The Huron Expositor, 1978-06-15, Page 1)
IT'S LOVELY — Pat Rodney smiles as she shows the cup and saucer she received
after being guest speaker at Seaforth Hospital Auxiliary's annual dinner meeting
with Seaforth W.I. members Tuesday night at the golf club. At left are Auxiliary
president Joan Chesney and director of nursing Shirley Ring. (Photo biOke)•
Hospital Auxiliary, WI
hear about Jamaica
Council OK's
artments in new are
Inside this week
Of limn epositor
Sri Lanka visitor P.13
Donuts Sold Out P,19
Barbecue recipes for summer P,3A
Conserver Society P6A
Whole Nia,#575.3
119th Year , SE/WORTH, ONTARIO, THURSDAY, JUNE 15, 1978 — 28 PAGES •
MA a Year in Advance
Single copy 25 cents
of...ed. in an
al atmosphere
The differences in the weather
in'the Sc aforth 4snovv•—hell. area
and that of her former sunny
island home of Jamaica were
recalled • when Mrs. Kenneth
Rodney addressed members of
the Auxiliary to Seaforth
Community Hospital and Seaforth
Women's InStitute at a dinner
held at the Scaforth Golf Club,
"Tuesday evening:
Echicated in Jamaica, New
York, Philadelphia and the
University of Toronto, she now is
a teacher of anatomy on a part
time basis at the University . of
Western. Ontario. Besides being
the wife of a Seaforth surgeon.
she is the mother of three
children.
Jarnaita is the third largest
island in the West ladies with
4,000 square miles and 2 million
people. It is an agriculture
country, Mrs. Rodney said and
- ' By Jeff Seddon
an
Close emt oo t i5o0n0 p eo p
charged
l e sat h rot through
public
meeting in Clinton Tuesday night
to hear arguments for and against
the use of three English literature
novels in Huron County high
schools.
In a public meeting organized
by a concerned group opposed to
a recent caMpaiga to have the
novels banned frO'nimeOtility high
schools parents, students,
grandrirothers and authors
debated for almost three hours sorL.,
--the m erit-or- the' th tee novel s or
the reasons—;they should be'
removed from the list of approved,
high school teidboOks. .•
People came from the four
corners of Huron County and
from areas outside its boundaries. '
Many came simply to witness the
debate but 'became deeply
involved as the audience ran the
emotional gamut. •
Some. wept 'openly. Some
shouted. Some pleaded for' cool
heads to prevail. Some argued
and one man asked the audience
to settle down and li sten to their. hearts as he prayed.
The meeting, was arranged by a
group opposed to the removal of
the three novels - The Diviners by
Margaret Laurence, Of Mice and
Men by John Steinbeelc'' and
Catcher in the Rye by
J.D:Salinger - and to support
their cause imported four noted
Canadian authors to defend the
books. •
June Callwood, a non fiction
writer, novelist Alice 'Munro,''
Janet Lunn a children's writer,
,and Steve OSterlund4, a • poet,
composed a panel that keynoted ,
the debate and each was given
ten minutes to outli ne reasons,
the btioks Should not , be removed
from approved lists:of textbooks.
Revival Meeting . ,
MS. Mu.nro's comparison of the
alleged pornographic material in
the novels to material in. The
Bible sparked reaction that began
to resemble afaith healing .
session.
highlighted by someone
suggesting 'the book is
pornographic, excerpts from
many books. the Bible included,
could be grouped with the three
English texts. Ms. Munro pointed
out thatjf she lifted excerpts
from the 'Bible and was angry
about them she could list them,
mineegraph them and send them
around to people and have them
think the book contained nothing
but "sexual escapades".
She made it clear that she loved
and respected the Bible and was
not suggesting it was
pornographic. She explained that
the story of King David's moral
• development could not have been
told in the Bible unless the writer
was explicit in his depiction of
David's development.
"You couldn't say he and
Bethsheba were good friends,"
she said.
She said a serious writer has a
responsibility to get as close as.
A couple of small apartment .
buildings could. fit well in cost
hOusing . 'develpment in the.
Railway St. area council decided
Monday night.
