Wednesday, August 10, 1988

Re-writing an old wrong

By ANN M. SMITH

Bankers in this country really
are the limit. From all their huff-
ing and puffing and carrying on,
you’d almost think they had been
unfairly raked over the coals
these past few months.

Instead, it has become some-

‘thing of a joke to hear them talk
about how hard done by they’ve
been on the issue of bank service
charges.

Throughout this debate, bankers
have done a lousy job of
legitimizing many of the con-
tentious ‘‘service’’ fecs now un-
der such close public and political
scrutiny. Take, for example, the
question of disclosure of -bank
service charges and: notification
of changes in the fee structure.

Banks currently hold a very
light reign in their dealings with
small business accounts to the ¢x-
tent that customers have begun to
vigorously complain about weat-
ment by the banks, including no-
tification of new or. increased
charges has proved extremely dif-
ficult for many small. business
owners.

Public: concern over this prac-
tice led one newspaper editorialist
to recently comment: ‘“The only
thing remarkable about this revolt
is that it has never happened be-
fore.”’

Still others say it is not un-

_ reasonable to ask that these very

_ basic business practices be ad-
hered to by the banks. John Bul-
loch, president of the Canadian
Federation of Independent Busi-
ness, calls the current situation “*a
cruel joke’” and wonders why the

- banks are so strenuously resisting
proposed recommendations that
would make some of the more
outlandish charges fully public.

Many small. business owners,

he says, are resentful of the pref-
erential treatment. afforded the
financial institutions — that, make

The market power of the. banks,
Bulloch says, makes it very risky
for small business owners in par-
licular to go public with their
grievances. The often delicate re-
lationship between bank manager
and small business customer’ --
which is exacerbated in a rural,
one-bank town situation -- makes
it logistically impossible for the
majority of business owners to
shep around, And, says Bulloch,
the banks know it.

The current stand-off began
when groups like CFIB started to

Hpnces EFFECTIVE |
TUES.-SAT.
AUG. 9-AUG. 13

fenreary

lags in

as QUADRA ST., VIC.
MON-SAT. 8 A.M.-10 P.M.
SUNDAY 9 A.M.-7 P.M.

-FRESH FRUITS 7 i EGETABL MEA ‘ATURES BEEF, POULTRY At
. FRESH STALK || GUT FROM GR. cy TOUT FROM GR. "A": FRESH WHOLE GR. “A
Ry

push Qttawa to act on some of the
mere blatant abuses.

As Bul'och puts it, ‘All we're
talking about: here is injecting
some decency and fairness. into
the system. Implementing such

- simple business habits as full no-

tification and disclosure of new
rate hikes is hardly revolution-
ary.”’

Their resistance, however, ‘is
just onc more example of how far
behind the banking community
the arca of business
credibility.

FRESH
RADISH

EN ONIONS || BEEF:

MON.

| FRESH EXTRA LEAN
GRO

7816 E. SAANICH ROAD
SUNDAY 9 A.M-7 -7 PLM.

Less than
ie fat

RIGHT TO LIMIT
QUANTITIES |

WHILE STOCKS
LAST

9819 5th ST., SIDNEY
SAT.-WED. 9 A.M.-7 P.M.
THURS. -FRI. 9AM. 9 P.M.

“SAT. 8 A.M.-9 P.M.

BEEF | FRYING

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Page BS

ADAMS ELECTRONICS |

TV- ve none SALES & SERVIC

WE RESERVE THE

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499

MAPLE LeAE (As Marked) Ane CHOLESTEROL FREE IMITATION.
any teal, possibility “of ‘compet “SLICED FEAT 3x5. QQ* sxcpoat on wor. ” 09 GRAB MEAT °°
"Bon. ol me banking nThis ‘very MAPLE LEAF mney MAPLE LEAF BONELESS
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~ my has. given the banks far’ 100 :

| FRESH GR. “A” LARGE |
ROAST
CHICKEN

~--» ‘much- power relative “to "-con-, TE
“ey Sumers and small businesses. : on! oe

“The “whole atuitude. of the: aii

mo baiks on this issuc is shocking,” ;

~. he said. “Small businesses in this’ {y

“country. are upset with the lack of . i

value for money they reccive vis:
a-vis these. so-called service fees.
And these fees continue to mullti-
ply, with. the most: vulnerable

~ bank customers -- small firms. --

being | hit the hardest.
~**The problem is, of course, that -
the banking. community docsn’t
have to worry about competition _

— FRESH FROM BC.
FILLETS OF -

{| cur dpsed Le MAL DEVON g
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RED SNAPPER |

