DRAGONS AS DANGEROUS AS FRENCH

WALES are as dangerous as the French according to Rory Best.

Best added: "They don't just challenge you around the fringes or out wide, they challenge you everywhere. I suppose from a defensive point of view it's something to get excited about in that it's a slightly different challenge and it's one we feel we can rise to.""The Welsh are a very good team," he said. "They're second in the table and they've lost to a very good England team at the start, but there's been no doubt that they've been improving as the competition has gone along.Before large restaurants existed, the waiter would complete the process of order taking and delivering of the food. Today, the food runner can be implemented (additional middle man) relieving the waiter of this time consuming and sometimes painstaking process. The waiter must share a percentage of his tip with the runner, but in return his job is eased because the food is delivered for him- allowing extra time to work more tables and up sell to customers thereby increasing sales. Though, it does remain the waiter�s responsibility to check the table for additional diner needs-- either while the food is being placed by the runner or shortly thereafter. The tip-out to the runner is usually 10-15% depending on the service system, but well worth it if waiter sales can increase by 20-30 %.One key indicator underlying Saskatchewan's success is investment. After years of averaging roughly $7 billion in new investment - for plant and equipment - this province has yet to find a new benchmark. Totals in this category rose to $12 billion then $14 billion and this year is now forecast to set a new high watermark at $17 billion. This is critical, because investment today means commercial revenue and jobs tomorrow. Both of these translate into taxes tomorrow, a sign that the provincial government's fiscal position is likely to be strengthened, not diminished, in the years ahead.As U of S economist Eric Howe put it, the growth industry of tomorrow is going to be government when all this investment turns into royalties and tax revenues. The challenge will be how that money gets used.Their interest piqued my own, leading to an examination of the efforts produced by other finance ministers across the nation. Here are the findings.

Best added: "They don't just challenge you around the fringes or out wide, they challenge you everywhere. I suppose from a defensive point of view it's something to get excited about in that it's a slightly different challenge and it's one we feel we can rise to."

Author: CIARAN O RAGHALLAIGH