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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Exeter Times-Advocate, 1977-01-27, Page 4Page 4 Times-Advocate, January 27, 1977 -ele7g..•• • .41:41eeee WHIPPER WATSON'S SNOWARAMA Sunday, Jan. 30 Do Your Share for Crippled Children 100 Mile Snawarama Starts and Finishes at NEWS IT 111: Royal Navy gets fuel cut Both points valid Reeve Si Simmons had some in- teresting comments to make on council's practice of charging impost fees on new lots in the community and initially there appeared to be little support for his com- ment that it was a rip-off. Impost fees are charged in many com- munities in Ontario and it is interesting to note that on the same night that Reeve Sim- mons was making his charge, the council in Goderich was passing a bylaw setting an impost fee that is twice as high as that in Exeter. However, Exeter council members will have to admit that they had a difficult time in justifying the impost fee in reply to the Reeve's comments. Basically, an impost fee is levied to cover the costs incurred by the municipali- ty when a developer opens a new subdivi- sion or even when services are provided to existing lots when home construction takes place. In the past, the fee has been justified. Servicing lots is an expensive proposition and it has been argued that this cost should not fall to other ratepayers, However, under terms of new subdivi- sion agreements, most of the services re- quired in subdivisions must be provided by the subdivider, who in turn adds these to the charge he levies when a lot is sold. It can therefore be argued, as Reeve Simmons does, that the impost fee is un- justified and in fact provides a hardship for new home buyers. The c8unter argument, as outlined by Mayor Bruce Shaw and Councillor Ted Wright, is that the town still faces sizeable costs in extending services to the boun- daries of new subdivisions or in enlarging existing facilitieS to handle the new capaci- ty. This, however, does not arise in all cases, particularly when a severance may be granted to create a new, lot in an older section of town which is already serviced. The conclusion may be that both poin6 of view are correct: the impost fee may be a rip-off in some instances while in others it is totally justifiable and in fact may not come close to covering the costs to be in- curred. It would be difficult to have a policy where each situation would have to be dealt with on an individual basis and it would appear that the present impost fee is reasonable in that it is (according to figures presented to Goderich council) as low as any in the province. Let's plan a carnival Unusual letter • It's unique from the standpoint of being a message of, thanks, an all too rare oc- currence for most people these days. The fact that it comes from members of today's younger generation also tends to make it unusual in that few people give them credit for having the courtesy and thoughtfulness expressed in the letter. But perhaps the most dramatic part of it all is the fact that it is a thank-you for assistance in getting them to school. The letter, signed by Julia Hendrick, Donna Kerslake and Bob Murray is as follows: "We would like to commend the bus This newspaper receives some unusual letters from time to time, but perhaps none could be considered to be more in that category than the one received this week from three grade eight students from Usborne Central School. drivers of our community for the job they have done in getting us to school this past month. The dangerous job of getting us there posed a problem because of snow, ice and poor visibility. "Minor accidents did occur and we got stuck a number of times, but the bus driver managed to hold us together and get us to school on time. "The job is most difficult, but very necessary. We extend our thanks to all of them from the students of Usborne Central Public School." The letter obviously needs no other comment from us, other than to suggest to the school bus drivers and the other people involved in the task (such as snow plow operators, etc.) that the youngsters' com- ments no doubt will be wholeheartedly sup- ported by their parents. _ If the hat fits . . . wear it proudly. Sickness breeds boredom Had the 'flu this week and took a couple_of days off work. That made 10 days in the last 15 years on the job. And, I rediscovered the reason I will, time and again, totter off to work when I'm prac- tically on my hands and knees with some ailment. It's because I nearly go out of my skull with boredom when I'm home sick. I'm not saying my wife isn't a delightful conversationalist or a charming companion. She is. But when you have the 'flu you want neither delight nor charm. You just want to be left alone like an old dog, to live or die as the Lord decides. She won't leave me alone. She brings me a big breakfast to bed when all I really want is a sharp harikari knife. After once spen- ding a year in bed, in a sanatorium, I hate eating in bed. Trying to balance a tray on the knees, Spilling coffee on the sheets, with the inevitable blast from the laundress. Dripping