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u More compromise For the first time in what seems like months, reason prevailed over political passion in the House ..of Commons last week as the three federal parties : reached a compromise agreement to help un-stick the constitutional impasse. ~The agreement, which was hailed initially by some as "'historic in nature,' ended the bitter debate until after the Supreme Court has handed down a decision on the legality of the proposed constitutional package, and 'more importantly, allows the eight provincial premiers opposed to the package one more chance to meet with Plerre. Trudeau in an effort to reach some kind of concensus. ~~ Certainly, after seven months of, bitter wrang- ling over the Constitution, it is not unfair to say that a "great many Canadians are tired of what has gone on in Ottawa, and more than just a little annoyed that other pressing federal business such as unemploy- ment, inflation and ruinous interest rates have been shoved onto the back burners during this time. The Supreme Court is slated to begin hearings on the legality of the proposed package at the end of this month, and could render a decision in about four weeks time. ' : ' Crucial to the eventual outcome of this long ~ "procedure is the meeting between the Prime Minis- ~ substantially. ter and the eight provincial premiers. To reach agreement last week in the House of Commons, all three federal parties had to com- 'promise, back down from hard and fast positions. Canadians must hope that the same sentiments will prevail among the premiers and the Prime Minister. There is scarcely anyone in this country who would not agree thatthe Canadian nation must have its own Constitution, free from even the slightest constraints of the British Parliament, along with a formula whereby that Constitution can be amended when necessary, and a Charter of Rights. But reaching agreement on how this should be done, what should be included and what should be left out is the problem. A concensus among the premiers is utterly crucial for the future well being of the country. A legal solution without political agreement may very well give Canada a constitution, amending formula and Charter of Rights, but at what price. oo Already, there are enough wedges driven into the foundation of our Confederation, to the point where some Canadians have come to the conclusion it would be better "to go it alone" than remain with the Confederation. : The very future of Canada may depend on what prevails over the next eight to ten weeks. Let us hope that the mood is positive, constructive, and one of ~ 'compromise rather than impasse. ditoriol comments J OTTAWA SPENDING PLAN... $129.000 PER MINUTE ~ News fe l / () i li hi ) Congratulations Congratulations are in order for two Port Perry Minor Hockey teams which captured All-Ontario championships during the past week. Reaching the top in the minor hockey play-offs in Ontario and then winning is quite an accomplish- ment for a team, and a reflection of the skill and hard work by the players, dedication and patience by managers and coaching staff, and great support from parents of the team members. ) The Port Perry Atoms won the Regional title April 8 with a victory over Ernestown;, and this is the - second straight year this team has captured the championship. - This year, the Atoms ran up an impressive record, playing a total of 58 games, losing just eight and tying two. Managers and coaches Dave Barkey, "WHAT TIME 1617 P" "322 THOUSAND PAST 5 MILLION |" Dave Ballingall, and Bob Jamieson have obviously found the secret of how a team of youngsters can play good hockey, have fun and win all at the same time. ' 0. ~ And the Port Perry Pee Wee B's, coached by Paul Van Camp and managed by Glenn VanCamp won an overtime game Sunday afternoon to beat out Dresden and bring an Ontario championship to Port Perry. . The Pee Wee B's had an impressive year, winning 26, losing 16 and tying four. And in the playoff rounds, this squad was literally unbeatable as they romped to 14 victories and just one tie. Quite a record. RX Not only are the feats of these two teams a reflection on all those associated directly with the Atoms and Pee Wee B's, but on the Minor Hockey organization as a whole in this community. There are numerous dedicated -individuals who put in (Turn to page 5) . MA AND LULA An-old folk saying has it that there are only two things in life of which we can be certain; death and taxes. For Canadians, I think we could add one more item: the periodic request. from Bell Canada for an increase in rates. There's another one in the works right now, and bill smile world prices, to keep along the same lines, without losing its integrity for borrowing money, for attracting investors. "The unfavorable economic