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2 The Canadian Statesman, Bowmanville, February 9,1963 Section Two Civil Servants Taking Over? You may not drive to work in a limousine or light cigars with five- dollar bills. But you, John Q. Public, have every right to feel like a somebody. After all, you are one of the major employers of the Durham Region.' General Motors may be big. But local government, with its payroll of approximately 7,000 persons is certainly no small-time operation. A member of Durham's regional council mentioned last week that there are 2,990 employees who work fiill-time for either the eight area municipalities or the Region of Durham itself. These persons would include public works employees, police, planners, clerks, and all of the staff that is needed to make the municipal governments tick. But it occurred to us that these civic employees represent only a small part of the total local government payroll. To the ranks of these municipal workers, we might add approximately 3,500 employees of the Durham Board of Education and roughly 450 employees of the Northumberland and Newcastle school board who serve the Town of Newcastle. For argument's sake, let us assume that there are roughly 4,000 school board employees within the boundaries of the Durham Region. Add these 4,000 to the 3,000 civic employees noted earlier and we find a total of 7,000 local civil servants -- ranging from high school principals to dog catchers -- who labor on our behalf each day. We might point out that this represents a bureaucracy directly under the control of the local taxpayer through municipal councils and boards of education. These are genuine, home-grown civil servants not hired by Federal or Provincial agencies which are often blamed for government spending. We, or at least our elected representatives, agreed to hire these individuals. Now, let us assume that the population of the Durham Region is roughly 300,000. Some simple division will reveal that this gives us a ratio of one local government employee for every 43 residents. Ana our calculations do not include another large army of individuals employed by other governments or government agencies. We have not included, for instance, the persons employed in hospitals, at Durham College, or at the Ontario Hydro projects at Pickering and Darlington. All of them are certainly public servants in that they work for corporations controlled by the general public rather than private enterprise. There can be do doubt that our ratio of 43 citizens to one civil servant would decline sharply if provincial and federal employees were taken into account. Moreover, we should deduct those persons who are under 18 from our calculations since they are not really taxpayers of the Durham Region. In fact, we should also subtract the number of retired persons and the unemployed in order to reach a true account of how many taxpayers it takes to maintain a public servant. Frankly, we're a little bit frightened about the direction in which these calculations lead. If you were to consider the ratio of taxpaying citizens to public servants, we suspect that the number would be shocking. We're only guessing, but we suspect that the ratio of taxpayers to civil servants is between 10-to-l and 20-to-l. This is a graphic example of the extent to which government is a part of our economy and a part of our lives. There may be some who see these conditions as realistic. But to the layman, unaware of the role of government in the economy, the situation looks like an example of financial survival by "taking in each others' laundry." Are we approaching the day when the economy will consist entirely of civil servants paying taxes to support still more civil servants? Unanimity Doesn't Pay Off There are times when it's hard not to feel a little bit sorry for the Town of Newcastle's elected officials. Take last week, for example. At regional council, Newcastle representatives have sometimes been chided for lacking agreement on many issues. We recall several years ago, a member of council from another municipality quipped that he couldn't comment on the town's latest position because he hadn't checked his mailbox. Last Wednesday, things were different. different. Newcastle council declared itself to be solidly in opposition to the proposed shopping centre on the corner of Baseline Rd. ànd Waverley Rd. Newcastle's three regional representatives representatives backed Mayor Garnet Rickard as he led the attack against what was feared to be a "premature" "premature" approval of the project. But did Newcastle's solidarity impress impress the region's elected officials? were they convinced