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If we lived in the Province of Quebec, the answer to the question in the last sentence, would have been yes. That provincial government has been paying 3 percent interest on overdue tax refunds and is now increasing the interest rate to 6 per- cent. At present day interest rates in the business and commercial worlds, this is a much more realistic figure. although it does not compare with the 1 percent per month penalty which municipalities may impose on overdue levies. For instance in Richmond Hill the penalty on unpaid taxes is 1 percent on the day immed- iately following the last day for each drain on the treasury, a realistic rate 'of interest on prepaid taxes might encourage many taxpayers to make 'early substantial payments rather than keeping the money in the bank until each instalment is due. Since Ontario’s income tax levies are collected by the federal govern- ment in conjunction with the federal income tax, it would have to approve any payment of interest on overpay- ments made by the senior level of government, and we think it should not only do that but Ottawa should take the initiative in seeking such payments for the people of this province. v Waxen candles bending forth, in shades of devils red. Possessing wicks of lightning, in years of light that sped. Still standing in its place, use in still that humans led. Not fighting, killing, speaking, but listening in the mind its read. In all the times that passed, and all the money spent, there standing still the same today. as all the days that went. SHARON SHIELDS, Grade 10. Richmond Hill High School of tags which will be offers for sale April 22, 23 and 24. Richmond Hill Town Counc granted permission for 77 Squadron to carryout publ tagging on these days at i meeting April 5. r. -5- w... NV NEWMARKET: Council w: -ask the Ontario government f( a higher library operating gram and for a one-shot transitic grant to allow the local publ ,libraiy to meet the demands t lthe expanded town. Mayor 13: IForhan reported provincial r gional government legislatic promises help with expens: icaused by boundary changes. *llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll\“llllllllll\\lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll“lllll“\llllllllllllllllllllllllll\llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll“llilllllllllllllllllllllllllllllillllllllllllllllllllllllilllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllillllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll\lllll\llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll\llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll‘ ‘- '- "Yet'the regional administrative centre in Newmarket is far to the north of the centre of activity. Its the regional police headquar- ters situation all over again. A couple of dozen highly paid plan- ners are going to spend endless hours of time and mileage between remote Newmarket and the populous south. If this is going to bring efficiency in government, we’ll eat our hats! Regional efficiency is certainly a worthwhile goal and nobody wishes the new regional government more success than we do. So, fathers of the new regional confederation, let’s make a propitious start by establishing the planning of- fice at the most utilitarian location, namely Richmond Hill. May the rest of the administration gradually fol- low “There is no doubt that the need for more effective planning consti- tutes one of the main reasons for the introduction of regional government in York,” said last December‘s Pat- erson Report on planning organiza- tion in York Region. _“It will be essential that the planâ€" ning program and organization es- tablished by the regional council meet this need effectively, if the purâ€" pose of regional government is to be achieved." Herewe go again! The community planning function for the new Region of York is going to he centralized by virtue of the $250,000 gift unofficially announced to be coming from the provincial government. Close to 80 percent of the planning work in the new region will take place south of Aurora. A'NA The Paterson Report recommends that at least during the early years of remonal government. the regional and area council in York should give serious consideration to the proposal that all planning staff be employed (Editor's Note -â€" Another nostalgic look at the Rich- mond Hill of the 1920's has been written by Miss Isabel Cowie of Guelph. who grew up here and whose previous’ reminiscent articles have re- ceived much favorable comâ€" ment from our readers. This article deals with “Winter Recreation" enjoyed by the young people living here at that time). We are all accustomed to paying the governments at three levels. â€"- federal, provincial and municipal â€"- interest on overdue tax levies. Whether