RE tS SETS gee. NOTICE OF COPYRIGHT: Full, complete and sole vested in to Castle News Lid ond ‘Ganka L however, Gry adverinemant prepared trom repro proots, engravings. etc. pr: A useful yardstick Findings by the commission of Unlike Lillooet, dates of local inquiry into recent probl in the Lillooet school district provide food for thought for those in the Castlegar school district, if only os a yardstick by which to measure local performance. The commission heard presen- tations both critical and supportive of the Lillooet school board, inclu- ding two petitions signed by teachers and parents that said they have been treated justly and fairly by the board Still, the commission found areas tor concern. It said both sup- porters and critics agreed the board runs a closed shop with minimal input from either the public or its employees. The Lillooet board does not publish its agendas or the dates of committee meetings. It has no regular question period ahd allows public input for only half an hour, twice a year Castlegar school trustees come nowhere near to matching their colleagues in Lillooet. For one thing, agendas here are distributed freely to the media well in advance of board meetings and are easily available to the public Perhaps the board could go that extra mile and announce the meetings in the newspaper prior to its meeting, or find some other satisfactory way of regularly in- forming residents of the meetings In any event, Castlegar parent groups are heavily involved in school affairs and usually have representatives at the board meetings That means those represen tatives — like anyone who attends the meetings — have access to school trustees ot least once a month But here again, the board could go out of its way to en- courage more participation by parents and taxpayers. Mind you, increased parental participation in school attairs would mean greater accountability on the part of trustees. But would that be a bad thing? gs are readily available here, though they won't do anyone much good unless they are a trustee; the meetings are closed to the public. The Castlegor board feels trustees are better able to speak their minds at the committee level without having what they say reported in the.media or passed on by parents That kind of attitude is tine with personnel and property issues both sensitive areas which require delicate handling. But surely debates over fun- ding tor programs such as Russian Immersion should be heard in public, even if they are heated Letters to the Editor If open c 9 aren't possible the board should publish minutes detailing commit. tee recommendations and reasons for the decisions, and touch on those recommendations at the regular board meetings Not only would that ensure the public and press are aware of the committee recommendations, it would make doubly sure trustees who aren't members of the com. mittee know what has taken place To the local board's credit, it has a question period at the end of each regular board meeting Sometimes the question periods might appear useless — especially when no one asks anything or when there aren't any members of the public in attendance But the periods are essential They allow the public access to the board in a formal setting and the question and responses are on record. Finally, the Castlegar board doesn't have any problem with in put from its employees. Mike Rodgers, Castlegar and District Teachers’ Association president has said a number of times he is pleased with the board's co operation and openness with teachers. The board deserves credit for going out of its way to make sure employees are involved in the decision-making Fred Merriman An area gas station attracted my attention with a sign reading 46.8 cents per litre. This was a full service facility at that price it seemed only fair to wait on myself, The owner appeared shortly after the valuable fuel began to flow into my car. Sometime later — with the register reading $30 and my casual comment remarking that perhaps the tank had a hole — the owner quietly advised me that his gross profit on the transaction was 64 cents. Increduously, I looked him in the eye for confirmation that in deed he was speaking the truth Doesn't sound fair does it?” he asked. “At 46.8 cents for regular gasoline my gross profit is 2.5 per cent. Most of your $30 goes to government In due course my dilapidated Mercury and I journeyed on with my parting comment: “You have my sympathy and understanding.” Then it occurred to me that we can all do something about that kind of unfairness. We should all ask and insist that all governments disclose the amount of tax included at every price level and let that tax be reported separately through the retail price However, Most