Dec ineln House Starts Us a Tragedy For Canadians Ed Broadbent In Saturday's Globe and Mail, H. Keith Morley, past president of the Housing and Urban Development Institute of Canada identified high mortgage rates as the cause of declining housing starts. It is difficult to stimulate housing construction in Can- ada when interest rates are high as they are at present, stated Mr. Morley. In the same article, Harvey Geller, vice-president of Alliance Building Corporation noted that he has never seen a market place as desperate as it is now. We've gone through cycles before, but never one like this. I see nothing but a very bleak horizon. Commenting on the de- cline in housing starts Ed Broadbent described the cur- rent situation as a tragedy for Canadians. At a time when so many young people are searching for houses in- dications are that 38,000 fewer houses wil be built this year than we've built last year. When post war babies needed schools, we built them. Now they need houses and we must build them. As the NDP housing critic, Mr. Broadbent has made nu- merous attempts to force government action to lower interest rates. When N.H.A. rates exceeded 11% last month he demanded to know when the government would act. The Prime Minister, in response to Mr. Broadbent's question on May 3rd, had no answer. The N.H.A. mortgage rate reached 11.5% last week, its highest level ever. If an NDP government were elected they would immediately cre- ate a Central Mortgage Fund. The Fund would have the power to compel banks and PIONEER INTERIORS The ultimate in distinctive colonial furnishings. 11 Dunlop Street West, Whitby 868-4231 Vol. 4, No. 21 WEDNESDAY, MAY 29th, 1974 10 CENTS ' About 600 boys took part in Minor Baseball Day ceremonies Saturday morn- Iroquols Park Design Contest Deadline Friday, May 31, at 5:00 p.m. is the deadline date for submitting your design for the Iroquois Park Design Contest, sponsored by the Whitby Recreation Dep't. To date 20 people have submitted registration forms ing at Peel Park after a' Jim Garîshore filed in for parade through town from Mayor Des Newman and Kinsmen Park. Councillor threw the first ball. See which entitles them to enter a design. This contest is open to everyone - profe- ssionals and amateurs, child- ren and adults. Anyone still wishing to enter should call the Whitby Recreation De- partment immediately at 668-5803 to receive further information. Time is running out!! A panel of judges will judge the designs to deter- mine the first, second, and third place winners. The prizes include $250.00 for first, $150.00 for second and $100.00 for third place. All the designs will be on display at the official open- ing of the Iroquois Park Arena for the public to view, Dunlop Firestone Takeover Serious discussions are presently underway between Firestone and Dunlop of Canada Ltd., Whitby, con- cerning a possible takeover by Firestone. Ed Broadbent M.P. Oshawa-Whitby, told the Free Press that according to law (and to receive govern- ment approval) "tie takeover must provide significant ben- story on Page 7. - Free Press Photo efit to Canada". He con- tinued "one of the most important aspects is provid- ing good employment poss- ibilities, so I would think that if it's approved (if, and when an application is made) it should mean that there is no reduction in the labour force." "l've instructed our re- search staff in Ottawa to keep in daily contact with the govt. to find out if and when Firestone applies to take over Dunlop." "I want to be assured that contract rights of employ- ces will be respected for the union empidyees and jobs of management staff will be protected." $80 tax Hike Fortax Mayor Des Newman att- acked the new regional bud- get saying Whitby residents would be facing the largest tax increase in the nine years he has been mayor. Durham regional council adopted a budget last Wed- nesday estimated at $36, 065,000 on a 25 to five vote with Whitby councillors Des Newman, Gerry Emm, and John Goodwin and Osh- awa councillors Margaret Shaw and Christine Thomas voting against accepting the budget. Mayor Newman said the budget is "entirely unaccept- able" and that next year it would be "up by at least 20 percent before we include any increase in salaries." In an interview with the FREE PRESS Mayor Newman explained that the bulk of the budget is made up of salaries to what he feels is an unneccesarily large staff for the first year of regional government. He aiso pointed out that a large number of the staff have not worked a full year this year, but would next year causing an estim- ated 20% hike in the budget before any raises or fringe benefits are added on. .The mayor said that be- cause there would be no provincial grants given to Whitby the budget initially would have caused a tax in- crease of about $100 to the average household. BUT after four motions, three unsuccessful, the Whitby councillors managed to defer $166,000 from the current budget into "a de- benture situation" about $20. Never-the-less it looks like the average Whitby house- hold (in the urban area south of Rossland Rd.) with an assessment of $5,000 per house will be looking at a tax hike of about 12 or 13 percent or about $80. Those -with higher (or lower) assess- ments wilI pay relatively payers more (or less). Mayor Newman told the Free Press that Whitby Coun- cil would be "doing two things". "We have asked Bill Newman M.P.P. to talk to us about the provincial grant situation and secondly we're going to look at cutting our local budget", Mayor Newman said. But he added, "I doubt very much if we can cut very much (locally) without seriously impairing some of our local programs." The mayor said that "it's very unfair not to recognize the fact that the people of Whitby have been bearing those expenses for the last five years, since amalgam- ation, in order to provide the same services that other municipalities today are being assisted with by the provincial government." He gave the example of Newcastle which has (or will have) received over one million dollars "to help them to provide the kind of services we have been paying for since 1968." Mayor Newman said that "it was not fair to deny us assistance" at time of amal- gamation, and again now, for what the province would have had to pay for anyway. "The irony is that when the region assumes the cost of rural hydro, it will up our budget again. We will have to pay 12% of the regional costs and will be paying twice for the hydro." Referring to the estima- ted 28% increase in regional expenses over previous coun- ty expenses, Newman said "it's 28% PLUS the sewer and water costs." He said the expense increase is "more likely 50% for those services that were previously perform- ed by the county or local municipalities, and that's a conservative estimate." He added, "the regional figures are misleading in the urban areas particularly" (any areas with sewer or water services). CIRCLE TAXI 128 BROCK ST. N. WHITBY, ONT. 668-.6666 24 HRS. trugt companies to finance 6% mortgages. This action would ensure more houses for Canadians. Discussing the effect of fewer housing starts on Oshawa-Whitby, Mr. Broad- bent commented that "The situation in our own cities is imposirig a serious hard- ship on the people of Oshawa and Whitby. Many who wish to buy a house cannot and many others are struggling to survive the burden of 11% mortgages. This injustice is the direct result of the ac- tions of the Federal govern- ment." F ýE ýRý Eý PREý