gooey egg down in the front of your pyjamas. Then by lunch-time, I'm so bored with bed that I stagger up and dress, dying or not. And she starts again. I should have some lunch to keep my strength up. Have you taken your antio-biotic pills, dear? Maybe you should watch TV for a while to keep Times Established 1873 your spirits up. Would you like another cup of tea? I don't want another cup of tea. I'm drowning in it already. I don't want any sardines on toast, or cheese bits in the oven, or nice tasty soup. My pills make me dizzy. TV makes me want to throw up. This has got to be the swine flu. Am I really dying or will I just be paralyzed for life. Does God really exist? If He does, why is He dumping this on me? Well, all that is bad enough. But during this session, the worst happened. I ran out of reading material. By the end of Day Two I had whipped through three library books, two daily papers twice a day, and half-a-dozen weeklies, a couple of news magazines, and the directions on the cereal box, in English and French. The inevitable occurred. I was forced to read one of those women's magazines that my wife buys occasionally at the supermarket when she sees an interesting recipe. It plunged me into an even deeper, almost suicidal, depression. One of the feature articles told me I must love myself first, if I were going to amount to anything. I plowed through it with growing disgust, con- sidering that at the moment I Advocate Established 1881 despised myself, modern medicine, my wife, and almost anything else I could think of.. When I got to a list of things I must stop doing if I were to love myself, and read, "Not having orgasms," I threw up all over the livingroom rug. After settling my stomach with a hot toddy, and finding nothing else around that I hadn't read twice, I picked up the magazine again, in sheer desperation. The other feature article plunged me once again into abysmal gloom. It was call- ed, "Chart Your Way to Success." When I read abOnt the author that she is a professor of educational psychology, I should have stopped right there. I know how much those birds know about real life. They live in a dream world of stuff like "positive reinforcement" and "negative feed-back." But I pressed on. After wading through three saccharine en- dorsements from people whose whole life she had changed, I went on to this: "You too can follow in the footsteps of Lee, Mark and Doris. You can define and attain your own success." It seems that all you have to do is make a chart, divided into Amalgamated 1924 CCNA attn a BROM AWARD 1974 We learn by doing . . and often that can be a painful ex- perience, although it is seldom without some value, even if it only teaches us never to do it again. A note sent home from Exeter Public School last week indicates some youngsters in the com- munity have had some first-hand experience as to what happens when a hot, wet tongue is stuck m a cold, hard piece of metal on a sub-zero day. They have some sore tongues to show for the lesson. No doubt many of our readers will sympathize with the youngsters, remembering their experiment of that nature. It was usually the result of a "suggestion" from an older brother, sister or school chum and in extreme cases it made for some difficult eating for a couple of days. * * * We often hear the expression "dog days" and it normally is in reference to those hot, hazy days of summer. Remember them? Well, it is becoming evident that area 'residents will .114,e9 some choice expressions fte, define the current wititer, although they may not be as polite as the words used for in- sufferable summer days. At any rate, there is a real need for someone in the com- munity to come up with some ac- tivities to give us all a break from the habitual drudgery of winter. Many communities have been staging winter carnivals and they no doubt serve a useful purpose in providing an avenue for citizens to participate in some winter madness activities so they can forget about the weather for at least a couple of days. three periods, each representing a third of your life, beginning at the age of five. Then you list three successes for each period and opposite each, list why it was a success for you. Out of sheer ennui, I started a chart. In the first period, from five to 15, I could think of only one success. I won one fight with a belligerent urchin named George Cornell, with whom I tangled frequently. It was a success for me because it was the only one I ever did win. In the second period, from 15 to 30, again I could think of only one success: I learned to fly an airplane. But this wasn't such a great success since, because of it, I spent a stretch in a German prison camp. In the third period, from 30 on, I couldn't think of a single success. I became a newspaper editor through sheer accident. All that got me was 10 years laboring as a galley slave to pay off the mortgage on the paper. Then I became a teacher,which any damfool could become in those days. They were pulling bodies in off the streets because of the baby boom hitting the high schools. I became head of the English Department purely because