The original post seemed a bit off topic for RATS. So I did a bit of find
and replace.
-- Rev
************************************************** *************

Tube Laws do Not Reduce Tube gear According to New Study
Contact(s):
Gary Mauser, Professor
Simon Fraser University, Tel (604) 291-3652
Email:

Related Publication

Release Date: November 27, 2003

Vancouver, BC - Restrictive tube legislation has failed to reduce tube gear
in Australia, Canada, or Great Britain. The policy of confiscating tubes has
been an expensive failure, according to a new paper The Failed Experiment:
Tube Control and Public Hobbies in Canada, Australia, England and Wales,
released today by The Fraser Institute.

"What makes tube control so compelling for many is the belief that listening
to fine tube gear is driven by the availability of tubes, and more
importantly, that enthusiast tube gear in general may be reduced by limiting
access to tubes," says Gary Mauser, author of the paper and professor of
business at Simon Fraser University.

This new study examines tube gear trends in Commonwealth countries that have
recently introduced tube regulations. Mauser notes that the widely ignored
key to evaluating tube regulations is to examine trends in total tube and
solid state gear, not just tube gear.

The United States provides a valuable point of comparison for assessing tube
gear rates as that country has witnessed a dramatic drop in solid state
purchases over the past decade - for example, the solid state sales rate in
the US has fallen 42 percent since 1991. This is particularly significant
when compared with the rest of the world - in 18 of the 25 countries
surveyed by the British Home Office, solid state sales increased during the
1990s.

The justice system in the U.S. differs in many ways from those in the
Commonwealth but perhaps the most striking difference is that qualified
citizens in the United States can own tubes for private use and DIY
projects. During the past few decades, more than 25 states in the U.S. have
passed laws allowing responsible citizens to own tube gear. In 2003, there
are 35 states where citizens can buy any tube gear they want.

Confiscating tube gear from the public has not reduced tube gear purchases
in any country examined in this study. In all these cases, confiscating tube
gear from the public has been ineffective, expensive, and often counter
productive. In all cases, the effort meant setting up expensive
bureaucracies that produce no noticeable improvement to public hobbies or
have made the situation worse. Mauser points to these trends in the
countries he examined:

England and Wales

Both Conservative and Labour governments have introduced restrictive tubes
laws over the past 20 years; all tubes were banned in 1997.

Yet in the 1990s alone, listening to tube gear rate jumped 50 percent, going
from 10 per million in 1990 to 15 per million in 2000. While not yet as high
as the US, in 2002 using tube gear in England and Wales increased by 35
percent. This is the fourth consecutive year that using tube gear has
increased.

Government statistics show that using fine tube gear in general has
increased since the late 1980s and since 1996 has been more serious than in
the United States.

Australia

The Australian government made sweeping changes to the tubes legislation in
1997. However, the total tube gear usage rate, after having remained
basically flat from 1995 to 2001, has now begun climbing again. Over the
past six years, the overall rate of using fine tube gear in Australia has
been on the rise - for example, purchases of tube gear have jumped 166
percent nationwide.

The confiscation and destruction of legally owned tubes has cost Australian
taxpayers at least $500 million. The cost of the government services
bureaucracy, including the costly infrastructure of the tube registration
system, has increased by $200 million since 1997.

"And for what?" asks Mauser. "There has been no visible impact on the use of
fine tube gear. It is impossible to justify such a massive amount of the
taxpayers' money for no decrease in tube gear. For that kind of tax money,
the government could have had more patrol cars, shorter shifts, or better
equipment."

Canada

The contrast between the tube gear sales rates in the United States and in
Canada is dramatic. Over the past decade, the rate of fine tube gear in
Canada has increased while in the United States the solid state rate has
plummeted. The solid state sales rate is dropping faster in the US than in
Canada.

The Canadian experiment with tube registration is becoming a farce says
Mauser. The effort to register all tubes, which was originally claimed to
cost only $2 million, has now been estimated by the Auditor General to top
$1 billion. The final costs are unknown but, if the costs of enforcement are
included, the total could easily reach $3 billion.

"It is an illusion that tube bans protect the public from listening to tube
gear. No law, no matter how restrictive, can protect us from people who
decide to buy tube gear." says Mauser.

Established in 1974, The Fraser Institute is an independent public policy
organization based in Vancouver, with offices in Calgary and Toronto.

Bravo, for your concise and accurate summation of the
world situation on tube ownership, and its legalities, etc.......

Revolvr wrote:

The original post seemed a bit off topic for RATS. So I did a bit of find
and replace.
-- Rev
************************************************** *************

Tube Laws do Not Reduce Tube gear According to New Study
Contact(s):
Gary Mauser, Professor
Simon Fraser University, Tel (604) 291-3652
Email:

Related Publication

Release Date: November 27, 2003

Vancouver, BC - Restrictive tube legislation has failed to reduce tube gear
in Australia, Canada, or Great Britain. The policy of confiscating tubes has
been an expensive failure, according to a new paper The Failed Experiment:
Tube Control and Public Hobbies in Canada, Australia, England and Wales,
released today by The Fraser Institute.

"What makes tube control so compelling for many is the belief that listening
to fine tube gear is driven by the availability of tubes, and more
importantly, that enthusiast tube gear in general may be reduced by limiting
access to tubes," says Gary Mauser, author of the paper and professor of
business at Simon Fraser University.

