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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Exeter Times-Advocate, 1975-07-24, Page 4R POINT OF VIE Difficult question Should a farmer be allowed to sever an• acre of land for a home for a son or a daughter, or for a home for himself on retirement? This question is developing into the most heated argument to arise out of the series of public meetings being held by Usborne township to formulate a secondary plan. Feelings on the question are running quite high. Reeve Walter McBride stated that he would like to see a house on every one hundred acres in the township. Deputy- reeve Bill Morley put his support behind a bid to prohibit land severances of this type in the township. Many residents agree with Mr. McBride but in most cases their position may be emotional and sentimental rather than economical and practical. Huron county warden Anson McKinley, present at the planning session on agriculture Thursday night, pointed out that there are very grave dangers to agriculture inherent in the allowance of severing. The Huron warden said the request for land severances for farm sons or daughters of retiring farmers is the most difficult decision required of the county land severance committee.While no one, par- ticularly no one involved in farming, would want to deny a request such as this, accor- ding to the warden it could backfire, caus- ing the farmers of the community untold headaches. Mr. McKinley explained that in many cases where the severance has been granted within a year or two the severed land and home is sold to someone not con- nnected with the farm operation. Once the land is severed and sold, severe restric- tions are placed on the farmers surroun- ding this residential dwelling. If an odour from a nearby farm is bothering the residents of the severed land, the courts have backed the residents' right to "quiet enjoyment" of that land and have forced farmers to change or stop operations which are producing odours. Mr. McKinley pointed out that if a piece of land severed is not near the barns of one farm, it could still have an adverse effect on farms across the road or next door, Presently farmers are controlled by a "Code of Practice" which sets the distance from a road and from a house which a farmer may operate various types of far- ming. This could range from 750 feet for a poultry operation to as much as 2,000 feet for a swine operation, If severances were allowed on every one hundred acres in the township, Warden McKinley stated, there would be very few farms which would not have their barns within 2,000 feet of one of these residences. For this reason, the Huron warden warned Usborne against allowing in- discriminate severances, even for family of farmers or for retirement purposes. A solution to the problem, allowing both residences in the rural area and flex- ibility of agriculture for farmers, would be a "rural residential" designation. Theoretically, this would allow people to build homes on severed lands in the township but would not allow them to halt a particular farm operation due to the odour bothering residents of the severances. The problem is a difficult one.It seems unfortunate that people are deprived the enjoyment of rural living if this is the type of lifestyle they desire but, on the other hand, the farmers' livelihoods must be protected. To slow or reverse the rural depopula- tion trend, help the township tax situations and provide enjoyable residential locations, an answer should be found. Until such an answer is found, guaranteeing the farmer the right to use his land for whatever agricultural pursuit the economic situation demands, any severances must be eyed as extremely threatening to the agriculture industry. Appears excessive The question arose at Exeter's RAP committee meeting this week if the budget for out-of-town trips for recreation director Jim McKinlay was too low, or Whether in fact he was travelling too much. To the end of June, McKinlay was reimbursed slightly over $750 for his out-of- town trips. That was for more than 5,000 miles travelled, and depleted the budget set up for the entire year by RAP for such • jaunts. By the very nature of their jobs, recreation officials have to be out of town to sit down with their cohorts to plan special events such as leadership camps, inter-town competitions, etc. However, they appear to be a group which goes overboard in this regard on many occasions. For some planning, it would appear that a circulated letter may have some benefits when one considers the amount of money and man hours involved in these activities. In addition, the number of conferences and courses in the field of recreation appear to be conducted on an almost con- tinual basis. These in-training sessions no doubt are valuable, as they are to any professional, but few other professionals can avail themselves of the courses to the extent that recreation officials do. Park of the problem may lie in the fact the ministry has too many "experts". on hand and they have to keep arranging these special sessions to justify their