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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Exeter Times-Advocate, 1973-10-18, Page 4The handling of Gary Middleton's resignation as an employee of Exeter's RAP committee has been atrocious, A member of the staff for the past nine years, Middleton submitted his resignation to the secretary on October 2, to be effec- tive October 10. That date passed without the employee even being notified of RAP's decision. There hasn't even been a public indica- tion of whether RAP even considered the resignation. It was not dealt with at their regular meeting on October 9 and there was no indication in the minutes that it had been dealt with at any special meetings prior to that. Why not? Surely any employee of such long standing should be given better con- sideration. For some clarification of the situation, it should be pointed out that Middleton has been asked to serve two days per week as fire chief for the Exeter area fire board, The board made that request to council on August 20 and council recommended on that same date that RAP make the necessary arrangements to allow him to perform this function. RAP decided they'd wait until November 12 to make a decision. Several people, including Middleton, were disap- pointed in this lengthy delay and he decided to force the issue by submitting his resigna- tion. However, regardless of any unusual circumstances surrounding the resignation, RAP officials should have dealt with the matter and advised him of their decision prior to him leaving his employ last week. Surely they don't need a special com- mittee to advise that such courtesy is part of their duties. • ' • , The first reaction to a plan by Jim Pfaff and Brad Gregus to seek federal assistance to build a $50,000 ball diamond in Exeter would be to suggest they've been beaned once too often in their favorite sport. The idea of even considering such an undertaking will no doubt be sneered at by many. However, the two should get full marks. They're the first in this community to at least make an attempt to get some of the vast amount of cash the senior governments appear to have at their dis- posal. Not only that, a check through any list of projects approved would indicate that money is handed out for projects of less im- portance than ball diamond. They may just pull it off! If there is to be any skepticism express- ed over their idea it is the fact that most aid programs cover labor primarily and it may require some local funds to make the ven- ture possible. That, of course, would probably be the stumbling block. However, nothing ventured, nothing gained and with the two displaying that at- titude they may at least spur others on to similar efforts. In that regard their actions would be extremely valuable because as we have noted before, too few groups in this district take advantage of the money available for programs of this nature, Where is that mechanic? Something is happening in the car in- dustry which looks like it may cause some trouble for the average motorist in the future. It concerns the repair and maintenance of the automobile and the shortage of skilled help to take on this work. We are speaking from our knowledge of the local scene around St. Marys and area, where at least half a dozen repair garages are in continuing need of licensed mechanics. Apprentices to the trade are '` also becoming vecy.-difficult.to find, It's„ an occupation which has many attractions to its credit, but many young fellows today seem to have their eyes on "higher plateaus". According to one local garage owner the Department of Labour is at fault in not allowing more apprentices to be trained. They permit only one apprentice to train for every five licensed mechanics employed on the same premises. In some parts of Europe this ratio is said to be one- for-one. giving each trained mechanic an apprentice under him to supervise, and at the same time increase his own efficiency because he has a greater part of his own higher-paid time to devote to his more ex- acting duties. It has been suggested also that in this part of the country we are far behind in the practice of employing women to assist in service stations and garages. Gas pump duties, "jockeying" and delivering cars can be capably and pleasantly handled by the fair sex; witness this practice in Toronto. No matter what steps are taken in the future to increase the availability of trained motor mechanics, it looks right now in this community and ,elsewhere as if some motorists are going to have to repair it themselves - or wait a little longer, and pay a little more, for work done at their friendly corner garage. Too long have some of us taken these people for granted; have driven in and said: "Fix it, and I want it done right away!" In future we will quite likely be making more appointments for repairs, tune-ups, muffler changes - and waiting a few days or a week, for our special day, and hour, to br- ing the car in. This is the way it is in England, for instance, and it is very likely to become the rule here soon. St. Marys Journal Argus :*....PIONVONTANSMTORATAINE."