CASTLEGAR NEWS CASTLEGAR, B.C. CASTLEGAR NEWS Published Every Thursday By _ THE CASTLE NEWS LIMITED _ Castlegar — B.C. L. V. CAMPBELL, Publisher H.‘G.. CLASSEN, Editor © Member Canadian Weekly. Newspaper Association and B.C. Weekly Advertising Bureau SUBSCRIPTION RATE :— $3.00 per year; 25¢ per: month by carrier. Authorized as Secqnd Class Mail, Post Oftice Department, Ottawa. EDITORIALS HOW TO STAY IN THE BLACK (and lose votes) A number of centuries ago a clever Italian politician by the name of Machiavelli wrote a treatise on the advantages of all sorts of, cynical and dia- bolical devices for success in politics. . As far.as we know there were no direct school taxes in Signor Machiavelli‘s: day; but if: there had been, he would doubtlessly have told the government to chuck the burden of ‘collecting the taxes, due and overdue, onto the village elders and hold them: responsible for prompt payment. This, in any case, is what the B.C. Social Credit Government has.done, and: it is one of the reasons . why this Government can now pound its chest and proclaim its financial soundness to the world. In Castlegar and Kinnaird’alone, the “B.C: Gov- ernment failed to ~-collect around $9,300 in 1955. When the new schoo! tax arrangement came into force, this overdue tax was hung around the neck of the two village commissions, which have to col- lect an additional total of $39; 000 in current taxes " for 1956." And not only this: “Regardless of whether the villages manage. to collect,’ the’ government de- mands prompt payment ‘fram’ them—all of the arrears cand 50% of current taxes, which amounts to approxi- mately $12,000 for Kinnaird, and $17,000 for Cast- legar. These amounts are due now, and the villages fiaven’t got the money: The government shrugs its -shoulders. It’s .all. very clever—except that neither, Mac- “hiavelli nor his modern- day’ disciples ' Mouse of: pushing: someone else into the red. s ‘DISCOVER BRITISH COLUMBIA. British Columbia needs re-discovering: by its inhabitants. plorations of David Thompson—honored-by a monu- ment here—and .Captain Vancouver, Fraser, ‘and Mackenzie.“ What those hardy: men did “from a sense of duty and a lust for knowing strange places; we... can do in ‘comfort and from a. sense« of pride and . pleasure. . It is a fact that many of us, kenow Calgary and Spokane better than we do Victoria’, and © Prince George—the former attracting tourists, from as: far away as Los Angeles, ‘the latter an’ * exciting now boom area. 3 “| but: entirely i .] to “dig in right at: the beginning It is time we enlarged upon the ex-.: _ i‘| years of ag; school student knows, is ‘R’ Day. To some it means Recommenda- tion Day, for some, Reward Day, Those who still believe that- success is one of the rewards of effort have been hugging them- selves in the almost secure knowledge that’they. are recom- mended: and from this .day un- it will Tomorrow, as every’ high! acceptable, that it is difficult to .Jand for some. just. plain old: attempts to make human’ rela- Guess Who's ‘Riting Day. til they pele for further effort! what they should ‘be helping to do something wrong, if one can pay for. the appropriate service. * "This is not to condemn these tions more pleasant, In the com- plexity of modern living “they are a necessity. But when they ‘lose, sight of theiz purpose ‘and become ‘prostituted to a policy of beclouding _ gobbledygook, . sus gar padding, and concealment of be their last day. Furthermore, tal state is’ spiced just enough of ‘the recommendation %and on the other by the. bitter-sweet nostalgia ‘of . leaving familiar places. ‘The ‘more numerous follow-' . listing while |. by, school are, public their probal fail that: the “old, extra st’ and , at this erhinently. comfortable men- | on the one hand: by sung rtainty, The aims and objects of educa- ers of the. just-enqugh- -to-get-' it is time to call a halt. 3 Unfor tely, ei by George Classen I_ went, to the Library the other day. It was a few, min- utes ‘to eight, and the lady who was in charge that’ day was about to close up, “Ah — a customer,” she smiled when: she saw me. “I thought) no one would come today.” - I could not quite believe my ears. I knew, that a Public Library is never so’ well pat- ronized as a coffee shop with jukebox, but not a ‘single cus- tomer in an _|thing to’ do. —Kiwanis’ Club _. sponsors scholarship to students over 12 attending Castlegar School | District—$50 to be ap- plied im. music. during next year’s work. —Rose Cafe opens. under new management of Mr. H. ‘Seto of Vancouver.” —Legion Zone Council meets in. New Denver. —Mrs, J. Deans. reports on 10.D.E, Convention held itt Vice toria.