HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Exeter Times-Advocate, 1969-03-13, Page 4We were pleased last week to learn
of the decision of the Huron County
Board of Education to locate their
offices in a wing of Central Huron
Secondary School.
It was indeed, a difficult decision to
make. There were many "intangibles" to
consider such as how long before
regional government, how long before a
regional board of education, etc. No one
could offer concrete answers because at
this point, it is doubtful if anyone in
Ontario knows when or even if change
will come.
About the only conclusion that
could be drawn at the meeting was that
board members feel the present Huron
County Board of Education is doomed.
Any arrangement is only temporary.
Even so, the decision to locate in
CHSS was sensible. We agree that figures
on paper do not always tell the full story
but in our opinion, these figures were
the only guidelines the board had to
follow. There was just no other choice.
The board is to be congratulated
for choosing in favor of economy. Now
we begin to wonder whether the board
will hold the line on renovating expenses
or whether it will go hog-wild for
unnecessary frills.
There are immediate indications the
board will consider the provision of
much more elaborate office space in
CHSS than could have been expected in
any of the other accommodations for
rent in the county.
Office space on the second floor of
the assessment building in Goderich
would have been adequate but it could
never have been posh. There was no
board room at the Goderich site and the
director of education himself claimed
the board could meet comfortably and
efficiently in a school library or
elsewhere.
It was suggested at the last board
meeting that if no board room was
required at the Goderich site, perhaps it
was not needed in Clinton either.
Renovation costs could be drastically
cut, it was noted, if a present science lab
would not have to be moved to make
way for a board room.
The comparison seemed to fall on
deaf ears. It was as though the board was
committed to go all the way at CHSS.
We got the impression the thrift machine
had broken down.
The board of education will make a
serious mistake now if it does not treat
the CHSS premises as temporary
quarters." Surely adequate and
respectable offices can be achieved at a
reasonable cost to taxpayers.
Provincial treasurer Charles S.
MacNaughton in his budget speech called
for restraint in education spending.
Huron County has a perfect opportunity
right now to comply with Toronto
without sacrificing the essentials of,
education.
Some random thoughts
Spring fever has a way of playing
havoc with one's ambitions, and when
that fever is suddenly interrupted due to
a severe snow storm, the combination is
disastrous. Hence the following
potpourri:
—The Ontario Safety League says
that Malayan police are merciless in their
treatment of drunk drivers. The husband
is locked up in jail, then his wife is
brought to him and locked up as well.
The results are usually dramatic.
—The same Safety League suggests
that editors should be reminding
children of the dangers of riding bicycles
now that spring has arrived. Some eager
fellow obviously got ahead of Mother
Nature, but it is worthwhile that we
remind motorists the kids have a' holiday
next week and they'll be out playing.
Drive carefully.
—Report of the Hon. Paul Hellyer's
task force has encouraged many to
believe the housing problem can be
solved by legislative decree. The Printed
Word says the real problem—not
mentioned by the task force—is the fact
the house-building industry can't build a
house cheaply enough for the people
who are going to live in it. "Slow motion
plumbers at $6 and $8 an hour are
people whom house-builders simply
cannot afford to employ." We also
wonder how many people were cheered
by the suggestion the answer to the
problem may rest in having 45-year
mortgages. Many readers will probably
insist 20 years is even too long for such a
millstone.
—There's a debate going on
regarding the proposed legislation to
regulate the procurement and welfare of
animals for teaching and research. The
Humane Society is battling the change
although we are now led to believe they
are gaining support because of
completely inaccurate impressions of the
contents of the bill. As an example, the
bill would impose a MINIMUM 48-hour
retention period for animals, while in
fact there is no minimum at the present.
Opponents of the bill are wrongly
suggesting the bill would impose a
48-hour maximum. Of even more
interest is the fact the bill has provoked
ten times more reaction in mail to
government members than the medicare
bill. It's encouraging to see that animals
have more interest in their affairs than
we humans.
—We quote the following opinion
that parents can help their children to
get a better education by pulling a few
wires — like television, telephone and
ignition.