we do it willingly or under duress really doesn’t matter. If We owe money to any of the three levels we pay the interest rate whether we want to or not. But when the shoe is on the other foot, when an overpayment of taxes is made, the government concerned returns the overpayment at its pleasure. without interest, whether it has been held for one month, two months, three months or even a longer period. Have you ever heard of anyone getting interest on a tax refund? We haven’t. Bob-sledding down Yonge Street from the top of the hill was fun. When the snow was well packed. We could go speeding for a mile. There was no automobile traffic in the winter. We caught a sleigh pulled hv a fast team back. if we were lucky. Sometimes the driver of a good team would whip his horses to such a speed that we couldn‘t manage to hitch on. There was immin- ent danger of getting our feet crushed by the runners. and we were warned by our parents against hitching rides. But the fascination “‘85 too great. A cutter was fun. inn. but one had to stand on its runners. not sit Mlll‘llumlumlluWm“l“llK“\“ulmll“\l\\ll“\|“ll“ml“\lllflllum““luluHull“llllll“\“\\lll|\|ll“l\“l\\\\l\l\\'lllll\\\u\\\\\\\\\l“Illluu|\uuulluluuuuul\Iluuuu\uuuuuu'quuuuuuuuuuuuuuumumummume ‘ un- Richmond Hill A Half Century Ago Is” Fondly Remembered Subscription Rate $5.00 per THE‘ LIBERAL, Richmond Hill, Ontario, Thursday. April . An lnaepeuueuu vv ccxuy . Unbauliouyu .LVuv ~ U A‘ L )tion Rate $5.00 per year; to United States $6.00; 15c single copy Member Audit Bureau of Circulations Member Canadian Weekly Newspapers Association Published by Richmond Hill Liberal Publishing Co. Ltd. Centralizing Planning Governments Should Pay Interest W. S. COOK, Publisher “Second class mail, registration number 0190” An Independent Weekly: Established 187 013113 liberal as We did on the back of the sleighs. Tyndalls‘ hill was another favorite spot for bob-sled- ding because of its steep- ness. There was a creek at the bottom, but one sped over it in mid-winter. My older brother always pulled the heavy bob-sleigh to the hill: we girls always pulled it home. He was tired after the climbing at an afterâ€" noon’s sport! The Tyndalls must have been generous people to allow the noisy vil- lage youngsters to follow the sport right in front of their house. all winter long. Boyles’ Pond and the waterworks were our nutâ€" door rinks. Each involved a fairly long walk, but the in- toxication of the sport in the crystal winter air, the com- radeship of the group clus- tered around a huge stump fire on the edge of the ice (never enough to thaw our frozen toes} more than com- pensated for physical dis- comforts. On the way to the water- works pond we passed the cottages of Jimmie Shonk and Bella Carnegie. We The local planning regimes appar- ently should give centralized plan- ning a fair trial. by the regional government, with planners assigned to serve the local municipalities._ _ “In this way, a strong planning de- partment ‘can be created, with the expertise necessary to enable the region to handle its own planning problems, and to hold its own in deal- ings with Metro and the province,” says Paterson. So unless this expert consultant is wrong, it is difficult for us to argue for continuation of a frag- mented planning effort by staffs em- ployed in the region's local municipal- ities. He also says that initially at least, the region should make no charge to the area municipalities for planning services provided. only keeping 3 rec- ord of costs so the situation can be reviewed at any time. Above all, we say with Paterson that it‘s important the local. regional and provincial governments reach early agreement on the division of planning responsibilities â€" that each make its legitimate requirements known to the others at as early a time as possible â€"â€" and that each refrain from becoming involved in the concerns of the others. But the province is only acting to give effect to the recommendations of the Paterson Report. It cannot be faulted for following the best advice it has at hand. The province’s sudden $250,000 gift must be disconcerting to the southern municipalities, because it tends to require them to make an unexpected change in plans. Quarrels between the local and regional councils must not be allowed to hamper the exertion of the great- est possible community planning ef- fort in this‘area where the growth pressures from Metro are so im- mense. The Quebec Government assesses taxpayers a 6 percent penalty if they are late in paying their personal in- come tax and now will pay an equal amount if they overpay this tax._ _ instalment of taxes, plus 1 percent on the first day of each succeeding month. We believe this is a policy which could well be considered by all other governments â€" that they will pay the same interest rate on