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I'm buying a new fighter aircraft before the yearis oiAndihether you are aware of it or not, no are Actually it's not ju'st on'e aircraft but anywhere from tttt to 150 of the expensive beauties. Canadian industry is supposed to benefit by some s billion underpropoeed offset packages offered by E two, US. aircraft manufacturers vying for the . Armed Force' contract. The two American companies areal} avid to land the Canadian order that they are meeting almost daily with the new fighter aircraft team, set up to evaluate the two proposals. They are constantly revamping their proposals in an effort to make them more pala- table to the buyers. _ a _ The companies‘ are placing full-page ads in Cane dian newspapers and magazines to tell us why we should buy their product and promoting the benefits their aircraft would add to our defense program. They are proposing more in their offset programs than the actual value of the 82.M-bit1ion fighter con- tract and say the hull: of the work will go to Canadian aerospace and electronics industries. You can almost see them salivating. General Dynamics Corp. of St. Louis, pushing its single-engine CF-lti, recently hiked its offset offer from $2.3-billion to more than $2.87-billion. / Their opposition, McDonnell Douglas Corp., also of St. Louis, with its twin-engine CF48, has seen its $8.1- 'llion package cut back to $2.56-Miion by Canadian 'egotiators and has returned with a new presentation to increase this by what they call an "additional but undefined amount." Each company claims its proposal would create about 25,000 jobs across the country in the peak of con- struction in 1982. But look at the fine print. The offers are conditional on the companies' aircraft being se- lected. Whatever happened to the principal of reasonably priced education for everyone? According to three Wilfrid Laurier Uhiversity students, that hallowed concept has gone the way of the do-do bird and well- built automobiles. As part of their course, Laura De Rubeis. Jeannette Glowacki and Juliana Popeski set out to discover what differences - if any - exist between our public secondary school educatibn system and private high school system. F I Well. I seem to be able to Influence the weather merely by writing a column about It So let's try It again - Early In October. I wrote a column laudatory of those golden October days, With a sky of Infinite blue. Just a pleasant tinge of melancholy m the air, and a general sort of hlat along those lines Last Friday I had the pleasure of talking with two members of the survey team and discussing their findings. Their thoughts and evidence are interesting ito say the least Public high school education is paid for through municipal taxes and provincial money. Everyone pays education taxes, including the parents of children who are attending separate or private high schools. But here's the rub While those parents still pay education taxes. they also pay a tuition fee for their kids to attend separate schools. Tuition fees for priva- te schools surveyed by the WLU students ranged from $250 per year tar-ready?-- per year, That's one Promptly, without even a decent Interlude October turned Into a monster One of my colleagues. m whom I place infinite trust because he is always wrong. and I go from there. told me that this October had had ap- proximately one-thed of the sunlight hours of a nor- mal October For once I believed him November, surely the foulest month of the year m this country. with the posmhle exception of March, IS Irving up to expectations One day of watery sunshine. There is no clear-cut choice between the two air- 'Jo' "v' manqur Ttireyimirrit {any-rm 2' 2* .1 _ A.‘.. Bill Smiley yr? -at' - "-"' Fun-aw ul-v-u -mle...- ----v .7__ --'-- -___ ,, "tpr-ttio-ttered-thet-eo-Pit-ill m- oiksatsittionttireetmmsuietotCeta. doutiudtrNnraurteehttttefinattetelttMet. Generarrtriamiesethitir8MNtilBoet contract We, made a mistake betoreoeiItiee do it again? offers: ' _ .. -. . g A number of years ago we made a 31-hillion pur- "frei1iioetyePmetetg centres in Canada; r chase of in Aurora long.range patrol aircraft from "tbmitiiort final assembly; Lockheed Corp: of Burbank, Calif. The manufacturer . $tb06-ntiliioet marketing assistance to Canadian in- made all kinds ot promises at thetime. dustries; _ _ A large portion of the plane’s construction was done q 8t,NAtillioet direct sales and investments in Cami- in Canada but the promised technology. technology do; transfers or research and development never ma- CMrm'llinn direct purchases in Canada, . terialised. F -. The aerospace industry andthe government are The benefits of each compahy’s proposed contract presently bickering over a formula to ensure the final are concentrated in Ontario and Quebec. two provin- assembly and We of the fighters is done in Canada. ces that are qualified to handle the advanced techno- 'Ne Department of National Defence is bickering logy needed to build the fighters. General industrial with other federal departments over who is paying for benefits, both related and unrelated to aerospace, are the proposed project. It seems that the defence de- to be spread elsewhere in the country and are sup- partment wants the money to come from sources posed to include new technology. other than its own budget. o" , _ A is _ _ . - . . A 1- - A A... .