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“I was hated by lots of folks,” he said. “for being a pacifist when everyone was getting into uni- form, but you know, I fooled them. I even earned a VG.” “Did you really?” I inquired. I was abruptly impressed to hear of a pacifist who had won a VG. “I turned my back on war and fighting and gave myself to more useful pursuits, in my estimation. like carng for people who seemed to be without hope. I started mate cleal: they are look- ing to mobile or modular homes for at least part of the answer to the problem. Auvnnwv His eyes are keen and alive to what goes on around him, and although his shoulders are a little stooped, I can tell he likes to hold his head erect. 7 _ A M nu H...“ We were finished singing Christ- mas carols, and he asked me if I remembered the lines to a favor- ite hymn of his. Without waiting for an answer, he recited the verses and volunteered a story about the over-organized church. It seems that some children had a pet that died, ,and they decided that a minister should bury the pet in some proper Christian fash- ion. The poor minister searched his Worship Book to no avail. There was no prayer or funeral service for a dead pet. I didn’t volunteer that Presby- terians feel organization is so im- portant. and that the organized church had brought me as a clergyman to share his fellowship and break bread with him. In place of that, I listened with fas- cination as he told of his life. more than 80 years of pacifism and Christian service. the memory of which made his eyes light up. “That represents,” he said, “what has taken me away from organized religion, and I’m happy without that sort of ministry.” Provincial Cabinet level stateâ€" ments from week to week are making it increasingly clear mobile or modular housing is something that is likely to come. Its arrival is being propelled by high prices for accommodation and a shortage which even Premier William Davis has called a near crisis. We would 'feel the shortage should more accurately be called a crisis of several years’ standing. A spade should be called a spade. Be that as it may, Premier Davis and the members of his gov- ernment are certainly under tre- mendous pressure. It is politic- ally necessary for them to relieve the housing shortage. They have Certainly it isn’t an easy prob- lem. The federal and municipal levels of government are also in- tricately involved. Davis and his new Housing Minister Robert Welch are going to have to get the active co-operation of other gov- ernment levels if their efforts are to be successful. Thousands upon thousands of residential units are needed right now and in the years immediately ahead, at least. The public is crying out for more housing. But at the same time many people are highly critical of, and angry at, much of the results the developers have been producing in the rec- ent past. As has been shown here in Rich- mond Hill and in neighboring Whitchurch-Stouffville there is a substantial resistance in existing communities to any influx of facâ€" tory built movable home units. This public opposition is reflected in the attitude of the municipal councils. Here in Southern York Region we are in one of the highest pres- sure spots in the housing shortage situation. In View of the need for homes and the crystalizing pro- vincial government attitude, the public here apparently is going to have to pay a lot of attention to this kind of housing. Does it look very good to us? Certainly it seems under presâ€" ent circumstances locations will have to be found that aren’t going to bother existing neighborhoods or adverser affect the economics of the municipalities. The municipalities have certain powers to protect themselves from development they don’t want. They probably will be called upon to use these powers. .The degree of municipal opposition will de- pend upon the nature of the mod- ular home proposals advanced and upon the resulting public reaction. Housing Minister Welch last month told the mobile home indus- try the government is going to act to eliminate social, economic and legal objections to this kind of housing. It is alleged they have a retail tax disadvantage which will be removed if it is substanti- ated. Tenants, owners and buy- ers are to be given equal legal ‘nrotection with those neople in- New Year's Message Beware Modular Homes THE LIBERAL. Richmond A V: Winner (Retired) Hill, Ontario, Thursday, Jan. 1974 “Yes, indeed, that’s how I met my wife and married and settled down to the serious business of life. Loving and being loved, car- ing and being cared for, it is all in the record, and I’d do it the same way given another time around.” -Ul~ no. “Oh, of course, that’s what I’m telling you about. When you meas- ure the things that I did and the abuse I took for my pacifism, the hunger and privation I’ve seen, the bleeding and the mutilation, I came out of it all with my VC. When you look back at life you can say, ‘This is experience talk- ing.’ The most meaningful ex- perience of life has been the lov- ing experience between myself, my wife and my two children. They are my VC â€" Victor and Constance.” “Was there a particular act that won the VC for you?” I asked. ‘lgBfit what about protested. I have to admit when life’s values are weighed that this kind of integrity is precious. For the year 1974 I pray that Canadians might have such integrity; to care for our youth and be concerned for them, maintaining their trust and leaving them a proud legacy. west and slept many a night under a prairie sky offering myself to God and asking to be used for some meaningful life. Pretty soon I was on my way back east and on overseas where I joined the Salva- tion Army. We worked hard pull- ing people from buildings that were bombed, digging them from the wreckage, taking them to hos- pitals, and when the bombs weren’t falling we were caring for home- less, helpless refugees of the war. I saw more action of the war than any of my brothers who were in the service. They are all gone now, but I got my VC to show it was all worthwhile.” volved in conventional accommoda- tion. A uniform building code will eliminate advantages still enjoyed by conventional types of housing. Idealistically, it seems mobile home people should have the free- dom and equal opportunity the province is proposing to help them attain. However, the ramifica- tions of all this must be given long, hard and careful considera- tion before any community such as ours hereabouts takes a plunge into such development. ' With higher level government encouragement, experimental ex« amples of mobile home develop- ments have been created. Perhaps the proponents of this type of housing can substantiate their claims about the desirability and value of mobiles for the individ- ual and the community. There is probably more merit in looking for more solid answers for the housing crisis than in turning to patchwork solutions such as mobiles. The real kernel of the problem is more likely to lie in the areas indicated last week by the incoming president of the Toronto Home Builders Associa- tion Ronald Williams? His firm builds homes mostly in the Metro fringe areas like our own. The home builders’ president says the day of the single-family house is fading faster than our regulations and aspirations. Much stronger emphasis is needed im- mediater on condominium and townhousing' in many forms -â€"-â€" street, stacked and back-to-back. He says the problem isn’t land but only services. We feel the province would do better to look more in the direc- tion indicated by Williams for housing crisis solutions. Williams says many municipal- ities are still forced to demand subdivisions of single-family de- tached houses purely and simply because of the tax assessment involved. He feels the sooner Ontario does something to equal- ize and stabilize the assessment problem. the sooner the builders can get to work providing the new housing forms that will combat the housing crisis. Here at the municipal level it is probable only the regional council at Newmarket has the personnel, expertise and resources to provide any maior amount of leadership independent of the province in the housingr crisis. Most of the local towns and townships don’t have their own planning staffs. But Richmond Hill. Vaughan and Markham do have their own plan- ners and may be able to contribute somewhat. The new regional administration is hardly three years old and has given commendable priority to a heavy commitment to community planning. Our citizens should look to the regional planners for some leadership on the mobile-modular homes questions and other solu- tions to the housingr crisis. We would hope these matters are cov- ered in the region’s Official Plan now well advanced and due for completion shortly. the VC?” I (Hamilton Spectator) Provincial Justice Secreta- ry George Kerr skated the entire length of the Sunday shopping-store hours ques- tion without leaving a scar on the ice. His Green Paper on that delicate subject didn’t bring the government closer to any kind of resolve; the issue remains wide open. Considering the tidal waves of talk which have washed over the commercial- ization-of-Sunday question during the last decade, it might have been reasonable to expect the government to indulge in a little old-fash- ioned leadership and swing the Sunday trend one way or the other â€" back toward a quiet day of rest or toward the total extermination of the day-of-rest concept. N 0 Decision On Sunday Only Stir/(er Needed For I 974 licence But the government’s he- si=tancy is understandable and not all that impractical. To begin with, the ex- tremes :of choice are astrono- mical distances apart: The serene, tranquil Victorian Sunday as opposed to the bustling mar and blazing neon with which Ontariaan live six days a week. Next, there isn’t a reliable consensus to give the go- vernment a