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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Exeter Times-Advocate, 1976-12-09, Page 4Keep in proper context • Centralism breeds division • Tomorrow? That's.the day you were going to start exercising, remember? panntiparnon The Canadian Movement for personal fitness It's time we spoke up "I've found a way of not becoming upset every time I see the headlines — I simply stay terrified all the time." The art of giving Most Canadians are pretty long-suffering. We seldom take to the barricades, set fire to the flat, or hurl bricks at the police. Canadian men put up with nagging wives for years, and accept it, on the whole with meekness. Nowadays wives not only nag, but they are, many of them the crudest of materialists and the most militant of women's libbers. The husbands still go along without much more than an occasional snarled, "All right, then. You can put the bloody garbage out." Canadian women put up with undemonstrative,insensitivelouts of husbands for years, chaps who were knowledgable about beer and hockey and poker, but wary of emotions and callous about the finer things in life. Nowadays, most husbands are still louts, but quite a few have escaped into the esoteric world of macrame,needle-point, going to the ballet , and having their hair "done" every two weeks. And the wives haven't complained much, except for the occasional venomous, "I remember when you were always trying to drag me into the bedroom." In fact, we are such non- complainers that everybody walks all over us. We shudder and whimper under a punitive tax system, but there's nary a bomb for the tax collector, We get royally and regularly screwed by everybody from mechanics to merchants, from supermarkets to surgeons, from restaurants to repairmen, and we gfumble a bit, but almost enjoy it, as Confucius advised about rape, when it seems inevitable. We put up with dumb insolence from postal clerks, and stupidity from sales clerks, and bad manners from beer slingers and lip from hotel flunkies. And we pay up, mutter a bit, and fade into the woodwork. We accept shoddy work- manship from Manufacturers„ and go back for more. We eat fifth-rate meals in highway restaurants, vow we'll .neyer go back, and stop at the same place next time, hoping for a miracle, only to be served the greasy badly-cooked food and watery coffee we got last time. We are humble and contrite when some jumped-up pipsqueak of a civil servant, or some ulcerous creature in an em- ployment office, tells us we haven't filled out the form properly. Maybe we deserve it. Maybe it's time we reared up on our hind legs and started bitching about all the second-rate goods and third-rate service that are shoved at us. Maybe it's time we started yelling, and causing public scenes, and demanding proper service and shouting for the general manager or the head waiter, and complaining bitterly and heatedly when we encounter stupidity and insolence and slipshoddiness. We weren't always like this, you know. A couple of generations ago, Canadians weren't such patsies for the greedy. My mother was on good terms with the local merchants. But they had to produce, and they had to compete, and if they didn't they were in trouble. She trusted people about as far as she could throw them up in the air, and she was five feet two. She had a set of scales in the house and weighed every sack of flour or sugar that came in. If it was underweight she'd skin the supplier alive, with her tongue. And I wasn't always such a dumb, complaisant member, of the flock myself . I remember one incident. It was about two years after the war. I had spent a year in a sanatorium, and was on pension, but I was going to school, and working at hard labor during vacations, to support a wife and kid. I had quite a lot of visits to the Department of Veterans' Affairs. There I was treated by one guy, a civil servant, like something that had crawled out from under a stone, This guy would say, "Take a seat," and ignore you for one, two, three hours, He had lost an arm in the war, and flaunted it, with his sleeve neatly pinned up. To him, I guess, secure with his pension, and his forever job doing nothing we were scum ,whoseonly purpose was to irritate him, and force him to do a little paper- work. One day, my flashpoint oc- curred. I'd taken an afternoon off work, lost half a day's precious pay, to see a senior official at DVA concerning grants for ad- vanced studies. One-Arm waved me to a seat, and stood around Amalgamated 1924 CCNA OlUI RIONON AWARD 1.074 The economics of recreation continue to attract considerable attention in this area; the latest case being the financial predica- ment of the swimming pool at Vanastra. The pool at present has a deficit of $82,000. and Tuckersmith Township officials have indicated they are nearing the point where they will con- sider closing the facility because