Commentary -

The Erroneous Minimum Wage

Last week I noted that in 1914 Henry Ford unilaterally raised the minimum wage he was paying for
skilled labour to $5.00 for an 8 hour day. This was an inordinately high wage to offer at that time. He
immediately followed up on this announcement by establishing the first assembly line in the automo-
tive industry. Mr. Ford was a shrewd businessman. He wanted everyone to afford his cars.
However, in the comment on the $5.00 per day wage rate I said that it equated to $1.60 per hour. As
my neighbour, Harvey, assiduously pointed out, this is faulty math. The correct amount equates to
only $0.625 per hour. I’m very grateful to Harvey for his constructive criticism because it led me to
think about the relationship between the minimum wage and the cost of a car. If one of Mr. Ford’s 4-
seater Model T’s could be purchased in 1914 for $850 then a it would take 1,360 hours for the newly
hired Ford mechanic to earn enough to pay for it (without regard to income tax). Today we have a
minimum wage of $9.25 in Saskatchewan and an average new car price of, say, $25,000. The same
wage-earner now has to work just over 2,700 hours in order to cover the cost of her car. The minimum
wage today would have to be $21.32/hr. in order for our worker to be on even footing with the 1914
counterpart when buying today’s automobile.
There’s no question that today’s basic car is much more sophisticated than the Model T. However, the
same apparently cannot be said of the minimum wage earner. If the worker still had the same value to
business as the labourer did to Mr. Ford in 1914, then what he earns would be keeping pace with the
cost of what is essentially a necessity; the family car. What’s happening here? Is the worker the source
of the problem because he can’t command enough pay for his labour? Is the car the source of the prob-
lem because it is now so expensive to manufacture that it can only be sold at a price that makes it al-
REWARD most twice as expensive compared to the workingperson’s minimum wage?
The real components to the answer are much more complex than just hourly wage rates and material
the Town of Eastend costs. They are so complicated that it’s nearly put Mr. Ford’s competitors out of business in the last
is offering a year. Something Henry Ford would have relished. However, there is an interesting aspect to the wage/
car-cost question that is important for everyone. In 1914 people could generally only borrow money
from banks or family members. Banks would loan against real estate, plant, equipment, crops or live-
$1,000.00 REWARD stock. Personal lines of credit for the general populace did not exist, nor did credit cards, home equity
loans or other similar means of artificial money creation that are available today. The ability to create
for information instant money out of the air is one of the major factors contributing to the current economic miasma.
Lots of dollars are flowing through the system and the result is that it takes more to buy proportion-
leading to the arrest ately the same goods as in 1914. This is inflation. The evidence is that it takes $2,221.91 in today’s
and conviction of dollars to wield the equivalent of $100 of purchasing power in 1914. Workers, especially those at the
lower end of the wage scale, have little ability to influence what payment they receive for their work
person(s) responsible while big corporations have a much better bargaining position. In the rising tide of inflationary dollars
for the vandalism done the worker will always be behind the flow and scrambling to try to stay ahead. JK

on the T-rex mural.