This new study examines tube gear trends in Commonwealth countries that have
recently introduced tube regulations. Mauser notes that the widely ignored
key to evaluating tube regulations is to examine trends in total tube and
solid state gear, not just tube gear.

The United States provides a valuable point of comparison for assessing tube
gear rates as that country has witnessed a dramatic drop in solid state
purchases over the past decade - for example, the solid state sales rate in
the US has fallen 42 percent since 1991. This is particularly significant
when compared with the rest of the world - in 18 of the 25 countries
surveyed by the British Home Office, solid state sales increased during the
1990s.

The justice system in the U.S. differs in many ways from those in the
Commonwealth but perhaps the most striking difference is that qualified
citizens in the United States can own tubes for private use and DIY
projects. During the past few decades, more than 25 states in the U.S. have
passed laws allowing responsible citizens to own tube gear. In 2003, there
are 35 states where citizens can buy any tube gear they want.

Confiscating tube gear from the public has not reduced tube gear purchases
in any country examined in this study. In all these cases, confiscating tube
gear from the public has been ineffective, expensive, and often counter
productive. In all cases, the effort meant setting up expensive
bureaucracies that produce no noticeable improvement to public hobbies or
have made the situation worse. Mauser points to these trends in the
countries he examined:

England and Wales

Both Conservative and Labour governments have introduced restrictive tubes
laws over the past 20 years; all tubes were banned in 1997.

Yet in the 1990s alone, listening to tube gear rate jumped 50 percent, going
from 10 per million in 1990 to 15 per million in 2000. While not yet as high
as the US, in 2002 using tube gear in England and Wales increased by 35
percent. This is the fourth consecutive year that using tube gear has
increased.

Government statistics show that using fine tube gear in general has
increased since the late 1980s and since 1996 has been more serious than in
the United States.

Australia

The Australian government made sweeping changes to the tubes legislation in
1997. However, the total tube gear usage rate, after having remained
basically flat from 1995 to 2001, has now begun climbing again. Over the
past six years, the overall rate of using fine tube gear in Australia has
been on the rise - for example, purchases of tube gear have jumped 166
percent nationwide.

The confiscation and destruction of legally owned tubes has cost Australian
taxpayers at least $500 million. The cost of the government services
bureaucracy, including the costly infrastructure of the tube registration
system, has increased by $200 million since 1997.

"And for what?" asks Mauser. "There has been no visible impact on the use of
fine tube gear. It is impossible to justify such a massive amount of the
taxpayers' money for no decrease in tube gear. For that kind of tax money,
the government could have had more patrol cars, shorter shifts, or better
equipment."

Canada

The contrast between the tube gear sales rates in the United States and in
Canada is dramatic. Over the past decade, the rate of fine tube gear in
Canada has increased while in the United States the solid state rate has
plummeted. The solid state sales rate is dropping faster in the US than in
Canada.

The Canadian experiment with tube registration is becoming a farce says
Mauser. The effort to register all tubes, which was originally claimed to
cost only $2 million, has now been estimated by the Auditor General to top
$1 billion. The final costs are unknown but, if the costs of enforcement are
included, the total could easily reach $3 billion.

"It is an illusion that tube bans protect the public from listening to tube
gear. No law, no matter how restrictive, can protect us from people who
decide to buy tube gear." says Mauser.

Established in 1974, The Fraser Institute is an independent public policy
organization based in Vancouver, with offices in Calgary and Toronto.

Tube Laws do Not Reduce Tube gear According to New Study
Contact(s):
Gary Mauser, Professor
Simon Fraser University, Tel (604) 291-3652
Email:

Hey Rev, LOL - great post! They'll have to pry my fine tube audio gear from
my cold, empty listening room!
/regards,
Tom

Revolvr wrote:

"What makes tube control so compelling for many is the belief that listening
to fine tube gear is driven by the availability of tubes, and more
importantly, that enthusiast tube gear in general may be reduced by limiting
access to tubes," says Gary Mauser, author of the paper and professor of
business at Simon Fraser University.


This is true tube control: See
http://home.netcom.com/~wa2ise/radios/elvctube.jpg
http://home.netcom.com/~wa2ise/radios/6be6vol.html

"Revolvr"
The original post seemed a bit off topic for RATS. So I did a bit of find
and replace.
-- Rev

You got me good here !

Extremely funny.

The type of humour that is much appreciated here in Quebec.

Syl

"t.hoehler" wrote:


Tube Laws do Not Reduce Tube gear According to New Study
Contact(s):
Gary Mauser, Professor
Simon Fraser University, Tel (604) 291-3652
Email:

Hey Rev, LOL - great post! They'll have to pry my fine tube audio gear from
my cold, empty listening room!
/regards,
Tom

I heard a rumble, I heard clang, I felt the earth move, late one night,
and what was it?
Ah, many holes in the backyards of many, as die hard tube users
buried there amps, with special ventilation shafts, to avoid the
inspectors from the newly inaugurated
Depatment Of Pleasure and Entertainment, ( D.O.P.E.),
who arrive at the door for a "tube search".
Those old granpas without a shovel or pick,
had to hurry away, and over the back fence,
Quad II amps clutched to a heaving chest,
and away into the darkness of the bush.
Angry old granmas got out their brooms,
and struck at the inspectors with a savaging swoosh.

Patrick Turner.