—Finally, this note from the
Tilbury Times: A man applying for a job
asked the interviewer whether the
company would pay his hospital
insurance. When told this was not the
case, the aspiring employee pointed out
his former company paid that, plus life
insurance, unlimited sick leave, severance
pay, three weeks' vacation, Christmas
bonus and coffee breaks. When asked
why he left such a perfect place, the
answer was that the other company had
gone bankrupt.
Well, I'm back to normal
Only 3 Days Left
to take advantage of our
9th Anniversary
SALE
ENTIRE STOCK
GREATLY REDUCED
Here are a few examples
DIAMOND & WEDDING BAND SETS
Now
Reg. $200.00 Only $159.95
WALTHAM WATCHES
Now
Reg. $75.00 Only $60.00
SAMSONITE LUGGAGE
Now
Reg. $39.50 Only $31.60
Wilson's Jewellery
& Gifts Exeter
Pleasing you pleases us
TURKEY
PARTS
SPECIAL
FROM NOW
UNTIL
EASTER
10 lb. Pkg. Wings — .23 per lb.
10 lb. Pkg. Legs — .38 per lb.
10 lb. Pkg. Necks — .19 per lb.
UTILITY TURKEYS UNDER 14 LB. .37
Available At Arkona
RODER TURKEY FARMS LIMITED
PLANT OPEN 8-5 MON.-FRI.
828-3335
5140Pla Ede,Vw
CLOSED
FOR HOLIDAYS
March 17 to' 29
Rata 'am Toe& cutet ('tead
#e-el-e4
class
Commiinity
newsppors
tirefeilimes-Aksocafe
SERVING CANADA'S BEST FARMLAND
C.W.N.A., 0.W.N.A., CLASS 'A' and ABC
Publishers: J. M. Southcott, R. M. Southcott
Editor — Bill Batten-- Advertising Manager
Phone 235.1331
Published Each Thursday Morning
at Exeter, Ontario 10001W61214104o•Ammo *„k„ Authorized as Second Class Mail,
Post Office Dept, Ottawa,
and for Payment of Postage in Cash
Paid in Advance Circulation,
September 30, 1968, 4,520
SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Canada $.5.00 Per Year; USA $1.00
AA,
With some reservations
Will the cost go up again?
,Sq7:)q.5 2ceeea Paeee Reff4aeut
Last week I wrote a column
which must have made faithful
readers believe I was either taken
with drink, or breaking down
mentally. It was full of joy and
good spirits, looking on the
bright side, and revealing silver
linings.
Its a great relief to me, and it
must be to you, to go back to
normal. Last week was a brief
mental abberration. This week,
I'm back to my old sane, snarly,
misanthropic self: the man my
wife calls "Old Stoneface."
What I propose to do today is
act as your alter-ego, the
brooding, dark self that is
hidden behind your bright,
sunny exterior. I'm going to let
you take out your aggressions,
EfEEIXEMVf1445371Co.r.
Times Established 1873
vicariously, through mine.
I'll list what I despise and
detest in our society. Send in
your own special beefs, and we'll
keep the column going for
months. Everybody hates
something.
There is no particular order
to these items. My venom
extends with equal virulence to
each.
First. Non-returnable bottles,
I know. The old ones were bad
enough, cluttering up shelves
and basement floors until you
had a car-load. It was a
half-day's work to take them
back to the store and haggle over
them, because the store said
they didn't sell this brand or
that.
But you could get rid of
them. And for kids, they were,
in many instances, their sole
source of income. Many a
Saturday I spent as a boy,
searching ditches for miles, and
coming home with 32 cents for a
day's work.
The non-returnable bottle is
about as easy to get rid of as
chronic arthritis. I demand that
their manufacturers give every
customer, free, a plastic bucket,
filled with a solution which will
instantly dissolve the cursed
things when they're dropped
into it.
The same goes for cans that
hold drinks, whether beer or
— Please turn to Page 5
One of the arguments
presented by the opponents of
regional government is based on
the fact that bigness always
seems to cost more money in
government circles.