they can not afford to continue with that type of deficit. Similar problems are being faced in many area com- munities. Exeter's RAP com- mittee ran out of money this year and there's a heated debate going on in Zurich and Hay Township regarding the opera- tion of recreation facilities. While we would be among the first to agree that municipal of- ficials must keep a close eye on recreation costs, it is also impor- tant that they keep the situation in its proper context as it relates to other municipal services. For instance, how many times . have you heard a member of a municipal council complain about the high cost of picking up garbage, or in fixing roads, or providing street lights, etc., etc.? A few elected officials may raise their eye-brows when some of the foregoing expenditures are approved, but they never generate the type of debate that arises when recreation is con- sidered, It will be interesting to find out ,next year how Exeter's new council rates recreation in com- parison to garbage collection for instance. The budget for the latter will be somewhere around $40,000. What will be approved for recreation, parks and com- munity centre facilities? If recreation programs are ex- pected to operate basically on a self-sustaining basis, is there any reason to suggest that garbage pick-up should not be the same. Both are services provided for the entire population and ob- viously both are used to varying degrees by the citizens of the community. Which service is more important? ' We'll await that debate with much anticipation! + + + Amid all the debate over recreation there is one welcome sign, that being the indication that area recreation boards will be established. Hopefully that means that some farmers will be included on the boards and if one can take the comment of Goderich Township Reeve Gerry Ginn to heart, that in itself will provide tremendous benefits. During a debate on the Vanastra pool last week, Gerry .said "as far as I know, the only people who can survive year after year by losing money are farmers". So, if a few farmers join recreation boards, they may br- ing some of that expertise with them and recreation too will con- tinue to survive despite losing money year after year. + + + Speaking about losing money, readers will have taken note of a shooting the breeze and drinking coffee for an hour -- and hour and a half. I blew. "Listen you one-armed bastard! I've got one lung, and I think I've seen as much service as you have. If I don't get to see Mr. X in five minutes, I'm coming over the counter!" He could have cleaned me, even with his one arm, but he turned pale, bustled about and in three minutes I was talking to the boss, It was that old civil ser- vant's panic about getting a bad report. It was cruel, but I've never regretted it. That jerk needed straightening out. Isn't it time we started straightening out all the jerks? If anybody treats nee civilly, respond in kind. But from now on, if he doesn't holler, Who's with me? story in last week's issue regar- ding the increase in parking tickets and other traffic infrac- tions in Exeter. The story was written by the assistant editor and he obviously took note• of the situation and im- Dear Editor: In last week's issue of the T-A Mr.Gordon Hill in his blasts at supermarkets stated that Superior Food Markets were controlled by George Weston Ltd. I would like to know where he got his information? Superior Markets are a voluntary franchise of food chains buying solely from Elliott Marr & Co., London, which is one of the oldest and best wholesale grocery firms located in this area and in no way are connected with George Weston Ltd. In these days of high prices and inflation, I think Mr. Hill could be referring to some of the 'Giants' in the food business and n of Superior Markets. Howard Holtzmann A & H Superior Mkt. Ltd., Dear Sir, Despite the prominence given to the Conservation of Energy by the news media recently, very few.people seem to take it seriously. It is time that we realized that with the increasing costs and diminishing reserves of all forms of energy we must con- tinue to practice and promote the conservation theme. For example, we should check to see if our homes require additional insulation added to the ceilings and whether additional caulking around the windows and door frames will eliminate drafts and help reduce our heating costs. And what about hot water? That convenience alone represents about 30 percent of the energy used in the home today. The important thing is that there must be individual initia- tive to conserve and the wise use of electricity should be a goal for all of us. We have been told that with our present rate of use, increasing at seven percent per year in Ontar- io, we will be facing shortages in 1980. If we can reduce this increase to six percent per year, Ontario Hydro's load forecast- ers believe that we can control the problem. A little thought towards elim- inating wasteful useage of electrical energy will not only cost us less, but assure us of continuing electrical power—a service to which. we are accus- tomed. H.D. Hamilton, P. Eng. 1st Vice President 0.M.E.A. 30 Years Ago The Cubs under the leadership of Jean Brock and Margaret Melville and Assistant Scout- master Ross Tuckey held a Christmas banquet at the arena Wednesday evening. The severe storm that swept through the district Thursday evening completely destroyed a storage building at the Huron Lumber Company, Mr. Stanley Tudor presented the Huron-Perth cup to Hensall Baseball team at a banquet in the New Commercial Hotel, Hensall. 