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_At least it‘s a start... Page 6 â€" Waterioo Chronicle, Wednesday â€" s pflh-lm_'cmbymm * a division of Kitchenerâ€"Wa Record Ltd.. owner~ 4 225 Fairway Rd. S.. Kitchener, Ont. . f@ $ address correspondence to Waterioo office: ; nmn.mq.w.ub.m.mw WW'M“QWUZM#GQO‘HMMM Waterioo Square. Parking on King Street Waterio® Square. Open Monday to Friday 9:00 a.m. to §:00 p.m Waterloo Council Monday night took what could be the first step towards eliminating much of the controversy surrounding the wildlife display (zoo) in Waterloo Park. #" Council agreed with a staff report, submitted by community services head Ken Philug, which called for the elimination of some of the displays and the addition of a domestic farm animal display. (Full details on page 3). While the report and Council‘s reaction were both creative and positive, we must ask if the probâ€" lem is completely or partially solved. Over.â€"the years the zoo bas been plagued by vanâ€" dalism. Now Council has decided to remove many of the displays which have been vandalized, such as the wolves, foxes, raccoon, porcupine and birds of prey. This measure should remove some of the tempâ€" tation which has in the past led misguided conserâ€" vationists to cut the wire in cages and release unâ€" suspecting animals into the city. Assuming that vandalism inâ€"the zoo will be reâ€" duced, a good part of the problem has been solved. But not all of it. . There needs. to be more done to ensure that the animals are treated with respect during times when crowds of people pass through. One more thing. If we‘re serious about improvâ€" ing the conditions and security of the zoo, why doesn‘t some staff member climb on top of the bear cage and remove the halfâ€"dozen beer bottles that have been there for months ? The bears and deer are fed, poked with hands and sticks, prodded and generally bothered to the point of distraction. Their diets consist of the proper food given them by stafft, plus marshâ€" mallows, bread, candy, popcorn, plastic, cookies, ice cream and who knows what else. Council should consider erecting a number of large signs throughout the display, imploring visiâ€" tors to not feed the animals except as instructed. Then perhaps we could take a tip from many large zoos and erect feed dispensers. These would conâ€" tain properly mixed feed for the animals, and visiâ€" tors could obtain a handful of feed by inserting a coin. The problem of improper feeding would still exist, but might be greatly reduced. And now that Council is considering introducing a "petting zoo", the problem will get worse. (A petâ€" ting zoo is an area enclosing farm animals such as goats and sheep. Children are allowed to pet and feed the critters.) Letters to the editor of the Waterloo Chronicle must be signed with the writer‘s name in order to be pubâ€" lished. The name will be published with the letter. The writer should also include his or her address and teleâ€" phone number. Normailly, a letter signed with a pseuâ€" donym will not be published. The editor has the right to edit letters for grammar and spelling and to withhold letters which may be deemed defamatory, contemptuous or of questionable taste. The Chronicle welcomes letters to the editor on any subject. Letters should be sent to: The Editor, Waâ€" terloo Chronicle, 92 King St. S., Waterloo, Letters policy .+. subscriptions: $14 a year in Canada sluyminuuusuuurmm< established 1854 Y °, 1980 . Letters to the editor To the Editor: 4 Columnist Sydney Harris, writing in the Detroit Free Press, calls attention to the following statistics: ‘‘during the peak seven years of the Vietnam war, 42,000 American solâ€" diers were killed in action, but during those same, seven years, more than 50,000 American citizens were murdered here by handguns. "If we include handgun accidents ahd suicides, over 125,000 Aimeérican citizens died by handguns in thosé seven years â€" three times the number of American soldiers killed "At present we have more than 50â€"million handguns in the Politicians® wives seem to suffer particularly from an illusive sense of selfâ€"worth. & Margaret Trudeau has been on a long, public, and often tedious quest to find herself. Joan Kennedy and Betty Ford suffer variations of the same trip. & Although Joe Clark‘s wife, Maureen, appears to enjoy her first lady role, she carefully keeps all opâ€" tions open retaining her maiden name, aiming to conâ€" tinue her law career and even run for office. The quest for self isn‘t exclusively a female problem as Prince Philip and Britain‘s Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher‘s husband can testify. Philip lets off steam playing polo, flying planes and takil} potâ€"shots at cheeky journalists. Ian Thatcher stolidly kept up his own career (he‘s rich), and delicaâ€" tely circumvented the wives® inevitable round of cockâ€" Wages for politician‘s wives? THAT LONG DISTANCE FEELING A violent lifestyle isn‘t the answer Comment homes and pdckets of Americans and twoâ€"million more unâ€" controlled handguns are being poured into our society kach year. We have by far the highest per capita handgun populaâ€" tion, from five to 25 times that of most countries, and by far the illighest handgun crime rate, almost 10 times our nearest rival." _ On #ome of the American money they have "In God we trust.‘‘ To me it seems they put their trust in handguns rather than God. tails, shopping and hospital tours during a recent Commonwealth conference in Zambia by. as the press put it, "playing a great deal of golf." _ A. Journalistâ€"broadcaster. Michele Landsberg, wife of former Ontario NDP leader Stephen Lewis, who has been there herself, says no matter how she acts and what she says a political wife can‘t win. The only soluâ€" tion she sees is to pay wives a salary and spell out their duties and treat them with the impersonal reâ€" spect accorded public servants â€" if wives are to play a public role and be publicly accountable. ~Landsberg warns a political wife‘s job is ... ‘"a mudâ€" dle of conflicting demands and ambiguous rewards. No one elects her and no one pays her." _ _ T Maybe it‘s time the beleaguered wife of the poliâ€" tician got equal pay for equal work! W.D. Pope, Waterioo.