of us are unaware of the hidden nature of taxes paid at the import level or contained in man ufacturing and wholesale prices. It is also interesting to note that éach level of tax is compounded by the manufacturer, wholesale or retail merchant's markup. _ Some oil companies have taken out advertisements or printed cards reporting the breakdown of our # a \ \ 4 dollars spent at the pump. You may observe that these advisory notes appear only rarely We suggest that pressure was brought to bear by the various taxing authorities to let the sleeping dog continue to rest in the noon day sun while the wily and stealthy pussycat makes off with his dinner. Beating the tax man individuals taking advantage of what has become known as the “under- ground economy”, and the shift has” produced an estimated $50-billion worth of income on which governments aren't collecting taxes. Simply put, the underground economy is that murky system that includes, among thousands of other examples, the taxes not paid by waiters or waitresses who don’t report the full extent of their tips. Or the plumber who moonlights after hours and gets paid in cold, hard, unreported cash. Indeed, in the broadest sense of the term, the underground economy includes everyone who receives money for handling tasks large and small, but doesn't report the income to the tax collector. The reason for the seeming increase in the underground network? Canadians are now paying 40 per cent or more of their income in taxes and many feel:they are being ripped off. So they fail to report some of the cash they earn, believing they are morally justified because the goverment will only waste the extra tax dollars anyway. They fully understand the practice is illegal, but the underground ec- onomy devotees are able to point to specific projects where governments - are tossing away large chunks of They may wonder why Ottawa's top civil servants are worth upwards of $110,000 per year, while their coun- terparts in the United States get only $72,000. Or why those who deliver the mail are able to earn $25,000 per year, while they are paid less, even though they. may be, better educated and harder workers. People working in the under- ground economy read about the banks and other major companies paying 10 CENTRAL AMERICA to 20 per cent of profits in taxes, when they feel the rate should be 50 per cent or 80. They also hear stories about the few hundred Canadians who pay no tax at all, even though they earn more than $100,000 per year. (That's known as good tax planning.) What's sad is that the voluntary tax reporting system that has served us so well over the years is being eroded each time an individual fails to pay tax, even on a few extra dollars worth of income. Such individuals are wrong when they break the law. But they do have a point when they talk about wasteful government spending. It has become clear that govern- ments do spend « lot of taxpayer dollars . peedleasly, general after another has noted.But that still doesn’t justify tax evasion, which is really what we are talking about. Economies in ruin Editor's Note: A U.S. study commis sion on Central America has recom mended a five-year, $8-billion program of economic aid to the region. This story, the first of two, describes some of the major economic problems be setting Central America. By STEPHEN ADDISON MEXICO CITY — The image of Cen tral America as an unstable collection of gun-happy banana republics contin ue and economists gay it is one of the main reasons for the region's woeful financial condition. It has discouraged foreign investors and bankers and recuced the flow of tourists to a trickle “It is a vicious circle,” Amilear San. tamaria, Honduran chief government spokesman, said in an interview. “They stay away because they think we are al} ving in a climate of terror, of, Perhaps the debate is ad nauseam, nevertheless, as many beseech the government to solve our many problems with the 48.9 per cent of our gross incomes they now quietly take, this particular writer takes the view that we would be better off if the money remained in our hands from the start. Most of us could offer several good ideas about what we would do with a raise in income equivalent to more than 50 per cent. We would probably spend more. That would create more jobs. Labor wrestles with manage. ment and management ~questions the productivity of labor. While these formidable adversaries have it out, the silent, paternal government pussycat claws away nearly 50 per cent of our gross incomes. It must often oceur to the casual observer that the participants have been so busy playing the game that they haven't noticed the referee making money during the game. It seems fair to me that the