20 Years Ago Local Kinettes began the Christmas season by introducing a "sundries wagon" for patients at South Huron Hosplital at their December meeting. Members of Grand Bend fire brigade have raised Over $200 fe# the muscular dystrophy fund of the village. Employment provided by Itensall's thriving industry, General Coach Works of Canada, Limited has resulted in an eight percent increase in the village's population, mediately corrected his errant ways. Well, not quite. In fact,a couple of hours before the story appeared in print, his car was decorated with a yellow parking ticket for having over- stayed its position on the street outside his office. The editor would be laughing even more strenuously over the situation, except for the fact he is also making the trek to the clerk's office with a $2 bill for having been parked behind the assistant's vehicle. Fortunately we got caught at the old rates. Those tickets will soon be $5. Who says you can't believe what's printed in the newspaper? Not this $2-poorer writer. During our advertising rounds last week, a local merchant suggested that one of the best things that could happen this year would be for some retailers to have a poor Christmas, While it was rather a tongue- in-cheek comment, it was based on the fact that Exeter merchants have allowed their business organization to die and with it has gone the annual joint effort in setting store hours, a Christmas ptomotion and even the Santa Claus parade, although the latter is being picked up by the area CB club. Some attempt at organizing special events has been made by a cbuple of energetic business people, but unfortunately they have been hampered by a general lack of enthusiasm among the business community. Their efforts have even been criticised by some who think they are trying to "run the show". It is difficult to comprehend the lack of interest fr,om merchants in jointly promoting their community or in setting store hours, because they are be- ing faced with more and more competition at every turn for the shopper's dollars. Exeter has one of the best shopping centres to be found in a community of this size in Ontario and yet they jeopardize that in- v e s tm e n t by frustrating shoppers through the lack of a general store hour policy or through jointly promoting the benefits of their business com- munity as a whole. Will it really take a serious down-trend in business before they see the need for more cooperation among themselves? The reality is that it may be too late then. At time of writing it would appear that the plan for down- town revitalization will not be vetoed, but it will take a change in attitude before it shows any positive benefits either, Give! Give! scream the ads in the newspaper. Give! Give!, the strident voice on the TV urges. Xes, this is the season of the obligatory gift, A season when Giving becomes Big Business, barter and bribe, payment for past favors, insurance for future ones. A time of mandatory giving, when one feels obliged or expected to give to people one hardly knows, or even, perhaps, hardly even likes. Commercialism "has invaded private giving, depersonalizing what should be purely personal. Bel Kaufman, in an excellent article in the Catholic Digest points out that many sins are committed in the name of giving, though the styles of giving vary, She says the tit-for-tat giver balances his bounty on some invisible but rigid inner scale, a niggardly scale that measures all the input and the output. The martyr-giver sees only his own generosity reflected like a glossy retouched photograph of himself. The overwhelming giver overgives out of inadequacy or guilt or the need to impress. The trumpeting giver loudly proclaims his generosity. The non-giver, pretends to give everything but gives nothing. Fortunately, however, on the other end of the scale, there are the beautiful givers who have empathy, imagination, gusto, humor, deftness, affection, in- finite tact, and a capacity for pleasure. Somehow, these are the ones who know how to make the recipient feel that it is he who is the giver. They are the festive ,people who may exclaim, "Hurray ! I guessed right! You do like it!" Or they are unafraid to show unabashed pleasure that their