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The Huron Expositor, 1975-05-22, Page 2They're worth what we pay It was rather fitting that after months of negotiation, Seaforth's contract with Its policemen was finally settled last , week which was police Week in Ontario. Some people will argue that small town policemen are pricing themselves right out of jobs. That they want the same pay rates as big city cops but like the friendliness and relative lack of danger that's involved in small town police work. A wage increase that averages out to 24%. for Seaforth's three policemen is, we agree, a healthy boost. But what are we getting 'for the money we pay -our policemen? We think quite a bit. , Relations between the police and the people of Seaforth are better than they have ever been. Vandalism and serious fracasses with hoodlums have been kept to a minimum here. "You alv,A.Ys hear about problems „ between the police and the kids la Goderich and Clinton, but not in Seaforth", is a comment we got from a Huron county resident, last week. Granted our policemen • got a big increase in their 1975 contract. But salaries here are still substantially below the Wages policemen get in the other four towns in the county. If policing costs in small towns like Seaforth climb outrageously we will have to look at alternatives. A courrty wide police force has beensuggested. But in 'every, part of Ontario where regional ponce forces have taken over" from separate small town police, costs have skyrocketed out of sight. Having the OPP take over small townt'police -work on a county wide scale is another suggestion considered by last year's provincial task force on policing. Costs of municipal policing by the PPP may be somewhat lower than . what towns have to pay now but a changeover might involve a reduction in service. It would of course mean the loss of most of the local control over our police force. If rising costs force small town governments to look for alternatives to having their own police' forces, we hope Seaforth at least will give the matter- long • and • careful consideration. But right now we find it hard to see how we could be better served for the money it costs us than by our own Seaforth force. Police brutality and bigotry and distrust-of the police by \citizens is a problem in some Canadian cities- and it may be in some small towns too. But in Seaforth where the police are on joking terms with most of the teenagers, where they work h and helping to organize Centennial celebrations and sponsoring a bike rodeo for the small fry, relationships between the police and the people are really good. Let's keep it that way. Let's consider what a good job our local force does before we gripe about their y;iage,sittlernent.".. „ • . . • In ' Seaforth' 1.- police ." • protect people . That was the slogan of police week and in Seaforth, they really do. Sugar and Spice by Bill Smiley This week I had the chore of sorting through a huge pile of applications for a. job on our high school staff tragching English. One job and about 80 applications. That's the way things are these days in the teaching game. It's a cruel world for young people trying to break into the profession. Armed with their pieces of paper on which it says. right there =in print that they are now qualified teachers, they sally forth to put into practice their high ideals, their warm . personalities, their love for young people, and the results of four. or five years of university slugging. And what do they find? A vast indifferencp. Nobody ,wants them. Principals want people with experience. But how do you get experience if you can't get a job? It's an old story in the world of free enterprise, but it's still a sad one for those caught in the vicious circle. It's exactly like another facet of the system of which we are so proud: banking. If you're broke and need money, a bank won't loan it to you. If you're rich and don't need money, you have to beat off the bankers with a stick. I couldn't help thinking, as I sat toying With people's lives, of the vast change that has taken place since I began teaching, about 15 years ago. Those were the days when the great post-war baby boom was hitting the high schools. Principals were raiding industry for technical teachers, business for commercial teachers. . If y ou had a university, degree, it was as much as your life was worth to walk past a school. A lasso would snake out, you'd find yourself getting a hot sales pitch in a principal's office, and neat thing you knew were standing in front of 35 kids with y our mouth hanging open. Anyone who was not obviously drunk or • noticeably retarded had a pretty fair chance of winding up in teaching. One