Arris Land Development had
asked whether council favoured
A complaint about long grass —
on unkempt vacant properties on
Goinlock St. got council into a
discussion about its authority to
have grass eta and add the cost of
t
n
to:
igh
owner's
t.
tax bills Monday
.'You can't sit outside at night
because of mosquitoes" said
councillor Gerald Groothuis who
lives near the lots that letter
writter Leo Hagan complained
about.
Councillor Groothuis 'suggested
.the Town cut all vacant lots once a
week rather than once a year as is
done now.
The town could get into trouble
dating vaeatit'PrOperties and
charging owners when it doesn't
cut its own boulevards, councillor
1.0n Roth said.
:Other councillors told him that
tesidents normally cut boulevards
infront of their own houses which
belong to the town, and some-
tiines other long grass that
ciifends them, to keep taxes
down.
'Clerk Jim Crocker- and some
councillors seemed concerned
about what authority the town
had to 'cut the grass. Seaforth has
no property standards bylaw and
bitting has been done under
Weed control legiSlation.
exercise is not an attempt to
please people or offend them but
to allow the reader to become
familiar with the character.
Steve Osterlund. told the
audience it was vital to permit
writers, artists and musicians to
wed( freely. He said the artist
. cannot be .asked to , write
• something to. please a group of
people because that is an
.411tripoible!lask. He -said. the
wgiter can't he Sonceriled—iFOTIF•Tc,r
people's reaction to his work but
can, only hope that' his efforts
"move" a reader emotionally. He
said he respected people's right
to accept or reject an author's
work but not their request to have
him write a certain way.
The London poet said he
wouldn't ask -a musician to write
music without using drums which
have a' "primitively sexual
rhythm". He wouldn't ask an
artist to paint a picture without
"using the color. red" and would
not ask a ballerina to perform' a
dance "without showing her
crotch".
He said "he is not expected to
write but chooses to write"..
Janet Lunn told the audience
she felt. 'art was the "truth of the
human spirit". She said she did
not feel 'children yvould be
adversely affected hi material in
the novels pointing out that well
written books permit readers to
share emotions with the author
and learn of the complexities of
human feelings.
Ordinary
Ms. Lunn said the alleged
pornographic material was a
description of a "very ordinary
part of human life ....if it weren't
we wouldn't be 'here".
June Callwood• said she was
very "sympathetic" towards
parents in the audience whose
.children' are being "exposed to
something the parents wish they
wouldn't see". She said parents
raise their children with the hopes
that they can instill in the
youngsters .the moral standards
that they believe in. She said it is
very difficult when the children
come to a point in their lives when
they go out the door and the
parents are left with nothing to do
but wait and „see if that teaching
was successful.
Mrs, Callwood said she had
objected to the values her
children were taught being
undermined by cartoons like The
Road Runner. Children watch the
cartoon and continuously see a
smitherines"
and'sgneiat supad to
nd walk
character ' li
away. She said children can get
the impression it is alright to hurt
someone because they can just
get up and walk away.
But still she said she couldn't
believe the influence of the Road
Runner could undermine what
her children learned at home.
Ms. Callwood said parents
can't trust books to teach children
but have to do that teaching
themselves. She said books will
help the children become aware
of human realities but the affect
of the material will be based on
the moral values instilled in the
children by their parents. She
it's small farms growing bananas,
coffee, sugar cane, ginger plants.
Making rum and mining Bauxi to
(Used to make tinfoil) are major
industries with tourism a main
source of income for the island
people.
To .get work and advancement
young people usually leave
Jamaica, she, said.
Class distinction is very Much
part of life on the island with
upper, middle-and lower class. Of
the lower class made-4 mainly of
unskilled labourers she said even
a wedding can be beyond' their
means. Often a couple will move
in and live 'together and possibly
have the wedding years later if
money becomes available.
With no health services as here
in Canada Mrs. • Rodney said the
only way families get by is by one
ofthe many relatives-helping with
the children 'while the mother'
beginning the development with a
Brantford St. phase which would
open semi serviced lots or with.
Railway St. phage of 17 lots, and
whether it had any objection to
apartment buildings in the Rail-
way phase. •
"1 don't think public works
would have time to cut all these
lots once a week," said Reeve
John Flannery. Hire someone and
charge the owners. councillor
Groothuis countered.
"How much can you push your
own standards on others?"
wonderedcouncillor Jim Sills.