sense of direc- tion Many of the people who insist Sunday should be a day apart, a day of rest and relaxation, practise recre- ations that requine the labor of others. To enjoy a Sunday, many people want the services of store. theatre, sports facility, gas station, transportmion systems. When the circle comes around, those who de- manded full services on Sun- day will find themselves working on Sundays. ‘Exit Sunday. The other factor hamstring- im-g anyattempt by Ontario to make the ultimate decision is that the issue is continen- tal. Whatever decision the government should make will be vulnerable to the power- ful influences from across the American border. It was those influences, more than anything else, which led to the present quandary. American commu- nities which have opened their Sundays to a wide crange of busineSS and enter- tainment are held up either as bad or good examples by Ontarians. After years of debate which have given the politicians and the people opportunity to examine Sunday from every angle, it‘s doubtful if Mr. Kerr’s Green Paper, or anything short of a plebis- cite, would provide the go- vernment with any more guidance. But there is no cause for panic. Unless there is a po- pular movement demanding action â€" one way or the other â€" or irresistible pres- sure from an interested group, lche government should be able to continue its policy of non-leadership until the cows come home. Richmond Hill Area motorists can now obtain 1974 passenger car and trailer license plate renewals at the local issuing office, located at 40 Elgin Mills Road East. William Neal is the license issuer. Under the new system motorists will not receive new plates for 1974 but instead will be provided with a sticker to be attached to the lower rightâ€"hand corner of the present rear plate. Motorists are warned, however, that before attaching the sticker, the rear plate must be thoroughly cleaned. Wax, dirt or oil could prevent the sticker from adhering properly. Although the issuing of licenses has been streamlined, motorists are reminded that they will again be required to supply information respecting liability insurance and are urged to carry their liability insur- ance certificate with them when applying for license renewal. Those area residents who may apply for renewal by mail are required to send a letter with their permit and fee, listing the name of the insurance company, the name of their insurance agent, the policy number and the policy expiry date. Fees for aâ€"licehse zire'the same as in 1973: $23 for a 4-cylinder vehicle: $32 for 6-cylinders; $40 for 8-cylinders and 85 for trailers. The deadline for renewal will be midnight, February 28, 1974. In The Sp 011i ghft Over the years, Richmond Hill Public Lib- rary has expanded its range of services, so that today it offers much more than just books for both children and adults. There is, for example, large and varied record selection, as well as eight millimetre films, which people are free to take out on loan just as they would books. And in the children’s library downstairs, storytimes are held twice a week, at 2:30 Wednesday and 10 am Saturday. Students of .all ages who have a project due are also welcome to come in and look through the file of pamphlets and brochures available, along with magazines and of course the reference section. Helpmate Information, situated in the downstairs of the library, has been in operation for aproximately four years. Originally it conâ€" sisted of one librarian who provided information over the telephone, but since then the need for a more comprehensive service has grown, and Helpmate is now a much larger organization, in- (Continued on Page 14) | Richmond Hill. I Dbn Mills. :-nuummumumunmuum“mununmmuuumumummn1mmmmuumuunu\uumuumlmuuuuummuumuuummmmm\nummumuuunumm“mum“munmuuuunumuuuum\mumuuumuuuun1Iul\11llmllllluull\nulnmunummmunImlllumllmummm“1mmuuuummmun1111mm! The independent businessâ€" man in Canada now has a voice in Ottawa. thanks chiefly to the ideas and initiative of a former teacher at Ryerson Polytechnical Institute. It was the Federal Government's White Paper on taxation that infuriated John Bulloch. and subsequently gave birth to the Canadian Council for Fair Tax- ation. New Small Business Voice Grows And Grows Bulloch’s immediate reaction to what he considered inequi- ties in the proposed tax struc- ture as it discriminated ag- ainst the small businessman, was to dash off a critical letter to Ottawa. He persuaded his father to sen-d copies of the letter with mail advertisements to custom- ers of the family tailoring bus- iness. From the flood of replies he received, Bulloch selected the ten angriest, and' invited the authors to a meeting. This was the beginning of the Canadian Council For Fair Taxation which helped generate a storm of protest that forced the gov- emment to rewrite some of the legislation. But this was only the be- ginning. The council reorgan- ized under the name