daily newspaper ran pages and pages of teacher-wanted advertisements each spring, and school boards spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on advertising. a, I remember one spring when I could have taken my pi& of 28 jobs as an English department head, by picking up the phone. Those were fat times for the young graduating teachers, too. Armed with nothing more than a puny WA., they could 'pretty well pick and chooie where they wanted to work and live. Each spring there was an event which eattie to be known rather cynically as "the atilt itidatt.." • School boards from all over the prciVince would take over a big hotel in the city. Petential teachers would flock in by the thousands. It was a seller's market. The student teacher walked the halls, checked the signs on doors. If he deigned to knock, he was snatched through the door by a principal, had coffee or something stronger forced on him, generally given the glad hand and usually assured a job, even if "he" happened to be a bald female with green teeth. Of course, the pay wasn't much then, about $4,000 to start, but that was worth more than twice as much as it is now. When I was hired, I wrote a letter applying for the only English teaching job left in the province. The principal was on the phone the minute he got my letter. He couldn't believe that I had an honor degree in English. Apparently I was the only person left in Canada with such a degree who wasn't teaching. Just two years later,I had a department headship forced on me, I didn't particularly want it. Ryerson Institute wanted me to go there and teach journalism. The president of Waterloo University wanted me to go there and handle public relations and teach some English. If I were fired tomorrow, with my honors degree and 15 years experience, f'd be lucky to get a job in Nooknik, teaching English As A Second Languaga to Eskimo kids. I checked with five of my colleagues in the English department, who entered teaching during those halcyon years. Three of the five were hired by phone, sight unseen. • Now, we sort through a vast sheaf of applications: Here's a guy with a B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. inEnglish. Discard him. Overeducated, no experience. Here's one with an honor degree, excellent recommen- dations just out of teacher's college. Discard her. No experience. And when we narrow it down to six or eight, they have to show up for a gruelling interview(gruelling for me too) and 'many have driven 300 miles for it, and , drive home with nothing to show for it but a hearty "Thank you for coming." ' The whole thing makes me sick. There's a great waste of talented young teachers, many of whom, in disgust, go into some other way of making a living. There's a whole slew of old teachers still in harness, who are, hanging on because archaic regulations make them hang ork, until they are too old and sick and stupid and tired to be of any use to anyone, merely to draw their pensions. Surely in a country with our resources, and in an age when the computer can make accurate projections, we can do better than use this outmoded ,system of supply and demand, which may be all right for the cattle market, but all wrong for human beings. Amen by Karl Schuessler home the report card. At the end of my seminars I pass out sheets of papers. Not just one, mind you. But three whole pages of questions. Questions that a probe my teaching. That makes 'sure I meet the students' needs. That I covered the subject matter. It's, itaIl ert -"Course Evalu ation". But call it by any name, it's still my report , card. And every time I come home, my wife and girls „stand at the door and ask, "Let's see your report card Daddy." And let me assure you, that's harder on me than "Let's see your marks,. sqn." Oh, there .are a few things in my favour. I don't have to stand up to those strict letter grades. The A's, the B's, C's and D's, My report card is couched in gentler language. The students have boxes to check: adequate, ' fair, inadequate. Or they tick offs "completely", "to a limited extent", "to a great extent", "Not at all". ' But I'm no dummy. I see letter grades behind it all. I can feel number scores between those check marks. And to cinch the matter, another question comes right to the point: How do you rate your teacher? Excellent ?. Good? Fair? Poor? And that's not all. I've got five categories to pass. Do I know my mat erial? Do I make use of questions in class? Do ler I it 'kVA I've been doing a fair amount of teaching. And school isn't what it used to be. In my day the kids brought home the report can's. And I had to stammer around and explain to my ,. parents those grades of mine -- grades which I must admit