overdue refunds as taxpayers pay for late payments. On the municipal level where pay- ments to other bodies (boards of edu- cation and regional government) must be made by certain dates and interest on bank loans is a constant drain on the treasury, a realistic rate of interest on prepaid taxes might encourage many taxpayers to make early substantial payments rather than keeping the money in the bank until each instalment is due. were rather nervous of these village characters. Jimmie was the hippie of those. days. with bushy hair and a long beard‘ and their love of an independent carefree life. Bella seemed the gypsy type to us â€"â€"- dark and rather menacing. She might cast a spell on us if we were not careful. She was related to the famous Andrew. but had little of this world‘s goods. There were other interest- ing figures in the village. Tillie Maxwell was a negress whose mother and father had come to Canada before the Civil War. She always sat in the small side seat at the front of the Presb.\’- terian Church, with a dig- nity which impressed even flighty youngsters. Her mother. Mrs. Susannah Max- well. beloved of all the village. lived to the age of 107. Who says Richmond Hill air is not superior? The new arena. built in the twenties. seemed 3 mar- vellous improvement on the ponds for skating. The Rich- mond Hill hockey team was strong the first years. 1971 First Tenants In Senior Citizen Building The executive committee of Metro Conservation Authority has approved plans for a $500,- 000 centre for environmental studies in the Boyd Conserva- tion Area north of Woodbridge. The centre is planned as a‘ focal point of the 422 acre “day-use” area within the 2,000 acre park on the Woodbridge- Kleinburg Road, and facilities will include assembly and orientation point, exhibits and displays. printed materials, audio-visual presentations, an auditorium, labratorry. work- shop and offices for authority staff. Boyd Park Area Environmental Centre And Artificial lake Planned} Groups and individuals en- tering the Boyd area through the centre will have access to a major nature trail just over two miles long in the Hum- ber Valley with look-out points along a variety of woodlots, meadows, farm lands. refor- estation tracts. ponds. rivers, and wildlife preserves. Look-out areas along the main trail give visitors a view of a farm. domestic animals, wildlife, archaeological sites and the games with other York County teams were watched by enthusiastic sup- porters. To raise money for the team, a benefit program was put on in the arena in the fall, with a temporary plat- form erected at one end. The high school pupils were involved. with skits. Two of the performers were most unlucky. At one point in their skit “she” was supâ€" posed to faint into “his” arms. But “he” misjudged his footing in stepping back and fell over the edge of the platform into the startâ€" led audience below "She" hit the boards with a res- ouding thwack! Other dramatic perform- ances were held in the Mas- onic Hall on Yonge Street. There the annual high school play was staged. In the 1925 St, Patrick‘s one, Bruce Macdonald. no“! box- office director at the Strat- ford Shakespearean Theatre. was the male lead. That. hall was also the scene of the annual Masonic dance â€"â€" one of the highâ€" lights of the Hill's social life. There are golmr to he a lot of disappointed people in the senior bracket in Richmond Hill and vicinity when final decisions are reached by the Ontario Housing Corporation on which 66 of the 150 applicants will he accepted to live in the new G7~suite senior citizen housing apartment building. on the south side of Dufferin Street. The building is completed. with only clean-up work remaining to be done. as the first tenants moved in April 1 and others are scheduled on and after April 15. All suites in the new building are one-bedroom, living room. kitchen and bath units. whether occupied by a couple or by a single tenant. Rents are geared to income and final decisions on the applications still being processed will be on the basis of greatest need. ..- - .. . ~..-, ,. ,_____.x..4__..x-..4 _...I "All nan-u." nun A, EI'C‘IIUSII 116C“. Charles Ryan will he the building’s superintendent and will occupy one of the suites. He is seen in the above picture putting the finishing touches on an apart- ment being readied for occupancy. In 1969 when 011C carried out a survey it was revealed that 57 persons were interested in securing a dwelling unit in a second senior citizens building. Suspecting there would be others who would need such accommodation by the time the building was ready. Richmond Hill Council requested OHC to include an extra 10 suites. Council also agreed to pick up 7% of any operational deficit. The building. as well as the original one across Dufferin Street which was opened just