- : —William F. waldie . of Robson, who is: a: student at U.B.C. won the Canadian’ For- est ;Products scholarship of $150 for highest in‘ third-year forest i ‘| engineering. Ground .for. the new An- glican -Church. at Kinnaird ‘was “broke” at’ “a. special’ and» im- pressive service last ‘Sunday. - (No? How many of ‘you have ‘attended’ a. public school board meeting last year?). The matter of the Library, however, has so far been* left to our own individual gumption, and the result is pititul. I don’t ie how many children, patronize. the, Libraries. Children’ are in school, and that means they. are ‘getting a good general education, including a fair amount of compulsory read- ing: Even the kids in' grade one read at least one book a year— the primer; and that, by golly, is a hell-of a lot more than most adults do..How.many of us have read through a whole book last year? by ee ai I nt Td find out a little are no exception to the trend. tion as presented in any Depart- ment circular are so all-encom- passing, so all-embracing of jevery aspect of humar. behavior ,and ideal as to mean practical- ly nothing. The larger the: net, the more holes it more about it. I phoned a few people who are ‘in the know, and here is what they told me. an 7 ¢ ¢ : Adult membership in the Library is poor. There arg 45 (forty-five) paid-up members in Castlegar. In Kinnaird, where ‘ali planted in our heads in school, three-fourths wilts and wastes because we do not keep it fresh with the. daily. watering of good, useful reading... + soe 1 don’t mean entertainment, but fun from books, you might Tv. Reading is a hard and. pro- The trouble is that we have carried the philosophy.of ‘edu- j cation is fun; education: is play” so far that: we are faced with of the Impr it | fitable - There. is mot Society are entitled’ to take out a job or profession about, which ds of ‘books haven't béen books, only. a handful. ever cross the ibrary treshold. By far the. Jareest numb rr instruction." There: ~ is , the that emergencies: “are-unreal, .because of fest year it there’ is a next eDhe third group, those whose fate is certain, are_also foretell- ing their * “fate; but with a little extra. bravado. ‘In*-fact, it has r ie almost’ a’ ‘prin- really bad happens in play.. It-is high time that we that getting is hard work and represents a large investment in time and money (not as much as liquor and en- tertainment, but still large) and a training in personal habits and ciple. that “those whe ‘show the least. effort ‘and ‘enthusiasm dur- ing the School year, manifest the and i ity which will af- fect the rest of ‘the life.. I am __ still: -old-fashioned enough to belles that higher e nota ty in the .manufa of for their -Jack, of results. ; The trouble is, however, not confined, to the boys and girls, but is, T'féel, ‘endemic in our so- \Veiety. There are sO many pres- sure groups and well-paid ‘apologists ~ living . behind the facades of. — 1 depart- right, and ‘that school is a place where one does: one’s best, not an -expensive four-year baby- sitting service. pia your son. or has of ion“ or_ inner, 1 ‘teh are: children, ¢ ‘for’ ao mem- bership ‘is “free.” In Kinnaird, they ‘account: for ‘about 95% of all books "taken | out, and in Castlegar they outnumber, adults ten to’ one. Ne td This unhealthy balance shows. the rust and mold that begins to clog our: minds ‘after we leaye school If Public ‘Libraries were on has not been fshated. and dealt with, by great’ ‘writers: to provide z answers and responses to ‘our thoughts. Filling your head with ideas is like shopping in a store. You can always buy’ a cheaper. and shoddier item’ that looks almost like the . more expensive: one, but if you know what “you're doing you’ will to buy quality, ‘because quality lasts. is also’. more expensive the | same footing as schools, if they. were a matter of civic pride, or gov- ernmental ‘pressure, we would shell out thousands of. dollars a year unquestioningly, as we do now. to our school systerni. Not passed: with grades =< Wwe are about in time ‘and effort than. other media, but ‘in ‘the supermarket of _ ideas, beoks ‘are the top quality, nt “Have, you read : The... ate with his or her abilities, ; it was earned ments, public relations services, If he or shé has to write the final save your guidance services, p: but it is the ‘Classifieds? “dy. who ‘is going on a Senior during the summer. CASTLEGAR NEWS, CASTLEGAR, BC. . Letirs io the Editor The tilm shown’ at the Le- flon Hall ‘last ‘night was very “enjoyed