudeau a sudden conver Slon late in the Campaign to a Boycott if but not necessarily a Boycott gives Little indication that he will show a decisiveness similar to that of Clark proposed the Boycott in reaction to the december 27 soviet invasion of he said that if the soviets did not withdraw their invasion army by february and if he were he would ask Canadian athletes to stay away from the Moscow his reasoning was that while this might not cause the soviets to pull out one it would publicly Register Canadas deep repugnance to this violation of the National sovereignty of a third world in this action he was in step with the United whose president made a similar declaration which Isnow being new saudi Ara Chile and Australia have said that they will not compete in Moscow under current the european economic to which is debating the question against the background of a majority vote in the european parliament in Strasbourg that called on dec governments to urge a Boycott of the games by their standing out against firm dec action is which has deplored the invasion but which also regards it As a soviet afghan problem that need not concern the West Germany has deplored the invasion but has been ambivalent about a Boycott because of worries about losing a Carter administration spokesman says that 23 countries have publicly said that they will Boycott the 13 have said privately that they favor a Boycott and 19 More countries Are leaning in that the numbers Are important in View of the result of mondays Clark had an unequivocal position on the by he would have declared that Canada should not participate because no soviet troops have been Trudeau position is very when Clark first stated his support for either a move of the games from Moscow or a Trudeau said he opposed a As the Campaign went it became Clear that Public sentiment was swinging in favor of Clarks Boycott Trudeau trimmed his position to fit the swing in Public he said that he was now in favor of a but his support was conditional upon agreement by the seven leading Industrial plus a sizeable number of Canadas nato Many countries from the third these conditions Are obviously his escape Hatch for repudiating his Boycott Promise since it is known that Many african countries plan to go to apparently feeling less distaste for the soviet attack on Afghanistan than for the new zealand sports connections with South Africa that led to Black african withdrawals from the 1976 Montreal the 1976 olympics provide a Sharp reminder of the bizarre Lacuna in Trudeau logic when he was Early in the that sports and politics should not be he personally mixed sports and politics in 1976 when he suddenly made it impossible for Taiwan to compete at the fact remains that today nothing has changed in Afghanistan the Likely Outlook is for More soviet troops to go the moral reason for a Canadian Boycott is As Strong now As it was when Clark first announced Trudeau should go ahead with the and then my heart with pleasure fills when budgets were simpler paying More for taxis rising costs of doing business and an eve increasing Cost of living affect the owners and Drivers of taxis As much As they do everyone on that highways minister Don Orchard was justified in agreeing to the increase in taxi fares that had been demanded by the greater Winnipeg taxicab association and which will take effect March Orchard was also in requesting the Manitoba taxicab Board to review the performance of the cab companies in it is a frequently heard complaint that taxi service in Winnipeg is among the worst in or even North taxis Are often Drivers Are often worst of service is often disgracefully the Way to improve this situation May be to provide More Winnipeg has far fewer cabs per capita than most other cities of comparable size in owners and Drivers say that to increase the number of cabs would mean that they would not be Able to make a living the Board should investigate Why this is the Case in if other cities can support a greater number of if it is the the Board should take Steps to ensure that taxi service in Winnipeg is improved to the maximum extent that the number of taxis the owners and Drivers of taxis Are entitled to a living but they Are not entitled to it simply because they happen to own or drive a As Long As there is a restriction on the number of cabs allowed to operate in the they have a duty to provide polite and efficient service for the Money they the Public has a right to expect that they and Orchard and the Manitoba taxicab Board have the responsibility to ensure that they by Peter Mclintock it was a budget the second Ever to be Defeated in 4he House of commons that brought about the downfall of the conservatives and the election of february it May be a budget that will prove to be one of the first headaches for the newly elected Liberal adminis the new minister of whoever he May will have to Cope with such matters As the Price of Energy Inas much As John Crosbie 18 cents excise tax will be missing and provide for the promised a month for needy pen he will have to worry about the Revenue shortfall that would have resulted from the conservatives mortgage tax Relief promised to life simpler As he struggles with his the minister if he is of an historical turn of turn Back to Days when Canada was smaller in when life was and a Dollar was Worth a take the budget of presented in May of that by sir George Eulas minister of finance in sir Mackenzie Howells conservative and in those Days Canada had about five million compared with some 24 million that total estimated spending of the Federal government was just under the governments spending for As estimated in Crosbie late lamented was or about it is interesting to note that As recently As 1963 government spending was in the neighbourhood of just this Means on a per capita in 1895 was spending about for every woman and child in the figure today is around in those As the National debt weighed heavily on the govern ments out of the estimated million of government a third million marked to pay charges on the Public today interest and service charges on the debt Are on a percentage this does not look too in 33 cents of each Dollar the government spent went to service the debt today that figure is Down about 17 other spending before the turn of the Century included million on the Post office which was also a source of million to the provinces today it is around million for railways and and million for defence and the Public works got million houses and coastal services about half of that fisheries about the same immigration and agriculture and statistics if spending was on a Small scale those consequently was reve in 1895 there were no income or corporation taxes income tax now brings in about million a corporation taxes Mil the government then got its Money from three main sources Cus excise and Small deficit in the year ending when the 1895 budget came customs brought in excise mis Cellaneous including the Post another that year the government was forced to operate with a Small deficit of around million peanuts compared to present Day deficits in double digit As finance ministers of that time were not above working a Little politics into their economic sir George noted Between 1874 and exports and imports debt interest