"You can't keep horses or cows in
town. You shouldn't keep
mosquitoes either" quipped
councillor Groothuis.
Mayor Cardno suggested the
town cut the properties once then
write the owners and ask that
they keep them cut.
In other business council
agreed to two planning board
requests.
The first was that no building
permit be issued for mobile
homes under 1000 square feet di
original structure, whether 'they
have an addition or not: until the
town's zoning bylaw is reviewed
and amended.
Council also agreed that the
application fee, for zoning bylaw
changes or amendments be set at
$100 plus the cost of printing 1.5
copies of the application.
"It was felt that the whole town
shouldn't be bearing the cost
When the change is to the
applicant's benefit," Mayor
Cardno said.
rita-jr" VOA- "These women have
babies •because they want them.
Life is not 'rum and children' as'
outsiders are wont to say", she
said.
For the middle class of
generally smaller family groups,
rules are strict to protect their
young girls as they grow up.
Members of the Auxiliary
completed plans for their bake''
table at the 5th annual Seaforth
Craft Festival at the Community
Centre Saturday.
Members of the Seaforth
Women's Institute, who assist the
Auxiliary in the hospital gift shop
and with the hospital cart, joined
the members t the
special dinner. •
Joan Chesney, auxiliary
president, reminded members
that a pot „luck supper would
precede the. September meeting
and to bring a non-perishable
food item for the hamper. ,
Councillors favoured opening
the larger. Railway St. section
first. The town will be responsible
for an assessment of storm
sewers to' Huron St.
There isn't any land zoned
general residential left in town on
whith to build apartments• and
there has been pressure from
contractors to, open some up,
clerk Jim Crocker commented. •
Arris. the developer, would
service all the land, as per the
agreement with council which is
still being -worked out,Jind then
sell some lots for apartments and
some for houses. TWo 12 unit
apartments, with one two perhaps
and three bedroom units had
been suggested. the elerk said,
If building• permits arc issued
before December 31 the town
could get municipal Incentive
grants of $1,000 for each apart-
ment. unit and house or perhaps
as much as $36,000 (12 houses.
2-12 unit apartments)
Do . we lose the incentive to
keep properties up' and say "let
the landlord do it" once we have
apartments, councillor . Sills •
wondeted, Restrictive covenants
would demand that property be
kept up to standard. clerk Crocker
Councillors decided to ask, the
planning board for recom-
mendations and unleSs it had
strong reasons against councils
view iti favour of apartments
.starting and the larger Railway st.
section of the development first.
to pass the views on to the
deVeloper.
In other buSiness, council spent
about three quarters of an hour in
committee of the whole session
with two members of its develop-
ment committee. Ron MacDonald
and Lloyd Eisler.
• Back in open session, Mayor
She used several stories from
the Bible to make her point that,
When taken out of context and
Betty Cardno reported that the
committee had made two recom-
mendations, one which council's
finance chairman deputy reeve
Bill Dale will pursue and one
'which the committee will look at
further.
It's a 'strictly confidential mat-
ter at the moment," ,said the
mayor.
Council adjourned ' at '12:35
a. m.
Three Seaforth teenagers were
injured in n single ear accident
early Saturday morning on Con.
6.7. of Tuckersmith Township.
The driver of the car. Gary
Smith. 16. of 2'8 Mill Street.
Egmondville. received minor
injuries in the mishap.
The two passengers. Mary Ann
McIver. 17, of Staffa and
Robert Knetsch. 17, of 57 Side
Street. Seaforth. received major
injuries and were transferred
from No a forth Comnurnity
Hospital to St. Joseph's Hospital,
London.
Both Miss McIver and Mr.
,,-Knetsch 'are in fair condition.
The car. 'a 1978 Buick. was
eastbound on the sideroad when
it left the road, entered a ditch
and struck a tree before coming to
rest against a fence owned by
James Doig, Seaforth.
There was $6,000 damage to
the car.
said one saving grace about using
the novels in question in a
classroom atmosphere is that
parents have an opportunity to
talk with their children about the
books before they leave home.
"When they walk out the door
they'll be good friends.if you',re
lucky but you'll have very little
opportunity 'to offer them
guidance through life once they
leave home," she said.