conditions in the Company's servicing area' is another reason for demanding new revenues. How in the holy old heck is a fat increase going to aid these economic conditions? In a far- unless the CRTC shows some gumption} and the Canadian public screams in outrage, it will quietly slip through, another stone in the pyramid of inflation. I.won't go into the nitty-gritty of the increases. They are complex and vary from one area to the other. But I'll give you a -rough idea, supplied from Bell Canada itself. The increase is requested for September 1st, 1981. Here's an idea of what it will cost us. Your ordinary residence rate would go up by 30 per cent. Your primary business rate would go up by 40 per cent. Certain business auxiliary services would go up anywhere from 20 to 100 per cent. . Service charges to install a telephone would increase by $8.50 residential and $25.00 for businesses. The old reliable pay' phone, which not too long ago jumped from a dime to twenty cents, would go up to a nice round quarter. Long distance calls, which Ma Bell urges us to make often, in a series of treacly television advertisements, will -soar Now I'll be the first to admit that Bell ~ Canada is one of the best services in the world. Ever try making a long-distance call in France, Germany, England? And I'll be the second to admit (after the company itself), that the rates are reasonable, compared to those of many other countries. ~ This is a tribute to the company's expertise in keeping up with advancing technology. It has done an excellent job of this. And I'll be the third to admit (after the company and its employees) that inflation-is driving up its costs for wages and materials, as it is doingyto every other industry in the world. : But. And I have some but's. The service is not as good as it. once was. Dialing Operators nowadays is not receiving personal, friendly advice in making a difficult call. It is more like speaking to a rather cross computer who makes you feel stupid. Long gone is the feeling that the phone company is part of the community. Customers are now dealt with at arms length, and rather brusquely, like retarded children. 'To be honest, some. services have improved. I can call my daughter, 800 miles away, by dialling a few numbers, and have her on the blower in thirty seconds. That's as it should be, with new equipment. But the Bell has become tight and cheese-paring, in many other aspects. Operator assistance now costs you. It's even a dime more to ask for local directory service. In other words, it will cost me an extra ten cent$ to find out whether J. M. Smith is Jack Smith or Jeffrey Smith. It will cost me a quarter to phone a cab, instead of a dime. And if they're too busy to come, it might cost me a dollar for four calls, instead of forty cents a couple of years ago. Bell Canada is honest enough, and smart enough, to explain why it needs the increases, aside from inflation. It wants to raise the return on its shares from 12 per cent, established in 1974, to 14.50 or 15 per cent, to encourage investments. How many of us were making 12 per cent in 1974 on our investments, and ever since?' Finally, it comes down to a matter of principle, and dignity. On principle, I have: been fighting Bell's perennial requests for an increase for about thirty years, and have seen all too many of them ooze through with barely a murmur from the customers. And I think, in a trying time for all of this country, that the corporation might have enough dignity to tighten its belt and|like the rest of us, while still giving its share-holders a fair return, and keeping its standards up. Alberta is willing to sell its oil well below flung country like this, the telephone has probably become moré important, economically and emotionally, than the postal service. os Not much of an argum?nt, miné, but I have a feeling the increase is wrong. If you feel the same, badger your federal MP into baderging the CRTC into a refusal. Improved technology should reduce prices, not increase them. But Ma Bell and her shareholders couldn't care less, apparently. FR Let's end this column on a happier note. Some weeks ago, I wrote about an old song - that went: 'You can bring Kate, with the partial plate, But don't bring Lula," and so on, for verse after verse. I couldn't remember what was wrong with Lula. Dave Lister of McDonald's Corners, Ontario and Mary Tilden of Nepean, Ontario have filled me in. a Mary writes: "Words I am sure you are longing to hear," "You can bring Pearl, she's a darn nice girl, but don't etc." She adds, "Sorry I only know the last - line:" "Hullabaloola, don't bring Lula, I'll bring her myself." ey Dave corroborates this with, "There was nothing wrong with Lula. The last line of the song said, "I'll bring her myself." Certainly glad that's cleared up.