..: Times Established 1873 Advocate Established 1881 Amalgamated 1924 Editor — Bill Batten Advertising Manager Assistant Editor — Ross Haugh Women's Editor — Susan Greer Phone 235.1331 SERVING CANADA'S BEST FARMLAND C.W.N.A., 0.W,N.A., CLASS 'A' and ABC Published Each. Thursday Morning at Exeter, Ontario Second Class Mail Registration Number 0386 Paid in Advance Circulation, March 31, 1972, 6,027 SUBSCRIPTION RATES:. Canada $8.00 Per Year; USA $10.00 • 230 Pryde Blvd. Exeter, Ontario PFAFF • Rural • Industrial • Residential FREE ESTIMATES Call Exeter 235-0909 ENICAR WATCHES. Swiss Made NICA.t.' Exeter Post Office HOME OF THE BEAUTIFUL BRIDAL-KNOT DIAMONDS Insured and Repaired FREE for One Year Pleasing you pleases US Hory watches Are You Covered? For all your insurance needs such as full protection of your home, automobile, business, furnishings, trailer, snowmobile, contact Garr Rice for your insurance cost. Let Us Survey Your Insurance Needs Garr Rice General Insurance 235-2750 Poorly handled A lasting friendship When will we ever learn? It's tough to be middle class My daughter Kim and her husband are having a tough time these days. He's starting a post- graduate course at university, and she's well into an un- dergraduate course in advanced pregnancy. But that's not what's tough. Those things are normal, ex- citing, and even joyful. It's the eternal problem for students, and for most of the rest of us, of money, scarcity of. At first, I was inclined to scoff. "Ah! You kids!. You don't know what it's like to be hard up. You get all those grants and loans. Why, when your mother and I I. blah blah blah." Not that they're going to starve. They do get just enough' to get by. But when you're young and impatient and have been spoiled in a middle-class home with most of the amenities, you get a little sick of "getting by." You'd like to buy an occasional roast, instead of trying to think of another method of making a delicious hamburg dish. In fact, at today's prices, you can't even afford hamburg too often. You'd like to go to a show once in a while, or have a party, or have the clothes to go to someone else's party. But there just isn't anything in the budget for these fairly simple pleasures. You'd like to have a car, like most normal people, and be able to drive into the country or visit friends, or go home for a weekend and have some decent food from the old folks' groaning board. Can't afford it. You'd like to have colour TV, or even black and white, but there are no funds. You'd like some new, warm winter clothes, but you have to make do with last year's five-year-old shabby duffle-coat, and last year's leaking boots. If you're pregnant, you'd like to start making a nest, fixing up a home. But on the rent you can afford, you wind up in a crumby flat where you share the bathroom and the stove doesn't work and the decorating is in puke colour and the thermometer never goes higher than 65. It can all be pretty depressing unless you have plenty of physical and mental fortitude, There's love, of course, to fall Area residents must still be shaking their heads in disbelief over the tragedies that occurred last week. The grim total was one murdered, four killed in ac- cidents and two shot by a gun- man. It was probably the "blackest" week we've ever experienced. Certainly, there was little for which to give thanks in many homes because tragedies of this nature touch a tremendous number of families in a rural community. In view of that fact, it is rather surprising that too seldom do we seem to learn from the mistakes made by others. Others in our community will die from the same basic reasons as those of last week and that certainly makes the situation that much more tragic. When will we ever learn? + + +, The debate over dogs that has been waging on the street and in our columns of late is most in- ,teresting. Similar to most situations of this nature, it will possibly never be resolved. A letter writer of two weeks ago pointed out the grave respon- sibility people undertake when they assume ownership of a dog, while Bev Lindenfield coun- teracted that fairly effectively by pointing out that parents also have a grave responsibility. Lloyd Lovell undertook to point out some of the nuisance factors involved with dogs and in that regard we were most interested in a recent article given us by a friend with more than a passing interest in dogs. back on. But from what I've seen in my day, love flourishes a lot better when there's some bread on the table and some bread