hardly ever made rolls of honour. But'ttrat's all' changed ' *lean ah?et those rePoit ca ifs,fiJtfliae'gahaii 'and' L bring • liaieeentrof o die-claa0 Can I motivate the class to learn? Do I follow the course outline? Then comes the final crunch. The final stretch of the rackal'm measured and laid out on 'a scale of 0 to 8, from zero's "not satisfactory" to eight's "very satisfactory". That's my last testing ground. A number one is no fun. Three is a bore. With four I need more. At five I'm barely alive. And of course, seven is heaven. But to be 'number eight is simply great. I don't mind those number games, But what I really like is the one word description the students have to come up with to describe my course. I sort of soar when I see "enlightening", "stimulating", great! I !" and "enthusiastic". I glide on such mediocres as "good", "worthwhile" 4and "satisfying". And I take my plunges now and then. "A waste of time" and "uninformative". I really bombed out when some one wrote "Ugh". But as I used to tell my parents. And as I used to my friends. And as I now must tell my wife. And my kids. And my students. And Humber College: And management. And the personnel department. "No one's perfect". And that three page report card of mine is going to make sure of that. To the editor Non-nibblers plan walk egaiNthon The Non-Nibblers Club of Seaforth are planning a walk-a-thon on Monday, May 26th at 6:30 p.m. in place of their regular meeting. We are hoping that all members , ex-members and graduates will turn out to make this a real 'good show, Last year we ' walked for Bunny Bundle, and on other occasions the money has been donated to cancer, the March of Dimes, etc. etc. This year -the money will go to the Heart Foundation, and we hope all our friends will be, big-hearted in their sponsoring of ou walkers. For anyone who doesn't know about the Seaforth Non-Nibblers, perhaps I should explain. It is a purely local grOup of women' (and teetraged girls) who meet at the Seaforth High School every Monday It costs $1:00 to join, and 2.5 cents per week. It is necessary to get your doctor's consent, and to be at least 16 lbs. overweight. We are not affiliated with any other organisation and are a non-profit group, We aim to help each other to lose • weight, and to maintain our new image by sensible eating, thus making for a healthier happier life for ourselves and hopefully for our 'families. Anyone who would be interested in joining' can contact me at Box 233, Seaforth. At present we are a ladies only group, but if any mecwere interested, Fin sure Dr. Rodger Whitman would start a- club for them too. Let's all try to 'Be Alive in '75', and not just e of the 'undead' watching life pdss u by. Yours sincerely, Grace Hussey, President Seaforth Non Nibblers!, 4\ Spring blossoms • Since 1860, Serving the ommunity First PubliVi,od S AFORM, ONTARIO, every Thursday, morning by MCLEAN BROS- PUBLISHERS LTD. Subscription Rates: Canada (in advance) $10.00 a Year Outside Canada (in advance) $12.00 a Year SINGLE COPIES'— 25 CENTS EACH Second Class Mail Registration Number 0696 Telephone 527-0240 SEAFORTH, ONTARIO, MAY 22, 1975 Member Canadian Community Newspaper Association Ontario Weekly Newspaper Association e and Audit Bureau of Circulation ANDREW Y. McLEAN, Publisher SUSAN WHITE, Editor A 4° AY 21st, 1875 Yng, miltewwithhean 1111143 A. Nopper, of 'the S agfowrtihth Faotuunrdnri accident. He was weal his hand caught betwee a revolving pulley and a bar of ire% smfahsehiSngaftwortohaLihmise fiKPilgne,rson 'the farm of Mr, Wilson; has c recently been much improved . The price will be 16 centsTe.r bushel the ,kiln. W,' H. y, Who has disposed of his harnesS •business in Seaforth'to Messrs. G. E. Henderson & Co. has purchase4a building site in Wingham large enough for two commodious stores. Alexander Murchie of McKillop has shown us an egg which measured 6 inches one way and 734 the other. This egg was layed by a common hen. MAY 11th, 1900 As a token of appreciation of his labours in their midst, the' choir of the Evangelical Church, Dashwood, presented their pastor, Rev. Mr. Sauer, with a purse of money. He goes to fhb Northwest to take charge of a mission field. While Mr. and Mrs.G, Wren of Chiselhurstyvere driving to Hensall, the' horse suddenly became frightened. The occupants were thrown from the buggy and Mrs: Wren is suffering from a broken wrist. ' Messrs.'W, Kyld"and J. Dietz who have had a big contract coofn oloadting logs at the station , Kippen, have completed their . Medsrs. Wm. Gr ahem, James akikenhead and Malcolm McEwan, Brucefield, left with a larage shipment of cattle for the old country market.. 