Delong re the edvertear Seted sn end baton te Canis owed provided however. thet ony edvertnement prepared rom repro proate, engravings. eh. pr Ina tight It's a trying time to be a Castlegar school trustee. Trustees ore caught in a tight squeeze they can do little about. On the one hand, the provin- cial government is forcing trustees to toe the fiscal line set down by Victoria. Yet the province is squeeze busing and half-day kindergarten, it's the possible closure of rural schools and amalgamation of classes. To get out from under that siege mentality, the board should contemplate holding more public meetings with parents and in- ndon-hour leaving it up to individyalboards to figure out how they are going to meet that bottom line. It's led to an almost siege mentality for trustees. They are being bombarded by protests petitions and requests from paren- ts and educators to retain existing programs in the face of funding cutbacks It has reached the point where the board can hardly make a move without one parents’ group or another rushing to detend its par- ticular school program. If it’s not the elimination of payers to inform them of the situation, If the board was more open with parents and the general public and discussed problems and possible solutions, it might find it- self facing fewer groups of irate parents concerned about school programs Instead, parents may begin to teel that they have a say about their child's education. The board may even gain substantial support — the kind of support it could take to Victoria in a tight to retain wor- thwhile local programs Paying for garbage? Mayor Audrey Moore's an- nouncement this week in her inaugural address that the city is seriously looking at charging for residential garbage collection was intended to soften the blow if it comes. Castlegar council has yet to make a final decision on the gar- bage fee, but word is that council is leaning in favor of the fee. The argument is that homeowners should pay $36 a year because they are the only ones who benetit from garbage collec- tion. Most businesses have to renta large garbage bin to handle their garbage anyway, so businesses Ge. Wy, ottest paying tor garbage collection that they don't use. However, the issue isn't that clearcut. What clouds it, is that the $36 a year garbage tee is in fact simply another form of taxation only in this case it's a tax aimed at homeowners. Homeowners through the garbage tee — will carry the bulk in the city budget , the city may be get ting into a sticky area. On the one hand, there is precedent for the fee — Rossland, Montrose and Wartield all charge for garbage collection. On the other hand, all homeowners supposedly pay for some city services they don't use directly. Fred Merriman The interesting thing about power is that we all think that it belongs to someone else. For pur. poses of this column, let's define power as the ability to influence others (eg.: “Bill Bennett, sir, please release much-needed funds to re store public education to its pre vious levels of quality and excel lence.”) Premier Bill, fortunately or un- fortunately, works for several thou sand people who petition him daily for their particular vested interest He is not expected to say “Yes, sir,” to each of those many powerful people. He is also not expected to say “Yes, sir” when several thousands band together in movements of coalition or solidarity for the simple reason that even those impressive and vested interest groups, do not represent the majority In the meantime, many well meaning people feel. that he who screams the loudest will get the most attention and the most cash. However, my humble experience in the world of business and cor porate politics seems to advise that the well-documented case presented in a respectful manner is far more effective. Let me spell out some de tails concerning public education. Declare restraint. Fat trimming begins and operating surplus funds save the day. Public education at tempts to verbally justify its value to society. Government does not respond to the oral reports for the same reason a Grade 6 teacher would ask for a written researched paper Let's go on; educating the young and not so young has become big business. Let's suggest a few simple methods to get the rivers of money flowing again: Teachers and admin istrators must do their homework. List your successful accomplish ments. Follow up on students who have gone on to greater things; scientists, doctors, lawyers, corpor. ation presidents, premiérs of British Columbia. Demonstrate quality and excel lence by failing at least 30 per cent z of your students each year. The student is done a disservice for life by demonstrating to him that