by Newcastle's unanimity? Were they moved by the voice of the persons elected from the Town of Newcastle? Of course not. Durham's display of high-handed paternalism would rival that of a 17th century monarch. The region seems to be taking the approach that if Newcastle doesn't know what's good for it, then Durham Durham will have to make the proper decisions on the town's behalf. The majority of regional councillors councillors feels that all development is good. The shopping plaza in question represents a development and therefore therefore the shopping plaza is also good. Without getting into the merits of the shopping centre itself, it would seem that the real issue is one of local autonomy. Will local government government make its own decision or is the Town of Newcastle simply a branch office of the Durham Region. Surely the place for deciding the merits of the shopping development is the local, Town of Newcastle level. If Durham intends to run the entire show from its headquarters in Whitby, then perhaps it is time for local councils to pack up their tents and steal away. Comer for Poets PARTING Someone you loved (still love) has gone away to other worlds and your heart is nigh to break with sadness. How I regret I can't be near to press your hand... to let you feel my sympathy. I do not say (will never say) Don't cry... for crying eases grief and pain. What I do say is: Remember God is wise and merciful. He has fixed a way... a mysterious balm called TIME... which will surely heal your wound and make you smile again (a tender smile) instead of tears when you think of your beloved. -- By 'Mackie' of Queensbury, Jamaica Canahian Statesman 623-3303 (*Cti Du mem County's Grsal Femlly Journel btaMthod 12* yeers ago In 1864. Alio Incorporating Thi Bowmanville New» The Niwceill# Independent The Ofono New» Second elm mill raglslrallon number 1S«1 Produced every Wedneidiy by THE JAMES PUBLISHING COMPANY LIMITED 62-BB King SI, W., Bowminvllle, Onlirlo L1C 3K9 all (III JOHN M. JAMES Editor --Publisher RICHARD A. JAMES Assistant Publisher GEO. P. MORRIS Business Mgr. BRIAN PURDY Advertising Mgr. DONALD BISHOP Plant Mgr. All leyoule end composition ol edvttllieminl» produced by Ihe employee» ol The Clnidian Sleleimin, The Newceelle Independent end The Jemee Publishing Compeny Limited ere protected by copyright end muel nol be reproduced wllhoul wrlllen permission ol Ihe publlehete. S16.00 e yeer -- 8 month» M.OO strictly In edvence foreign --145,00 e year Although every preceullon will be liken to avoid error, The Canadian Statesmen accepts advertising In Its columns on the understanding that It will nol be liable lor any error In Ihe advertisement published hereunder unless a proof ol such advertisement Is requested In writing by the advertiser and returned to The Canadian Statesmen business office duly signed by the advertiser and with such error or corrections plainly noted In writing thereon, end In that case It any error so noted I» nol corrected by The Canadian Statesman Its liability shell nol exceed such a portion ol Ihe entire cost ol such advertisement as the space occupied by Ihe noted error bears to the whole space occupied by such advertisement, Lake Ontario Shoreline b y Ken ste P hen»on SUGAR and SPICE Another Year x Cheer up! You're alive, aren't you? As we sail dauntlessly (or creep carefully) into 1983, being alive is the name of the game. Millions and millions aren't you know. Think of your dead friends, andi even more deeply, of your déad ' enemies. This should cheer you up. Your dead friends, relatives, former mistresses, bosom companions who are planted are flitting about in Elysium, pinching the bottoms of succuli ana incubi, and slugging down the ambrosia. Your enemies, rot them, are shovelling coal as fast as they can. And serves them right. Imagine the chagrin of a wife-beater when his assistant, a mere embezzler, doesn't get up there with his wheel-barrow of coal and Old Nick nods, and Beelzebub gives the wife-beater six licks on his burning bum. So that's all settled. Here you are, alive and well except for your arthritis, acne, heart murmurs and knotted bowels, and you're afraid to face another year. Best way to face another year is calmly, secure in the knowledge that it won't be good, but couldn't be worse than last year. Maybe a nuclear war will start, but you still have to put out the garbage. Maybe you've lost your lob, and there is no garbage, because you've eaten every can, bottle and carton. Maybe you'll lose a loved one, and think your grief is as deep as the ocean, but then catch yourself picking your nose or smelling your armpits. Whatever the new year brings, we