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(The £anaZnati Statesman Wednesday, August 22,1984 [ Editorial Comment ] There's Still Time, If They Care From The Financial Post While both Prime Minister John Turner and Conservative Leader Brian Mulroney talk on the one hand about the need to reduce the federal deficit, and on the other list, programs that would send it even higher, the red ink is turning a deeper scarlet and government borrowing needs become more and more insatiable. What will it take to jolt our major party leaders into realizing that Ottawa Ottawa simply cannot keep adding to the national debt? Interest payments payments on the debt take far too big a slice of government revenues. And there's a limit to both the resources and the patience of taxpayers taxpayers and lenders. Some of the tough choices Ottawa must face -- but which Turner and Mulroney still refuse to address in the election campaign -- are highlighted highlighted in a study by Edward Carmichael Carmichael of the C.D. Howe Institute. Released this week, it says: "The hard fact about Canada's deficit is that for more than 10 years Canadians Canadians have accepted more in services services and transfers from the federal government than they have been willing to pay for. While deficits and government borrowing are appropriate appropriate in a recession, the federal federal debt cannot be allowed to outpace outpace the growth of national income indefinitely. Eventually deficits must be contained. Delay only makes the problem more intractable intractable and exposes the economy to unnecessary unnecessary risks." Carmichael discusses various approaches approaches to tackling the deficit under the two main options: cutting spending and raising revenue. For example, the study questions whether, in the current energy environment, environment, it's necessary to con tinue the Petroleum Incentives Program at its present level, and to allocate $331 million to Atomic Energy of Canada and $520 million to PetroCanada. Similarly, are extensive extensive subsidies in agriculture and transportation justified? In the revenue area Carmichael examines several options, such as raising tax rates, broadening the tax base by eliminating some exemptions or deductions, expanding expanding the federal sales tax, and changing changing the tax system by imposing a tax on what people consume rather than on what they earn -- the so- called expenditure tax. The deficit and the public debt can't be reduced overnight. But a start must be made soon. As the C.D. Howe study says: "Reducing the deficit deficit will require Canadians to decide decide what role they want the federal government to play in the economy ... The first step toward fiscal prudence prudence is to understand the consequences consequences of continuing down the present path. The next step is to debate debate how to establish a more prudent prudent path." What better time or place to start this debate than a federal election campaign? Regrettably, though, Prime Minister Turner talks less about the deficit now -- when he should know more about how bad it is -- than he did at the beginning of his leadership campaign. And as our Ottawa bureau chief Hyman Solomon writes on the page opposite, opposite, the strategy motivating Conservative Conservative Leader Brian Mulroney is to stay clear of issues of substance. There are three weeks left in the campaign -- still time for the leaders leaders to show they understand the country's financial predicament and are willing to discuss how they propose to deal with it. Costs Versus Punishment A Winnipeg criminologist claimed last week that it's just too expensive to keep convicted killers in prison for lifetime sentences. The expert estimated that it, will cost $1.25 million to keep a killer in prison for 25 years. That's approximately approximately $50,000 per year. The alternative (aside from letting letting the killers free) is the death penalty. According to this expert, it's just not worth spending that much from the public purse to keep the dregs of society in prison. Of course, this argument adds a new angle from which the public can view the ongoing debate over capital punishment. By using the "economic" argument, you can say that it's a waste of money to invest a million dollars just to keep some mass-murderer alive and comfortable. comfortable. You can suggest that the same million dollars could be better spent on educating the disadvantaged, disadvantaged, conducting medical research, research, subsidizing arts and culture, culture, or practically any other project project which would provide benefits of lasting value. On the other hand, what do we get in return for keeping convicted murderers in prison? There's no easy answer to that question. Because once you've decided decided that murderers should go to the gallows rather than create an economic burden on society, then you have to wonder what should be done