Movie Synopsis: District Nine
306-295-3322 Ladies Night
For once the aliens do not arrive to hover over Out
New York or Washington, D.C. In this creative
story their giant ship is stalled over Johannesburg, Sponsored by the
South Africa. However, instead of presenting an Eastend Kinsmen
imminent threat, they are desperately in need of Club
help to survive. Director Neill Blomkamp teams
Great Films!!! with producer Peter Jackson for this tale of extra-
terrestrial refugees stuck in contemporary South January 30th
Africa. It has been 28 years since the aliens made at the Eastend Memorial Hall
Fridays @ 7:00 pm first contact, but there has never been any attack
from the skies, or evidence of any profound tech- $25
January 15th—District Nine nological revelation capable of advancing our
society. Instead, the aliens are treated as refugees.
January 22nd—9 They are the last of their kind and evidently not Cocktails 5:30 pm
very enlightened beings. In order to accommodate Waiter Auction 6:30 pm
January 29th—Inglourious them, the government of South Africa set up a Supper 7:00 pm
Basterds makeshift home in District 9 as politicians and
Entertainment 8:00 pm
world leaders endlessly debate how to handle the
situation. As the humans begin to grow wary of
Suggestions for movies are the unwelcome and crude intruders, a private Tickets available from:
welcome. Please contact the company called Multi-National United (MNU) is
assigned the task of controlling the growing popu- Cameron Vansandt 295-7100
T.rex Discovery Centre lation of aliens. But MNU is less interested in the
aliens’ welfare than in attempting to understand or, Ron Mac Rae 295-7711
Admission Price $3.50 each how their weaponry works. Should they manage
to make that breakthrough, they will receive tre-
T.rex Discovery Centre mendous profits from control of the research.
Unfortunately, the advanced weaponry requires «
Eastend, SK. alien DNA in order to be activated. Then MNU District 9 is well worth seeing because the
www.trexcentre.ca field operative, Wilkus van der Merwe (Sharlto story is clever and, filmed in the style of a
(306)295-4009 Copley) is exposed to biotechnology that causes documentary, it is immediately engaging.
his DNA to begin to mutate. The tensions be- Sharlto Copley provides a fine performance
tween the aliens and the humans continue to of a man who discovers his moral character
intensify. Wilkus is the key to unlocking the through adversity. The quality of the CGI is
aliens’ technology and he quickly becomes the superb, the action is ongoing and the flashes
most wanted man on the planet. Ostracized and of humour are well placed. Sci-Fi with a twist.
The Eastend Edge is a proud supporter of our Highly recommended. JK
community and is distributed across North isolated, Wilkus retreats to District 9 in a desper-
ate effort to save himself. » www.rottentomatoes.com
America. Publisher: Jeanne Kaufman
Eastend Eastend Agencies Ltd. COMMUNITY HAPPENINGS
Eastend Arts Council—Jan. 4th
Ladies Bonspiel Call for a new quote on: Eastend Rink Complex—Jan. 6th (7:30)?
Kinsmen– Jan. 7th. & 21st
Agro, Home, Auto Historical Museum— Jan 12th
January 14—16
and Tenant Insurance K-40—Jan. 6th
CWL—??
Call to put a team on Your locally owned and operated Friends of the Museum &
Margaret Topham 295-4093
insurance brokerage T-Rex Discovery Centre—Jan. 11th
Kinettes—Jan. 14th
104 Maple Ave. N. RM of White Valley—Jan. 14th
or 295-3655 TOWN COUNCIL— Jan. 13th
Bonnie Gleim 295-3655 east.ag@sasktel.net Clay Centre Comm Club—Jan. 19th
School Comm Council—Jan. 19th
Chamber of Commerce—Jan 20th
Fire Dept. — Jan. 5th & 19th
Red Hat’s R’Belles — see below
Concerned about Your “Sketch-and-
TOPS MEET - Health Centre Quiet Room,
Thursdays @ 5:00 p.m.
Draw” AA—Monday’s @ 8:00p.m. at Henry’s Place
Investments? BINGO—Mondays at 7:00 in the Rink!
Alanon– Health Centre Quiet Room,
Workshop with Alice
Tuesdays .
The Red Hat’s R’Belles chapter will
Call Roger Mirka today Tuesday January 19, 2010 resume in January as the Prairie Pearls
for his expert 1pm to 4 pm and will meet on Jan. 27th.
complimentary second
opinion service Hidden Treasures Studio
544 Pottery Street