referee should at least diselose all the rules of the game and the fees that are being collected for imposing and enforcing those rules. We should not hold our breath waiting for the various taxing authorities to disclose any more than they think expedient. but the . of their foreign exchange turn worse and this in turn ledds t6 te political unrest.” A report by, a U.S. bipartisan com mission headed by Henry Kissinger said last January the fast drop in Cen. tral American economies ‘contributed to political tensions. It recommended an $8&billion, five-year emergency stabilization program for the region but acknowledged that even if it were successful, per capita wealth in 1990 would only be three-quarters of what it was in 1980. Of the five main countries in the re- gion, Guatemala, El Salvador, Hon- duras and Costa Rica are pro-United States while Nicaragua is an avowed foe. The Nicaraguan revolution in 1979 coincided with an upsurge of the civil war in El Salvador and the end of a period of relative prosperity for Cen- tral America. They cut back on imports, narrowing the gap in their growing trade deficits, but depriving all sectors of the econ omy of vital components. Farmers and industrialists who wanted to import fertilizers or spare parts received the same answer: no dollars available. Economies began to stagnate and state revenue from taxes on once- thriving business and exports shrank. Governments, mindful of a saying in the volatile region that every jobless person is a potential guerrilla, were unwilling to cut back on spending. More money was going out than coming in, both in the external trade account and the internal budget. As the countries lost money, so did their people. Since 1980, inflation-ad justed per capita income has fallen 6.6 per cent in Honduras, the region's weakest economy, and 8.1 per cent in Guatemala, the strongest. ‘Investors stay away because they think we are living ina climate of terror’ The fall was worse elsewhere: 12.4 per cent in Nicaragua, 14.8 per cent in Costa Rica, the most peaceful country in the area, and 19.3 per cent in the most war-torn, El Salvador. The drop in personal income ag- gravated day-today hardships and emphasized the glaring inequality in ‘wealth distribution, economists say. U.S. dollars are still available to those who can afford them, but the shortage of foreign exchange has led to a widespread and tangled system of official, parallel and black market rates throughout Central America. In Ni grew #t an average of about six per cent in the face of steady world demand products while their ofl bills and debt pay rose fast. gua, the official exch rate stands at 10 cordobas to a dollar, but the black market offers up to 100. In the other countries, black market premiums over the official rate range from nine to 70 per cent. ‘The U.S. dollar shortage has dealt « heavy blow to trading within Central for Economie Integration, an indepen- dent body, put the 1963 trade total at about $750 million, a drop of 30 per cent from 1982. Foreign economists see Nicaragua as the worst hit because of its inability to secure U.S. aid and the reluctance of agencies like the International Mone- tary Fund and the World Bank to lend to the Marxist Sandinista government. The value of Managua’s trade with the four other common market coun tries has dropped 61 per cent over the last two years, secretariat figures show. The economists say there is little chance of improvement as long as U.S. backed rightist Nicaraguan rebels con tinue their campaign of economic sabo- tage. The direct cost of rebel activity such as replacing blown-up bridges or wrecked coffee-processing plants has been estimated at about $50 million for Nicaragua, and $850 million for E] Sal vador’s four-year civil war. But economists say that in both cases the cost is far outweighed by the ex pense of maintaining the country on a war footing and diverting productive labor into the security forces. (Reuter) NEXT: Long-term outlook Please address all Letters to the Editor to: The Castlegar News, P.O.Box 3007, Castlegor, B.C. VIN 3H4, or deliver them to our office at: .197 Columbia Avenue, Castlegar, B.C. as one auditer: ? H Fe sf lene Robertson and Ann scoring 62 and 57. “2° 6 The Castlegar Clippers are still in first place in the junior ball league. They defeated Kinnaird at Kinnaird Sunday with a score of 42. Floyad Boettger of the Clippers was on the mound for the full game. A petition signed by local business- men calling on the village to control the issuing of trade licences was read at the regular meeting of the Castlegar council Tuesday night and was filed. . 