I can Decide
David_St. Grade •13
student at Goderich District
Collegiate Institute, said he felt a
double standard was being
applied by people wanting the
books removed from 'Classrooms.
He said he is considered an adult
legally and is old enough to
decide if he wants to drink and
how he wants to vote "yet people
tell me what I can read and what
can't -read".
The warm weather, and maybe
the new moon contributed to an
especially busy May for Seaforth
police. chief John Cairns says.
Council's police report Monday
night listed 142 occurrences,
including 15 minor thefts, seven
vandalism and eight disturbance
complaints.
It's one of the busiest months
since he became chief in 1973,
chief Cairns said. There were
several big events in town,' people
were out .late at night and for his
officers it was "go, go, go".
All thenccurrences meant more
overtime than usual although
no members of the force were
away, the chief said.
The town doesn't have a noise
bylaw. Mayor Betty Cardno told
councillor Ken Roth who said
he'd had a citizen complain that a
Seaforth policeman wouldn't tell
someone to turn a loud stereo
down.
"1 personally feel We could do
more ourselves before asking
others to complain," the Mayor
mid. Councillor Wayne Ellis
disagreed: "It's up to a citizen to
complain to the police and the
police to do something."
• That's asking a policeman to do
something he can't back up,
councillor Gerald Groothuis,
commented.
In other police related
business council responded to a
request that they support putting
the new county police dispatch
aerial on the road department's
facts of life by the time they reach
high school, then it is you that
have failed as parents, not the
children' 1.
Listen to Your Hearts
Elmer Umbach, a pharmacist
from Lucknow, said he had been
listening tosomments throughout
the meeting and felt people on
both sides were "verY sincere in
(Continued on Page 10)
„
clerk's
salary
All salary increases given to
Seaforth employees 'have been
approved by the Anti Inflation
Board, except the $19,000clerk-
treasurer Jim Crocker' was sup-
posed to receive, council -learned
Monday night.
The AIB cut clerk Crocker's
1978 salary back to $17,250 which
gave him a raise of $2,130 from
his 1977 salary, $15,120.
Added responsibility and
successful completion of a
municipal administration course
were reasons the large increase,
clerk Crocker said.
mast near Auburn.
After a good deal of discussion,
council suggested to the Ontario
Police Commission employee
organizing the county wide radio
system that more emphasis be
put on getting the best site for the
tower, rather than quickly
deciding to use the Auburn site
where the tower 'is 16 years old.
Long grass in empty
lots bothers residents Three
teenagers
injured
in crash
Mr. St. Jean said he can't make
up his mind abput • the novels_
possible to the "s-hifttng complex— niters-s---lie has the -•materi a l i n
realities of human experience". question presented to him,
She explained that to depict a something that will be impossible
character in a book the writer has ifthe books are removed from the
to say what the character would classrooms.
say. The writer has to "have the "Why can't you trust me to
character talking". She said the- make up my own mind?" he
asked.
Another student said if
students are old enough to fight
for their country they are
"mature enough to handle •
mature literature".
Cohn Lowndes, an English
teacher from South Huron'
Secondary School in Exeter, acted
as moderator for the debate and
pointed out to some angry parents
that the students teachers see in
classrooms are not made by
teachers but are products, of
society. He said the material used
in classrooms is not held up as
models for students but used as, .
exaniples of society. He"' said'
students are taught to use "sound
judgment" in confronting the-
social issues. Sturferits are taught
about Adolf Hitler in his'ory class
but teachers don't ask ,students to
go'out and emmulate Hitler, he
said.
Minnie Noakes of Hensel], who
at 60 is a student in Exeter South
Huron Secondary School said she
had read all the "so called dirty
hooks". She said she rese nted
watching television and seeing
sex in toothpaste advertisements.'
She said she' res ented ads where
women are told they can send a
picture of themselves to a
gynecologist and never have to
show up for 'an examination.
"I love young people more than
people my age," she said. "At
least they're honest." ,
She pointed out to 'parents that
if children are "not taught the
ROUND WE GO — The small, fry had a great time on rides at the Lions Dublinfest
on Saturday while their elders watched a ladies slow pitch tourney.. All got together
at a pork barbecue and a dance later that evening. More photos on the Dublin page
and page 1A). (Expositor Photo)
Maybe because of moon, May busy for pace
•