about other criminals such as armed robbers, for instance. Although Although not jailed for life, they also drain the country's treasury because because of the expenses involved in jailing them for long sentences. Using the argument of economics, one might also suggest that it's not worth keeping long-term offenders in jail either. For example, the armed robber might take up half a million in government funds or possibly possibly three-quarters. At what price does it become economically acceptable to keep offenders in jail at the enormous cost to the public? That question is almost unanswerable. It would seem, therefore, that the issue of capital punishment is still a moral one rather than a matter of dollars and cents. But the costs we have cited here can certainly be added ammunition for those who want to see the penalty re-intro- duced -- especially for those convicted convicted of first degree murder. Perhaps, because of the controversy controversy surrounding the capital punishment issue, the item is almost almost off the agenda for the current election campaign. The topic reveals reveals strong emotions on both sides of the debate. And politicians, being a cagey lot, would prefer to talk about matters such as job creation. creation. At least when they deal with jobs or unemployment, they know they'll get no opposition, only arguments arguments over how to best cope with these subjects. If capital punishment punishment is being discussed at all by party leaders, it is certainly playing second fiddle to the economy. There have been polls which suggest that a vast maj ority of Canadians Canadians would like to see capital punishment re-instated in this country. Periodically, there are talks about the issue going to a vote in the House of Commons. While the question of capital punishment seems to have received a reprieve in recent days, it isn't going to disappear. If the economy improves and attention attention is turned to other issues, we can guarantee that capital punishment punishment will be one topic on which Canada's legislators must make a firm decision. @lie (Katmbran Statesman Durham County's Great Family Journal Established 130 years ago In 1654. ® a Also Incorporating -- The Bowmanvllle News The Newcastle Independent The Orono News' Second class mall registration number 1561 Produced every Wednesday by THE JAMES PUBLISHING COMPANY LIMITED 62-66 King SI. W,, Bowmanvllle, Ontario L1C3K9 JOHN M. JAMES RICHARD A, JAMES Editor -- Publisher Assistant Publisher 623-3303 GEO. P. MORRIS BRIAN PURDY DONALD BISHOP Business Mgr. Advertising Mgr. Plant Mgr. All layouts mid composition ol advertisements produced by the employees ol The Canadian Slntocman, The Newcastle Independent and The James Publishing Company Limited are protected by copyright and must not bo reproduced without written permission ol the publishers, 515,00 « year -- 0 months $6.00 foreign -- $-15.00 n your strictly In advance Although every pmcmihon will tie l.iken to avoid error, The Cumuli,in St.'ilusimin .lccupls iidveitir.ing in il r . columns on the undvistiinding Hud it will not be liable for any error In Ihe ndvitrlejemonl published hereunder unless d proof ol such ndverlisemi'id is renuested in writing by Ihe advertiser and returned to The Canadian Statesman business office duly signed by the advertiser and with such error or corrections plainly noted in writing thereon, and in Huit case it any error so noted is net collected by the Canadian Statesman it-» liability shall not exceed such a portion ol the entire cost ol such idvertistmenl as Ihe space occupied by Hie noted error bears to the whole space occupied by such Premier William Davis and Ontario Hydro (centre) as they try out the newest in nuclear Hydro safety award on behalf of 5,600 nuclear staff Chairman Tom Campbell get pointers from control technology on a model of the Darlington who have worked 100 million man-hours, over 29 Hydro's Bill Edmiston deft) and Walter Hogg control panel. Later, Bill and Walter accepted a years, without a fatality. SUGAR and SPICE You Can Fight City Hall One of the cynical, apathetic remarks of the 20th century is, "You can't fight City Hall." I think it's American in origin, as are so many of our colorful expressions, but it reflects a conception that has contributed to the skepticism that permeates many aspects of our life. j In essence it betrays a weariness of the individual spirit in a world that is growing ever more corrupt,( violent and treacherous. ' It means basically that the individual hasn't a chance against the burgeoning bureaucracy, the petty patronage, the you-scratch- my-back-and-I'll-scratch-yours phi- losphy that has always been with us, and always will but should be resisted stoutly and sturdily whenever it rears its ugly head. Jesus fought the City Hall of His time, and won, though He lost His life. Sir Thomas More fought the City Hall of his time, which included his king, the nobility and