can be certain about a few things: more taxes; parents/kids who don't understand you; an increase in the cost of living; emanations of hot air and no light from Ottawa ;i teeth growing browner; hair growing scantier; and, as always, constipation, whether physical or mental or emotional. But that's just living. It happened to the Greeks, the Romans, and the British. The only ones left who are constipated in all three areas are the Brits, but that isn't their fault. They're just more modern. Despite your problems, you are a survivor. If you aren't, you shouldn't be reading this. As a survivor, you still have flesh and spirit together in the one vessel. And that's the name of the game, when you are tackling a new year. Don't be fearful. Be cheerful. Above all, don't feel guilty. If you're an old-age pensioner, with a private income of eighty thousand a year, don't let your hand tremble when you cash your old-age pension. Sign your cheque with a flourish. If you're a student, don't feel guilty if you got straight "F's" on your Christmas report. It's probably because you come from a broken home, or because your teachers have a built-in antipathy toward free spirits. Just think positively. "F" stands for fantastic. If you're a wife, don't feel depressed because your husband prefers to spend all his evenings, alone, at the Legion Hall. Think positively. He's probably destroying his liver, and you'll soon be on your own, to look for a man with a little fire and less smoke. If you're an aged, don't be down because nobody comes to visit you. Call in your lawyer, make a new will, and cut every one of them out, down to the last third-cousin. Leave it all to Billy Grabbem or Rex Humbug. Either will waft you up there on wings of pure plastic. If you're too fat, don't sweat. Or if you sweat, don't fast. Just sail in the chocolate cake and ice-cream, flip a buttock in the devil's face and go to your grave a happy glutton. If life presents you with a serious problem, which you can't possibly face, don't face it. Run away. Take a trip. It'll be all blown over when you get back. If you find yourself so upset about the world, the state of the country, or the latest idiocy of the town council, and you start biting your nails, no sweat. Start biting your toe-nails, instead. This will take your mind off your troubles, increase your agility, and give you another taste in your mouth, aside from the bitter one. If you are so depressed that there . seems only one way out -- suicide -- '. do it properly. Don't throw yourself under the wheels of a train, or off a : ; bridge, or cut your wrist, or shoot a ]. hole in your head. Throw yourself : under a live body, or jump off a two- foot bridge, or just nick your wrists, : or put a hole in your big toe. You'll > get far more attention than if you did ; it neatly. People like botched jobs. ;• That's why they hire plumbers and. painters. There. Feeling better? This little treatise is not the only way to get through '83, -- you could win a lottery -- but it should help. Just remember, a human being is neither flesh nor spirit. It is both. Just keep body and soul together for another year, and you can laugh at life. And death. P.O. Box 145 Brockville, Ont, K6V5V6 January 25,1983 To the Editor: On January 18th, 1983, a Toronto butcher, Michael Desborough, filed suit in federal court charging that Canada's metric laws are in violation of the Charter of Rights. Mr. Desborough is represented represented by one of Canada's best-known lawyers, Clayton Ruby. What many of the news reports reports failed to mention is the fact that Mr, Ruby was retained retained by an Ontario-based organization fighting forced metric - Measure Canadian - and that this citizen's group is paying all Mr, Desborough's costs. Measure Canadian was founded in February, 1982 by a group of small businessmen in Brockville, Ontario. Since that time, we have grown to have members in all provinces of Canada and from all walks of life, and all age groups, Measure Canadian 'Was formed because of our frustration frustration with the failure of political political institutions, and a multitude multitude of other organizations such as the Consumer and Civil Liberties Associations and the Canadian Labor Con gress, to represent the concerns concerns of Canadians over the way in which metric was being implemented in ■ this country. It was obvious that Canadians needed a credible vehicle to carry the fight to the government and Measure Canadian grew out of that need. The directors of Measure Canadian are all responsible and respected members of their community. They include include several city aldermen, a newspaper editor, a member