rates went Sav Ings fell but Between 1889 and exports and imports Tariff collections the debt went but Only savings went needless to say the former period the country had a Liberal in the a conservative sugar problem if the new minister of finance has to struggle with blended prices for Gaso line and How to make the liberals look better on Gas prices than the conserva his predecessor in 1895 also had his they were with in 1891 the government had removed the tax on raw and Over the years this had meant a saving to the consumer of nearly the government intended to reimpose the tax not at the old of but at on third of the amount in effect before this would give the government an extra million in what it would do to the Price of sugar sir George did not say but a few sentences later he admitted that since the duty was Back on it would also have to be reimposed on items containing like condensed biscuits and so at the same a Bounty of two cents a which had been Given sugar beet growers when the duty on raw sugar was would be reduced to one cent but half a cent would be added by Way of thus sir George reimposed the duty on sugar and Cut the Bounty to beet growers while making it appear As if the government were conferring a Boon on consumer and grower if the new minister of finance can Only show equal ingenuity with Gas prices car rentals re Fred Cleverley article of Jan uary 31 car insurance loopholes trap tourists in you refer to major firms such As Hertz and Avis and to Low Cost outfits that offer unbelievable package Many tourists May not be familiar with the firms Alamo car rental or greyhound car rental who offer unbelievable deals in Many travel agents utilize these two companies almost exclusively in Florida to the Benefit of their on checking with these companies they stated that when a customer chases the additional collision damage waiver cd insurance at per Day there would be no charge to them or their personal insurance company if totally wrote off the when not purchasing the cd the rental Price includes Public liability and property damage insurance excluding the first in this Case they will ask for the name of the customers per Sonal insurance a spokesman for Alamo Renta although he cannot speak for every rental Agency in stated that he was aware of the Law but he had never heard of a customer who was carrying the cd insurance receiving any claim or charge to himself or his insurance tourists May have been alarmed by this 1 would like to Point out that a client need Only ask his travel agent to Reserve a car with an established car rental Agency using primary Lorna Berg Industry affairs Manitoba travel Industry Winnipeg letters the press welcomes letters from the authors name will be and All letters Are subject to time to reflect most canadians Are proud of their country and Are looking Back with respect and admiration on our predecessors their their determination to meet the challenges of their High regard for moral standards and their sharing of Community values built can Adas be it in the East or in the High moral and physical were the requirements for survival and for they were tested by the burning Sun and by the freezing by Forest fires and ice they had to shoot rapids and Brave seemingly endless in Many they had to survive on their own As families or Small without being Able to count on help from the respect for human dignity and Freedom had a High priority in their social develop they endowed us canadians by birth or by Choice with one of the most viable countries of our times a country where natures harshness is mostly where resources Are enriching our Quality of life a society in which we still enjoy More More Security a higher Standard of living than most people in the Why is it that despite such exceptionally favourable More and More canadians feel Inse disappointed or even Why ire they losing their Faith in a Slabie future for our collectivity Why Are they Jepe Ritey looking for new patterns of life As groups or scattered we must suffer the consequences of our Long lasting a flu of our society so Long untested As a we too Are affected by the miseries of a rapidly changing we Are not immune against the germs of societies sur rounding new or revitalized Reju revenge and plotting for tendencies to exploit the the use of double standards Are slowly infiltrating Canadian they Are seeping into and slowing filling the vacuum which has been created by the permissive attitude of Pur last two is the elimination of prayers from our schools the right remedy to our As some like to or would it Lead to less controllable new prejudices did the debasement of National and patriotic values raise us above the moral behaviour of other As some did or did it leave us with became an invitation to a creeping fragmentation of collective identities within the country More and More Xanadu ans Are concerned about this they Are realizing that potential Gers cannot be ignored and hat the answer to eur problems lies in the honest updating of our social values and members of the Canada an citizenship Tion do among the first was ready to accept the Challenge of our society the Chal Lenge to tame and Mold human As once the Pioneer of the had Joess the Lorclei of today we harness human including our we have to curb pretexts for prejudices we have to trim our greed for More affluence we have to build dams against the tide of Lawless Ness and we have to Bridge distances Between Drifting apart it will not be because All our prob lems Are interlocked with an obsession of self complacent following the tense Days of an elec Tion Campaign and facing even More tensions before and after Quebec i wish to invite All fellow citizens to reflect upon the challenges of our time arid to accept them in the spirit of the Nicolas Zsolnay president Canadian citizenship federation Quebec much ado Barbara Cansino used to write a fairly interesting she seems to be really pressed for her columns have become a series of nothing incidents padded out to fill up her allotted barbaras column of february took the prize for much ado about three quarters of it was a list of names of former students of the University of at that if she to go on to include the University of Manitoba and the univer sity of she should have material for All of her columns for then for 1991 theres All former Stu dents from All the colleges in Ontario and for Norma Whitfield Winnipeg familiar idea according to a report on Csc evening news on february a committee in the township of love in Saskatchewan resolved that habitual welfare recipients who could but will might be sterilized As a last what a useful concept just think of the possibilities such a policy would open up to any Powers that should such an idea Ever become for if one had sufficient one could sterilize those who habitually disagreed with ones poli of life or once the idea became really Community leaders could neutralize those who stubbornly re fused to speak or even look like nor Mal members of their some the idea sounds William petr1e Winnipeg Lucky congratulations on the amusing Arti Cle about dauphins political wonderfully amusing a Bright spot in a Dull you Are fortunate to have Ingeborg Boyens on your Dora Maybank Winnipeg Karolina Winnipeg born Stein february he mapped since ;