the clergy, and refused to nudge an inch to save his life, because he was right, and City Hall was wrong. Joan of Arc fought her City Hall, in the form of her own king, traitors to her vision, and an opposing army. She wound up being burned at the stake, and became a saint. Her opponents are mere footnotes in history. Oliver Cromwell fought his City Hall, won his fight, and taught British royalty to mind its pees and queus, if you'll pardon the expression. William Lyon Mackenzie took on the City Hall of his day, and though his only battle with it was a typical Canadian charade, he left it smarting. I could name a hundred others who cocked a snook at City Hall and mqny'&ibattle, but won many a Wijir. The United States is a classic example. Another is the Republic of France. Mahatma Ghandi practically practically had the British Empire begging him to go change his diaper and leave it alone. Well, it's nice to be in the company of such, even if only for a little while, and only in the imagination. The Fourth St. Fusiliers, of which I am a proud wounded veteran, has fought many a skirmish, several sharp encounters, and a prolonged war of attrition against the local town council, and the will of the people triumphed to the extent of a dozen trees being uncut, a new sidewalk installed, and a desert of pot-holes turned into a paved street. You've heard of the 30 years War, the 100 Years War, the war of the Roses, the War of Independence, the Boer War and The Great War, followed by that sickening euphemism, World War II. Not to mention Korea and Viet Nam. Well, a lot has been written about them, and millions died in them, but for sheer intensity of emotion, I think the Fourth St. War outdoes them all. That's the reason for this bit of history. In three or four hundred years, the Fourth St. War may be almost forgotten, were it not for some humble scribe to get it down on paper. It has lasted between seven and nine years, and the veterans will even arguehotly about the duration. I do remember that the hundreds of children who were going to be slaughtered 'by traffic if the town council achieved its insidious ends are now replaced by grandchildren in many cases. I do remember that the first rush to the barricades was about as organized as the French revolutionaries' attack on the Bastille. I do remember that one lady threatened to chain herself high in the branches of a maple tree if the town engineer carried out his plan of massacreing maples. There were other threats of a similar but unlikely nature, such as everyone lying down in front of the bulldozers, blowing up the town hall while council was in session, or kidnapping the town engineer and giving him a cement-barrel burial in the bay. Fortunately, cooler heads prevailed. After half the street was ruined, the works department ran out of money. Over the years, they tiptoed around the potential explosion, filling in the odd pot-hole and letting the street turn into the semblance of a long-forgotten country lane. But this spring, falsely feeling that the ancient hatreds had cooled, with new people moving in, and old people dying off, they foolishly raised the desescrative idea again. Cut down the trees. Tear up the sidewalks, make it a one-block thruway to nowhere. Like an old, dormant, volcano, the people rose in their might and descended on the works committee like a disturbed hornet's nest. The air was filled with vituperation, calumny and blasphemy. Council cooled off like a bull confronted by an angry elephant. Another meeting was called. Again The People rose in their wrath. They formed a committee. It consisted of a brilliant mathematician, a contractor, a doctor, a lawyer, and an indomitable nurse. Not just a few angry people to be baffled by engineering jargon. I don't want to go into the brilliant counter-attack, the superb tactics, the incredible strategy of The People, It's too exciting. You wouldn't sleep tonight. But we won. The trees stayed, the sidewalks will be rebuilt, the thruway will continue to be a residential street, thousands of children will not be cut down by thundering trucks, and the road will be paved. You can fight City Hall. Letters to the Editor August 20,1984 Dear Sir: The Annual Beef Barb-O- Que held in the Orono Park was again blessed with fine weather, and a large crowd to enjoy theBarb-O-Que. Mr. Bill Carman of Rolph Hardware donated a matching lounge and lawn chair, which was won by Debbie Copping of Orono. Barbara and Bruce Jensen of Jensen's Nurseries donated two beautiful potted plants, which were won by John Mather and Lawrence Staples. Ron White provided Ihe back-ground dinner music and P.A. facilities, and Sterl Mather was again on hand t 0 provide the expertise for the fine tasting roast beef. The committee would also like to thank Matt and Shirley of Mom's Kitchen for advanced ticket sales and Fred Stois- bergan for his meat slicer, The Town of Newcastle Parks crew for all their help at the