You don't have to look too
far for evidence of this. Last
year the department of
municipal affairs convinced
county councillors that all
assessment in Huron should be
handled by the county.
We're not certain, but we
presume the usual "blackmail"
promises of increased grants
were tossed in as an incentive,
but anyway county council
bought the idea and this year
embarked on a county
assessment system.
Now hang on to your hats for
the grim details!
The budget for the
assessment department will be
$197,425 this year. That's an
almost absurd figure in our
estimation, and it' is interesting
to note it is from $40,000 to
$50,000 more than what the
department of municipal affairs
told county council it would be.
Assessment commissioner E.
F. Hall explained it rather
simply. The department didn't
have any idea of the cost
because they had no personal
experience in this field.
That's about the same
attitude the department has
towards regional government.
Plunge in before you know
where you are going. Kick it off,
then figure out how it is going to
work, how much it is going to
cost and how much it is going to
improve our governing system.
Stanley Township Reeve
Anson McKinley indicated he
was shocked at the fact the
budget for the assessment
department is going to cost
something over $7,000 for each
municipality in Huron.
He further indicated it had
crossed his mind that Huron
taxpayers were "a damn site
better off the way we were
before".
We find it difficult not to
agree with Mr. McKinley in that
regard, because the increase in
assessment costs for Huron
municipalities over their
previous costs is almost
unbelievable.
Not too many of the
communities in Huron paid over
a $1,000 each year to their
assessors, and in many the figu
was not this great as the dutie
were handled by a person who
generally assumed the duties as
clerk, treasurer and tax collector
as well.
It is interesting to note that
in communities where one
person handled all jobs, this
person did not have his pay
decreased when county
assessment came into effect and
so in reality the cost to Huron
taxpayers was even greater for
the new assessment department
than what the figures indicate.
We'll be most difficult to
convince that assessment costs
of $197,425 are warranted in
Huron.
Sure, we agree that assessing
has not been done thoroughly in
the past, but we doubt that too
many people escaped paying
what they should.
At any rate, we doubt that
the benefits will ever come close
to matching the costs involved in
instituting a system that is
supposed to eliminate
"inconsistencies and
inequalities",
Some will always pay more
than they should and some will
always pay too little, and we see
no need to spend ridiculously
large amounts of money just to
attempt to prevent this,
The situation is much the
same as law enforcement. Some
will always escape the law
although they drive over the
speed limit, while others will get
caught several times when they
drive at the same speeds.
However, it would be
ridiculous to add men to the
police force in the numbers
required to ensure that each
person was in fact caught every
time he exceeded the speed
limit.
Fact is the people would be
paying so much for the
enforcement they wouldn't have
any money with which to pay
the fines.
The same may hold true for
assessing. We may end up paying
so much for getting the assessing
done we won't have enough
money left to pay the taxes the
assessment indicates we should
be paying.
As we stated at the outset,
bigness has a way of costing
more money in government
circles and the move from
municipal to county assessment
clearly indicated that.
Alas, even before the system
was given an opportunity to be
tested, the Ontario government
has indicated they will take over
the assessment job from the
county.
We presume it will be handled
by the department of municipal
affairs who have already been
painted as people who have no
experience in assessment matters
and no idea of the cost involved.
However, they'll probably
follow their own example set in
the matter of regional
government. Plunge in before
50 YEARS AGO
The contract has been let by
Mr. Geo. E. Eccleston for a
cement pavilion and bathhouse
at Grand Bend, 150 feet by 70
feet, two-storey in height, to be
ready for this summer. It will be
one of the finest and most
up-to-date in Ontario.
The town fathers have been
busy selecting a team of horses.
They inspected several teams
this week but have not as yet
made a selection.
The Exeter Canning
Company is ready to contract
with farmers to grow corn for
canning. $10.00 per ton will be
paid. Seed corn of the finest
quality at reduced price, 15
cents per lb., to growers on
contract (advt)
Henry Ford is preparing to
erect a chain of factories across
the country for the manufacture
of an automobile to sell for
$250. The car will be complete
in every detail.