$20
Roger Mirka, CFC, CFP, CIMA,
CIM, FCSI Bring your favourite sketching materials
Other materials will be available
Investment Advisor JANUARY DATES FOR
PHYSICIAN CLINICS IN EASTEND
306-773-3191 | 1-800-667-2466
Register:
roger.mirka@rbc.com 295-3775 SHERRY HORNUNG RN(NP) - JAN 20, 21, 22,
or email: jahanlin@sasktel.net 25 & 27
RBC Dominion Securities
DR. CRAWSHAW—JAN. 14, 18 & 26
Inc.137 – 1st Avenue N.E., Swift
Current www.rogermirka.com To book an appointment Phone 295-4184
Monday - Friday, 8:00 AM-4:00 PM.
The Eastend
Historical Museum
Invites you to a The Eastend Swimming Pool
Pot Luck Dinner and
Board
Planning Meeting
at the Tea Room
Annual Year-end Meeting
RBC Dominion Securities Inc.* and Royal Bank of January 26th @ 7 pm
January 12th
Canada are separate corporate entities which are
5 pm in the Card Room
affiliated. *Member CIPF. ®Registered trademark of
next to Charlie’s Lunch
Royal Bank of Canada. Used under licence. RBC Bring your ideas for fundraising
Dominion Securities is a registered trademark of and activities for 2010
The Board would like to invite any
Royal Bank of Canada. Used under licence.
Everyone welcome! individuals interested in being
©Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
part of this Board.

Moondog over Eastend The Pool Board is also looking for a

volunteer Bookkeeper.
WANTED ON SIGHT On January 1st there was a sundog during
the day due to the abundance of ice crystals For more information contact
Used prescription eyeglasses in the air. However, that evening many of us Penny Arendt @ 295-3326
were treated to the unusual site of a stun-
Shon Profit & her daughter are travel- ningly beautiful moondog. This “paraselene”
ling to Oaxaca, Mexico, on February is a relatively rare bright circular spot on a
6, 2010. Due to the economic difficul- lunar halo caused by the refraction of
Advertising Rates
ties in 2009 in the U.S. even less work moonlight by hexagonal-plate-shaped ice
is available & poverty in Mexico con- crystals in cirrus or cirrostratus clouds. $15 per week per ad
tinues to increase. Moondogs appear to the left and right of the space and sizing at
moon 22̊ or more distant. They are exactly Editor’s discretion
We will be taking clothing & eye- analogous to sundogs , but are rarer because
glasses with us to be distributed. to be produced the moon must be bright and
therefore full or nearly full. Moondogs show
If you have an old pair of prescription little colour to the unaided eye because their Distribution of the Edge
glasses you wish to donate, please light is not bright enough to activate the The Eastend Edge is distributed in Con-
leave them at: cone cells of the human eye. sul, Eastend, Shaunavon, Frontier and
505 Pottery St. Climax. The most cost-effective advertis-
in the office. See the photo: www.eastendedge.blogspot.com ing available in the Southwest.
 The Culinary Corner
Art Markings Studio
with Trea Schuster
Jack’s Café Make Your Own Herbs de Provence
Student Art Workshops
Weekly Specials 8 weeks—variety of mediums
Herbs de Provence is a robust mixture of
and projects
herbs made popular in the south eastern re-
Our Soups of the Week: Wednesdays, January 13—
gion of France. It is often used in the prepa-
March 10
Tuesday: Tomato Bisque ration of grilled meats, fish and vegetable
(no class February 17)
Wednesday: Pizza Soup stews, and is usually added before or during
3:45 pm—5:45 pm
cooking.
Thursday: Cream of Broccoli $160, materials included for
Soup The proportion of ingredients has altered in-class use
over the years, and ingredients like tarragon,
Friday: Halibut Soup chervil and fennel have been added to some 3 Adult Art Workshops
Saturday: Red Lentil & versions, but the basic recipe uses rosemary, 8 spaces available
Vegetable Soup savory, marjoram, and thyme (with the noted No art experience needed,
Sunday: Italian Sausage Soup addition of lavender flowers). The individual just a childlike curiosity and
herbs were staples of the French grandmoth- a willingness to play
ers of the region, although the blend that we 11 am—4 pm
The Weeks’s Specials: now know as Herbs de Provence wasn’t sold $50 each, materials included
Beef Fradzolaki: until the 1970s. for in-class use
In the following recipe is close to the origi- Please bring a bag lunch if you wish.
Italian meatballs with tomatoes, Coffee/tea and cookies provided
nal. Note that oregano can be substituted for
cucumbers, red onions, feta and the marjoram (they are cousins), but cut the
topped with our Greek Tzaziki. requirement in half as oregano is stronger in Saturday January 16th
Served on a loaf. flavour. Watercolour techniques
Skies and Basic Landscapes
Athenian Chicken: Basic Herbs de Provence
Saturday January 30th
Chicken breast grilled with garlic 5 Tbsp. dried thyme Watercolour techniques
butter, stuffed with fresh mush- 3 Tbsp. dried savory Perfect Poppies!
2 Tbsp. dried marjoram
rooms and topped with a mush- 5 Tbsp. dried rosemary Saturday February 13th
room alfredo sauce. 1 ½ Tbsp. dried lavender flowers Celebrate Valentine’s Day
This mixture can be made ahead and kept in Goddess Mandala
Try our new Meat-lovers Pizza: an airtight container in a dark place. mixed medium (watercolour,
Meatballs, ground beef, bacon, acrylic, pen, etc.)
ham and salami, covered with our Celebrate your inner goddess with
Information from: laughter, creativity and
white creamy alfredo sauce. http://thehergardener.blogspot.com some chocolate!

