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The Exeter Times-Advocate, 1965-02-04, Page 2IS YOUR OPINION WORTH LESS THAN 5a? WELL, PROVE IT! It Takes Only One Nickle — Five Pennies — To Have Your Opinion Counted In This Times-Advocate OPINION POLL IN REGARD TO THE PERTINENT QUESTION OF HURON COUNTY'S SENIOR CITIZENS Mark Your Vote Here NO SIGNATURE ADDRESS YES 0 0 O O O O O O Record Your Vote and Those of Other Members of Your Family Over the Age of 21 and Mail (that's the 50 Cost) to THE TIMES-ADVOCATE My Name and Opinion May Be Published Please Check Please Check Please Do Not Publish My Name • In An Effort To Seek Public Opinion, The Times-Advocate Asks YOU This Question. Do You Favor Future Erection Of Homes For The Aged In The North And South Of The County As Opposed To Further Expansion Of Huronview At Clinton "We don't have to worry about him getting daughter home by twelve . he get's hungry by eleven."' "Looks like they decided to finish their argument outside)" Times Established 1813 Advocate Established 1881 Amalgamated 1924 `fie txekrZiniesifitsocafe SERVING CANADA'S BEST FARMLAND Member: C.W.N.A.., O.W.N.A., C.C.N.R. and ABC PUBLISHERS: J. M. Southcott, R. M. Southcott EDITOR: William Batten 0 4 011111111N . ,00,111API livostN e114 P C, • 0.1 • 5, 11172=1111=1:2.77.2===. WYA.. ..,1111,21m .......... EDITORIALS Missed facts entirely In an editorial entitled "it's an old complaint", the editor of the Zurich Citizens News last week charged that officials at SHDHS had denied the courtesy of a news release to her newspaper in regard to the appointment of a new principal. She adds that Hay Township and Zur- ich residents "remain greatly disappointed and a little offended by the neglect of SH- DHS", and notes that a "sheet of carbon paper in the typewriter or an extra phone call (for the Zurich paper) would make Hay Township and the village of Zurich aware that officials at the school are open-minded and concerned about all". The bitterness the editor of the Zurich paper may feel on being "scooped" on the story is understandable, but the criticism she levels at the board, and more we suspect at business administrator E. D. Howey, is in no way justified. Similar to the Zurich paper, The Times-Advocate and the London Free Press did not receive any favoritism in receiving the information as the Zurich editor would imply. Due to the monthly coverage of SH- DHS board meetings, this newspaper became aware that the appointment of a new princi- pal was imminent, and during a visit to the school in regard to covering the commence- ment of the driver training course, checked with the Business Administrator to ascertain if any decisions had yet been reached on the matter of hiring a new principal. On learning that it had, we were given a biographical outline of Douglas Palmer and at our request, also given a picture which had accompanied his letter of application. This is the manner in which most local news stories are gathered by newspapers and Says not economical to decentralize we trust the explanation will erase any sug- gestion that this newspaper was in any way favored over another. The London Free Press picked up the story in an entirely different manner and their announcement had nothing to do with receiving information from any SHDHS of- ficial. The story that Mr. Palmer had accept- ed the position at the local school was re- ported to them by their correspondent in Wiarton, whom we naturally suspect was giv- en that information by an official in Mr. Pal- mer's present home community. Having known the embarrassment of being beaten to the facts of a news story by others, we sympathize with the Zurich editor, but should also point out she should have dug up the facts of how the facts were gained by others in this particular instance before levelling unjust criticism. In further defence of the SHDHS board, it should be explained their meetings are always open to the press so proceedings and business transacted may be reported to school supporters in the area, who obviously have the right to know what transpires at the school because some of their money pays the bills. While sending out press releases may have some merit, the minutes of the meet- ing are always available for those wishing to know what transpires. And if the Zurich editor feels a copy of a press release or a telephone call should be given to her listing the business that has transpired, it is certainly a directive that should be presented to all public boards, coun- cils and committees, and the SHDHS board should hardly be singled out for criticism in their failure to do so. in Stephen" or perhaps more correctly "Keep up the good work gentlemen". I assumed you were referring to the new Stephen Board and telling them to move. Therefore it's easy to see your two arguments cer- tainly conflict. It also annoys me when you keep suggesting the County Councillors only voted as they did because of political pres- sures. You know Mr. Editor, he who is always suspicious, sometimes needs watching him- self. Personally I think the Huron County Council made a wise decision, in fact any coun- cil makes a wise decision when they save their county rate- payers $44,000.00. When I read your editorial I said "What's- a-million-Howe (C. D. Howe) may be dead, but What's-a- thousand-Batten has arise n to replace him", Perhaps because of the fact I am a resident of Lambton County rather than Huron, you may say "mind your own busi- ness". However, may I point out to you that although you are entitled to your opinions, your arguments are sure silly. A RESIDENT OF GRAND BEND (* Name available on request) ONE MAN'S OPINION BY JOHN C. BOYNE Favours Sunday re-creation MONEY SUPREME? nine, because you lived in Exe- ter, and that's where the high school was located. Did you ever