A soldier's monument, which
was recently procured from a
sculptor in Italy by Mr. James
Weekes, will be unveiled at S.S.
No. 1 Usborne on March 28.
25 YEARS AGO
Sgt. Clarence R. Knight, son
of Mr. and Mrs. Reg Knight,
recently graduated as an
air-gunner and received his wings
at Mont-Joli, Quebec. He is now
taking an air-gunner commando
course at Valleyfield, Que., and
expects soon to be going
overseas.
Mr. Irvine Armstrong, who
has been working in London, has
returned to his home in Exeter,
and has accepted a position with
Mr. E. R. Hopper.
Rev, and Mrs. Mair, of
Thames Road, were hosts to the
South Hu ron Ministerial
Association at its regular
monthly meeting on Monday
afternoon. There was a splendid
attendance of the clergy and
their wives.
you know where you are going.
Kick it off, then figure out bow
it is going to work, how much it
is going to cost and how much it
is going to improve things.
The final blow in the
announcement that the Ontario
government will take over
assessing is the fact that Huron
completed a $160,000 building
to house the assessment
department last year.
It was officially opened only
a few weeks before the Hon. C.
S. MacNaughton told Ontario
residents last week the provincial
government will take over
assessing duties.
It is too early for anyone to
say whether the Huron building
will be used under the provincial
setup, but there is a possibility it
will turn out to be a complete
"white elephant". (It's only half
that now because Huron county
councillors built it twice as big
as necessary.)
This could be a costly
example of what happens when
the left hand doesn't know what
the right is doing.
It's to be hoped the
provincial government soon
comes up with some long-range
ideas and plans so county and
municipal governments can act
accordingly.
Making plans one year and
having them scuttled the next is
not only creating bad friends, it
is proving extremely costly.
15 YEARS AGO
One hundred of Exeter's
senior citizens gathered in the
Legion Hall. for their second
social evening sponsored jointly
by the Recreational Council and
Pride of Huron Rebekah Lodge.
Preparations are being made to
organize the group, which is
expected to meet once a month.
Secretary of the Ausable
Valley Conservation Authority,
Fred Y. Jackson, said last week
he believed the new cut at Port
Franks averted serious flooding
in that area this spring. Mr.
Jackson said the height of water
would have surpassed the level
of the disastrous 1947 flood if
the cut had not been opened.
Gilbert and Sullivan's
operetta "The Pirates of
Penzance" will be presented by
the Huronia Male Chorus next
week.
Senior and Junior Boys'
Basketball teams will be
competing in WOSSA
championship play this week in
London.
10 YEARS AGO
A junior yearling raised by
Whitney Coates and son, RR 1,
Centralia, won reserve champion
Hereford honors at the Ontario
Bull Sale in Toronto recently.
Exeter bowlers copped the
inter-town championship by a
margin of 115 pins, Team
members included Bob
Wettlaufer, Jack Fuller, Bob
Osgood, Murray Brintnell, Jack
Gibson and "Cap" Foster.
Helen Cole, grade six and,
Brenda Dinney, grade five,
Exeter Public School, topped
their grades to win trophies for
,the best verse speaking in the
final competition.
T-A Sports Editor Don
Gravett is reported to be making
a fast recovery, after suffering a
fracture of the skull during a
hockey game in Mitchell
Spring fashions focus
attention on empire waistlines,
shorter jackets for suits, and
hemlines at mid-calf,
want
a home?
get a
mortgage
loan!
A high value first mortgage loan
on a residential or improved farm property
will cost you less than you think— and
you can arrange for convenient
payments to write it off.
If the property is a good risk
(and our experienced mortgage people will
be glad to advise you), don't let money
stand in your way.
Just 'phone Victoria and Grey.
VG
IICTORIA and GREY
TRus -r COMPANY SINCE 1889
•
•
tl
•
•
•
•r•:•;* kgmlfk, . ,.i.elanfliWalarnegiNalaW.tt.QMOVAmet
Advocate Established 1811 Amalgamated 1924
•
0