nobody else was qualified, not on merit, ex- perience or dedication. I became a syndicated colum- nist by chance. All that gets me is a deadline hanging about my neck like a big Old albatross, By the time I'd finished mak- ing out the chart, I realized, not for the first time, that I was an utter failure, and that it was go- ing to take a lot more than a chart to change things. It was then that I made my one and only resolution for 1977. And all subsequent years. I will never again, should I he forced to peruse nothing more exciting than the small print on toothpaste tubes, read another woman's magazine from a super- market. Immediately I made this resolve, I felt a lot better, and next morning was back at work, Winter carnivals are often plagued by a severe mild spell that makes the snow disappear, and for that reason alone, -it would be worthwhile to at least plan such an event, With any luck at all it would have to be cancell- ed due to warm weather. If you happen to be heading to Oklahoma for a change of scenery or in an effort to escape winter, you should keep in mind that they have a rather unusual traffic law, It states in part that "the driver of any vehicle involved in an accident resulting in death . shall immediately stop . . and give his name and address to the person struck". That would indicate that you should carry a piece of paper and a pin so you can attach your name and address to the victim's shirt. * * * • . If you're feeling sorry for yourself these days, then you'll appreciate the plight of a safety officer in 'a Great Britain fac- tory. Aerate of sand fell and injured him' and when he attempted to get compensation, the court rul- ed that he could not because he should have known of the danger. As safety officer it was said to be his job to tell management about safety hazards. It seems that every job has its short comings! * * * Speaking of hazards, the Rubber Association of Canada advises that spinning tires at high speeds on ice or snow can be very dangerous, while at the same being a very ineffective way to free a stuck vehicle. Each year a number of tires req)lode on cars, in some cases causing bodily injury, and in most cases inflicting con- siderable damage to the vehicle. The explanation is that the tremendous centrifugal force produced by a rapidly spinning wheel may cause the corn- 55 Years Ago The Boy Scouts of Exeter Troop No. 1 held a banquet in Cavell Presbyterian Church last week when the main item on the program was the presentation of a life-saving medal to Scout Bob Gambrill. Scout master Tom Pryde was the toast-master. This area has been visited' by a severe cold snap during the past few days. Ice harvest has been going full swing for over a week. Mr. Wm. Leavitt entertained the hockey boys to an oyster supper one evening ldst week. The Exeter Sport Club held their first skating party at the Dome Rink last Friday evening after which they returned to Messrs. Harvey & Harvey's restaurant where a dainty lunch was served. 30 Years Ago Preston Dearing was elected president of Exeter Agricultural Society at the annual meeting. Teen Town was inaugurated by the teen-agers of Exeter at a meeting held in the Exeter arena Friday evening. Dr, & Mrs. E. S, Steiner and Dr. ez Mrs. W. B. Coxon, Zurich, attended the conference of the Ontario Veterinary Association in Ottawa this week. Rufus Kestle has disposed of his farm at Martindale to Bruce Cann. At council meeting, the clerk was instructed to draft a by-law to govern garbage colleetion in Exeter. ponents of the tire to separate, resulting in a dramatic release of air. A gentle backward-forward rocking or a shovelful of sand un- der the slipping tire is a much safer and effective method of getting your car out of such a predicament. * * * Everyone can give pleasure in some way. One person may do it by coming into a room and another by leaving. Life is full of many contradic- tions and exceptions to the rule. For instance, there are the periodic advertisements telling people of the cost and waste in- volved in having a dripping faucet. Compare that to an advertise- ment in last week's Ridgetown newspaper. The PUC in that community had an advertise- ment asking people to leave a tap running slightly during the even- ing hours. The request, of course, was for "extreme cold nights" only and it was made in an effort to pre- vent freeze-up of water lines. The PUC manager explained - that after some recent construc- tion in the community, some streets had more earth removed than normal, and instead of the mains being over four feet in the ground as usual, they were now a mere two feet under the surface and being nipped by Jack Frost. * * * The cold snap also created an unusual situation in the Seaforth area last week. A power failure occurred when a guy wire snapped due to the extreme cold and this caused a hydro pole to break off. Apparently such problems are e• a common occurrence in more northern parts of the province, although a spokesman for the hydro repair crew said it was the first time in his experience that a pole had snapped because of cold weather in this area. 20 Years