in your wallet, My wife and I went through the whole bit, but I can't help feeling more pity for today's young couples than I even felt for us. First of all, we were products of the depression, and didn't expect much. When we did get a little windfall, we counted our blessings and promptly went out and spent them. I remember the time one of my uncles died intestate. By the time the estate had been cut up among the numerous nieces and nephews, we got something like $102.50. It was manna from heaven. We went straight out and bought a radio, a case of beer, a bunch of stuff at the delicatessen, and had a party. To heck with tomorrow or next week. But I must admit that life was a lot simpler then, and a great deal cheaper. We had a child, and we got more pleasure out of him than we would have from colour TV, a penthouse apartment, and a Cadillac, We had a furnished flat in one of the grimmer sections of the city. Shared the bathroom. Furniture was Salvation Army specials. But my wife redecorated the place, and it had two entrances and a backyard with real trees and grass. It cost $15 a week. Furnished, Today you can scarcely rent one room for that. We had a total income of about $130 a month. That covered rent, food, clothes, transportation, About once a month we'd have a real blowout. Baby-sitter (75 cents); movies (75 cents each); half a dozen cokes (36 cents); and a bag of peanuts (15 cents); Wow! That's living. We weren't bored, or desperate. We talked, read, — Please turn to Page 5 The item explained that the anti-pet faction arearguing that if we do not take action we are likely to find ourselves (to put it indelicately but accurately) up to our hips in dog excrement. That of course applies primarily to large cities. In New York for instance, it is estimated that the city's dogs now drop 15,600 tons of excrement per year — much of it onto streets, parklands and other public places. However, the main argument presented in the argument was that we would be in a sad state of affairs if we had no pets. "Sneer, if you wish, at the mawkish old sentiments about a boy and his dog; they-contain a significant core of truth," the authors suggest. "Experts in psychology have been observing for a century or more than the relationship between many an animal-owner and his pet is far more important, complex and profound than even more animal-lovers suspect." It all boils down to the fact that some people are capable of owning dogs and others aren't, in the same way that some people are capable of raising children properly and others aren't. There will always be a friction between some people and dog owners, while others will readily admit they could care less. The only sure way to prevent accidents between children and 50 Years Ago Mr. Clayton Frayne, Thames Road, had a fine flock of about 45 ducks and for some time he had been missing them one by one and could not account for their disappearance. One day recently he discovered that a cow was enjoying a duck dinner but the discovery was not made until after 20 of the flock had disap- peared. Messrs. R.N. Creech, C. Pilon, H. Rivers and W.E. Sanders are on a week's shooting expedition in the Bruce Peninsula. What seems to be some mean spite work has taken place in Usborne township during the threshing season. At one place where Mr. Chester Gorvett was threshing, half of a horseshoe was discovered in a sheaf of grain and luckily was found before it went through the separator. A short time after on another farm, another part of a horseshoe was discovered under similar cir- cumstances. While threshing at another place a piece of sulky rake tooth got by the threshers and broke the concave, Messrs. A. Wildfong and W.J. Northcott of Sexsmith left on a hunting trip to the highlands of Ontario on Monday last. 25 Years Ago Gerald Regier, 11-year-old son of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Regier, Mr. Carmel, died from injuries received when he jumped from a truck on his way to school. Mr, and Mrs. Mel Xing were feted on the occasion of their silver wedding anniversary. Jim Wilson, who has been with the RCNA's at Esquimalt, has been posted to Halifax, The new pellet mill for producing, pellet feeds now being erected at Cann's mill is nearing completion, Mrs. Hugh Taylor, Toronto, formerly of Thames Road, was guest speaker at the WIVIS sec- tional meeting at Centralia on Tuesday, dogs is to ban either dogs or children. Neither appears a satisfactory solution. If you do know of a solution that could be termed satisfactory for all involved, we'd be most pleased to hear from you. Meanwhile, let us agree to a considerable extent that responsibility is one of the key components to peaceful co- existence. + + + It's a wonder some court judges and officials don't write more books upon their retirement to recall the many