own tositions. At any rate recreation in a small com- munity may touch all age levels and ac- tivities, but special conferences and out- ings to gain information may not be justified when the number of people in- volved locally is taken into consideration. Travel is, unfortunately a non- productive element,and the miles travelled in the first six months by the local recrea- tion director suggest he has been "on the road" for at least 100 hours. If he spends two hours at an event for every hour travelled, he has been out-of-town for 300 hours in the first 26 weeks of the year. That appears to be rather excessive. The lazy joys of summer A bit about this and that : : •••• •• 1: 4:404i:•1.40 •$;44,4•••<!, 4. ••• •,•• • r,' ,1 Janet. •••):•••••••••:•:.::.:*:*Kiii.,. Don't be a Chicken little Amalgamated 1924 Advocate Established 1881 Times Established 1873 Phone 235-1331 +CNA Published Each Thursday Morning at Exeter, Ontario Second Class Mail Registration Number 0386 Paid in Advance Circulation March 21,1975 5,249 CCNA RIM RIRRON AWARD 074 SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Canada 59.00 Per Yetis.; USA $11.00 S'7.,..1:0ZIKETA1i0,,ntiEZMEMIZZL:XLMENEw.: SERVING CANADA'S BEST FARMLAND C.W,N.A„ 0.W.N.A. and ABC Publisher— Robert Southcott Editor —Bill Batten -- Advertising Manager Assistant Editor — Ross Haugh Plant Manager -- Les Webb Composition Manager — David Worby Our response to now By ELMORE BOOMER Counsellor for Information South Huron For appointment phone: 235-0560 The superfluous Have just read a little booklet called 'Was Chicken Little Right?', by Gary Havens. You remember Chicken Little, the little bird who, when an acorn bonked her on the head, started screaming, "The sky is falling!" The noise of her own hysterical voice frightened her until she became one terrified, useless ball of feathers, All this sound a little scary? Who will control the future we ask? The ability to elinminate pain is admirable, the power to do good is ideal but when men gain this power, who then determines what is 'good', asks the author, It's natural for man to hunger for a perfect world. We want relief from filth, ugliness and pain; from babies being beaten to death; love twisted into rape; men deliberately killing each other. I'm sure God, too, would like to eliminate pain and violence. But the sad fact is, Mr. Havens points out, we have got to change our basic desires to be rebels against God. Christians have always made much of the hope in the future. Even in the face of the possible terrors of the new world, that basic hope has not changed. Author Haven says, "We believe God is still in control, that He knows what the future holds. Still, some Christians may ask: If decisions are only so many chemcals in my brain, what will we do if they inject us with a 'non belief' drug? If man makes man, how will we believe that only God can create life? If the world is totally controlled, how will men ever choose to follow Christ? "Yet aren't these basically the same questions we've always had? Are they much different from: If a man is retarded, how can God's love work in him? Or, How can the Chinese hear of Christ in a nation where his name is outlawed? Or, What about the millions who have died never hearing about Christ? For now, in specifics, they may be unan- swerable, but we depend on a just and loving God who created and controls the world certain of what He tells us: am with you always, even unto the end of the world , • .' "What shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall brain control, or cloning or computers or technology or engenics or the conquering by man of himself? No, in all these things we are more then conquerors through Him who loved us, For neither death, nor life, not scientians, nor dictators, nor powers, nor things present, not things to come shall separate us from the love of God . ." This is not time to panic. Nothing, even the terrors that Well, that big heat wave through the end of June and into July puts the lie to all those pessimists who claim our sum- mers are changing, getting cooler and damper. That was a real, old-fashioned scorcher. Even our big, old, high- ceilinged house, surrounded by shade trees, warmed up to the almost uncomfortable point after a week of high blue skies and hot yellow suns. Farmers were worried, and a lot of people who had to work through the heat were suffering, and I had room for a lot of sympathy for both as I lay on the beach and wondered whether I should go in for another duck to cool off. I have lots of sympathy, but no feeling of guilt, because I have paid my dues, slugging it out in the heat many a summer when other people were cooling off outside and inside. There were several years of working as a serf on one of the big passenger boats that used to ply the Great Lakes. We worked 12 hours a day, seven days a week. That was in the days when a long weekend was just a long weekend, with no holidays for the working staff. Most of the summer I enjoyed thoroughly when we were "up the Lakes," sleeping under blankets at night, and revelling in the hot clear days