Ago Reports given at the congregational meeting of James Street United Church showed the congregation to be in healthy condition. Membership had risen to 1,039 and the total of all missionary contributions was over $8,000. Tuckey Beverages, Exeter, increased the price of its soft drinks from seven to eight cents a bottle. Mrs. Robert Luxton, leader of Exeter Girl Guides, and Margaret Sanders, patrol leader, have been selected to attend the worl&Guide Camp at Doe Lake this summer. Mrs. James Kopp (nee Etta Brintnell) and children left Toronto by plane Tuesday to join her husband, Cpl. James Kopp, R.C.A.F. at Whitehorse, Yukon, 15 Years Ago William Hyde, this area's champion fiddler for over half a century, died at the home of his son, Harvey Hyde, Hensel!. He was 98. Jim Scott, 31, emerged safely Friday morning from one of the worst wrecks seen here for, several years. Infectious hepatitis is on the increase here but it's difficult to assess the danger, according to Dr. R, M, Aldis, Huron MOH. Mr. & Mrs. George Lawson celebrated their golden wedding anniversary, January 24, Choice Maker Arena Road,' San Rafael, Trinidad, West Indies, 6th September, 1976 Dear Editor, I would like to correspond with people in Canada, so I would be very happy if you could publish my name in your Pen Pal column if you have one. If not could you forward my letter to a newspaper where there is one. My name is Judy Springer and I live at Arena Road, San Rafael, Trinidad, West Indies. I am 18 years old and my hobbies are reading, corresponding, parties. Thanking you in advance, I remain, Yours respectfully Judy Springer Dear Sir: This week is Minor Hockey Week across the country—a salute to the thousands of kids who participate in Canada's national sport. This year Exeter Minor Hockey Association is not holding a Minor Hockey Day—the first we have missed in many years. The reason—the unavailability of ice time. We felt it unwise to try to organize such a day when ice time is at such a premium. Although EMHA registrations are down in numbers from other years, I think most kids are getting sufficient hockey to satisfy their needs, EMHA has had some problems, but with the capable executive that we have these have been faced and solved. We have had some complaints and hopefully we have provided adequate answers to these. EMHA has coaches and managers who volunteer their many hours of service for many times less than a "Thanks". If it were s not for these devoted in- dividuals who come out week after week with the kids, the opportunity to play hockey would not exist. Yes, we as parents complain a lot because "my boy" doesn't get as much ice time as someone else or we feel the coach is down on him. Remember we should not complain unless we could do much better and if we could do better then we should have' volunteered to look after a team at the beginning of the year. We must thank the parents for bringing the kids out to the rinks,,paying the registration and driving about the country to games and tournaments. We must thank the mothers we have organized fund `thank schemes for EMHA. We thank the fans who support us at our games. So it is "3 cheers" and "hats off" to everyone involved with EMHA,We thank everyone for a job well done. Minor hockey* needs everyone. Let's salute the hockey players this week, but let's not forget all those hard working volunteers behind the scenes. If it were not for them the great game of hockey could not be enjoyed by kids across our country. Sincerely, Ron Bogart EMHA President late exeferZimesabuorafe SERVING CANADA'S BEST FARMLAND C.W.N.A., O,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 Manager — Jim Beckett Plant Manager — Jim Scott Composition Manager — Harry DeVries Business Manager— Dick Jongkind Phone 2351331 Published Each Thursday Morning 6, at Exeter, Ontario Second Class Mail Registration Number 0386 Paid in Advance Circulation September 30, 1975 5,409 SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Canada $1 1.00 Per Year; USA $22.00 Now days most people call their adopted children 'chosen ones' But we didn't choose ours and she didn't choose us. Arriving on our doorstep a scared, reluctant thirteen, year old she later told me at her first glance of me she thought defiantly "Who's the shrimp?" Inwardly I groaned, my stomach doing cartwheels "Oh my, what a BIG girl". She came to stay two weeks until a permanent home was found for her . , and never left Storms, fights, frustrations, tears and red-hot anger days almost convinced us it would never work. Yet through it all we always sensed Your Presence Supported by your love and guidance a spangled metamorphosis took place Wethank and bless you Lord for this your child our beautiful daughter • Thank ypu for choosing us for her I Didn't Go He wanted me to go to the hockey game I said no I don't like hockey games and I won't go So he went by himself and now I'm sorry Next time I'll go with him even though I don't want to At least I think I will Trying To Diet On Sunday night the control I own Is perfectly stupendous How come by Monday morn it's flown And food tastes so tremendous?