consider the stu- dents who got up at 6:30, stood in the cold waiting for a school bus, and then spent an hour rid- ing the bus to Exeter, because they just happened to live at the farthest point west of the Exeter High School district? Now the solution to the whole problem would have been to build high schools all over the country, and in every little village, but I can just imagine the howl that would have come iron, your paper, pointing up every reason why it would be economic stupidity to do any- thing but keep adding to the Exeter High School. Through the years I have noticed that The Exeter Times- Advocate is always supporting centralization, in fact you did this week when you said "Let's get going on the Central School gical to make addition to Huron- view at Clinton rather than build smaller homes in other areas. (You should have been at this meeting too, because had you been there, I am sure you wouldn't have written your editorial.) The most ridiculous part of your argument is shown in para- graph eight of your editorial, where you suggest that the dis- tance from Clinton to the north- erly and southerly parts of the County creates a hardship. Per- haps it does but, economy can hardly afford to build seperate little units in every municipal- ity. In order to find a parallel for my point, let's use Exeter High School for an example. When you and I were attending High School back in the late 1940's, you were able to sleep in to about 8:30 then race down the street to be at school by Dear Mr. Editor: I have just finished reading your editorial "Need More De- cisive Decision" in your Janu- ary 28 edition, and was struck by your closing paragraph which said "Warden Webb may look forward to residence in Huron- view, but we'd prefer to be closer to home and there are a great many others with the same opinion, Aren't there?" For your information Mr. Editor, there aren't as many as you may think, because in this day and age many people no longer believe everything they read in a newspaper, but rather attend public meetings where the facts are presented. I was at the Stephen Town- ship nomination meeting and heard Deputy-Reeve Hayter, chairman of the Home Com- mittee, explain the many rea- sons why it would be more lo- Schools, hospitals prove limits for centralization Every time a vote is taken for Sun- day sports or movies in a city there are always a great many Christians with good intentions who rush to form a 'vote no' committee. Personally, I would have nothing to do with such a committee. In the New Testament there is no basis at all for a rigid, hard, narrow approach as to what we should or should not do on Sunday. All this talk about the Sabbath should be thrown out of court Sunday is not the Sabbath. The Jewish Sabbath, the Old Testament Sabbath, as the Seventh Day Adventists realize, is Saturday not Sunday. The day the early Christians chose for worship was the first day of the week — Sunday. It was meant to be a joyous day. It commemorated the Resurrection — the victory of 1 if e over death. It was not meant to be a day of long faces. Our Lord Himself broke the laws of the Jewish Sabbath. He gathered food. He healed the sick. Bothof these things were contrary to the rigid rules of the Sabbath. His words in Mark 2:2'7 should be definitive for those who insist on calling Sunday the Sabbath. "The Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath". This day, in the light of the New Testament, is to be a day of re- creation; a day when we lay hold of new life. One essential element in this re- gard is surely worship. This should be our first, primary responsibility on Sunday, We should partake of the spiritual new life which is offered us in worship in Jesus Christ. But surely there is nothing wrong with a great many of the things we refer to as recreation, Why should we not enjoy them on Sunday? For many, Sunday is the one day they have the opportunity to do so. A couple of weeks ago Hanna Czuma wrote what I considered an excellent article on this subject in the London Free Press. She says the following among other things: "Religion has existed in many for too long to be destroyed by such a simple procedure as opening the theatres on Sundays". She mentions Europe's open Sunday and says this has little or no effect on Church attendance. I could add that Quebec provides the same evidence. She goes on to say that there was a time when people needed a well deserved rest for their muscles and bones but: "Today for a man who works behind a desk what is more refreshing than a healthy ball game onSunday? why should a father be deprived of taking his family to an afternoon show for a good laugh to- gether?" Personally, I am in total agree- ment with her. I spent most of my high school days in Quebec. I went to Sunday movies, played golf or hockey regularly — after Church. I don't think that this had any adverse effects on my development at all. Hanna Czuma made one more valid point when she said: "Our teenagers are supposed to sit and bite their nails and watch the games presented to them in the little wooden box with a glass window. How inspiring! How spiritual!" She has a valid point here. Most of us watch movies or sports on T.V. on Sunday. I personally enjoy a football, hockey or baseball game after a heavy day. If we can enjoy it privately why not publicly? If it is alright for some to play golf or curl why isn't it alright for others to go to a movie or watch a ball game? The 'vote no' committees are sure to lose eventually and not because the world is becoming more evil or going to the dogs. People are going to get the re-creation they need on Sunday. If the Church has little to offer in terms of the 'abundant' life; if it fails to point out the essential priorities and gots bogged down in pointless legalism