gift is being appreciated by beaming "Thank you for wearing By KENNETH McDONALD Politicians coin slogans to win votes. "Canadian Unity" is a current favorite,. "Cana- dian Disunity" would be more accurate. • • • By its centralizing poli- cies, Ottawa has succeeded in dividing Canada as never before. Trying to force uni- formity upon different and widely separated regions, it has set business against la- bour, labour against business, and government against both. • • • Canada's labour move- ment recognizes that tripar- tite planning is inappropriate for Canada but it is being driven in that direction in reaction to Ottawa's central- ist policies. • • • By conceding to absurd wage demands from militant civil service unions, Ottawa has set a pattern which has made &impossible for Cana- dian industry to maintain a competitive cost structure. • • • Through the abuse of its taxing powers, Ottawa has seriously damaged resource development in Alberta and British Columbia. By subsi- dizing transportation costs, by income transfers and by locking Atlantic Canada and other regions into Central Canada's economy, Ottawa has forced those regions into dependence. • • • Ottawa has used its taxing power to grab control 6f provincial matters and force provinces into extravagant schemes against their will, This year's federal health and welfare spending is $10.93 that scarf, I knew it would match the color of your eyes!" These are the gifted, guileless givers. Unfortunately, they are rather scarce, Others find it difficult to even give the time of day. They, are slow to divulge the information after looking at their watch reluctantly. Parting with money is a trauma for them, They need to be repeatedly reminded, asked, even begged for it, and thanked over and over again. For an ounce of giving they must extract their pound of flesh. A gift can be eloquent or very silent. It can say, "Tome you are special," or "You see, I remember," or it can say loudly and clearly, "I can't be bothered," or "You're not im- portant to me," Giving is always a giving up of something: money, objects, time, privacy, energy or emotion. How, and how much and what is something we all weigh on that inner calibrated scale of give and take. Love is the ultimate giving, an expression of one's best self. As Ms. Kaufman says, "Without love, the art of giving is a mere etiquette." A homemade box of brownies,a child's pot holder made in Arts and Crafts, a friend sitting through the night at the bedside of a sick friend, a father carefully repairing a much loved toy, all these are gifts given in praise and sympathy and laughter and love. When giving comes directly from the heart, because one wants to give and not because one has to, it can never disappoint or embarrass. The art of giving lies in its very artlessness. It is a talent, a gift. Those who have it are touched with grace. And those who have received from them will remain forever rich. billion,. 25 per cent higher than Ottawa's total budget of just 10 years ago. e • Of all the world's indus- trialized countries, Canada is the least suited to collecti- vist doctrines. Small packets 'of people stretched over 3.,000 miles simply cannot be jumbled into one big container. • • • Of all the world's indus- trialized countries, Canada is the one best suited to a political philosophy based on decentralization of power. • e • Yet politicians and bu- reaucrats ape the policies of close-knit, homogeneous countries such as Sweden and Germany which are as • different from Canada as chalk from cheese. eb • • Natural forces are revers- ing the centralization process. The economic and social pressures created by costly energy and slow economic growth will encourage the development of small-scale technology and small-scale industry more widely dis- persed throughout Canada. • • • Speaking this month at an international symposium, Canadian Federation of In- dependent Business President John Bulloch warned that if Western countries fail to rein- force these natural pressures toward decentralization they "will become increasingly difficult to govern by demo- cratic means; and our demo- cracies will be replaced by various forms of bureaucratic authoritarianism and central planning". Page 4 Times-Advocate, December 9, 1976 Should it start? The recent signing of a memorandum of agreement between the Ontario govern- ment and the Reed Paper Company has sparked one of the strongest threats to minority government in the province since the last election. Almost noone, the Opposi- tion, the Native peoples, the foresters, the environmentalist, is happy with the way the decision was made to allow the last major timber reserve in Ontario to fall before the pulp and paper industry's axes. While the government has assured the Cree and Ojibway that adequate inquiries will be conducted before the final agree- ment is signed, the Native People feel that rarely, if