and cool nights of The Lakehead, or Thunder Bay, as it's now known. But down at the lower end of the seven-day run, at Windsor and Detroit, it was another story. That was then, and still is, the muggiest, funkiest, just plain hell-hottest place in North America. Even the passengers perspired heavily, The crew didn't per- spire, nor even sweat. They ran like waterfalls. When you hit the Detroit River, you knew it, First, by the filth of the water. Secondly, by the lack Don't look now, but the sum- mer vacation period is one-third over. The excellent weather of the early summer season appeared to make time fly past at a greater rate of speed than usual, a phenomenon hardly required because the summer season has a habit of disappearing all too quickly as it is. Judging from items sent in by our correspondents from the various 'communities in our readership area, the high cost of pasoline has apparently not altered the travel plans of too many people. Lengthy jaunts by automobiles are still being enjoyed, although there is a suspicion that perhaps some people have had to crimp and save a little harder to pay the bills when they return home. At time of writing, Exeter appears to have about the lowest gasoline prices in the province and readers have advised they have paid as much as 82.9 cents per gallon in their travels across the nation. That's slated to jump another five,cents and there is a hint that by next summer at this time, motorists will be shelling out almost a dollar per gallon when they pull into. their service stations for refills. On a lengthy trip that starts to mount very quickly, particularly of any semblance of breeze. Third, by the stink from the breweries of Windsor. There was no air, conditioning in those days. If you had a fan kicking around torrid, tired air, you were lucky, The passenger cabins were airless. The crew's quarters most of them without windows, or portholes, were virtually unbreathable in. And the stokehole, where the black gang fired the coal into the fur- naces, was an inferno. Why there wasn't mutiny down there I'll never know. But we were young and healthy and had no unions to tell us how we were being exploited (which we were). So after cleaning up the boat and standing under a tepid shower it was on with some clean duds and out to sample the joys of a night in Detroit: big- league ball games, burlesque shows and something the Yanks called beer. It was pretty heady stuff (not the beer) for a 17 or 18 year old.Some of the boys had a little trouble making it up the gang plank. Then it was up to the top deck, because there was no use trying to sleep in our quarters, and sit there, naked, as the boat glided up the river, into Lake St,Clair, and the first signs of a breeze again. No sleep, and a 12- hour day ahead, but who needed it? Then there was a summer working in a factory in Toronto. Most of the factory was air conditioned (it had become practicable by then) as the plant turned out film and cameras. But guess who got to work in the machine shop, down in the bowels, with the lathes and the welding machines and the temperature about 96? In hot weather, and I swear it was hot all summer, the guys down there were in a foul mood throughout their shift. I honestly believe that, in the various summer jobs I've had, I have sweated enough to fill the tank of one of those new solar- heated homes they're talking about - something like 40,000 gallons. And there's another type I feel sorry for. That's the weekly newspaper editor. Of course, they're so spoiled now that some of them even have, as I un- derstand, air conditioning in their offices. But in my day, the office took the full blast of the summer sun from about noon on, Outside on the street, long cool girls in shorts and tops, and little, cool, brown kids in even less, sauntered along, oblivious to the heat. Inside, the editor stewed and — Please Writ to Page 5 if you have the misfortune to own one of those gas-gUzzling buggies that can pass everything on the highway except a gas station. While the government is taxing us heavily to encourage ex- ploration for new supplies of gas and oil, it would appear that they should be showing some concern for providing money to someone who can come up with vehicles and heating systems which can reduce the amount of fuel required. After all, a gallon saved is the same as a gallon found in the ground. + + + If you're among those of us who enjoy short jaunts along area roads, you may have noticed an improvement in the landscape in many areas. We've noted the fact that many farmers in the area have started to cut the roadside grass across the entire front of their farms and it certainly makes the properties much more attractive. No doubt the advent of the riding lawn mower has made this possible, but it must have been a chore for most of them to make the initial cut over what is often rather rough terrain. Those who have undertaken this extra work are certainly well rewarded by having their properties take on a most at- tractive appearance. + + + When handed the chore of baby-sitting last week, the writer decided