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HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News-Record, 1972-08-31, Page 44--Clinton News-Record, Thursday, August 31, 1972 Editorial contnteit t NFU has doubtful claim The decade-long dispute about what organizations should speak for Canadian farmers has been brought into sharp focus by the demands of the National Farmer's Union. The NFU president's demands that his organization become the official voice of Canadian agriculture — not only where commodity prices are concerned but also in the matter of marketing regulations, transportation and other related fields, will not meet with acceptance. It is highly probable that the Canadian Federation of Agriculture will hotly dispute the right of the Farmers' Union to speak for all farmers across the country. Union membership has always been a closely guarded secret, but President Roy Atkinson says the NFU will represent about 25,000 farm units. What that figure means in terms of actual individual memberships is not clear, but by a wide stretch of imagination it cannot be thought of as anything more than a small minority. Farmers have as much right to speak through a union as any other class of wage earners — if, in fact, they can actually be considered in the same way as the people who draw wages from employers. Many Federation members prefer to look upon themselves as independent businessmen and shy away from the violent tactics which have frequently characterized NFU programs. The Federation, which has been active on the Canadian agricultural scene for much longer than the Union, has sought to achieve its goals through the regular channels which are open to the thousands of other businessmen across the land, and many important successes have attended their efforts. Such prominent persons as Ontario's minister of agriculture and food, have long urged farmers to pool their organizations and thus speak with a united and powerful voice. The NFU demand to become official spokesman is simply not supported by the necessary statistics. A demand to become an official voice, without evidence of numerical majority is ridiculous. — Wingham Advance Times. Inequality of pensions Inequality of income from pension schemes for. the elderly should be examined by the Federal Government because some people receive income from as many as five separate pensions, while countless others have, to exist on only the Government old age pension of $82.88, supplement in some cases. To illustrate: one woman receives the war widow's pension of $227.92 from a deceased husband who got the maximum war disability pension. She also gets a Government pension from the husband's previous occupation as a civil servant, She herself works for a public service organization which has its own pension scheme, from which she will collect on retirement. She will also collect from the: Canada pension Plan and the old age pension. The $227.92 war widow's pension, plus the $82.88 old age pension amounts to $310.80 before she even starts to collect from the other three. Total income from pensions here could run as high as $500 monthly. How many more are similarly placed? This is all legitimate, of course, but is it fair when another widow, just as worthy and deserving, is obliged to exist on only $82.88 — which .even with recent increases and the supplement is still below the poverty line. What about fairness too when thrifty pensioners who came through the depression and sacrificed and denied themselves in order to accumulate small savings, now find these modest savings disqualifies them for the supplement, yet Government provides pensions to those with incomes of $25 to $50,000 and up. An overhaul of pension legislation is long overdue. The things my readers say Just one more week till school begins.... Just one more week.... The changing women THE CLINTON NEW ERA Amalgamated THE HURON NEWS-RECORD Established 1865 1924 Established 1881 Clinton News-Record A member of the Canadian Weekly Newspaper Association,' Ontario Weekly Newspaper Association and the Audit Bureau- of Circulation (ABC) Second class mail registration number 0817 :SUBSCRIPTION RATES: (in advance) taeatia, $8.06 per year; U.S.A., $9.50 JAMES E, FITZGeRALb—Editor J, HOWARD AITKEN — General Manager Published every Thursday at the heart of Huron county' Clinton, Ontario Population 3,475 ME HOME OF RADAR IN CANADA With the best intentions in the world to do so, I never quite get around to answering all my mail. There always seems to be some domestic or other crisis that interferes. In almost every case the letters I get are both friendly and interesting. The exceptions are business letters and bill collectors. Form letters and promotional letters I don't even read: just tear them once across and toss into the logical depository — the garbage pail. Anyway, this column seems to get around quite a bit, and the letters pile up, and I keep making new resolutions to answer them and the pile keeps growing. If my wife would leave me for a month, and I worked eight hours a day, I could clean them all up and start a new life, relieved of guilt and shame, Just to give you an idea, here's a cross-sampling. Just got a card from