school is a great place to pass the daylight hours. Professions like law, accounting, medicine and engineering are re- ported to fail 65 per cent. A sec- ondary education diploma has be- come nearly useless in the working world, because it is far too easily attained. Finally, document exactly how you plan to spend any additional funds to improve the quality and delivery of knowledge and under standing. Some readers may be interested to know that a major report on public education in the United States holds the opinion that industry is going to be required to invest far more funds in training. Presently, society as a group is asked to train people to be employ- able. Perhaps industry and business will decide it is good business to train their own employees in the specialty they require Public education then need only concern itself with training students to be trainable or of the leisure class. Professionals and entrepren- eurs should pay for their own edu cation. As one of many in this area who wholeheartedly supports the pres- ent government and its common sense restraint program, we would be well advised to think less like teachers and academic administra- tors and think more like a student who questions why. wonders sbout many unmotivated people in the community — even after they have graduated from 12 years of public education. When you have the answer, put it in a formal report to your “teacher” the Minister of Education. You just might earn an “A.” Everyone knows the rewards that await an honor student. The power then could rest in the pen and politely spoken word of a bright and well-prepared student. i eisithl. til you're blue in the face. . .” “The government cuts the wildlife service and It's ‘here Donner! here Letters to the Editor Full-day a ‘concern’ Editer, Castlegar News: I have been reading the articles and letters regarding the proposed switch from half-day to full-day kindergarten with concern, but reservation. How ever, when I saw the headline “Parents want full-day kindergarten classes,” I felt I should express my views. I base my concerns on my experience as an ex-teacher and now a grand mother, and I would particularly like to direct this letter to the parents of the upcoming kindergarten. Children like routine — it gives them security. The traditional half-day kin dergarten provides that they are eased into being away from home, learning concepts and playing with other children for a few hours each day. The concept the teacher has taught one day is reinforced into next before introduting another, which also pro- vides security. Each day has something new to look forward to. The child's short attention span is able to cope. Little children tire easily. If they are four years old when they start they could still be used toa daily nap or rest. I have had children in early Grade 1 fall asleep iti Class, The report ‘says, “Children have more opportunity to participate in ac- tivities enjoyed by the higher grades, such as concerts or puppet shows. Just how many concerts or puppet shows would they miss?” Besides, if they're attending the full-day kinder- garten, the concert or puppet show could fall on their alternate day. I note, “parents and children can carry out extra-curricular activities more easily without rushing or post- Please address all Letters to the Editor to: The Castlegar News, P.O.Box 3007, Castlegar, B.C. VIN 3H4, or deliver them to our office at: 197 Columbia Avenue, Castlegar, B.C. Letters must be signed and include the writer's full name.and address. Only in very exceptional cases will published poning to accommodate a half-day kin- dergarten class.” What are these extra-curricular ac tivities? Could they not be put on hold for one kindergarten term? As for “full-day kindergarten lets the kids be a part of the school system because they can follow the same schedule as older children,” don’t for- get they have 12 or more years after that to feel part of the school system. Parents, observe your potential kindergarten child now. Remember he or she is only four or five years old. Kindergarten is for one year only. Ask yourself: Is a full-day kindergarten for my child, so when the change is put to a vote you can honestly be ready. Once the change has been made to the full-day kindergarten, it will be difficult to revert. I know restraint is everyone's res- ponsibility, but so is education. Your child's well being should come first. Marjorie Culley Castlegar Full-day classes pose big problems Editer, Castlegar News: I feel that the full-day versus half-day kindergarten battle is becom- ing just that: a battle. Some parents making a decision about this matter will be concerned about their child's best