Park, and nil of the volunteers who helped prepare and serve the meal, There are several regulars who spent all day and evening at the Park in preparation preparation for the event, as well as (hose who helped serve, and without people like these, we would not have been able to realize $1000.00 from this venture. venture. Thank you all! Orono Arena Improvement and Projects Committee Dear Johnny I have learned Horner is available to the libs - for all I know he may be a candidate. Taking over Horner's position as chairman of the C.N.R, we have Mrs. Bette Hewes, age GO, who has 10 years experience experience on Edmonton City Council. She has had no previous previous railway experience and her chief qualifications might be that sue is a long time liberal. The National Citizen's Coalition publishes six issues yearly and each contains some "letters to the editor." In the June issue was a letter from II, Donald Hamilton of Richmond Hill, Ont, who was notified by a customer in Quebec that "since 1977, the Charter of the French Language (Bill 101) requires the use of French as the working working language in the Province of Quebec...we ask you to ensure ensure that all your communications communications with,.,be conducted in French as you arc probably doing for other companies in French speaking countries. More specifically we would like to receive all correspondence correspondence as well as the following documents in French: packing packing slips, invoices, warranty statements, catalogues, pamphlets, maintenance manuals, etc." He replied: "We are dealing with several French speaking countries, in Africa in particular, particular, as well as France, and all correspondence is in English, the working language throughout all industrialized nations today," "At this time, we are shipping shipping into 93 countries, which represents 97 percent of our sales, Of the three percent in Canada, Quebec Province is perhaps one-fiflh of one percent percent of all invoicing, data, ele. which has been in English without problems." We arc a bilingual company - English and Spanish - and feel that the French language is a 'dead' language in the commercial world today and will eventually go the way of Latin. While wc value your business, business, we would be pleased lo comply with your 'French only edict, but printing special invoices, catalogues and warranty information would be available at an additional additional cost of $1,000 per order, and kindly allow an additional four weeks for this special service." I liked that. Morgan September, 1984 Dear Editor: For the past 38 years Royal Canadian Air Force Personnel who were stationed at No. C S.F.T.S. during the war have gathered in Dunnville to celebrate their station reunion. This year marks their 39th get-together which will take place September 14, 15 and 16. The event begins with a reception Friday evening, hosted by Mayor Frank Marshall. A golf tournament will be held Saturday morning and in the afternoon a demonstration of ultra-light aircraft. A parade, memorial service and fly-past of wartime Harvard aircraft is scheduled, followed by the annual banquet in Ihe evening. The weekend closes Sunday morning with an outdoor "Flapper and Banger" breakfast at the Riverview Motel. All veterans of No. 6 and their spouses are invited. If not on the mailing list, please contact: Frank Scholfield 646 Alder St. W. Dunnville, Ontario It's on video for all to see! A15 minute video tape of the Durham Board of Education's first ever Performing Arts Summer School will soon be available for viewing by any group interested in learning more about the new program. Those interested in seeing the tape should contact the Information Office, Durham Board of Education, 555 Rossland Rd. W., Osliawa, Ontario LI J 3113; tel. 576-4600, ext. 205. The tape was made by media students involved in the program. It highlights the work of students in drama, dance, music and media. Hershel Rosen, drama teacher and program consultant, said participation in the school helped reinforce students' interest and participation in the arts and NIA 2X5 Phone: (401) 774-5480 Your co-operation will again be appreciated and will help to make our reunion another great success. Yours very truly, Frank Scholfield Adjutant General uuusi self-confidence. The classes were held at Eastdale Collegiate in Oshawa. Each of the 52 students who completed the course was required to participate in each of the four performing arts areas. The students, who ranged in age from 13 to 22, came from all over Durham Region. The following schools were represented: Ajax IIS, Anderson CVI, Brock IIS, Cannington PS, Dovenvan Cl, Dunbarton IIS, Eastdale CVI, General Vanier SS, Henry St. IIS, McLaughlin CVI, O'Neill CVI, Pickering US, Port Perry IIS and G.L. Roberts CVI. Students from two Roman Catholic Separate Schools - Denis O'Connor and Paul Dwyer-also participated, The summer program ended with a variety show Video Available