over three years ago, will pay full municipal taxes. Waxen candles bending forth, in shades of devils red. Possessing wicks of lightning, in years of light that sped. Still standing in its place, use in still that humans led. Not fighting, killing, speaking, but listening in the mind its read. In all the times that passed, and all the money spent, there standing still the same today, as all the days that went. Progress and other interesting features The centre will be available to the general public, adult groups, and school classes. It is designed to accommodate up to six classes at one time, with a capacity to serve nearly 200,- 000 students during the school year Nearly 300.000 people visit the ax’ea each year, and this number is expected to swell to over a million following creation of the Boyd Lake, a. long-range project of the auâ€" thority â€"â€" and its development as a recreation centre. It is estimated that about ten to 20 percent of the area visi- tors on weekends and holidays use the nature trails and re- gard their outings as an educa- tional experience. The. pro- posed centre will give them a much broader program.- Visitors will be able to use the centre and hike through the park as part of a scheduled program, or, on self-guided ex- cursions assisted by suitable booklets and maps. Groups will also be able to arrange a pro- gram to meet special interests Behind the hall was the vil- lage library. which one enâ€" tered by "high steps from the side of the building; There, spread in long, narrow rours, was the village‘s contribu- tion to culture. Dad was lib- rarian, and Margaret, my sister. used to preside over the books some Saturday evenings, She had been told about the Masonic habit of riding the goat in initiation ceremonies, and, firmly convinced that it was kept in the hall, was fearful it might suddenly charge into the libâ€" rary. ‘ There are many more places and personalities of the Hill that might be men- tioned. Agnes. Robinson Smith. recently returned to Toronto from Victoria after the death of her husband. reminded me that the Robin- son home was bmitted in the description of the Langstaff neighborhood. and that “there was never a day when one of the Cowie chil- dren was not in our house.“ That is true. and the grac- iousness and kindness of Mrs. Robinson. extended to all her neighbors. made their (Photo by Stuart's Studio) The foundation provides fin- ancial assistance in conserva- tion education projects. such as the Boyd Centre. and has raised }m0re than $500,000 plus many more thousands of dollars worth of materials and services. Donations come from business and industry. charitable found‘ ations and private citizens. or use the centre for seminars and other activities. Cost of the preliminary de- sign work on the proposed tri- level structure was split equally between the Metro Conserva- tion Foundation and the prov- incial government, and archi- tects for the project are Shore and Moffat and Partners of Toronto. INEWMARKET: Council will} ask the Ontario government for1 a higher library operating grant and for a one-shot transition‘ grant to allow the local public ‘library to meet the demands of ithe exipanded town. Mayor Bob" ‘Forhan reported provincial re- gional government legislation promises help with expenses Icaused by boundary changes. llllllllllllllllllll“lllllllllllllllllllilllllllllllll\llllllllllllltlllllllllllllll'3‘ zembered dogs and has made tremendous efforts (many of which have been reported in “The Liberal") to find homes for well bred healthy animals whose owners seem to have failed to search for them. He cannot pick up cats because of the impossibility of being certain that a cat is in fact lost. but he is always will‘ ing to take over the responsibi- lity if anyone finding abandoned cats will take them to his ken- nels. His has been a job with long unregulated hours and I feel sure he has not made a for. tune out of it. Toronto. Raising money for the auâ€" thority’s share of the cost of construction is the current fund raising project of the con- servation foundation. The foundation provides fin- ancial assistance in conserva- tion education projects. such as the Boyd Centre. and has raised more than $500,000 plus many more thousands of dollars worth of materials and services. Donations come from business and industry. charitable found- ations and private citizens. Before his coming, the out- look for strays and ailing wild things was bleak indeed. The enormous increase in the num- ber of pet owners in this ex- panding community has natural-1 1y multiplied the problems and increased the calls on the ser- vice. Hmvever I cannot believe that Mr. Ryan has ever refused his co-operation. “We‘ll see what we can do" seems to me to be an entirely proper approach to a tricky problem. Has Mr. Mul- drew ever tried to catch an