PAGE 4, WEDNESDAY. OCTO BER 24, 1979, WFIITBY FREE PRESS i q Volce ai the County Town Michael Ian Burgess, Publisher.- Managing Editor The only Whitby newspaper independently m~ned and operated by Whitby residents for Whitby residents. Published every Wednesday Sby M.B.M. Publlshlng and Photography Ine. Phone 66fl1I The Free Press Building. 131 Brock Street North, P.O. Box 206. Whitby, Ont. CommuAty Eddoi Mike KneiVl cflfltbuting Fd'toi -Jîm Quail ti nn M.îriaýt . -Mari Burgess Ptini & Pinmotionai Manager *Robin Lyon 'Ail -Çdtroin Brtili Matinq Petrmîî No 460 FiPlpe Rus npss Bureau ut Toronto Whitby ('flanîbe, ut Cc'mrneqce A decisiion from the taxpayer will'force the issue! Yes, I belleve that a bus service lsneeded in Whltby. ...( ) No, I do flot bel leve that such a service Is ,needed......... ( 1 would use the bus service for: _______________ The bus service Is not needed because: ___________ COMM ENTS: F I G H T Name: Address:___________ Telephone: -Number ln Family: Are you: a student?. ______a senior citizen? _______ In a famlly wlthout a second car? ______________ F O* se ose e T ,H E B u s E s IT'S OUR TOWNI W Please mail this te: THE WH-ITBY FREE PRESS, P.O. BOX 206 e< WH ITBY, LiN 581 or drap it inta aur office at 131 Brock Street North W durlng office haurs. Reader says the Free Press has "misedthe boat." Dear Sir: Ever since the bus Issue made the headîines a couple of weeks aga, your paper has wasted ag lot of ink and newsprint on the subject. This so-caled poli Is a classlc examn- pIe of the "abuse of statIstlcs". What is it that you hope ta con- clude wlth this survey? Is It that 990 people out 0f 1000 who responded belleve that aur town needs bus service? What happened ta the remalning 30,000 peaple who didn't respond, or are their opinions flot valued? The Free, Preés has mlssed the boat as-ta, recognlzing what the real issue Is ln this case. There Is littie doubt ln the minds of the residents of Whitby that we need a bus, but the question now becamnes, can Whitby afford ta aoperate its own bus system? Who Is going tu finance it? What services are golng ta, be sacrlficed at this expense? Why should the homeowner have to be burdened With paylng someone elses transpor-tion ex- penses? It is a well-known fact that every public transportation system operates at a' deficit. Estîmates of $100,000 have been suggested as Whitby's operating deficit. In terms 0f taxes, this Is a tax ln- crease, of -anywhere f rom one ta two mil11s. Somne'of aur mem- bers of council proudly procîalm that Whltby has held'the line an tax increases over the years. Weil then, how on the bus issue has the finance depar- tment handîed the rising cast of living? Or maybe, the- citizens have naticed a decline in the services for their tax dollars. Sureîy, most people expect that taxes may In- crease,l as daes their saiary, with the cost of living in order ta main- tain similar services. Our local politicians must not be afraid ta raise the town's portion of the taxes In order ta maintain and improve the services of this tawn. On the question ofa need for bus service, I emphaticalîy* support the mnotion In principie, however, the lm- plementation 0f the, service --*. remains suspect wlth me. Counicillors Attesley, Bugelil and Evans are tryi ng ta shift the responsibillty af tran- sporting a small group of citizens onta the majority of people. On the other hand coun- cillars Drumm and Emms have consisten- tly demonstrated a fear ta rock the boat an the issue of raising taxes. Councillor Carson and Mayor Gartshore have contlnued ta be like the ostich by burying their head in the sand and nat surfacing long enough ta, be aware 0f the real issues of municipal government as we head Into the 80,s. Cauncil must re- open the issue of bus service for the tawn of Whltby ta, establlsh a means ta Implemrent a viable service for Its Merchants should'be supporting buses as wel * Where are the dawntawn merchants? The *majority of those wha we have spoken with have e said that they would support a bus service and .0 yet, they have flot respaddt'u uvy 0 Some of themn may have done sa, however, 0 they did as a private citizen and flot as a :e businessman. Dawntawn merchants have sald e that a, bus service wauld improve their business. * Therefore, the Free Press asks for yoùr sup-' *port in the survey. 0 Downtown businessmen and merchants have é8 been complaining that the downtawn is -dying' 0 and that their business is not as gaad as It used e ta be. If thère was a bus service, maybe youIr *business wauld pick up. If the dawntown merchants want the buses, then they should be supporting this newspaper's efforts an their behaîf. Merchants, send In your survey forms, either >for or against, and when yau sign your name, teli us the name of your company or business s0 that when the survey is presented ta council, your graup in aur cammunity would have added it's vote. A bus service, will help your business because mare peaple co--ild be brought dawntawn to shap. It îiniybe in yaur best interest ta support the buses. To preserve the identity of Whitby, we needa dawntown care and perhaps one step In strengthening it is to have a bus service. Merchants aside, anyane who has an opinion on this issue is asked ta participate In the sur- vey. The Free Press is praviding the'space for the survey as à carnmunity service and for It ta have any real bearing on whether ar nat we get a bus service depends entirely an aur readers. We believe that the need for a bus service is real and it is needed naw and was probably n eeded yesterday. If your vote is na, a bus service is nat needed, then say Sa because ta get a clear picture of what is needed and wanted bath points of view are needed. ADDRESS LETTERS TO: THE EDITOR, THE WHITBY FREE PRESS POST OFFICE BOX NUMBER 206 WHITBY CONT'D ON PG. 5 AU