that an easy way to handle the task was to load the lads in the family car and head for a tour of the county jail in Goderich. This was our first visit to the jail (voluntary and involuntary) and we came away with • the impression that a visit to such an institution is one of the best deterrents we know for stepping afoul of the law. It's almost unbelievable that 50 Years Ago Lovers of flowers had the privilege of witnessing a profusion of bloom at the annual flower show of the Exeter Hor- ticultural Society in the skating rink on Friday and Saturday last. In spite of the fact that it has been an off season for flowers there was a magnificent showing in many of the races. Mr. and Mrs. Chas. Jeckell and two sons, Charles and William of Youngstown, Ohio motored over and are visiting the former's brother and sister, Mr. James and Miss L. M. Jeckell. Mr.Roden Rogers of Detroit, and Mr. Frank' Jeckell of Toronto, nephews are also visiting with Mr. and Miss Jeckell, Last Tuesday evening and afternon Mr. & Mrs. Edmund McPherson of Greenway celebrated their fiftieth wedding anniversary. They were among the pioneers of this settlement making their home in the virgin forest Lt miles west of Green- way. 25 Years Ago Four students, Velma Ferguson, Glenn Love, Betty Mickle, and Grant Morgan were successful in all subjects in the Upper School exams. Night Constable William Wareing is on two weeks holidays. Ross Keyes won the Beaver oat competition in the Exeter district sponsored by Exeter Agriculture Association. Twelve fields were judged, Three generations of the Lawson family, Mrs. George Lawson, her son Gerald, and his son Peter, will celebrate bir- thdays on the same day,Augustl5. Cecil Kipfcr, 27 year-old Hensel] veteran, has been ap- pointed postmaster for the village of Hensall. Mrs. E. J. Miners will on Thursday celebrate her 91st birthday. people were incarcerated in the building just a few short years ago. The experience was rather frightening for our four-year-old and he kept tugging on our arm to cut the tour short, However, his brothers had to explore every cell and stairway. Judging from the numbers who were visiting at the same time, the jail is turning into a good tourist attraction for Goderich and for those who never had the opportunity to visit the structure while it was in operation, it is a good chance to see what they were missing. A visit should be mandatory for every youngster and we have a feeling the incidence of crime would drop substantially. + + + Joined a few thousand other people at one of the area's most successful events this past week - the Kirkton Garden Party. Another top-notch program was presented and this, along with the obvious high degree of organization that supports it, are the two main reasons why the party has enjoyed a phenomenal success over the past 31 years. We're not certain what the combined populations of Kirkton and Woodham are these days, but judging from the number of people involved in all aspects of the event, not too many of them fail to play a part. Larger communities must look with envy upon the good people out that way, particularly when they see some of the facilities and know of the worthwhile com- munity projects that have been assisted through the years by receipts from the party. The event must rank as one of the longest-running annual events anywhere, in the nation and probably holds the record for communities of that size. 15 Years Ago Edmund Normington, Hensall, has been awarded the Albert 0. Jeffery scholarship for third year honors mathematics at UWO, London. He is a graduate of SH- DHS. Centennial celebrations at Thames Road School attracted crowds nearing 800 and was hailed by officials and visitors as an 'outstanding success.' Council granted a building permit for the erection of Exeter's ninth church, Bethel Reformed Church plans to erect a $40,000 brick structure on Huron Street in the Pooley subdivision, Mr, Walter E. Creery, son of Mr. and Mrs. T. Creery, of Woodham is attending a teaching conference in Strasbourg, France. Jmmy Lee, his son, Tony and daughter Betty, all of London have,takenlover operation of the Exeter Grill, They succeed Ivan Wong who has moved to London. 10 Years Ago Bill Batten, editor of The Times-Advocate for the past 15 months, this week completes his work with the paper. The publishers, J. M. and Robert Southcott, said they accepted his resignation with great reluc- tance. Bill joins Coca-Cola Limited in Toronto to create a new magazine for the firm's enployees. Dr, J. C. Goddard and John are attending the Worlds Fair in New York. Mr. Jack Doerr is attending a professional course in color S photography at, the Technical ervice Centre of Canadian Kodak Company this week in Toronto. Last Saturday Dr. and Mrs. M. C. Fletcher attended A reunion at Poplar Hill public school where the former received his formal education. arise in our minds of .a man- controlled world, will make God lose His grasp on us, Chicken Little's panic was her downfall, In blind, senseless fear she was easily mislead by crafty Foxy Loxy who soon finished her off in a tasty