energetic love hungry dog who has other plans for the day? Air Cadet Squadron Wi|| Tag April 22-24 The town squadron of Royal Canadian Air Cadets will be asking for your financial assist- ance of its program by means of tags which will be offered for sale April 22, 23 and 24. Richmond Hill Town Council granted permission for 778 Squadron to carry' out public tagging on these days at its meeting April 5. home a pleasant spot. It is impossible to men- tion all, but I should like to finish these sketches with mention of “The. Liberal" office as I remember it from childhood. Since it was op- posite the public school. school supplies were sold there. As one pushed open the door. a hell on an arm tin- kled, and soon Fred McMa- hon, the editor, a tiny man with a wispy moustache. am: keen eyes behind his specâ€" tacles. appeared from the in- ner sanctum of “The Lib- eral" â€" to sell over the wooden counter readers. pencils. erasers. copying books. drawing books, to the urchin. The smell of printer‘s ink suggested another world w far wider than the tiny con- fines of the store â€" a world which reached beyond the village. beyond York Coun- ty. even beyond “the city" itself. For Richmond Hill. small as it was, felt the heartbeat of a widespread ing empire. and sent its 5!“ and daughters far afield trade. to study, to lead. uvua u... unit-la. I have read with a sense of personal regret the report in “The Liberal” that ’Uhe contract of Canine Control Officer James Ryan is to be terminated by Markham Town Council. Al- though Councillor James Jonâ€" geneel states that this implies no criticism of Mr. Ryan, Coun- cillor Roy Muldrew‘s oddly worded report of the serious complaints he has received put the matter into some doubt. I feel that some of us who have known and dealt with Mr. Ryan during his time as canine con- trol officer should at least speak up for the excellence of the service he has provided and thank him for the great con- tribution he has made to animal iwelfare in the area. Advertising on cable enables a cable operator to produce fine local - interest oriented pro- gramming . . . on a more soph- isticated and ambitious scale than is now being attempted. , Viable »public-service pro- grammes, educational proâ€" grammes. local talk shows. per~ haps some of the panel or in- terview variety. and more pro- fessional entertainment from within the community could be encouraged. At the present time, professional entertain- ment on the local station is out of the question, since there is no financing available as per union requirements for such entertainment. Forums made up of profesâ€" sional people and laymen in ALA _-_........:‘.. t-.. -A..,...L.-.. WHY DOES WALTER SCOTT ALWAYS GETTHE PUPIL OVERFLOW? Dear Mr. Editor: After reading “The Liberal's” article “Condom- inium Town Houses or Semis"? -â€" for Cedar Avenue, I feel obliged to raise a protest against the town council and board of education’s plan to send any children from this development to Walter Scott Public School. Why does Walter Scott get the bur- den all the time when there are other schools in the Hill quite capableof taking the overflow? Dear Mr. Editor: 1 I have read with a sense of personal regret the report in “The Liberal” that the contract of Canine Control Officer James Ryan is to be terminated by IN PRAISE 01“ JAMES RYANIlimitations to he set on Amer- Last year children from Crosby area were sent to Walter Scott kindergarten by bus while in the same year plans were afoot to close down the kinder- garten of Pleasantville School because of the small number of registrations. However, this plan was cancelled and registrations were accepted for "child- ren from Walter Scott area who were only 41/13 by September provided they had their own means of transportation. When buses were already provided for the Crosby children wouldn't it have been just as easy to transport them to Pleasantville (and leave Walter Scott for the children who could walk there? Perhaps if Walter Scott wasn’t crowded with child- ren from other areas 41/53 year olds could have been accepted there, provided it was felt they were mature enough to enter school at that age. Over the years, countless stray. injured and abandoned animals have found their way through the valléy to my house in German Mills, but with the best will in the world, there was nothing Mr. Ryan could do for them or for me until they could be contained somewhere. [f a resident has his hands on a loose, collarless, roaming dog, [ find it hard to believe that Mr Ryan would ever refuse to come at once and take it into custody. As for the Cedar Avenue deal, I understand that the residents there have been fighting for years to have their children attend Walter Scott and have been put off with excuses that the children shouldn’t cross the railway line. Now, when it suits