The Bobsey Twins, Regina and Math. Postmark: Venice, They're two former students. When they were in Grade 18 and I couldn't find a boy to clean up the estate, they took it on, and did the best job I've ever had done. Unlike boys, who don't get into the corners, they crawled into the bushes and dragged out leaves with their bare hands. They garnered forty plastic garbage bags of leaves and twigs. I gave them their pay and an illegal beer and we've been buddies ever since. According to the card, they've covered seven countries in three weeks and are now heading for Spain, Poor old Madrid, Here's a letter from 11,V, Stedman, County Wicklow, Hire, An excerpt: "Your column holds for me a. note of sanity in a mad world and ranks in my mind with Greg Clark." Double thanks, R.P. Greg Clark is about six tiers above me, but I appreciate the sentiment. Mr. Stedman went to high school with my older brother and sister, Just grabbed another one from the heap. Holy smokes, it's dated Feb. 1971. Thomas A. Smith, Rouleau, Sask. He noticed a reference in the column to Calumet Island, in the Ottawa River, where my mother was born. He was born there too and remembered Smileys in Shawville, Que., where my dad once ran a store. It's a long, interesting letter from a real old-timer who went west at the age of 17, went overseas in World War 1. Mr. Smith, I hope you are well, though you must be 80, and I'll write a proper letter. Here's another, from White Plains, New York. Holy Old Hughie! Dated June 24th, 1969. It's from A. Leslie Hill, Captain Army Nurse 'Corps, U.S, Army Reserve (retired). Born in Fergus, Ont., graduate of Kingston (Ont.) General Hospital, served in World War II and Korea, and read my column to a group of Negroes in the laundry room, How about that? Letter ends, "Thanks for your column, dull or not," Here's a self-addressed envelope from Mrs. Walter E. Dorsett, Smiley, Sask, But I can't find the letter. And another one from Gordon Fairgrieve, publisher of the Observer Hartland N.B. He has a subscriber called Bill Smiley, who lives in Massachusetts, and asks that I drop him a line. I will, Bill and Gordon. A note from G.R. McCrea, publisher of the Herald, Hanna, Alta. He agrees it's a mad, mad world, has been forty years in the newspaper "game", started at $5 a week, and recalls with nostalgia: "For $5 in those days you could take your best girl to the local dance, buy a miekey of rot.gut rye, and still have money enough to buy the gal a lunch at midnight, and some left over for a package of roll-your-owns on Monday. Boy, was that ever livire," Thanks, O.R., for a grand letter. FroM a lady in Bowmanviile. She thanks me for my salute to the housewife, and has some good advice: "I have learned, slowly, never criticize what someone's doing unless you have tried it yourself." And it turns out the lady lived next door for eight years to the lady who wrote me a beautiful letter from New Zealand. In a column this summer, I compared my wife to that bird, the flicker. Ron Cumming writes from Port Elgin, comparing husbands to bobolinks. "Before marriage, the bobolink has a beautiful, slick, yellow-striped suit and sings a mate-enticing Bobo-link-a-link-a,link. After marriage, in late summer, he dresses in dull brown, and his song is merely a dull 'clunk'. As a middle-aged hubby, I keep seeing a parallel." Woops! It's not all sweetness and light, Just reached and read two letters giving me hell. I must have written a snarly column about teen-agers back in 1970, for one of the letters is dated then, One is from a teenager, unsigned, blasting me in no uncertain terms. The other is from a senior citizen, Mrs. Jessie Slater of Bracebridge. One pungent comment: "You must be a Dagwood at home, and a rotten father. How else could you have such a mixed-up family?" Well, Mrs. Slater, my mixed-up daughter happens to be living in Bracebridge right now, and I've a good notion to call and tell her to go over and give you a good punch in the nose. I'm kidding, Mrs. Slater, Kim wouldn't step on an ant, if she could avoid it. She's a delight ttil, compassionate, beautiful And intelligent young woman, who is no more mixed- up than you or r. And I'm no Dagwood. When I put my foot down around here„..I break a toe. Well, all l wanted to say was that you meet a lot of interesting people in this business, One of my favorite newspaper people, editor of a first-rate "family section" (it was once "social" and then "women's" and now it has outgrown the narrower view) asked me the other day what I thought was the most significant story in the world of Canadian women, I was able to answer without a flicker of hesitation. The efforts towards self- improvement, particularly by younger married women, but existing in every age and social group, strikes me as the most astonishing, heartening and significant of any trend in our society. It is a story that our newspapers tell, of necessity, only in dribs and drabs. Some smart reporter is going to research it in depth one day and we may recognize it for the revolution it really is. Part of it, of course, is because of the awakening of women not merely to their rights, but their responsibilities. 