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PAGE 4, WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 1, 1982, WIITBY FREE 'k1S whitby Voice of the County Town1 The only Whitby newspaper indenendentiv n r Michael lan Burgess, Publîsher - Managing Editor n-d .a o... . n n . - mu iiiul u k., uuy niL.i w.u.. ,... .-.. for111J ~bUEL iur tbyresidents. Published every Wednesday by M.B.M. Publishing and Photography Inc. Phone 668-6111 The sree Press Building, 131 Brock Street North, PO. Box 206, Whltby, Ont. ReglstratlonNo. 5351 LESLIE BUTLER Community Editor ELIZABETH NOZDRYN AdvertIsIng Manager Second Class Mail III Let an objective body set wages for council Reglonai council's annual salary review came and went this year with the usual distaste. Ail those in favour of an increase argued it is deserved, needed and of minute impact on region- al taxpayers. At least one astute counclilor point- ed out low salaries are a deterent to the less afflu- ent who might consider running for reglonal council. Ail those opposed discoursed eloquently on the need for restraint, and the necessity of setting an example to the public by freezing wages. They argued that the majority of councillors have other Professionals c An interesting trend has surfaced in this year's United Way campaign. So far, the most generous donors to the fund have been unions and public employees. Among the least generous have been the medical, legal and engineering professions. There may be a good reason for this. Perhaps the professionals are waiting for the end of the year to determine what their tax deductible gift will be. Maybe they give to charities not contained in the United Way umbrella. Perhaps they have merely procrastinated. Per- sources of income to supplement their council wages. Accusations of "greediness", "hypocrisy" and "spinelessness" ran like an electric current beneath the composed exteriors of council mem- bers, accenting the touchiness of the Issue. After all, not very rnany people like to discuss how much they earn, especially if they collectively determine what their wage will be. Which brings us to the point. Should elected members determine what the annual stipend will be? an afford to give haps they need an extra push. Or maybe they're Just tired of being asked for charity, and don't in- tend to contribute to improved social services in Durham Region. Whatever the reason, it is disheartening to see the group so traditionally "pro-choice" opt out of making a contribution of their own volition. It is difficuit to believe these professionals can not afford to give their fair share. At least in the days of feudalism there was "noblesse oblige" to spark generosity from the af- fluent. Today we depend on their humanity, which, like the economy, appears to be at low tide. Would it not be in the better interest of both the public and the politicians if an impartial commit- tee of elected members, staff and taxpayers were to settie the remuneration issue each year? This has been suggested on ail levels of govern- ment, but so fa the politicians are reluctant to give up controi of the r wages. One council member last week muttered angri- ly, "We're damned if we do, and we're damned if we don't". As long as elected members control their salaries, this political maxim will continue to be true. Perhaps the problemis that the solutionis too simple. In this case, however, the simple solution would save everyone a lot of time, trouble and needless backbiting. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Dear Sir: Last week I cali- ed Ms. Joan Rans- berry to object to her editoriail in the Whitby News-Ad- vertiser dated November 24, 1982. In particular, i ob- lected-to her com- ments on WASPs at Queen's Park. i pointed out that remarks made about other ethnic groups would not go without censure. She disagreed, but suggested i write her a letter stating my objections. i replied it would be a waste of a stamp. At that point she said, "thank-you" and abruptly hung up. i then phoned her editor, Mr. Alex Law, complaining of her attitude and repeating my con- cerns. Ms. Ransberry apparently told Mr. Law that I had said it was a waste of a stamp, but not "a waste of a bullet". Ms. Ransberry does herself and her profession a disservice by such- a blatant lie, and she obviously has a high opinion of her own importance. K. Barton, 57 Michael Blvd., Whitby. I have finally managed to get ri y hands on Francis Fox's cabinet paper on broadcasting stategy. I agree with his premise, which is, roughly speaking, that if we don't do. something to stimulate quality Canadian TV production to compete with the American variety, we will soon lose the will to survive as a country. But I don't agree with some of Mr. Fox's strategy. For some reason i can't quite fathom, Mr. Fox seems to feel that putting more Cana- dian drama in prime time, on the private networks, is the key to our salvation. He proposes to do this by making seed money aVailable for Canadian dramatic production. The Minister concedes that the money he's earmarked isn't nearly enough for making Canadian dramaso attrac- tive it could compete nose-to-nose with the slick American product. And he must also realize that if he forces private networks to pack their mostlucrative sales periods with Canadian drama that isn't of American quali- ty, the private operators will go bust. And that, in my view, is where the Fox strategy falls down. You can't decree that water will run uphill, or that Canadians will watch Canadiandrama. And if the private networks are to stay in business, you can't condemn thern to peddle a product that experience shows won't generate a pro- fitable audience. In any structure to protect the Canadian identity, it seems to me that the CBC must be the cor- nerstone. It should get out of the commercial market place and concentrate on quality Canadian programming of ail kinds, including drama. If the CBC is good enough, if it devotes itself to excellence, the people who are the backbone of Canadian society will watch it, and we'Il hang on to the country. Furthermore, the greatest teaching force on God's green earth is not the pedagogical directive, but the power of example. Freeing the CBC to set a national example would do more for the overall quali- ty of Canadian broadcasting than ail the uneconomic regulation the Minister is capable of writing. Instead of telling the private broadcasters to make water run uphill, the Minister might consider easing the restrictions in the entertainment area, and making them improve their per- formance in the one area of Canadian programming that is marketable. The only Canadian programming that Cana- dians consistently prefer to the imported variety is news and information. And the Canadian appetite is growing constantly. Let the CBC protect our identity through the pursuit of excellence. Let the private broadcasters stay in business by letting them run the schlock that builds audiences. And make them pay for the privilege of stay- ing in business by getting serious about news and infor. mation, for the first time. That's not news but that too is reality. 1 A