interesting "excuses" they've been told by accused persons over the years. With no witnesses to disprove them, many people charged with offences come up with some of the darndest reasons for their actions in accidents, etc. Some time, even the truth is stranger than fiction of course, so many of the wild tales can't be completely discounted. However, a pedestrian charged with ignoring a "don't walk" traffic sign probably came up with one of the most novel ex- cuses ever. He said he saw the sign all right, but he thought it was an advertisement for a cab, com- pany. 15 Years Ago Frank Taylor, Exeter who Wednesday celebrated 50 years of auctioneering records the longest period of service in the profession in Canada. V. Wor. Bro. W.W. Taman of Lebanon Forest Lodge A.F. and A.M. was presented with a 60- year jewel and a 50-year grand master's jewel Monday even by the DDGM Rt. Wor. Bro. David White of St. Marys on the oc- casion of his official visit to the lodge. Workmen began excavating the basement for a new post office building in Hensall Wed- nesday morning. Karen Heywood, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Eric Heywood, 'Exeter twirled her hula hoop 16,160 times and ate her supper doing it - so far no one has been reported beating her feat.- She provided the T-A with the best news tip of the week and created it herself. 10 Years Ago Over 100 visitors viewed the art and market show at the library over the weekend. 'About 20 area artists displayed more than 70 pictures but only one was sold, Usborne School Board reports more break-ins this week, Windows were broken for entry into Hurondale and No. 5 school near the Morrison Dam, but no loss was reported. Zurich trustees reported damage to a new fence at the village hall, Pranksters in Hensall have been threatening the water supply there by opening fire hydrants during the night. In one evening the storage level dropped four feet as a result of the practice. Mrs. Jack Doerr and Mrs. Robert Southcott, co-conveners of the Hospital Auxiliary rum- mage Sale, reported that the sale brought in $735 at the Legion Hall. 'Every true`friend is a glimpse of God', says the poet. Surely we all agree that a good friend is among our choicest possessions. In each of us is born the need for someone to accept us on equal terms. Someone with whom there are no barriers who is not shocked by our short-comings, who sticks by us 'through our trials and whose laughter breaks out joyously at our glad times. Someone who can share our most craven fears and our wildest hopes . .. and yes, even our blazing fury and indignation. Of course, with friendship there comes, as someone has said, 'an awful responsibility'. We owe our friends a mighty allegiance and we must use the greatest possible care in preserving them. Even so, there is the possibility of having the comfort of a friend taken away. What about our friendship with Jesus? He said, "I have not called you servants, I have called you friends." Amazing isn't it that He is willing to call us friends even when we rebel against him, disobey him, and often do not want to know him? Christ is the friend we can count on to the end and the one every Christian should cultivate to know better throughout his whole life. Well, how does one develop that friendship? How do you cultivate a friendship with someone you can't see? Michael Green in his book, New Life, New Lifestyle, suggests two ways. He points out that people who love each other and who are separated keep in touch by writing letters and by using the telephone, He goes on to say that the Bible is like an open letter from Christ. In it He tells all about Himself, and His plans for our good. In it, also, is advice about love, self discipline, as well as promises, commands, and examples for us to follow and warnings to heed. In other words, Mr. Green believes it is important for every Christian to read his Bible . . , not making a fetish out of it, but with a sincere desire to get to know and develop a friendship with our Lord. Then, too, as with a human friendship, we want to share our lives with Christ by talking to him. While it is good and perhaps even essential to have special or structured prayer times, still, there are other ways in speaking to him. We often get the urge to talk with a good friend and know w( can pick up the phone any time of the day and he or she will be there to listen. At any moment we car stop for a few seconds to thank Him,ask for strength and help, or beg His forgiveness, There it is then. Christ is our Friend. But friendships need to be cultivated. To make sure this one doesn't fall into disrepair through neglect we must keep in touch with Him and He with us. Reading the Bible and prayer are good ways to do it. May pull It off 1#A1 SbUFNP01— The Holy Land 1,973 years later—minus the Wise Men ,