Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - June 23, 1981, Winnipeg, Manitoba 6 Winnipeg free press tuesday june Winnipeg free press Freedom of Trade Equality of civil rights Liberty of religion published and printed six Days a week at 300 Carlton Street. Winnipeg r3c 3c1 by Canadian newspapers company limited Telephone 343-9331 Donald Nicol publisher John Dafoe editorial Page editor Murray Bur managing editor editorials propping up textiles five years ago when the Federal government imposed strict and costly quotas on foreign imports of clothing and textiles canadians were assured that this was the last Chance for the Canadian Industry. It was to be Given five to modernize to become efficient and capable of Orting with foreign Competition. After that it was to be forced to stand on its own feet without further government help. Latest announcement at least Abandons the pretence that Protection for the Industry is temporary. The govern ment Wilt continue the quotas for a further five years. It will provide the Industry with million to expand and to Jho itemize. But this time there is no suggestion that five years Down the Road the Industry will be any better placed to meet foreign Competition than it is today. The Clear Assumption is that the Canadian textile Industry will remain protected and subsidized to the Cost both of Canadian Consumers and the people of the third world for All time to come. The textile policy of course conflicts with two of the most ballyhooed aspects of the present government s policy the National Indus trial strategy and the support of the new world economic order. The Industrial strategy is supposed to encourage a Transfer a manpower and resources to the industries of the future. The textile policy at a Cost of a Quarter of a billion dollars to the taxpayers and about a year in higher costs for every Canadian family encourages expansion of an which is largely unable to compete on the world scene and which will always pay relatively Low wages. There is an area in which Canadian textiles can compete in world terms and some Winnipeg firms Are doing so successfully. But most of the Industry survives Only because of massive Protection and continuing that Protection into the indefinite future will Only add one More Roadblock to the modernization of the Canadian Economy. It is particularly ironic that the new quotas should be imposed just a month before prime minister Trudeau plays Host to the leaders of the world s most economically advanced nations at the Ottawa Summit. Or. Trudeau plans to lecture the world s leaders on the duty of the Rich nations to help the countries of the third world break out of the Cycle of underdevelopment and poverty. He will no doubt Point out to them that fairer terms of Trade Are every bit As important As Aid in achieving that end. He will presumably not Point out that Canada s textile policy is the exact opposite of what he is preaching. Even if he does not the message May still get through. A week before the Ottawa Summit a conference in Geneva will begin renegotiation of the International Multi Fibre agree ment. Spokesmen for the textile exporting nations of the third world have already served notice that they will go to that meeting seeking better Access to the markets of the economically advanced nations. They will Campaign against the restrictions imposed by the Rich countries in North America and Europe against their exports. Canada can expected to come in for its share of criticism. It May be As employment minister Lloyd a worthy claims that Canada s quotas Are More lenient than those of most other industrialized nations. On the other hand most of the nations do not have leaders who continually proclaim their dedication to the interests of the third world. We Are riot any worse than the others just More hypocritical. France s socialist Triumph Francois Mitterrand has decisively demonstrated his Domestic political strength by bringing in on his coattails a socialist coalition majority to France s parliament. Foreign leaders May worry about some of his programs but they cannot delude themselves that the French electorate has any doubts about whether he should be Given the Chance to try them out. Most satisfying for or. Mitterrand is the crushing setback to the communists. Having lost half their previous seats in parliament they have no Power to dictate policy. The president May see a political need to give them a handful of Junior Cabinet posts not to buy their support but to make it difficult for them to disrupt his program with strikes since they retain their influence in several major unions. The non socialists who support Jacques Chirac and Valery Giscard d Estwing also lost nearly half their former seats. An enhanced turnout in the second round 75.8 per cent com pared to 70.9 per cent in the first Grey Day on which Middle class voters presumably did not want to go to the Countryside did not have the effect hoped for by or. Chirac. Instead the extra voters confirmed the first round verdict they want to give or. Mitterrand a Chance to succeed or fail. The president s policy moves now will repay close Obser vation. His declared Short term goal is to Cut unemployment. Intrigue higly he is reducing pension and health insurance charges on pay cheques hoping that this will encourage business