interests. Un- fortanately, a Wt of parents will probably be concerned with how it fits into their own lifestyle. that saddens me about this whole situation is how little the mn teachers in our area have to say about it. Surely, with their years of experience in teaching children in this age bracket, they should be trusted by parents to make the best decision about the quality of education for our children. I feel the teachers really know which program gives all of our children the best possible start in school. Keeping our kindergarten the way it is now will cut noon hour busing. Surely, with car pools or other ways small could be handled. T fee! full-day classes will pose much bigger problems. I urge parents to let our children's first introduction to school stay gradual and consistent, and to give support and respect to our teachers, whom I feel have gone unheard regarding this whole matter. Let's trust them to decide if and when a change as dramatic as this should be made. Wendy Sevinkoff Castlegar Warning issued to purebred dog buyers Editer, Castlegar News: Purebred dog buyers beware. Purebred dog breeders and owners have noticed the sale of purebred dogs with and without papers advertised in the local newspapers recently. The Livestock Pedigree Act clearly states in Article 17, that it is an offence under this act to sell purebred dogs without Certificates of Registration The Canadian Kennel Club is work ing hard to secure convictions under the Livestock Pedigree Act for non- delivery of Certificates of Registration for purebred dogs. If someone tries to sell you a pure- bred dog without papers, at a lower price than with papers, let them know that you are aware that this is illegal and that they owe you those papers at no extra charge. You can even go one step further and report these people to the Canadian Kennel Club at 2150 Bloor Street West, Toronto, Ontario M6S 4V7. Help us to stop these people from using our furry, four-legged friends to make money illegally. (Claristine Croes Castlegar By AL COLLETTI UNITED NATIONS — Bringing the so-called nuclear winter factor out in the open at the United Nations gives the public a powerful new disarmament tool to press governments if the theory proves to be valid The UN General Assembly's main political and security committee ap proved a resolution on Tuesday that paves the way for Secretary General Javier Perez de Cuellar to begin documenting nuclear winter for public consumption. Hle can expect a flood of paper on the whether the nuclear powers them selves will co-operate in the UN study If the theory of nuclear winter proves to be valid, the strategy of fighting a nuclear war probably will undergo radical change Also, it may force open a new window to arms control and disarma ment. Scientists who have put forward the concept of nuclear winter are con cerned that fires set by even a limited changes wars exchange of nuclear weapons should create huge columns of smoke and soot, blotting out so much sunlight that life on earth would virtually cease to exist. The Canadian disarmament delega tion at the General Assembly spent long hours working for a consensus on nuclear winter. That didn’t happen but it came close. Among the nuclear powers, the United States, Britain and France abstained in the 1230 vote for a non-aligned resolution approving the UN study. The Soviet Union and China supported the resolution. Canada, too, gave its support with reservations. “For the United Nations to speak with a unanimous voice on the serious- ness of nuclear winter would have upgraded the status of the study,” says Doug Roche, Canada’s disarmament ambassador Without U.S. support, the study is somewhat downgraded because of the lack of vital information the Americans either already possess or are in the process of developing The Royal Society of Canada is conducting its own study but it will be several months before it is published. Already the United States has a large program under way involving several government agencies studying nuclear winter. The cost so far is up to $50 million. The New York Times reported last Aug. 6 that if the theory proves valid, the threat of nuclear winter could “force a dramatic overhaul” of the U.S. nuclear arsenal the mili- tary’s plans and equipment for fighting a nuelear war. It quoted scientists in and out of government as saying the shift could alter patterns of spgnding millions and perhaps billions on the military. New questions would have to be answered, the experts contend, if nuclear winter proves to be true. Will its threat hasten world disarmament? or will it lead to new weaponry fired deep into the ground instead of ‘through space? Will it make the first-strike nuclear use more tempting? (Canadian Press) son's senior citizens and retired resi- dents. . 