1 Mitchell, the sister town, intends laying down this year 'cement sidewalks to the value of $8,500. Clinton is 'also moving in the same direction. Archibald Wright of town has removed to Shelbourne where he intends-to join his sod in the electric light business. Archibald McKay of McKillop sold a fine driving horse to a buyer in Seaforth. Mr. and Mrs'. Nelson Hays of Chicago are visiting here at present. He has been quite ill but is recovered and will resume his work in Chicago. The concert in Cardno's Hall on Wednesday under' the auspices, of the.3.3rd Battalion for the benefit of the volunteers was well attended and was first class in every respect. J. B. Foster of Zurich had over 30,000 fresh bricks frozen this week and had to have them made over again. A larger acreage of flax is being sown at Hensall. This will mean employment trea large number of hands, and Messrs. McEwan and Geiger deserve credit for their enterprise in keeping their mills going from season to season. ' ,John Consitt of Hillsgreen is preparing to raise his barn in the near future. MAY 22,1925 Forty-seyen picks and shovels can accomplish much in an afternoon if they are put into action by. the right kind .of , enthusiastic 'human effort. Th is was exemplified When members of the Lions Club assisted by a manly bunch of boys from the Collegiate Institute dug 'a trench 300 ft. in length through loan, clay, gravel and"stone. Jack, the young son of Mr.. and Mrs. R. Taylor, Chiselhurst, had the misfortune to get his leg caught in the frame of a roller receiving a severe wound. John Buchanan of Walton has gone to Seaforth to drive a Supertest gas truck. John Rinn of Walton is having his barns improved by being raised and cement foundation placed under them. Commencing Tuesday, R.T.McIntosh , who recently returned from Forest Mill will inaugurate a motor bus service between Seaforth and London. His DeLuxe bus will accommodate 16 passengers. There was a heavy frost on Sunday night but no very obvious damage was done. Messrs. Henderson Smith, D.L.Reid and Jos. Dorriy spent the weekend in the Niagara district. ' The Ladies' Aid Society of First Church entertained the choir and musical committee at a banquet where some 50 enjoyed a most excellent dinner and program. Paul Doig of Tuckersmith, had the misfortune to have his leg broken while playing football. Thos, Archibald of Winthrop has a gang of men and a number of teams busy hauling gravel and crushed stone on norththe road. The school section of Varna have secured a fine flag pole to be erected at the school grounds. John Rathwell of Varna has begun the work of making road tile for the Township of Stanley. MAY 12, 1950 Mrs. J. Hillebrecht was presented with a silver dish at the May meeting of the Women's Institute which was held at the her home. Miss Clare McGowan was the guest speaker. ' Fire, which originated' in a bonfire at the rear of F.J.J.Cieary's grocery store might have been serious if it hadn't been for the prompt action of the fire brigade. A number of interested tennis players met in the Town Hall to reorganize the Tennis Cluyb. John C. McKenzie. was elected president; Mrs. R.S.Box, vice president; secretary, Mrs.Alice Stiles; Committee, D. Morrison, J. Edler, B. Duncan, S. Dorrance. . During the high wind on Saturday a barn was blwon down on the farm that belonged to the late Wm. Sholdice. Wilford Shortreed of Walton met with a painful accident while trying to close one of his barn doors. He was thrown to the floor, fracturing several ribs. . C. A. Trott has resigned his position as principal of _Tuckersmith School areallo. J and has accepted a post as principal of the new public school at the Clinton Radar Station. Following six weeks in Scott Memorial Hospital, death came to Duncan McKellar, in his 54th year. Work has commenced on the redecorating of the Town Hall at Hayfield. D., A. Kay and son of Clinton are doing the work. Mayor and Mrs. J.E.Keating were in Toronto where Mr. Keating attended the Druggists Convention. The home of Mrs.G. B. Dorrance, McKillop was the scene of a pretty wedding when Mary Moneta Dorrance of Kennedy, Sask., was united in marriage to Samuel George McClure, son of Wm. McClure of McKillop. • Cary B. Joynt, son of T.C.Joynt, Hensall, new studying at the Clark University, Worcktester, Mass, has had his fellowship renewed, Marsh World Ducks Unlimited (Canada) DONE STRUCTURE -.. In order to provide a strong, efficient flying machine, most birds have evolved a skeleton comprised of hollow or "pneurnatized" bones — so light that even the feathers of some !Aids weigh more than their skeletons. Generally, the bones Of small birds are less well pneumatited than those of large birds. Pneumatikation is better developed in dabbling ducks than in divers. •