2 «6 Kinnaird residents use more water per capita than any other community in B.C., D.A. Whelen of Associated En- gineers told a public forum meeting in Kinnaird Tuesday night. The was held to discuss the village's $177,000 waterworks extension bylaw which will be voted on Monday. * 8 « Tenders for construction of a six-mile link in the Kinnaird-Christina Lake section of the Southern Transprovin- cial highway will be called within five weeks. The disclosure was made in a tele gram from Premier W.A.C. Bennett to Rossland-Trail MLA Donald L. Brothers, who said he fully anticipates the new route will be in operation by 1961. . 8 @ Jimmy Lamont was installed as new president of the Castlegar Rotary Club at a social evening last night at the Skylark in Trail. * 8 «6 The Robson post office moved to its new premises Monday. Although it is not yet completed, Robson postmaster Jim Leamy opened his new post office Monday to serve the more than 200 persons getting their mail at Robson. The new post office is located half- way between the old post office, which was located at the East Robson Store and the Robson Community Church. 15 YEARS AGO From the July 10, 1969 News Increased traffic at a freightways terminal located near the Kinnaird post office has grown to the extent where town council termed it “a inconvenience to the people.” * 8 6 The heating system has now been installed and is now in operation at Bob Brandson Memorial Pool at Kinnaird. . 8 8 The Castlegar Cloverleafs baseball team was awarded the runners trophy in the Panhandle Shrine Club Babe Ruth tournament held at Sand- point, Idaho last weekend. . 28 «@ Al Harvey, a former member of the Castlegar Kiwanis Club who was a teacher at SHSS here, has been named president of the North Vancouver Kiwanis Club. e 8 6 Funeral services were held this morning for well-known and highly respected businessman Lloyd Walter Ackney, 53, of Kinnaird, who died suddenly Monday. He was manager of the Mitchell Rebels, have a new coach. Ed Wyatt, a player with Trail Smoke Esters for 10 years, is new coach of the team. 7 @ e Skylab, which plunged to earth yes terday morning, has a way of affecting the lives of those who may not have otherwise given the incident much thought. Several Pacific Western flights, in- cluding one to Castlegar Airport yes terday morning from Vancouver, were eateolled because of Skylab’s re-entry, Cantin said there is no sign of any recurrence of the cancer which forced amputation of Fonyo's left leg 10 centimetres above the knee when he was 12. “People were worried Steve was suffering the same problem that afflict ed Terry Fox,” said Cantin. “But that is not the case.” Fonyo made it as far as the town of Riviere-du Loup in eastern Quebec one week ago before taking time out to visit Montreal where he spent the early years of his life. SCHOOL INQUIRY FINDS PROBLEMS A commission of inquiry has found that recent problems in the Lillooet school district “stem from management and governance practices that are inappropriate by contem porary standards.” The commission recommends a number of changes in practices and policies of the Lijlooet school board and sug gests that it combine its three top administrative positions into one. The commission was appointed by the B.C. Teachers’ Federation but operated independently and without direc tion by the BCTF. The Lillooet school board declined the BCTF's invitation to appoint a member to the commission and refused to participate in its investigation The commission was appointed on requests from the Lillooet Committee of Concerned Parents and the Lillooet Teachers’ Association. Those requests were prompted in part by the dismissal of David Singh, a probationary teacher, on April 24. No reason for the firing has been given by the school board. The commission said it heard much testimony about the Singh case, but that it was unable to comment on the master because it is now before the court. Singh is suing the school board and the editor of the local newspaper. The commission said it also heard presentations both critical and supportive of the school board. Two petitions signed by educators and parents said that they “have been treated justly and fairly” by the board. But the commission's analysis indicated nine areas of 1 i and y practice that need correction. It said both supporters and critics agree that the board “runs a closed shop with minimal input from either the public or its employees. The board's supporters see nothing wrong with this but the critics see it as a kind of “family compact.” The board does not publish its agendas or the dates of its committee meetings. It has no regular question period and allows public input for only half an hour twice a year. The commission says the school district is “over-admin istered and under-serviced.” The district, which as only 