28 «@ A Stanley Humphries High School sored by the B.C. division of the Canadian Cancer Society. Myrna Henning is the winner of a $10 second prize for her entry in the contest. . 8 @ W.O. Devitt of Castlegar was honored by the CM&S5 Co. last night for his 43 years of service with the Mr. Devitt and; 17_other. Gomineo employees who have attained 40 more years of service with the company were presented with gold medais last night at a banquet in their honor. 15 YEARS AGO From the Dec. 11, 1969 Castlegar News Castlegar and Kinnaird voters turned out to the polls in near record numbers on Saturday and the big upset was in the garden municipality where Kinnaird residents elected a new mayor. Colin Maddocks, making the first bid for office, defeated veteran Carl Loeb- lich. At Castlegar, Murray Little won re-election over R.C. Maddocks, who has served previously as Castlegar mayor . 8 « The Kootenay Industrial Develop- ment Association hopes to change a trend which has been going on for the last several years. Chairman Sam Konkin, kicking off a seminar for businessmen, said the KIDA wants to reverse the declining economy which has persisted in the area for the past several years. * « @ A peace moratorium is scheduled for Trail this Saturday. The Trail Ad Hoc Moratorium Com- mittee said it is coinciding its efforts with those of the American peace movement on Dec. 13, “The recent massacres in South Vietnam by American military person. nel have ieighiane public feeling over Castlegar CanCel's pulp operations here will expand within five years, the com- pany's chief executive officer estimated bility indicated five years would be a suitable “time frame” for increasing the esp acity of the pulp mill. . CANADIAN AUTHOR... Winner of the Governor General's Award, Timothy Fin- dley, read from his works Tuesday at Selkirk College, and spoke on the craft of writing. Findley’s reading was the third in a series at the college. Readings in the winter term include Higher! Ondaatje on Jan. 23, Lola Tostevin on Jan. 31, and J. Geils Band — back on their feet By MARY CAMPBELL NEW YORK (AP) — When lead singer Peter Wolf left the J. Geils Band, the remaining five members didn't exactly line up and audition for each other. “We already had a pretty good idea who could sing and who couldn't,” smiles guitarist J. Geils. Before the split last year, the band had been together without a personne! change sinee it was formed in the late 1960s. On the first album without Wolf, You're Gettin’ Even While I'm Gettin’ Odd, keyboard player Seth Justman and @fummer Stephen Jo Bladd sing most of the leads. On next year’s tour, harmonica player Magic Dick will also do a few Bassist Danny Klein rounds out the group. “We're very pleased with the album,” said Justman, long-time composer and arranger for the band, in an inter view with fellow band members. “It turned out exactly the way we wanted it to. We wan| striking to make a strong musical statement. It seems to be a chord with everybody.” When Wolf, an energetic front man, first left, things weren't quite so cheery. The last LP, Freeze Frame, in 1982, was the band’s biggest seller WORKED NONSTOP “It became very clear when the reality of the dust settling hit us, the thing to do is to make this record,” Geils said. “We started Oct. 21, 1983, and worked virtually nonstop. We finished in September, 1984.” When Wolf left, word went around that the J. Geils Band had fired him. The band denies it and presents a chronology. After Freeze Frame, the band toured for 15 months. Then Wolf left. “We got him to come back,” Justman said would sing on the next album. “He didn't want to participate much in anything else song writing, business, reharsals. He had been having a block in terms of song writing for about three albums. “In July, 1983, we went in the studjg and got seven “He said he Dunaway'’'s done it all NEW YORK (AP) — Sev enteen years ago, a lithe, naked blonde swayed before a window, spied a rakish Warren Beatty trying to steal her mother’s car and yelled, “Hey, boy!” A star was born. Faye Dunaway has that way about her —that way of punctuating a scene and grabbing an audience. She did it then in Bonnie and Clyde, and she's doing it now Keach jailed on drug charge LONDON (REUTER) — Stacey Keach, the hardboiled private eye in the Mike Hammer's Mickey Spillane television series, was jailed for nine months by a London court Friday on charges of smuggling cocaine into Brit ain. The prosecution said 31 grams of cocaine were found in an aerosol can of shaving foam in Keach's suitcase when he flew into London last April 3 with his sec- retary, Deborah