'Yet it is evident, too, in a great many less- publicized fields. In newspaper offices we see it in the surprising numbers of women . connected with organizations dedicated to saving our environment and those who do their bit toward 10 YEARS AGO THURS., AUG. 30, 1962 It's official now! The signs on the entrances to town now read "Population 3,450." We're growing bigger every year. It was about a month ago that Mayor Miller expressed his wish during a council meeting, that the Department of Highways be asked to bring the sighs up to date. They had read "3,000." The Flower Show staged by the Clinton Horticultural Society last Friday was a particularly fine one, with the rose section only, being at poor advantage owing to dry weather, Dahlias and gladioli were very good, and other flowers were average or better. This show boasted the largest number of exhibits to date, 15 YEARS AGO THURS., AUG. 29, 1957 Card playing on Library Park has achieved almost a luxury aspect. This summer the men have gotten in the habit of using a table to support their cards, rather than the knee-balanced playing board used in the past, Wednesday, not the warmest of days, there were 16 of "the boys" either playing or looking on. A public meeting has been arranged for in the council chamber of the town hall, here in Clinton, at the request of the Canadian National Railways, which proposes stopping passenger service oh the line to and • from Stratford and Goderieh. making a saner world. But it is to be seen, as well, in discussion groups, art, music and literary clubs, the Great Books sessions, the night schools and university extension courses, the parent- teacher associations, the consumer groups and a vast variety of other activities. It sometimes seems that while more and more men are flopping passively in front of their idiot boxes, more and more women are actively seeking new goals in culture and knowledge to end forever their type-casting as inferior persons. One of the barriers they have) to face, to judge from the lett4rs,' that reach me, is a difficulty'in acquiring one of the fundamentals in such a search, the need to be informed on the state of the world. "Try as I will I can't grasp the foreign news," a more-or- less typical housewife wrote me the other day. "Global power politics are simply beyond me yet I know they will determine the world we leave to our kids." Our own surveys show that this is lamentably true of a tremendous number of newspaper readers, male and female alike. Yet more and more it seems to be the women 25 YEARS AGO THURS., AUG. 28, 1947 Al W. Smith has joined the staff of the Clinton News- Record as foreman of the printing shop succeeding A Laurie Colquhoun. Hit records on sale at Ellwood Epps sport shop include "How can I say I love you?" and "Feudin' and Fighting' " with Tex Beneke and the Miller orchestra, The Huron co-operative Medical Services has been one of the major projects of the Huron County Federation of Agriculture this year, and the service is now in effect, Russell Bolton, president, Harvey Johnston, vice-president, Bert Irwin, secretary-treasurer. 40 YEARS AGO THURS. SEPT. 1, 1932 Fashion forecast in the Daily Mail London; skirts will be worn about two inches shorter, suits about two years longer, J.8. Hovey and J,E. Cook won the cabinet of silver donated by William Counter and the silver tea service supplied by the Bowling Club for the doubles competition played off within the club this month. A. Knight and Bill Grant Jr, ran a close second, Ooderich Township Men's Club has planned a big field day celebration at the club grounds at Porter's Hill. 55 YEARS AGO THURS., AUG. 30, 1017 Miss Alta Lind Cook was chosen from among 32 applicants for the job of head of the English department of Riverdale High school. The Clinton Motor Car Works is having a large door put in on King Street so that autos may enter from the Main Street to get into the shop. It is reported that the German s are using a new process to extract fat from their war dead, It is then used in the manufacture of industrial oil, Adverse winds and waves were the greatest single cause of boating fatalities last year in Ontario, The Ontario Safety League states that most of these tragedies could have been avoided if the boat operators knew and strictly observed the capabilities of their boats. Even if we cannot control the weather, sane and sensible decisions can be made about dealing with it. It seems important to me because there's hardly a single one of these many activities now engaging women which isn't directly or indirectly linked to the state of the globe and I believe that the very basis of their appetite for self- development must be an understanding of the world around them. There is a hunger for it, too. It is a common experience of newspaper people to be asked to explain these tensions or situations which, in the urgency and immediacy of "breaking" news, so often seem too obscure oil involved for the lay reader. It explains the steady growth of the news magazines which, unhappily, over-simplify and very often slant the news beyond recognition. It's a heady thought, in any event, to contemplate the emergence of women in the interests of their own self- improvement as the truly alert, informed