Call or email to register

295-4099
Try Za’atar as a Spice Blend or, ptrea@sasktel.net
Pear and Butternut Squash Soup
This is a Middle Eastern spice blend made with
ground sumac, green and dried herbs and lightly
A simple soup, slightly sweet roasted sesame seeds. These are crushed together
& very delicious and used to flavour meats and vegetables , or
mixed with olive oil and used as a marinade for
Oven-roast a smallish butternut squash olives or as a spread for pita or flatbread.
until soft. In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, Basic Za’atar
sauté a finely chopped shallot and 2 to 3
whole fresh sage leaves in a combination 2 tsp. oregano
2 tsp. basil
of butter and olive oil. Add 3 to 4 ripe 2 tsp. ground thyme
winter pears, peeled, cored and roughly 1 tsp. whole thyme
chopped, along with the peeled and seeded 2 tsp. savory
squash. Give it a splash of a buttery white 2 tsp. ground marjoram
wine, maybe an oaky chardonnay, and 1/2 tsp. whole dry marjoram
cook for about 5 minutes. Then add about 1—2 tsp. ground sumac berries
6 cups of a chicken or vegetable stock and 1/4—1/2 cup unhulled, toasted sesame seeds,
let simmer for 30 minutes. Remove the ground coarsely
1 1/2 tsp. salt (or to taste) Mandala of the Samanids
sage leaves and hit it with your hand-held
zest of 2 lemons, very finely minced
blender. Serve with a swirl of crème
fraiche and a drizzle of maple syrup. Gar- While fresh dampen a few tablespoons with olive
nish with sage leaves. oil, add some hummus or chickpeas. Spread on
pita or flatbread, and bake or broil until heated
For a more spicy taste add a little ginger. through. The Eastend Edge is a proud supporter of our
Serves 4 to 6 as an appetizer. community and is distributed across North
Za’atar can also be dried and kept in an airtight
America. Editor: Jeanne Kaufman
container.
 Herbs and Spices agastache
anise
H I P L S I D I T H S I D A R E S R O H arrowroot
arugula
L M E A Y L P O O T E G T G G A H E B O basil
bay leaf
S F P L L E M O N B A L M A R J O R A M borage
caraway
N C P E G M L I P R H R S S A V O R Y N celery root
chervil
S C E A I O M S R P E S R T B A S I L O chili
cilantro
A P R L A N E O R A Y I L A V E N D E R cinnamon
clove
F O M L E G W E E A K S W C G I V O A F coriander
cumin
B S I I N R C G O E P S E H R O A O F F curry
dill
O S N C O A Y Y E I S T F E S P N W A A fennel
fenugreek
U Y T O M S G R P M U M D A D C I M R S garlic
ginger
I H T R A S G A O R T N A L I C L R S R horseradish
hyssop
Y N Y I N U P M M O A U L U Y A L O S R
lavender
lemon balm
E A E C N R G E A I T I N G R R A W V E
lemon grass
N B O E I L R S R F D E S U U A M O S E licorice
mace
G C F K C I F O I C E O L R N W N R M E marjoram
mint
S A A U C V C R N R R N W A S A B I E M nutmeg
onion
E N R U N R L E U R E G N I G Y U I S A oregano
paprika
G R M L P E P P E R Y U E E M Y H T Y E parsley
pepper
Y I I L I H C L I R I O R R L M P O N H peppermint
poppy seed
N O I N O C I A I S N O C A T P F C C A rosemary
rue
saffron
Watson & Holmes Local Results of Annual Bird and sage
On Perception Mammal Count savory
sorrel
Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson went
Ring-necked Pheasant 2 tarragon
for an outing one weekend far north of Sharp-tailed Grouse 16 thyme
London. They pitched camp, a rustic Northern Goshawk 1 turmeric