our churches will be vacant — simply because we have failed to be meaningful in the lives of our people. Paid-in-Advance Circulation, September 30, 1964, 4,063 SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Canada $4.00 Per Year: USA $5.00 (Reprint of a front page editorial published in last week's issue of the Wingham Advance-Times.) Are dollars more important than human beings? This question, we believe, might well be asked of 20 members of the Huron County Council who voted last week against the erection of an addition to the county home on a site other than Clinton. There was a thorough airing of the reasons why no further additions should be made at the Clinton site, chief of which is the humanitarian aspect. As we have previously pointed out in this newspaper, grievous hardships can and often do arise when old people must be completely removed from their home areas and taken to the home at Clinton. one of the most important is the distance which is placed between old people and their families. Frequent visits become impossible and a curtainof loneliness descends upon aged people who are dependent upon their families for contact with the only world which is familiar to them. As we have said, these facts were discussed in county council, and carried sufficient weight to cause 21 of the 39 council votes to favor further study before a recommendation to build at Clinton was accepted. That decision was arrived at early in the week. By Friday, however, something had happened. A second vote was taken and this time 20 votes favored building at Clinton and only 19 opposed it. As things stand now, the proposal to build at Clinton awaits only the approval of the Department of Welfare. It appears that the Friday decision was made because of monetary 'considerations. Representatives from a firm of architects had pointed out the savings which would be affected if construction were undertaken near the existing county home cost of about $40,000 if the building were erected at another site. Since this would bear a 50% grant, total increased cost to the county would be about $20,000—a very small burden when amortized over the normal debenture period. At its November session the county council was informed that a study is being undertaken to determine the actual need as far as old people in the county is concerned. Preliminary figures suggest that Huron may have as many as twice the normal number of older people. Why has the decision to build at Clinton been made before the facts are known about where these older people live? How many families would have to drive all the way from Amberley, Clifford or points in between to Clinton to visit with their loved ones? We fully anticipate that this editorial will be met by the usual protests that we are interfering in county business and, above all, that we are disguising a greedy attempt by Wingham to secure the new home under the garments of altruistic interest in old people. This is far from the case. In fact, we are quite aware that many residents and reeves in the south end of the county are equally interested in seeing the county home addition built there and we agree whole-heartedly with the validity of their interests. We are simply opposed to any further expansion of the already large home facilities at Clinton when a home in either the north or the south of the county would better serve the interests of the people who will have to pay for it. The public should be aware of the fact that any addition at Clinton cannot be in the form of an expansion of the present Huronview accommodations. Department officials have indicated that the addition will have to be a completely separate institution to preserve the personal relationship between staff and residents. So that every member of the voting public may know exactly how matters stand, we list the results of the vote In county council when the following resolution was presented: "That we build a '75-bed wing, with facilities for 150 beds on another site": In favor—J. P. Alexander, Wingham; R. T. Bailey, Exeter; G. Boyd, Ashfield; C. E. Boyle, Exeter; N. C. Cardno, Seaforth; F. A. Cliff, Hayfield; B. Cook, Blyth; J. H. Corbett, Hay; C. Dalton, Seaforth; C. Dunbar, Grey; L. Durnin, West Wawanosh; A. Etherington, usborne; R. Gibson, Howick; I, Haskins, Howick; R. Jewell, Goderich (2 votes); J. Kerr, Wingham; C. Krauter, Brussels; A, Smith, Turnberry. (19) Opposed—D. Geiger, Hay; W, Hardy, Colborne; E. Hayter, Stanley; J. Hayter, Stephen; N. Jones, Hensall; T. Leiner, Hullett; E. Mcllwain, Goderich Twp.; D McKenzie, Ashfield; M. Oesch, Zurich; S. Prodter, Morris; E. Snell, East Wawanosh; K. Stewart, MoKillop; G. Stirling, Goderich Twp.; R. Squire, Goderich (2 votes); E. Talbot, Stanley; D. Thompson, Clinton; 8, Thompson, Tuckersmith; G. Webb, Stephen; G. Wonch, Clinton, (20). Alternative sites for the county home addition would be the Wingham area, quite possibly in either Morris or East Wawanosh Townships—or the Exeter area. We suggest you ponder this question and diScuss It with your own reeve the next time you see him. the aged in each village is "economic stupidity" as you would probably say. But a centralized county home in the north, south and central parts of Huron is not economic stupidity. And if we should hit a population boom, a home for the aged in each of the present high school districts is not economic stupidity. "A Grand Bend resident" also suggests that What's-a- thousand-Batten" is a bit off his rocker in condoning a de- cision that saved Huron County ratepayers $44,000. In the first place, we don't know why it would cost $44,000 more to build the same type of building at Exeter or Wingham —or anywhere else in the county —than it does at Clinton. Land is practically the only differ- ence, as land is already owned at