the council and board of education, everyone is chang- ing their minds about this rule. I expect we will be told that extra classrooms are going to be built for these additional children. We needed those rooms last year â€"â€" where were they? Don’t the present taxpayers' children rate consideration any more? As for the new school mentioned in the article I understand this will not be built for five (or more) years. The emergency is now -â€" not five years hence. ‘ MRS. JEAN RALLS, Mr. Ryan loves animals and he is humane without being senâ€" timental. He is a connoisseur of dogs and has made tremendous efforts (many of which have been reported in “The Liberal") to find homes for well bred healthy animals whose owners seem to have failed to search I cannot pretend to know the political ins and outs and I am confident that council have good reason for seeking competitive tenders. but in fairness, and out of admiration for the man, I feel compelled to let him know that some of us who love the wild and domestic creatures, shall be sorry to see him go. I wish him every fortune in the future. MRS. MUFFET FROST. German Mills Road, Thornhill. The Canadian Radio-Televis- ion Commission begins public hearings in Montreal on April 26. If individuals are interested in submitting suggestions to the commission. they are welcomed, but must be received before April 14. addressed to Secre- tary, Canadian Radio-Television Commission. 100 Metcalfe Street. Ottawa, Ontario. Dear Mr. Editor Perhaps some might be in- terested in making their views known on permitting advertis- 'ng on cable and the type of 'wrogramming that might be found agreeable . . . and the CABLE TV AND AMERICAN PROGRAMMING [om Viable I public-service pro-j ,lies grammes, educational proâ€" ,un- grammes. local talk shows. per- idly haps some of the panel or in- lous terview variety. and more pro- put fessional entertainment from t. 1 within the community could be lave encouraged. At the present yan time. professional entertain- :°n_ ment on the local station is out ,eak of the question. since there is the no financing available as per and union requirements for such Mm enteflainment. w“- ex- ral- and ser- ieve ised vhat e an ,o a VIul- an Local talent could conceiv-“ ably receive a great boost int that there would be a hitherto absent incentive to distinguish themselves. Many communities have their own semi-profession- al theatre groups. and choirs (not to mention the abundance of "bands" and small singing {groupsh Community resources ifor entertainment are available in large numbers â€"â€" perhaps after an initial spurt of using almost. everything available, a natural selection of the finest (could come about to produce a really good station. ‘ As for American broadcastingj we could certainly afford to be; more selective in what we con-‘ sider to be worthwhile viewing for Canadians, particularly when we have ourselves fine ican programming Forums made up of profesâ€" sional people and laymen in the community, for education. entertainment. public service, would be feasible with more ambitious programming. Canadian programmes produc- ed by the CBC. If we can some- how manage it. we could have the best of both worlds . . . letting in the truly entertaining and educational programmes from across the border . while eliminating their garbage. for we certainly have enough of our own that may be of ques- tionable worth without importâ€" ing any more. On March 24, the national railways of France gave a cock- tail patty. In the ballroom of a posh Toronto hotel, I saw a 'crowd of about 300 travel lsquad of waiters dispensed assorted delicasies and among those lined up three feet deep at the free bar were a represen- tative of the CPR anda director of the CNR. It was a sophisti- cated effort to encourage Tor- onto people to use railways in iFi'ance. Toronto‘s rail network is ideally suited for passenger 'service. It could relieve polâ€" lution. traffic jams and the :high cost of expressway const- ruction. But what are our rail- ;ways doing? Canadian Pacific ‘has applied to discontinue it’s ‘Galt service. Canadian National {agents and media people. A‘ 'of such vital proaucrs as can. food. The United States will no longer use its kill quota to hunt the three remaining. more com- mon speciesâ€"the finback, set and Sperm whales. Secretary Stans acted on the advice of the experts of what is now the National Oceanic and Atmos- pheric Administration. Under a 1950 law giving effect to the International Whaling Conven- tion, the Secretary has author- ity to ban the importation or processing of any species of whale which he finds to be en-. dangered. He has now determâ€" ‘ined that all whales are, in fact, in danger. which is not surpris- ing. Since only one small Am- erican firm still hunted whales. the company will lose its licâ€" iense