to hire More workers. Such High charges have been described by French businessmen As one of the reasons for 7.5 per cent unemployment. His medium term goal includes taking into state ownership the few Banks and Industrial groups that were not previously nationalized by conservative governments. It is not yet Clear that he will feel the need to go All the Way with this strategy. There is after All the nearby example of Britain s labor party whose bloodcurdling election manifestos calling for state grabs of almost everything rarely earn More than lip service from elected labor governments. Lip service to Competition bureaucracy in the North the Ottawa bureaucrats who populate the department of Indian affairs seem to have no idea of the problems facing anyone who builds in the North. They seem to think that a decision to construct Northern buildings can be made without regard to weather transportation or available labor. After All buildings Are built in Ottawa year round and Why should things be different elsewhere Northern Manitoba has been Short of several badly needed schools on the Cross Lake Reserve at Shamattawa and at god s River for much longer than necessary. As Well the school at Pukatawagan needs a water system. At Nelson House the school was destroyed last september. If plans to replace it proceed at the same Pace As the others it will be years before adequate provision is made for the pupils. The delay is not As it might be suspected due to Lack of funds. It is due to what the director general of Indian affairs in Winnipeg Brian Veinot describes As excessive Bureau cratic questioning of the plans that have been submitted to Ottawa for approval. The situation has deteriorated to the Point where if a decision cannot be made soon construction will be delayed for another full year. In the North building materials have to be moved during the summer construction has to take place mostly during warm weather or the costs escalate beyond reason. It May be that the grounds for complaint depend on who is doing the talking. People on the reserves often complain that the delays they experience in dealing with the Winnipeg office Are As bad As the delays the Winnipeg bureaucrats complain of in their dealings with Ottawa. However it is unusual for a regional bureaucrat to Point to his colleagues in the nation s capital As being responsible for unnecessary delays in the construction of schools that have been left inbuilt so Long that they have already been the subject of National exposure on a television network. By w. A. Wilson special to the free press Ottawa through the 10-year Effort to devise new Competition legis lation the government s aim has been laudable to establish the Legal Frame work that would encourage a general environment of healthy Competition and prevent or discourage attempts to thwart it. The controversy has never been Over goals but Over methods and in its current approach the government has backed off from approaches that were found to create excessive bureaucratic Powers often with no provision for Appeal against the Way they were used. This time the government accepts that enforcement must be left to the courts. That reversion to tradition is a consid Erable step Forward. Predatory in theory the government is not at tempting to act against Mere bigness in itself in the corporate world but against unacceptable ways of conducting Busi Ness so called predatory Competition. So Long As a sensible distinction can be maintained Between actions that amount to legitimate even if very Tough Competition and those that really Are predatory that is the direct Ion in which we should move. Many businessmen and lawyers Are concerned Over the government s de termination to include new rules on joint monopolies the situation where perhaps four Large firms control most of the Market. It seems to be a fair generalization to say that the business Community would prefer that this sort of situation should be regulated by Laws prohibiting conspiracy to limit Competition even with Strong criminal sanctions whereas the government sees a need to act against certain sorts of common practices even if no element of conspiracy is present. In determining a general policy on Competition any government needs first of All to be Clear itself about How much Competition it wants and what sort of consequences it is ready to accept As the outcome. The North american automobile and farm machinery industries Are current cases which illustrate How difficult it is to be sure. By the standards of the legislation now being considered the automobile Industry has certainly developed into a joint monopoly. The condition of Chrysler Ford and american motors is evidence that a High degree of Competition has remained despite the dominance of the Market by four companies. If a govern ment really wants Competition to work for the Sake of economic efficiency and presumed consumer benefits then it probably must not Rescue the failures. Unjustified in this Case the Rescue operations on behalf of Chrysler and in the machinery Industry Massey Ferguson cannot be justified. Governments did come to their Aid out of concern for employ ment although the magnitude of this Factor was probably greatly exaggerated. If the two governments had been hard boiled and allowed these firms to collapse in their