PAGE 6, WITY PME PRESS, WEDNESDAY, »ECEMBER 19, 19QO Published every Wednesday Maurice Piher By 677209 Ontario Imc. Ed ito r Phone: 668-6111 Toronto Line l E427-1834 Alexandra Martin w ~HEIlDoug Anderson Production Manager à jý Publisher .41,ICL-E;I CUN -T WN131 Brook Street North, ThO I ID ., P.O. Box 206, Whitby, Ont. 2fld Clan Posai .C.TeOny VViILLy ne îndaerJépendently owned and operated by ýLiN 5S1 Pag«lson If055 Whitbyresidents for Whitby residents.Pu We welcome the announcemen t that the provincial gavemment i s committed to building a waterfront waiking.trailitram Burlington ta Newcastle, while stop- ping privatizatian of the public.,shareline. its a grand plan, and 'one which deserves the support and cooperation of ail levels of gomerment. In many ways, the Town of Whtby has been one jump ahead with plans aiready drawn Up for waterfront aras, plans that include walkways. But Town council made ane move which now appears ta, go agalnst that-provincial Initiative ta stop privatization. The original Coscan plan of deveiopment for the waterfront area at the foot of Bfrock St. S. included a public waikway aiong the harbor. For what Was cited as a potentiail Iabiity problem because of the proximity of Walk around the wai kway ta the harbor, Town counicil decided ta allow prIvatization on part of the Coscan property (the former Cartier-MoNamara property). The walkway wouid instead go up Brook St. and around the development. It would appear the provincial government has na such concerns f we have properly lnterpreted the Intent and design of this week's announcement about the lakesh- are trail - just as iR appears thore was littie concern about existing public recreation areas along the Whhby lakeshore. However, other plans- of deveiopment for. *Whltby lakeshore areas show. respect for WhIftb's naturai environment and residents' desime. for recmeationai space. One need only look at the *f ine waterfront deveiapment ln other municipalities ta se what WhItIby couid have ln the next century and beyond, particularly with one of the best harbors alonig northemn Lake Ontario. There might have been somne skepticlsm about the lakeshore trail, ta be 150 kilomnetres (90 miles) ln iength, when Rt was f irst suggested a few maInths ago ln David Cromble's royal commnission report on the waterfront. But, happily, the province has realized that the time has corne ta keep, or make, public a waterfront strip for the enjoymnent of ail residents. Removing our -compeie e To the editor. Plain, simple logic dictates that the free-trade. agreement, bigh intereet ratesý, and artificially high Canadian dollar and the proposed. goods and services. tax are ail part of the same package. Prior ta the free-trade agree- ment, foreign-owned companies were required ta assemble their pidctu n, Canad(m (deW, Canadian law) in o rder ta, compote in the, Canadian markoet. Companies with manufac- turing facilities i the USA. manufactured 'the camponents, the tbransportation industry hauled the materialsita Caada Canadian war-ehouses stored many of the products, factory î wres ssmbed the project, and the rasrtion industry hauled these pduts ta mnarket. Many thousands ýof labour and mangeent jobs were created.' Under free-trade with the U-SA., most of those job-cretn activities have been eliminated. The entre product can be manuactredoutoide Canada, warehousedutoide Canada and sbipped directly ta aour market, elifating the need for costly branch plants, administrative and .spevor personnel, fac- tarv and warehouse workers, as wei as cutting tasoaion Canadian imanufacturing plants could have stepped intoaa very competitive position and coenpeted more successfuly on the US. Market, except for the artificially high Canadian dollar, a dollar overvalued as a resuît of high interest rates and bigh interest rates imposed upon the Canadian public, supposedfly ta attract foregn investrs Foreign investors do what? Open new industries? nty not. Many U..