__..._annd " din. dun-hu- Iain-on“ in AMI- can. Military priorities and come first put tbs off- T ttttfeet, ieyeiit Itttt tttttttres; “ . Both of the fighter contracts provide Canadians with an ideal opportunity for advanced high techno- logy work and development...mmething this atgntry has sadly lacked in the past decade. McDonnell Doug- las says it is offering 2bhigh technology licenses. If true, it's a step in the right direction. ' Canadian industry and government have drastically cut the necessary funding for high technology over the years and other countries that pour money into this area haveleapt ahead and left us behind in their dust. Japan and the U.S. are two prime examples of, coun- tries that invest heavily in this area and reap huge benefits in the end. . McDonnell Douglas with its 82.56-biilion contract and other additional but undefined benefits offers: . $716-million air frame and component work includ- When you break it ddwn, whatare the two com- panies offering? _ - - A A -- -4 . -._. . ing final assembly and test; q $Mti-rnil1ion Cruise missile guidance'-system; top of-education taxes and not including books, uni- forms (which most private schools insist on) and all the usual costs incurred. Big deal you say. " parents choose to send their teenage children to a private school, they should be willing to pay the extra money: Besides, most people feel that the quality of educa- tion received in private secondary schools is superior to what is taught in public schools. While the study conducted by the WLU students can't be considered conclusive, it finds that the difference in educational quality between private and public schools is minimal - in the neighborhood of .t per cent. liertinps tiie most interesting section of the study deals with people's response to the question of tuition fees for private high school educntion. _ The study team surveyed people in the Kitchener- Waterloo and Stoney Creek area - many of whom had or were attending separate high schools. And over all, the response was that secondary school education is a "right not a privilege" and people shouldn't have to pay for it over and above taxes. four days of ram and dark skies That3 why rm writ- mg this By the time it appears in print. the second half of November will have turned out to be a giddy adventure of belated Indian summer. With a touch of the deep south thrown In Novolnbor IS a nothing month The leaves are all gone In fact, they're lying on your lawn. If you're like me. dank and soggy and heavy, _ The chap who's to put on your storm windows has gone into hiding. letting his phone ring its head off And when he does come. the windows don't fit. be- cause the sills have swelled through the inordinate rams Or something The shifts of sum; become skinner every time there Is one, and any day youll get up and it's midwinter item's another interesting point. According to the Novembuerhi; agrkness Gd dirpression And one of l t, 51.3 L-Howard Elliott 1'tttttttg",te2etttgg',), . momma; direct purchases in Canada, . The aerospace industry am the government are presently bickering over a formula to ensure the final assembly and testing of the fighters is done in Canada. The Department of National Defence is bickering with other federal departments over who is paying for the proposed project. It seems that the defence de- partment wants the money to come from sources other than its on budget. o" , An announcement of the winning aircraft is expect- ed by the end of the year. but with all the lobbying and bickering going on, it pinbably won’t be decided until well into next year. Do you find the "great fighter aircraft debate" con- fusing? If you want to learn more about the subject or get more confused orjust listen to spokesmen for the companies involved,-1'V thitario's "The Real Story" on Ch.” at 11 pm. tonight will feature a'debate on the subject. . Robert Baugniet, public relations consultant for McDonnell Douglas and Richard E. Adams, head of the Fort Worth division of General Dynamics, the two companies vying for the Canadian contract, will Are- sent their company's views. - Mn ShepheE-d a the Canadian Institute of Econo- mic Policy and Rod Buyers, a York University profes- sor will also take part in the debate. study, St per cent of private high school students sur- veyed considered, _thertts18ve, any their families "up- iGGLiae class". and that indicates to the survey team that private high school education is available only to those who fan afforfl it. . The basic question asked by the three university students in this study is why don't education taxes cover separate high school education? Why ghouldn't private high schools receive government subsidy to the same extent public high schools do? Sending a child to a private or separate elementary school costs no more than a public school. And when a student arrives at college or university. he or she must pay the same tuition fee no matter what high school they attended. (Unless he/she happens to be a foreign student. and that's another story altogether.) -ii7tuaiis" tie only time there's; great difference in education costs is at the high school level _ -- I must admit I don't know the rationale behind all of this, but I'd like to. What are separate high school students getting in their education that's worth as much as $50 more than what public secondary stu- daits get? the most depressing things in view is the proliferation of Santa Claus and the four-color advertisements for Christmas gifts. and the ridiculous beginning of Christmas. scvralled. music There are snow tires to get on. and snow shovels. snow boots. and heavy clothing to dig out, each one a dull. sickening thud on one's spirits This year. as in every other November, the govern- ment, whatever the shade of its coat. is waffling and indecisive and obtuse and strangely unaware of the real problems of the country This year. In November, you can go Into a grocery store. spend ten dollars. and come out with your total possessions In the palm of one hand. In one smallish paper bag ICootmued on page BIO)