meal. As the acorns of the future fall, don't panic. Study the speculations, ask questions, seek answers. A few pieces of our world may crash down, but whatever happens hang unto the belief that nothing can separate from God's grace, His loving concern and protection. There are many people today who like Chicken Little run panic stricken shouting that the sky is falling and that the world is crashing to its end. It's hard not to•agree with them when the newspapers continue to proclaim the world's sicknesses, and as Mr, Havens states, the crumbling pieces of the globe disintegrate faster than we can glue them back together.There is always TRAGEDY, ATROCITY, CRISIS, IMMORALITY. Hope seems to disappear like smoke. Change,change,change unnerves earth's passengers. Man's relentless search for more pleasure and less pain seems to be bringing about an explosion of knowledge. Scien- tists say it's only a matter of time before disease will be eliminated and that harmful genetic com- binations may be effectively treated to eliminate births of babies with defects. Already some doctors know how to control certain behavior with electricity applied to the right parts of the brain. Non aggression pills are being tested and used to manipulate aggressive behavior. Other men are predicting the use of learning pills, pleasure stimulators genetic surgery that will benefit the human race. Many people believe in the possibility that man may 'create' man. Already more than 25,000 babies each year are born as a result of artificial insemination. There is speculation about test- tube babies, Researchers have developed a chamber that will keep a lamb fetus alive for two days. They say if the artificial womb is perfected, baby hat- cheries will be a distinct possibility before the turn of the next century. By a process called cloning man may be able to duplicate human beings for specific pur- poses. (If one Bobby Orr is ex- citing would a team of Bobby Orrs be more exciting?). Other men are working on the theory that by retarding the aging process, man may ultimately eliminate death itself. Words that are meant to convey meaning are very often meaningless. We cannot blame the words. They are there to be experienced, known, read, given meaning, and to be meaning-makers. It is just that we love to play rather than use words and be made by them. And that is where "super- fluous" comes in. What does superfluous mean? Our word reporters tell us that "super" is Latin for "above" or "beyond" and that "fluous" is derived from the Latin word meaning "to flow". The whole word together is an adjective which means "more than enough." So when someone gives of his superfluity, he gives from his wealth, from that Ilich he does not need. To say some superfluous thing is to talk when the mouth should be shut. To live superfluously is to do that which doesn't need to be done. Superfluous living is impractical living. To listen to music is needless. To write poetry is beyond the daily round. To be racing through the night while holding down the bed is mended with valium. And of course in our orderly world the superfluous is frowned upon. It is the filling of the moment with fantasy. Do we not have our management experts to advise regarding the use of time and technique in order that the air might be blue with productivity? It is profane to live in ivory towers. It is taking liberties with the niceties of order to build castles in the air. It is the age of revolution when the air is filled with catchy slogans against the professional, "I work hard and long and have a house and a wife and the kids. He enjoys himself (reads, and visits, and sits in libraries, diagnoses, and preaches, and advises) and has two houses and a wife and two children. To borrow a special word - It or he is superfluous." Or the age is one of decadence where the so-called professional looks at Playboy and gossips, even in libraries. His diagnoses and preachings and advising are empty. It is a time of catching up too. For common people who rely on common sense (mustard plasters rather than decongestants) have some common time on their hands, It would be a pity to be practical all the time. And so my head with airy thoughts are filled, and unsettled, dances and cavorts. It's all the fault of Richard J. Needham who sometimes quotes some quotable quotes and is frequently published in the Toronto Globe and Mail. "The urgent search for the vitally necessary is likely to stop once we have found something that is more or less adequate, but the search for the superfluous has no end," Imagine that! When the needed is found then we go to sleep. It is only when we are six months off in inner space that we find the gold! Let us listen more! "Hence the fact that man's most unflagging efforts were made not in search of necessities but of superfluities." I suppose Marconi didn't really need to talk across the Atlantic if there were boats going back and forth, And speaking of the Atlantic our message continues with an illustration, "It is worth America was a byproduct Of. of remembering that the discover — Please turn to Page 5