ever, are agreements-in-principle on resource development projects reversed simply because so much money is at stake. Several thousand rely on the 19,000 square miles of virgin bush for their hun- ting, fishing and trapping livelihood. The Native people, the Grand Council of Treaty IX, want a Berger-style commission with the greatest independence possible, with the widest terms of reference and un- der an eminent chairman. The government wants something less sweeping. En- vironmentalists and most professional foresters point to the mercury pollution of the English and Wabigoon Rivers by Reed's. other plant at Dryden, Ont., and the poor reforestation record of most of the province's paper companies. The United Church of Canada, through its Department of Church in Society, recently supported the Indians in their plea for an inquiry. Other fair-minded Canadians should do the same thing. If the proposal by Reed and Queen's Park is a viable, environmentally and socially accep- table project, then it can suffer little from a fully independent and widely-based ex- amination. If it is as destructive to the peo- ple and the land, as the Native Peoples charge, then better it never start. The government could take a lead in fin- ding new and creative ways of dealing with resource development taking all con- siderations publicly into its decision- making process. A matter of trust One of the recurring themes today from politicians of almost every stripe is that of trust. The prime minister deplores the cynicism of Canadians about government, towards elected representatives as well as appointed civil servants. There must be mere trust of govern- ment. You must trust us, say the experts. We know what's best for you. And we believe the question of trust and respect for the institutions of democracy are essential to the survival of a free socie- ty. However, that trust must be grounded in morality and it must be mutual in its very essence. Morality must have no dou- ble standard, and respect can have no equivocation. Let us examine briefly a couple of ex- amples. The scandals surrounding the Lockheed corporation's attempts to sell aircraft have reached in the deepest reaches of free society. One of the last royal families in Europe has been tainted with corruption and a former prime minister of Japan is in jail as a result of the exposure of Lockheed's sales techniques. All this was well known to Canadian of- ficials who purchased a billion dollars worth of aircraft from these admitted cor- rupters. No one suggests that any Canadian was bribed, but can we expect to respect in- stitutions which have no apparent difficulty in doing business with those who so easily corrupted others. Henry Kissinger in explaining American foreign policy that so readily accepts the governments of Brazil, Chile and Iran while deriding the leftist regimes of other nations, said that while he personally abhorred the admitted torture tactics employed in these countries that the U.S. could not base policy on the morals of others. There is some kind of distinction in these examples that misses the point. There is a placid acceptance that anything goes, that manipulation and double stan- dards are acceptable, that the end always justifies the means. But, try to explain those subtle distinc- tions to a child. No wonder the credibility of government is low. • • Times Established 1873 Advocate Established 1881 Irfte toreferZimes-Abuorafe SERVING CANADA'S BEST FARMLAND C.W.N.A., 0.W.N.A. CLASS 'A' and ABC Published by J. W. Eedy Publications Limited LORNE EEDY, PUBLISHER Editor — Bill Batten Assistant Editor — Ross Haugh Advertising Manger — Jim Beckett Plant Manager — Jim Scott Composition Manager — Harry DeVries Business Manager a Dick Jongkind Phone 235-1331 Published Each Thdrsday Morning at Exeter, Ontario Second Class Mail Registration Number 0386 Paid in Advance Circulation September 30, 1975 5,409 SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Canada $11.00 Per Year; USA $22.00 15 Years Ago- At his final council meeting,. Mayor. Pooley expressed his appreciation to council members for their co-operation during his 10 years on council, Fire Chief Irwin Ford estimated loss at between $10,000 and $12,000 from the blaze which razed the barns of Roger Mar- chand, Usborne Township, Saturday night, Winners for Exeter's Christ- mas door competition this year are Mr, & Mrs, Doug Gould, Mr. & Mrs, Art Frayne, and Mr, & Mrs. Fred Huxtable. 5 Years Ago Bill Routly, Usborne town- ship's road superintendent will retire at the end of December after serving for almost thirty years. Thirty-one members of Crediton W.I. celebrated 25 years of reorganization and Christmas with a smorgasbord dinner December 8. An anniversary cake and blue and gold decorations decked the tables, Brett Regier recently became the first member of the Ruron Park First Cub pack to receive five proficiency awards, O 4