Clinton, but surely a site any place else wouldn't cost $44,- 000. And what ratepayers are go- ing to enjoy the saving? Only the ones in the central region! What those in the outlying areas are going to save they will certainly pay out in trans- portation costs to visit their friends and relatives at Clinton. And if we should end up at HuronvieW, we doubt our Grand Bend friend will visit us very often. We certainly won't look for him to drive that 70 miles too often. And certainly we'll never expect him to risk the lengthy trip on a winter night in Huron County. But theh maybe someone from the Clinton area will say "hello" when theypass by frequently to visit their friends and relatives, But we/11 be happy to pay a bit more to have a home in the southern area so our friend from Grand Bend can visit us, along with others who might pop in while they're in Exeter doing some shopping or waiting for their kids at SHDHS. And if our Grand Bend reader recalls, we argued that the $44,000 "appears to be a small figure in relation to the human- itarian and convenience benefits that would be gained". It was on these grounds alone that we felt the extra cost would be war- ranted, and would provide ac- commodation for those who have been paying towards maintain- ing Huronview, but who may not wish to go there because it is too far from their homes, Tis newspaper always urges Please turn to Page 3 you will see the day when once again it is primarily only Clin- ton students attending classes at Clinton. This, of course, is the same system being followed in all areas in Ontario. It may appear as though we've strayed from the point, but we used the changes in educa- tion to show it is directly par- allel to the facts concerning our senior citizens. Several years ago it was a wise move to erect a home for the aged at Clinton, because it was the centre of the county and therefore the logical and most economical spot. With the small numbers needing such accom- modation in those days, only one home could be provided. But, similar to our education system, things have changed drastically. There are now about 235 residents at Huron- view and figures show additional space is needed for 150 more people. Huronview is getting big and the addition will have to be a separate unit in itself. There-fore we contend it is practical to build this separate unit at either end of the county, or possibly a 75-unit at both. A 75-unit school is not the best. In fact it is poor. But a 75-unit senior citizens' home is practical and many authori- ties will probably tell you it is the best, rather than huge insti- tutions which deprive residents of any individuality. Another parallel we may draw is in regard to hospitals. Huron could have a huge central hos- pital. But it has been found that Huron is large enough to have five hospitals and all have top equipment and staffs. It would be a hardship for a resi- dent in the far corner of Stephen Township to go to a hospital in Clinton, and that is why this area built their own facilities in Exeter. A central hospital here is very practical and economical, but it would not be practical and economical for us to have only one large hospital at Clin- ton. Is a home for the aged any different? U a 45-bed hospital in the area is a necessity, isn't a '75-bed aged home just as much of a necessity? No, "A brand Bend resi- defit"T we ebillthi't Wild high schools in every little village. In fact we now realize a public School in each village is out- dated. And so too a hone for BY THE EDITOR Our arguments for decentra- lization of county homes for the aged may appear silly to "A resident of Grand Bend", but his charge that our arguments conflict on the topic of centra- lization is just not so. Similar to everything else, there is always a point where centralization becomes unecon- omical, as well as the point where it is economical. The centralization of town- ship public schools is economi- cal and feasible. The centraliz- ation of particular areas into high school districts is also economical and feasible and our Grand Bend writer is quite cor- rect in his assumption that we would put up a "howl" if there was a move made to build an- other high school in this dis- trict rather than ad ding to SHDHS. At least under present conditions. But this newspaper would alto put up a "howl" if there was a move on foot to terminate all future additions at SHDHS and keep adding to the Clinton school to take the increasing number of pupils from this district. Joining in with the other three areas to build at Clinton three years ago was a wise move. It was only under this scheme ,that it was possible to offer students in all ,the areas an opportunity to take technical training. But now that is changing. There are now enough students at SHDHS to make technical edUcation here feasible and we are sure "A resident of Grand Bend" would agree that to fore- go this opportunity and keep sending area Students to Clinton would be "silly". Because as you point out, it is a bit of a hardship for Mu- dents hi your area to attend school in Exeter, and we as- sume, it is even more of a hardship for them to have to go on to Clinton. In fact, It has been stated by those in the know, that many area students haVe failed to take advantage of technical edu- catiOn because they didn't want the hardship of going to Clinton each day, away froth the major- ity of their friends attending Centralizing technical educa- tion at Clinton Was necessary and economical a short time age. But it isn't now, and as enrolment at the other schools grow such as it has at SHDHS, neineitentikeSnalititallettingliii2IBW.TX417,221.15111411.TIrlat,===ts".". Published Each Thursday Morning at Exeter, Ont. Authorized as Second Class Mail, Post Office Den% Ottawa, and for Payment of Postage in Cash