present form the total number of jobs affected probably would not have been great although there certainly would have been Short term disruption in the labor Market. Health Ier companies would have picked up the pieces and Long term Job prospects might actually have been much better than they Are now for the employees of these companies. Cold wind almost More important is the ques Tion of japanese car exports to North America. In this Case economic efficiency and consumer Benefit Means the production of a different sort of car a Field in which the japanese got far ahead of the North american manufacturers. It is not Competition legislation or worry Over joint monopolies that will produce the results we want it is the cold wind of Competition from the Japa Nese manufacturers. The North american steel Industry is another Case in Point of particular interest to Canada. This is a Field in which Canadian productivity is exceptionally High while the american Indus try has lagged behind. If the americans really want a More efficient Industry their answer is to Stop protecting inefficiency. None of this is to question the need for sound Competition legislation but to argue that the problem does not Stop there and to suggest that we need to be much clearer than we Are about what we really want. Disparaging while i can sympathize with the need of Argyle school for its own building i feel disappointed with the reasons cited by principal Charles pol Cjon in the article Argyle school principal Hopes to rid school of North end free press june the most disparaging of or. Polcyn s comments was we can t allow that having fewer students from areas other than the North end to happen because it limits students to the North end View of this statement perpetuates the myth that North Enders Are somehow inferior citizens a kind of stereotyping that should definitely exist in a Public school. If school teachers and administrators Are to View the residents of an area As limited in scope then what message Are they giving to the students that they teach Why they choose to perpetuate the myth that the North end is a one Way Street of violence poverty and despondency and neglect the strength diversity and acceptance of the area is beyond me. I teach in the North end and i am proud of our children and their parents. I do not feel that they nor i need suffer any More disparaging comments made by educators. Joe Mclellan Winnipeg students Argyle school successful school the staff and students who have been involved with Argyle High school in the past and present Are concerned with the possible misinformation contained in the recent free relat ing to the adult education school use of the elementary school at 30 Argyle Street. If As a portion of your article suggests Argyle May have a bad image for some people and it has been used As an alternative such perceptions were not a result of the educational program at Argyle alter native school. In the past eight years of successful school operation students did not encounter any difficulties in travelling to or leaving the school. Transit connections were More than adequate and the location was an asset. The High school programs that were offered were exciting and Drew Stu dents from All Over the City and coun try. Students completed their courses of study and went on to higher Educa Tion or to work. For them the image of Argyle alternative High school was one of a dedicated concerned staff and hardworking students struggling to re enter the mainstream of society. For students it was a school that provided acceptance and the Opportunity for Aca Demic Success. It was an alternative High school that provided choices for students in deter mining How to fulfil their life goals. In our new location at 444 Flora Avenue Argyle High school operates in a Simi Lar fashion. We continue to offer pro Grams that enable students to graduate from High school obtain upgrading to High school Levels or Complete specific courses. We Are still a Small High school that attempts to personalize and individualize its programs to meet the needs of its students. We Are sure whatever adult Educa Tion program is located at the 30 Argyle Street school it will find the facilities adequate and the surroundings Posi Tive. Charles Polcyn principal Argyle High school Winnipeg letters the Winnipeg free press welcomes letters from readers. Writers must give their name and address. The author s name will be used and letters Are subject to editing. Talking to statues nefarious schemes its salaries i read with interest an editorial of june 1 entitled fair pay for technicians. It is my opinion that if you Are going to present an article such As this that you should have clearly defined the descriptive terms of technician and technologist. In the medical radiation technology Field we do not have the category of technician. All of our members Are certified by the Canadian association of medical radiation technologists having written an examination in radiography nuclear Medicine radiotherapy and Are registered members of the Manitoba association of medical radiation technologists. The current situation so far Assa Laries and conditions of employment for medical radiation technologists and other health care professionals Are concerned indicates that a great Deal of difficulty is being