of the Ontario Legislature, a former M.P., a police sergeant sergeant and an accountant, Measure Canadian is committed committed to paying all costs for the first stage of Mr, Desborough's Desborough's challenge out of funds raised primarily in eastern Ontario. The directors of Measure Canadian have given freely of their time and money to carry the fight to this stage, but to continue, a much larger number of Canadians Canadians must get involved, We are fighting a Metric Commission Commission with a $26.5 million dollar budget and the only effective way we can combat them is with our own money. Measure Canadian has provided provided Canadians with a credible, viable and respected vehicle of protest against forced metric. Our court case is providing Canadians with their first day in court, and I urge caring and concerned citizens to help in the fight; Get involved! Write: Measure Canadians, P.O. Box 415, Brockville, Ontario, K6V 5V6. Yours truly, Yours truly, Steve Yeldon, Chairman MEASURE CANADIAN Feb. 6,1983. Dear Mr. James: The Courtice Secondary School Drama Club requests your help! In February, 1971, the Courtice and Bowmanville High School Drama Clubs joined forces to present the musical, West Side Story. It was presented at the old Bowmanville Town Hall. This year, the Courtice Drama Club will do a revival of West Side Story - March 9, 10,11,12. We're attempting to organize a reunion of the Cast and Crew from the 1971 production, We have about 85 students to attempt to contact, bill all we have are phone numbers from 19711 Letters have been sent to about 30 of these former cast and crew members, but now we're stumped. Could you publicize this event in the Statesman? Perhaps parents will remember remember their children being part of this production. Perhaps Perhaps the actual participants whom we can't locate, will read about the reunion. If so, please phone the school - 728-5146; say you were part of this undertaking; give us your new address, and we'll send out a letter with the reunion details. Thank you so much for your assistance. Sincerely, (Mrs.) Jill McClurg Producer May I just say that I enjoy reading the Newcastle Independent. I feel that community community news is as essential to individuals as world-wide events. BUT -- When a person writes to the editor, their intentions intentions arc to express their views to readers and writers of the newspaper. Well, my intentions are no different from the other, "Dear Mr. James" letters, except you might call it my pebuceve instead of my point of view. I can only speak for myself when I read your 'Page from the Past,' I enjoy, reading what's there but when it reads, continued on pg, ? whatever, I feel I have (wen cheated, For example, the Jan. 26, 1983 edition. 'Page from the Past 1933' had a small article entitled 'Grand Old Man of Bowmanville Died on Monday." When I read the wee tid bit of his obituary, I was dying to read on. (No pun intended.) As usual -- continued on pg. ? I don't enjoy a cliff-hanger TV series but at least you finally get an ending. The 'Page from the Past' literally leaves me sitting on the edge of the cliff forever, I can only foresee two solutions solutions to my dilemma. The first is to ignore the excerpt from history I enjoy so much, or, for the paper to conclude the 'to The Newcastle Public Libraries in conjunction with the Central Ontario Regional Library System and with a grant from Outreach Ontario presents an afternoon with Chris and Ken Whitely. Chris and Ken arc performers performers with the Mariposa in the schools group and will present their show, Jug Band Music, in the library auditorium auditorium at Bowmanville on Saturday, Mardi 12, 1983 at be continued' articles on a preceding page. Let me close by asking the readers a question: Would you watch the first of a six part 1 T.V. episode knowing that the other five would not be aired. Yours Truly K. Scott, Lotus, Ont. Ed's note : Yours is only one of ; the problems connected with those 'Pages of the Past' and ! we haven't come up with a , solution to date, but are work- - ing on it. The other is when an . article appears about some- - one's misdeeds of yesteryear and he or she is still alive and _ considered of exemplary •" character. 2:30. Admission to this special concert is free but you must have a ticket to gain entry. Tickets will be available at all three branches of the library beginning February 12. Spaces are limited so pick up your ticket soon. The Bowmanville Public Library is located at 62 Temperance Street in Bow- "■ manville. For more information, information, please call the library at 023-7322. Show at Public Library : Presents Jug Band Music