Steele. She was jailed for three months Both pleaded guilty Keach, 41, told Reading Crown Court: “I can’t deny the deep humiliation and em- barrassment for what hap- pened.” He said he had been taking the drug to fight exhaustion and to try to maintain his concentration. “One of the diabolical things about coedine is that it gives you a false sense of security . . .” he said. as the villainous sorceress in Supergirl. She missed Steve Me- Queen in The Thomas Crown Affair, bathed Dustin Hoff. man in Little Big Man, pushed Peter Finch toward mini-series Christopher Col madness in Network and umbus in CBS’ 1984-85 sea brutalized babies in Mommie son. Dearest. She is no stranger to his Recently, comedy beckon- torical figures, having also ed and she played the rollick- played E ing. recy Mand in CBS ——— Brenda ond sprawling mini-series Ellis Island “I feel I'm at.a new be are back! HILLTOP CAFE tS UNDER ginning,” Dunaway said in an interview on a recent visit to NEW MANAGEMENT. Join us for breakfast New York. Though she has an apartment overlooking Central Park, she has been lunch ond dinner “Te GOOD HOME COOKING It's all come together — 7 eimi.9 pm Dolly living in London for two years with her husband, Brit my professional and personal ounond ¢ siies Woes growth.” oF Castlegar on ish photographer Terry She lived with O'Neill and newtons Nerrest, broken home, Dunaway had been married before, in 1975 to Peter Wolf of the J. Geils rock band Dunaway will portray Queen Isabella of Spain in the O'Neill, and their 4'h-year old son, Liam. had the baby before marry. ing him. The produet of a instrumental tracks down. After that session, I got together with Peter. He said he had things he wanted me to hear. He played me a tape that had six songs on it, with synthesizer, background singers, bass, drums,. pretty extensive harmonies. “I suggested we play it for the whole band, which we did a few days later. It was troubling to everybody that he hadn't told anybody in the band he was writing and working with musicians we didn't know.” Justman said Wolf wanted the Geils band to play five or six of the songs on the album. “They'd be on, or he was going to leave. A lot of them have ended up on his solo album Lights Out. “We felt we needed assurance Peter wasn't going to say on some other issue, ‘I want this or I'm going to leave,” Justman said. “It became apparent it was going to be impossible to continue together. It was agreed at a meeting of the six of us in September 1983 to part wa: AGREE ON RELEASE The band agreed not to talk to the press and to issue a press release on which they all agreed. “The give of us said nothing in terms of us kicking Peter out, which is the story that circulated,” he said. “It made us feel lousy, the perception of us as bad guys. Logically, we thought it would be very foolish for five guys to kick out their lead singer just when success was ours. Businesswise, we were left without a focal point.” “We didn’ 't know where things would lead. As the album loped, adeship stabilized us. It became clear a real positive thing was going on.” Magic Dick is working with the Huang Company in Taiwan, maker of harmonicas. He has thousands of harmonicas and has devised retuning harmonicas to get new sounds. Justman also tries to create new keyboard sounds. “We're delving into synthesizing the harmonica itself,” Justman said. “On the album, Concealed Weapons and Wasted Youth have synthesized harmonica.” DEWDNEY TOURS MAPLE LEAF TRAVEL will be CLOSED Christmas Day For more information call NESTA 365-6616 Open Tews. Fr. Wm. - 4:30 p.m. san cine, — CHILDREN’S CHRISTMAS PARTY For children of Branch members, associates of L.A. members Sunday, Dec. 16 12 noon to 2 p.m. At the Legion Hall Children 9 and under PLEASE CONTACT 365-6849 between 6-9 p.m. or 365-2401 or 365-3804 anytime. PRE-REGISTRATION DEADLINE DEC. 10 IKINGSTON f | Sheraton-Spokane Hotel Presents TRIO Sheraton Grand Ballroor $8go0- Sheraton spokane Hotel oS Bulletin Board W.K. TREASURE HUNTER'S CLUS Monthly meeting to be held on December |! at S.H. ts = Room 108, 7:30 ECUMENICAL PRAYER SERVICE To observe Human Rights Day and Philippines Solidority Day. Sus December 9. 2:30 p.m. St Rita's Church. 513. 7th Avenue. All Welcome. vw “PEACE ON EARTH” CHRISTMAS PARTY Su ecember 16, 4:30 p.m. Community Complex Potluck Dinner at 5:30. Santa's coming. Tickets at UAC Food Store, Carl's: $2 - unemployed, $3 - employed Children tree. 9 CHABABER OF MAINES CHRISTMAS PARTY December 14, 215 Hall Street, Nelson. 2 - 6.30 p.m. Mem bers and escorts cordially invited uw PUBLIC SPEAKING COURSE Stu McNish | Vancouver. February 15 - 17. Register by December 15. Linda Hort 365-5011. Castlegar Arts Coun