-"owned branch plants and offices located in Canada have been closed, many others will follow. Our federal gcwernments theory of bigh interest rates ta al±tract foreign investors doesn't seem logical. New businees do flot appear ta b. the result of attractîng foreign investment tbrough high interest rates. To the coeitry, bhigh interest rates are crippling aur ecoeoeny and we are witzeing an unusually high number of business and persoeial bank- 1U IiM- - - -- - - - - - - - Our federal government, *hawever, insista their policy of bigh interest rates is necessaryto attract investment to Canada. Hligh interest rates' eis in Canada as, a resqI1t of the fres-trade agreement,, not, ta protect Canadian businesses, but ta proteet U.S. businesses fromi wbat may be termed unfair com=petition fteCanadian ~dIu ee td, b. pegged at -75 cents U.S. (for example),- the Canada would amfrave, the cycle Of business cmejures would reverse, Canadian compames would have, greater alility ta attract new clients inI the US. miarket. Sinclair Stevens recently confirmed the suspicions of many Canadians. He stated a secret or handshake agreeament 'exiatd between the Canadian and US. governments ta po up the value of the Canadian dollar. Michael Wilson. states that a handahake agreement with his U.S. contemporaries' has not taken place, Is statement has been received by many Canadians with skepticis* Oneca believe that bihinterest rates are here ta rstay ta prop up the Canadian dollr, and will continue for the Industries in Canada are being forced ta compete on a more level playing field, but maybe they can cut their overhead. Enter the G&T. By implementing a goods and services tai on tbe Canadian consumer, the 13-1/2 per cent manufacturera tax can b. eliminated, theoretically lowering the prcof exported goods into theUS market (a discount of 13-1/2 per cent). Eliniinating the' manufac- turers' tax lbaves the government with lost revenue, revenue which must be recovered. Our government's solution is ta pick the pocket of every citizen in the country with a goodsansd services tax. Our government, uuing the deficit as a smokescreen ta justify this new tax, insists we must swallow this barsh medicine for aur own gS&d. It is obvious the only reason for the GST is ta replace the m anufacturer.'tai. lb. only reason ta emve tbe rmufacturera' tai is ta create a more coinpetitive position for Canaian eiporters ta compete in the U. market and take ful ad&vantage qfL-the-_free-trade * ~g f .-r-.~ ~ p.,.~ * ~ ~ - ~ agreement with the U.S. The artificially high value' of the Canadian dollar has rernoved aur conifetitive edge, a resuit af interest rates deliberately held at a high level ta inaintain the overvalued dollar. These actions, taken collectively, substantiate the theory of the secret deal or handéhake agreement. to main- tain our dollar - value at an uncompetitive level. ELL. Webster Oshawa r -~ ........ .. CAN Canadians condone any furtber'felonies forthco.ning from Bians farcical facilities in Ottawa? Via Rail bas bid au revoir. Canada Air bas taken flight. The CBC bas all but been castrated. CAN Canadians survive any further,abortion cf jobs being t' new birth in, the United CAN Canadians survive any mare procreafion of taxes like the GO%, melded with provincial tax, resulting in the- birth of eveVytbng taxed from diapers, ta dish detergent ta dfialogue (commonly known as books)? CAN. Canada survive Brian and Barbara MacDougall' immigration policies, allowing_ 250,000 more immigrants -into Canada,, when we cannot bouse and feed bora, and bred Canadianis? CAN Canada survive Brian and Mila's Washington vacations, trips abroad, private jets, Sussex Drive lascivious spending, Brian's gifts of milions ta visiting- VIPé such as bis gMftot the Phillipnes Prince Edward Island, Centre Island and Vancouver Island need it more). CAN Canada's name survive Mr. Mulroney's engagement -ta Georg Bus sudbis love affair withWahgon CAN Canada'.name srie, or will it b. cbanged alerthe divorce fr-om decency, direction and devotion ta the State of mulropey, incorporated into the US .c c Hsiution as the 53rd of the Un-tzd States of America (tis would salve Brian'. constitutional problems and the Senate in Canada)?, Io this a parody of exaggeration and extended imagination? No, unfortuntely, it is a disoertatio on Brian'. burial of Canada. ""ses ta ashes, dust to dust"... Opiruoma expreaaed are tloee of the author l~fJtM - n oem ~oe w -I.