of Can- adian Federation of Independ- ent Business. Its purpose was to create a vehicle for small and medium size businesses owned by Canadians who felt they were not getting a fair H elpmate Information â€"â€" Vital Community Service By DIANA COOK deal from Ottawa In two years it has grown from 9,000 members, and is adding about 200 new mem- bers each week. Membership is limited to businesses with fewer than 100 employees. This leaves a vast potential, as-95 percent of Can- adian firms employing 65 per- cent of the Canadian work force fall in this category. The federation regularly samples members' opinions on a variety of topics and passes them on to politicians, senior civil servants and the news media. It is now being recog- nized as a full-fledged polit- ical action group that is pre- pared to initiate action and lead public opinion . . . an important departure from the old technique of reacting to government initiative. The turning point came a year ago when Ottawa stopped regarding the group as a nuis- ance and started asking for help and advice. As a result Bulloch has become less irate about government's seeming disregard of public opinion. but has not dulled his distrust of government bureaucracy. “We capitalized on the emo- tion of the taxation issue, be- cause people will react to emotion. but that's not a formula for building a perm- anent organization. I think there should be a minimum of confrontation between govern- EDUCATION MINISTER WELLS HASN’T GONE FAR ENOUGH Dear Mr. Editorâ€" I and many like me feel Education Minister Tom Wells hasn’t gone far enough. He should accept the resignations of all the teachers directly involved, and start at square one with “dedicated teachers" who aren’t influenced by any individual, groups or unions â€"â€" but are moti- vated by a desire to implant in our young people’s minds the sense of true education values and understanding that seems to have been lack- ing in the last few years, by and large. Teachers as a whole haven’t been hard done by financially. And to suggest they are under- staffed, overworked and have to contend with larger classes isn’t a valid reason for their de- plorable behavior in the last few months. Other segments of industry have had to re-trench, suffering certain cut-backs, etc. But you don’t hear them “crying wolf” and marching on Queen’s Park. In addition, to threaten the taxpayers of Ontario and directly some of their children with the federation of teachers’ associations strike fund of $8,000,000 (in reality made up of con- tributions from citizens of this province in effect) does nothing to enhance their cause. It is sickening to see (NDP Leader) Stephen Lewis and (Liberal Leader) Robert Nixon suddenly appearing out of the woodwork to supposedly support the “teachers’ cause” when anyone with an ounce of brains realizes they are solely solicit- ing votes for the future. What an example the so-called “teaching profession” is setting for our young people all across our great province. The time has come for all intelligent taxpayers in Ontario, regard- less of their political convictions, to have a true look at this soâ€"called “teaching professionf’. Think of the children of those families on fixed incomes, those who have more than paid their educational way for many years and can- not afford increases any longer. Think of the responsibilities of the guardians of our educa- tional system, our trustees. I today sat in a restaurant and in the course of 15 minutes overheard comments from a truck driver, an oil man, two businessmen and a bus driver. Each expressed disgust regarding the actions of the teachers. Education Minister Wells and Premier Wil- liam Davis should stick to their guns and con- tinue to represent What is best for all â€"- the average taxpayers of Onta'rio. We’re putting the old year away, Remembering the things that were glad; We shall keep in our mind the days that praise We have bid him a cheerful goodbye. We are all a little bit older, The New Year has jotted that down, Though a freshly turned page in this New Year Greetings were kind, Forgetting the ones that were sad. We’re putting the old year away, He has left with a wave and a sigh; Though some of his days won a tithe of our uncertain age Might bring better things to our town. As the chimes ring out on the morrow, And the New Year is carried along, Forgetting the sorrows that shape our tomorrows Let’s greet the New Year with a song! EMA 1113132 liberal An Independent Weekly: Established 1878 *‘oâ€"J’J Subscription Rate $6.00 per year; to United States $9.00; 15¢ Single Copy ' Member Audit Bureau of Circulations Member Canadian Weekly Newspapers Association Published by Richmond Hill Liberal Publishing Co. W. S. COOK, Publisher “Second class mail, registration number 0190” ment and business if we are successful, but we could quite easily rise up again, and we have the muscle to be a very powerful reactionary force if we ever wanted to