1,052 students, has a superintendent of schools, a director of instruction, and a secretary-treasurer, who earn a total of $154,712 a year. The commission says the three jobs should be handled by one person and the money saved should be put into school services. The two commissioners were Carol Pickup, vice-chair. person of the Greater Victoria School Board, and Dr Norman Robinson, professor of education administration at Simon Fraser University. bet, &,. GET DOWN! . . . Breakdancing demonstration was put on at arena complex this week for local youths. Event was part of Castlegor Recreation Commission's sum mer program. CosMews Photo by Ryon Wilson Steelworker leader ordered reinstated TORONTO (CP) — A court ruling upholding the rein- statement of a union local it was an unwarrant- ed judicial interference in union affairs, say two top officers of the United Steel- workers of America. Lynn Williams, interna tional union president, said Ontario Supreme Court “sub- stituted its judgment for that of the union” in dismissing a union appeal of the rein statement of Cec Taylor, president of Local 1005 in Hamilton. Taylor lost his job last August in a 65-64 vote at a membership meeting of the local 1005, Canada’s largest Steelworkers local with 10,000 members. The inter national union upheld the VSE stock prices VANCOUVER (CP) — Prices were down in light trading Friday as the gold oriented Vancouver Stock Exchange felt the effects of plummetting gold prices. Vol- ume at the close was 7,343,462 shares. Of issues traded, 103 ad vanced, 315 declined and 378 were unchanged. The VSE index was 970.17, down 13.70 from Thursday's close. Gold prices dropped more than $20 In the industrials, Bank of Nova Scotia Preferred A re- mained at $25 3/8 on 100,000, International Medical rose 05 to $1.45 on 35,000, B.C. Resources fell .05 to $3.10 on 14,070 and MMC Video One Canada dropped .05 to $2 on 4,800. Woodwards A was steady at $12'/ and Datel In- dustries declined .05 to $1.55. On the resource board, Ramm Venture fell 51 to $2.30 on 239,400, Zenco Re sources dropped .04 to .66 on 131,500 declined. Pezamerica warrants B fell .18 to $1.56 and Zytee Computers ad- vanced .06 to $1.43. On the development board, ZEP Energy warrants B gained .01 to .08 on 151,000, Asitka Resources climbed .02 to $2.26 on 129,900. A.M. Wheels is pleased SAVE MONEY Have a second estimate on Septic Tank InstoHetions * Backhoe work & all types of Gravel Fill PHONE 365-3534 or 693-2373 two-year Last month an Ontario Su- preme Court judge ruled Taylor had been treated un fairly and should get his job back immediately. And ano- ther Supreme Court judge ruled Wednesday the union could not appeal the rein statement. “The decision (dismissing the union appeal) causes me grave concern about whether our union really can set the standard of conduct touching upon own own internal af fairs,” Williams said “The fact that our request to appeal was refused says to me that the court simply does not understand how a union works, or the lengths that we go to be fair and to assure honesty, responsibility and democracy in the administr: tion of all of our local unions.” Williams said Taylor was found guilty of three viola. tions of the union’s consti. tution in an interna! trial and appeal procedure. Williams, of Toronto, is the former director of the Steel- workers’ Ontario district. Skelly blasts . Socreds _ VANCOUVER (CP) — British Columbia has a gov- ernment that has stopped listening to the people of the province, New Democratic Party Leader Bob Skelly said Saturday. Skelly was addressing some 500 people who gather ed in a park for a rally sponsored by Operation Soli darity Skelly told the crowd that the province needs a gov. ernment that is willing to lis. ten to British Columbians and that will recognize the plight of the unemployed. Earlier, Art Kube, presi. dent of the B.C. Federation of Labor, said the Social Credit government, which he des. cribed as “socially barbaric,” has completely mismanaged the economy Meantime, the president of the Employers’ Council of B.C. said in an interivew that the budget of last July 7 was not a disaster. Jim Matkin rejected crit- icism that the document has led to massive unemploy ment, saying the bulk of the jobless are being affected by poor resource markets over- seas CO Beauty by Aloe Distributor for Aloe Mist inc. of skin, hair ry product Side presentation & organic haw removal demon: ts stration. WEDNESDAY, JULY 11 7:30 p.m. MONTE CARLO MOTOR INN BANQUET ROOM EVERYBODY WELCOME! FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL ZELLA AT 365-7100 G ——————— PEOPLE’S INSULATION SERVICES Be Energy Wise! Save Money and Do It Now! 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