and thinking half of our society and perhaps even shaming their men, so often derisive of women's desire to better themselves, into a similar program. And I believe the already happening. Kippen BY RENA CALDWELL INTENDED FOR LAST WEEK Mrs. W. L. Mellis visited in Wroxeter during the past week and also attended the funeral of Mr. Harry Towns )Wingham on Thursday. Mr. and Mrs. Grant Love, Caro, Mich., visited Mr. and Mrs. Ed McBride at the weekend and with Mr. and Mrs, McBride attended the wedding of their niece Miss Bonnie Dalyrmple, Brucefield, Mr. Wayne McBride, Mr. Lorne McBride and Mr. Stewart Bell are on a fishing trip at North Bay. Mrs. Oliver Jacques, Clifford and Mrs. Jack Dickert, Harriston with Mrs. Norman Dickert. Mrs. Norman Dickert, Mrs. Ken McLellan, Jill and Robyn McLellan, Mrs. 0. Jacques and Mrs. Jack Dickert are holidaying at Lion's Head, Welcome is extended to Mr. and Mrs. Harold Caldwell and family to their farm on Concession $ Tuckersmith. we get letters Dear Editor: This letter is written wi reference to a letter, printed the August 24th issue, from t Blue Anchor Investments L signed by Sine Herold. requires a prompt answer, The fishermen of the Villa of Hayfield appreciate BI Anchor Investments' restraint not ordering them (t fishermen) off their o property (leased to them in quit claim obtained by t Federal Government in 196 However, what they do n appreciate are the written sig being placed on that area of t river flats which is still contention between Blt Anchor, the Ratepayers and t Village of Hayfield. Not on were there signs stating " Trespassing", "Have Y Permission", etc., on land th Hayfield families have had t use of over many years - b also - large painted signs we nailed on pieces of t fishermens' privately own property, by Blue Anch Investments Ltd. The sig threatened that these pieces privately owned property wou be burned if they were n removed by a certain date. Sin Blue Anchor has stated th wish to have (quot "harmonious relations with t Village" and have decided n to launch a libel suit over a open letter sent out to Villag ratepayers, no doubt th Hayfield fishermen will h expected not to take legal actin if their property, on the Ian still in contention, is burned (r threatened) by Blue Anchc Investments Ltd? Another action on the part I Blue Anchor Investments Lb not known by the public i general, should be reveale here. On Sunday, May 9th, 19'1 the president of Blue Anch( Investments Ltd. requested hell in person, from the Bayfiel Village Reeve, in cleaning u that area of the river flats whic is still in contention. He state to the Reeve, (quote) "no math WHO owns the River Flats us act in .a civilized manner as join in tidying it up". Such a action was agreed u, on by tt Reeve' (M that' time) 'and late by the Village Council, in got faith. When warranted it, on May 29, 1972, work party from the Villag under the leadership of one the councillors, went to tl River Flats to tidy up the are which •-• in contention. Th' raked up a large pile of rubbis placed it in a heap against building on the property ( prevent the wind from blowii it around) until the Villa Road Superintendent could g over from the village to remo it to a disposal area. On t same day the president of BI Anchor phoned the Reeve home and demanded to km what was going on, on "If property". He requested th the councillor and his wo party get off "his property" once. Furthermore, on the sar day (May 29th) the preside wrote a letter to the Villa Councillor, who had been charge of the work par accused him of trespass a demanded that the pile rubbish against the boat hou owned by Blue Anchor, removed immediately. The above action did nothi to further "harmonio relations" with the Villa; Though the agreement betwe Blue Anchor Investments a. the Village, to clean up the fit area which is in contention, w a verbal one, the behaviour Blue Anchor's president accusing a Village Councillor trespassing, when a mutu agreement was acted on in go faith, either indicates a vc short memory on the part of t President, or his idea of acti in a "civilized manner", quote himself, is quite diffeo (tontinued On page a readers who are seeking to overcome it or who are aware of a deficiency that blocks their own personal development or their sense of participation, as world citizens, in events that affect their lives. The real difficulty of being an informed reader is in the beginning of it, of finding a starting point with enough background or historical understanding to pick up the sequential, day-to-day news. It is rather like getting in at the middle of an enormously complicated mystery film and never quite being able to pick up f-the',relevirit ; • ' Daily newspapers are not all the help they might be. I have suggested to my editor friend that she might run a series of articles on her family pages simplifying and explaining what's happening in the trouble spots, a sort of "Here's What It's All About" introduction to what appears on the front pages. I'm convinced her readers would respond. One of these days I may expound my own simple formula for keeping abreast of the news, not as a tedious duty, but as a matter of absorbing, day-to-day interest.