meal over a wood-fuelled fire, and sat Golden Eagle 2 vanilla
contently as night fell, smoking their Rock Pigeon 7
wormwood
pipes and talking about nothing in par- Snowy Owl 1
Downy Woodpecker 5
wasabi
ticular. Finally, they decided to turn in.
Black-billed Magpie 66
Some hours later, Holmes woke up his Horned Lark 235 January 14, 1976 -
sleeping companion and pointed up at the Red-breasted Nuthatch 13
ink-black sky, dotted with hundreds of Brown Creeper 1 The head office of T. Eaton
luminous stars. Townsend’s Solitaire 1 Company announced that it
White-throated Sparrow 3 would no longer publish
“Tell me, Watson,” said Holmes. “When Dark-eyed Junco 2 a mail-order catalogue.
you look up at the night sky, what do you Common Redpoll 9 The first Eaton’s catalogue
perceive?” Watson blinked awake and Pine Siskin 6 appeared in 1884 and was
contemplated the heavens above them. House Sparrow 16 an immediate success.
“Well, meteorologically, I can tell from Eurasian Collared Dove 5 Orders poured into the Toronto store and sev-
the striations of cloud that the weather Nuttall’s Cottontail 21 eral people had to be hired to accept and fill
will soon turn inclement. Astrologically, White-tailed Jack Rabbit 11 the requests.
I can see that Orion’s belt has shifted a Porcupine 3
Coyote 4 Many people, across the prairies especially,
bit toward the horizon. Astronomically, I used the catalogue to keep up with current
Red Fox 1
understand that those stars twinkling Mule Deer 270 styles in clothing and home furnishings. The
above are actually roaring suns, giving White-tailed Deer 100 catalogue soon became a part of life in ways
off tremendous energy. Chronologically, Pronghorn 39 that could never have been anticipated. Many
I realize that the distance between those new settlers used the illustrated catalogues to
learn English, thumbing through each book
stars and our world is so vast, the light Carcases and trails of other wildlife were also
found. However, bird sightings were greatly re- matching the descriptions of the items with
we see now actually shone from them the pictures. Young boys used the books as
millions of years ago. And, philosophi- duced from previous years. Many species were
totally absent, including: Bohemian Waxwings, goalie pads during hockey games on frozen
cally, I comprehend that in the limitless ponds and girls cut out the figures and played
Cedar Waxwings, Snow Buntings, Grosbeaks,
vastness of the universe, man and his with them as paper dolls. Outhouses were
and Crossbills. There were fewer participants in
works are quite small and insignificant.” the count this year but additional scouting on frequently decorated with pages from old
subsequent days did not lead to hoped-for sight- catalogues, and the sheets were sometimes put
Then Watson turned to his friend. “Now to an even more practical purpose. Little won-
Holmes, what do you perceive?” ings. The reason for this dramatic reduction is not
clear at present but will be studied further. der, then, that the catalogue became affection-
Holmes sighed. “I perceive that someone ately known as the "wish book" or even as the
has stolen our tent.!” Thanks to Robert Gebhardt "prairie bible".
 Moondog over Eastend, Saskatchewan

January 01, 2010

Photo courtesy of Stephen Langdon Goulet

See article on page 2 for explanation of

this meteorological effect.