“cross RIB ‘BACK =:
ROAST Vases eae

175 ice / ;

| MAPLE LEAF

aoa! HAH
mice

PKG: - wees

SLICED

Lm I McCAIN FROZEN if

-- they are currently allowed to | K Loce’s FROZEN ‘
Sie bse tom a eooKED HAM. mel lege Man | ‘PINK OR WHITE, f'WY |) DUN

“New |, SEAFOOD SALAD 8 | MRE iy LEeee ey sata ws vay
- iler Ui Sa oCAIN FROZEN m' McCAIN FROZEN gf pa |i af y teat — ev
propeller ‘fy SAUSAGE ... FRENCH 109 were = 159 itis 8"
saves cash } SALAD... 2Y')|FRIES Vado | HUED Eb 1 TURNOVERS 2:

Putting a different propeller on
av fishing heat engine may save

$10, O00 in the first-year,’
sid, That's unusual, tut many.
fishermen can recoup the costs of
upgradingy a vessel in the first two
or three years,’

To: prove his point, c "Misal has.

put his: research project on the
road this summer and is offering

a free boat testing service 1 TLC.

- fisher n. Tenis inoaevan vod

: : Uae chi “al \ OK AL NORY -BICK'S PLAIN, GARLIC, POLSKIE 1 - Cc ARNATION FLAKE *) 1. 59
Ruainesing students Prost fl aa a SWISS ROLL farSe. 89° DILL PICKLES "-. 1.08 WHITE TUNA see...
, nn eek ne fos i SUNLIGHT FOR nut - CAMPBELL'S ¢ BICK'S RBARY DIS ny PRIOR PARK 0
v A .
pant AM ayy Nf DISH GRAKULES 3° 3 A i NP. a YON SHOTAN jo" 2,38 TER BAGS wr... 1,68
wo Va wi 1 seist Tt ani we : : , : :

the dlate Wasn't heer announced

a (akes ‘about a0) minutes for
fishermen (0 complete ae brief
| question, aire whieh casks -for

demils such-as the cnine model,
horsepower, Veascl Hie nsins,

and atypical trip sconano.
The information ise
through the a eompater to
dicianiniiy warren foe eoneninyy
aon,” "Calisal: explained.

Catisal-.

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_SOFTENER '
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“ny a Ld

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coupon |

SUNLIGHT POWDER

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12 -
litre .
box: |

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TOWELS |
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MAS, WILLMAN |

5 .

“FAGELLE ROYALE
FACIAL
TISSUES |

LIBERTY |

STIL OL

SUPER SSCCO

| ‘|
B.C, fishermen thousands of dol- ~ SAVEX REG. ROYALE 2-PLY \ DAIRY RAID 7 iM MAXWELL HOUSE | | BECEL SOFT
lars in suef casts, according to E CG | APPLE dUicE | GROUND COFFEE MARGARINE
UBC mechanical engineering BL A H TISSUES | 4 FRUIT DRINK | | |
wofessor Sander Calisal, ts . a a Mm , Mr my gs | Except i mn ea
He's spent the last four-years: - , | g- ea. | | 7 Asst. A fi “FF decal. . i i Reg. or a oe
working on Project. FISH, a _ | a 1 1B 250. oe q. ah _ Lite
“sophisticated compile rine pre t roll Ay r aan: ae | 300.6 a oy 1 Qelb. f ,
gran thatcan anmiuyze me propu -_ a 7% | YW os , i a . aH ae al
‘don system of any fishing ot _ a pkg. at J wy | me v | phe oe e nccrecnnt en THIN
and determine the ‘AMmouHe OF fue + gman oe re es me ome tre tat me oe ate, JAVEX FOR ital FACHABLES 1 .
e Minor madilic alions to the : 7 - - SAVE i Requiar. 9 $0h | POWDERED BLEAG f ron . MEDIUM PRUNES PRG. os CHEDDAR SLICES PRO: vee
engine or propeller can fest * eecy’ & min eur hog 13/8 | ARMSTRONG'S ¢ ~JAVEX, LAUNDRY CLEANER SUNSWEET
ubstittiting savings, he said. os 2 | SREESS .-retanes, cavereet fonds y oy | 4 rt ae at
: ‘ “Vn our ‘initial tests, we had a L Laue" “mu we ON Ls | CHEDDAR CHEESE. rac . STAIN AWAY bt mee PITTED: PRUNES: ee
couple of ceases. where the 7 .
fisher men -stoad 6 ove aubant PRONTO PAPER | | KELLOGG'S NEW | KELLOGG s.. tne oy ae Obert onde: 1,606]

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CRISPIX Bs

AL)

725
‘hox

} with
! coupon

RICE a
KRISPIES a
ao
I.

:
who | on RICE KRISPIES’
coupon f |;
2.99! re ony isin te

350 g
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MR. NOODLE

“WAT NOLES

IMPERIAL

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CORINA WHOLE.

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