be,” says Bulloch. Referring to the White Paper incident, he said the trouble with reacting to government proposals often leads to a bad compromise and over-compli- cated laws. By the time gov- ernment proposals reach the white paper stage, too much prestige is riding on them. “It’s too late to discard the pro- posals and make a fresh start." It is ‘far better to speak on issues before they become gov- ernment policy, says Mr. Bul- loch. and make government re- act to business proposals. ’ Federation members were polled in October on 15 major issues which were ranked in order of importance and Ottawa and the provincial Legislature bombarded with the results in order of priority. - Waste and mismanagement of public funds is the type of gut issue that stirs up a sense of outrage. says Bulloch. He cited as an example fed- eral expenditure of $477,000 in two years on the care and maintenance of tropical plants. Of this, $111,000 was allocated to the unemployment insurance department which used them as room dividers. “They even had a guy in Pickering drive to Ottawa to KEITH CAMBDEN, King City. 152 Keele Street Sbuth, ROBERT D. LITTLE, 54 Arnold Crescent, Richmond Hill. give the plants vitamins and things. Talk about flower power!" Bulloch said. A professional engineer with a master of business adminis- tration degree. Bulloch has taught finance and manage- ment at Ryerson Polytechnical Institute and is chairman of the Institute’s Canadian Centre for Entrepreneurial studies. He can communicate with the mandarins on Parliament Hill at their own level, giving the small businessman a strong voice in approaching govern- ment. “Small business has not been heard, and Canadian-owned business has not been heard,” he says. “Canada has a greater vacuum in this area than other countries because so much of the business here is owned by multi-national corporations. To me. the Canadian Manufacturâ€" ers‘ Association is not a Can- adian organization. It is dom- inated at the top by subsid- iaries of foreign companies. The CMA and Chamber of Commerce, says Bulloch, rep- resent the interests of big bus- iness, and these interests often are at odds with the interests of smaller business -â€"â€" particu- larly in the crucial field of tax- ation and competition policy. The voice of the small bus- iness also has been muffled by the complexity of the political (Continued on Page 14) Not long ago. my wife am I visited relatives in Michi gan who live in a mobilc home. We were greatly im pressed at the layout of thl home as well as the genera appearance of the subdivisiox it was part of, Our enthusi asm with the home was car ried back to Metro where w« decided to investigate thu possibilities of buying on ourselves. It had occurred ti us that by acquiring a mobll home, we would be able t. leave our twentieth floo apartment and thus own house, which is next t impossible in Metro at thl time. RICHMOND IIILL SHOUL] FOLLOW DAVIS' LEAD IN MOBILE HOMES Dear Mr. Editorâ€" After some searching, w found a home that woulv give us the room to raise family, Then began the tasi of finding a place to put i1 One factor had to be kept ii mind for this â€" commutim distance to my Don Mill office. Buying land and serv icing it in the Metro are was out of the question as i would be too expensiw There was, however, the al temative of putting the hom into a mobile subdivision Here, we would have th benefit of complete servicin for a relatively small'fee. ] soon became apparent the none of these subdivision exists near Metro. We did however. hear about William Corcoran in Gormley wh has been trying to open mobile home subdivision i; the Gormley area. Since Gormley is only abou 25 miles from my office, i would be a perfect place t settle. I've talked to M1 Corcoran about his plans fo the area and was soon ver enthused about the entir affair. Yet. there is the pos sibility that this plan ma not go through town counct' Why? Why should counci stop it? Are mobile home such a blot on the land tha they must be stopped fro! appearing? I certainly hop that Richmond Hill Counci sitting in judgment on thi subdivision do not think thl way. I would ask the counci members â€" Have you re searched the mobile hom business? Have you seen th interior as well as the extel ior of mobile homes? Hav you talked to people who ow this type of housing? 0] more simply, have you reau the November 3 issue of th Toronto Star where, in th real estate section. Premle William Davis outlined net plans and thinking for mc bile homes? If the Ontarl Government is ready to re< ognize the validity of mobll homes and mobile home sul: divisions. I would think tha Richmond Hill would want I: follow suit'and do somethin constructive about it. Yo have the chance by grantin Mr. Corcoran the right to g ahead with his subdivisior There is a place for thl modular-type housing in on society as there is a place to the conventional brick-and wood type housing. ROBERT CUTTING Apt, 2006,