experienced in negotiations for collective agreements. Health care workers always seem to be in a catch up position in the matter of salaries. Significantly salary in creases of up to 40 per cent Are not unusual in recent settlements across the country. The Manitoba association of medical radiation technologists has a membership of 600 practising registered technologists in 139 health facilities in Urban Rural and Northern Manitoba. One Hundred of these members Are represented by the Manitoba paramedical association by the Manitoba government employees association 73 by the Canadian Union of Public employees six by the Public service Alliance of Canada 16 by the Manitoba Organiza Tion of nurses associations contrary to your statement that its have not and should not expect salary parity with nurses it is a fact that its have traditionally been paid on a Par with rns. At one time its were paid More because of the then considered radiation health Hazard involved in the profession. Several years ago due to the proliferation of Trade unions in hospitals a situation existed where orderlies and cleaning staff salaries surpassed those of the in and it. This does not negate the importance of orderlies and clean ing staff in hospitals but it seems that those who have the direct responsibility for the patients Well being and care whether it be on the Ward the operating room or in the a Ray nuclear Medicine or cancer treatment depart ments should be paid according to that responsibility. The phenomenal pay increase won by the Manitoba Hospital nurses is in my View not so phenomenal. In today s society the care of your material pos sessions whether it be the car washing machine or to will Cost per hour. When the care of your health is considered the grand sum of the pres ent hourly wages of a nurse i and ii effective april is to per hour to per hour to september 1981 to per hour to january 1982 after four years nurse ii to nurse v effective april 1, 1981 to per hour to per hour to september 1981 to per hour to january 1982. Recognition of the health care prob lems that exist the free Exchange of thoughts and proposals can Only enhance our Pursuit of excellence in patient service. After All is said done and written the prime responsibility of the nurse and technologist is the welfare of the patient. Cora Mackay it Western representative personnel practices committee cart Winnipeg the Lyon government s failure to adjust to the ill effects of its new education support program is in Clear conflict with its duty and responsibility to govern in the Best interest of All. When the Community of Transcona calculates its losses including Dol Lars coming off our own property to fund the new program and the loss of Revenue from Industry in the rest of Winnipeg which we Are paying for but not benefiting from the special Levy in Transcona goes up 77 per cent from million to million. The facts of the situation Are staff people serving our division Are several percentage Points lower in salary than the highest spending divisions in the metro area our special Levy the High est in the metro area is 12 Mills higher than these divisions and our ability to collect future assessment or tax dollars is less than half of the highest spending divisions. The Transcona problem does not arise As the government suggests out of spending too Many dollars. It is because we have too Large a share of the City s educational requirement and too Small a share of the City s tax base under the government s new program. Talking to the Lyon government is like talking to the statue at the Corner of Portage and main and just about As useful. We feel we Are being treated As second class citizens. Mary Andree . Marshall an article entitled newest lottery proves hottest ticket in town should raise an outcry from a Good Many concerned citizens. Government sponsored lotteries should never be condoned As they Are a shameful Way to raise funds allegedly for Good purposes. Now we have raves about instant winning tic tac toe lotteries to further bilk the Public. It seems a doubtful practice to set out deliberately to make gamblers of the people on the Street Many of whom might never learn the habit otherwise. And so often the ticket buyers Are those with Small incomes hoping against Hope for a Bonanza but once hooked their Money trickles steadily Down the Drain. Even the amount allocated to Gbo a works is inadequate enough to condemn such fund raising tactics. Forty five per cent goes for Cash prizes 10 per cent for administration advertising Etc. And 14 per cent for wholesale and retail expenses. That adds up to 69 per cent leaving 31 per cent for projects and social services. Big Deal Bingo and lotteries will always have their devotees but government should be above sponsoring such nefarious schemes. Olive Fairhall Killavey Man volunteers praised i ran with several thousand others in the Manitoba Marathon and i am sure that my feelings Are the same As most of them. Although i did not finish i could not have made it As far As i did without the help of two groups of peo ple. First the volunteers and secondly the spectators along the Way who were probably More helpful than they realized with their applause and cheerful comments offering encouragement to Many when they needed it. John Paton Winnipeg let me through. I m a ;