to operate, and all imporu '1‘ e And who knows. if enough groups and interested individ- uals make their views known on this subject, we may even end up with a governing policy for Canadian broadcasting agreeable to most of us. MRS. RITA ROSENFELD, Dear Mr. Editor Toronto's rail network is ideally suited for passenger service. It could relieve pol- lution. traffic jams and the high cost of expressway const- ruction. But what are our rail- ways doing? Canadian Pacific has applied to discontinue it's Galt service. Canadian National applied to discontinue the Guelph serVice and when order- ed to replace the 50-year-old coaches on the run, delayed complying for three months, CP ran its Orangeville service north on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and south Tues- days and Thursdays; by 1970. traffic declined to the point that permission was obtained 324 Elmwood Avenue, Richmond Hill. CPR. CNR, DISCOURAGE PASSENGER SERVICE 216 Neal Drive. Richmond Hill. CN proposes to reduce Barrie line service from 42 trains a week four years ago to 18. CN provides no Beaverton line. commuter service. CN has run no passenger trains beyond Markham on the Uxbridge line for 10 years and has even apâ€" plied to discontinue the one- way wonder to Markham. CP applied to discontinue Peter- boro service via Agincourt. When ordered to add extra coaches by the Canadian Transport Commission. they attempted a 50% fare in- crease until ordered to roll it back. to discontinue. ' I understand a number of people have already moved in and that others know their ap- ‘plications have been accepted. It might be of interest to know what. system of selection 115 used. I know of people who 'just came to the area who have been approved. Yet people res‘ iident here for many years. who 'applied months ago. have not been accepted. WHY? If national railways of France promote traffic in a country 8,000 miles away. why do CN and CP apparently discourage passengers in the Toronto area? JOHN MEDCOF. Moun-t Albert. SENIOR CITIZENS' HOUSING Dear Mr. Editor: As one interested in senior citizens I have been keeping an eye on the progress of the new senior citizen building on Duf- ferin Street in Richmond H111. For example. one lady ap- plied over two years ago. When she asked what was happening. she was told to reapply and, as a result. is likely low on the present list. Yet she's lived here nearly 50 years and has done a great deal for the town during those years. Why has she been passed over? Is there any “pull” be ing used? Surely people who don‘t live here are not able to properly assess the worth of the applicants! Who does the selecting? And what standards do they use? it: not seem strange that the department under his jurisdic- tion, the Canada Council. should, months after the FLQ crisis. be making grants to rev- olutionaries of $7.000 each to such well known Reds as Rot» ert Roussil and Jean-Jules Richard. also Maoist Writer Milton Acorn? (Toronto Globe March 16L Federal Cabinet Minister Gerard Pelletier says in his book. "La Crise d'Octobre." that the FLQ has developed in- to an international Communist underground. If this is so does Come on. some of you local politicians. get busy and see that the deserving are looked after and let's forget "pull". Dear Mr. Editor (New York Times) Secretary of Commerce Stans has laudably ordered an end to 1American participation in the ‘tragic destruction of whales. ‘These great mammals have beâ€" come an increasingly endang- ered species since the invention .of the cannon-fired harpoon 'which has an explosive tip that detonates inside the whale's body, guaranteeing a kill, often with excruciating agony to the victim. These lethal harpoons have removed all risk and ro- mance and have transformed what was once an adventurous trade into commercial butchery. To perpetuate this obsolete and obscene industry, the whal- ing nations have allocated an- nual quotas. This arrangement has not worked well, primarily because of Russian and Japan- ese gluttony. Today the blue, rare gray. humpback and bohâ€" [head whales are gravely threat,- ened â€"â€" and all in the interest 30f such vital products as cat Mr. Pelletier can surely find better ways to spend our fed- eral tax dollars. Perhaps a few letters from interested citizens would help. Sincerely. BERNARD BROWN'E. 316 Willowdale Avenue. Willowdale. “lllllfilumll\\“NW|fill“l\\\\\lll\llll\l\R“!ll“\ll“!\llll‘lllllullmll Exterminating The Whale tation of whale products will be Ecrbidden, once a final order is issued in another thirty days. Welcome as Mr. Stans’ action is, the Russian and Japanese fisheries are the real deadly predators. Unless these two nations can be persuaded to stop their large-scale opera- tions, whales of every species will soon disappear. OTTAWA SUBSIDIZING RED REVOLUTIONARIES? ONLY MIDDLE AGED