HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Exeter Times-Advocate, 1977-05-26, Page 4If the other municipalities involved in
the South Huron Recreation Centre follow
the lead of Usborne council, there is little
question but what the board of manage-
ment and their staff will have to run an ex-
tremely tight ship.
Usborne councillors were the first to
approve sharing in any operating deficit of
the centre for the current year, and while
they agreed to assume up to 30 percent of
any deficit, they attached the stipulation
that the amount would not exceed $4,000.
That's certainly a business like ap-
proach to take to the situation, and obvious-
ly none of the councils involved could be ex-
pected to give the board an open-ended
agreement such as a straight percentage
without any limit.
It will make the board extremely
budget conscious in the operation of the
new centre and will require more accurate
and up-to-date accounting, procedures than
have been used in the past for recreation
and recreation facilities in the community.
If the negotiations between the area
municipalities is to be conducted on an an-
nual basis, it will also require early ap-
proval each year for the centre budget
from the councils involved.
Circumstances in the past have pointed
out quite clearly that budget deliberations
and approvals must be undertaken in the
first couple of months of the year. To delay
it beyond that point could result in the
same problems encountered by Exeter's
RAP committee in their final year of
operation.
The formal agreement between the
municipalities should contain specific
dates when the board is to present their an-
nual budget and provide specific deadlines
for the councils to make their decision on
that budget.
It is obvious that the board of manage-
ment and the councils involved will have to
operate on a trial and error basis for
several months before any accurate predic-
tions can be made regarding the annual
operation of the facility and to reach the
long range goal of area recreation.
However, it is encouraging to hear the
comments of Usborne Reeve Bill Morley
when he notes that the township is
represented by capable men on the board
whom council trusts to make intelligent
decisions on behalf of their ratepayers.
If the other councils show as much
trust in their representatives, there is
every indication that the operation of the
facility should run smoothly once the initial
kinks are ironed out.
A better scheme
Commenting on the fact that at a time
when Canada's ability to produce new
wealth is in doubt we seem to be better
than ever at creating instant millionaires,
the Glengarry News muses that lotteries
produce no new wealth. They redistribute
what we have, leaving a lot of people a lit-
tle poorer and a few much richer.
The Renfrew Mercury suggests a new
plan guaranteed to win you at least $250 a
year. The day before each of the Wintario,
Provincial or Loto Canada draws just
deposit the value of two tickets in a special
bank account. With 26 Wintario, 12 Provin-
cial and four Loto Canada draws, the total
after a year will be $252. And to make the
winnings even bigger, you will be paid in-
terest on the money . Of course there isn't
any chance of winning a million dollars, but
the chances of winning a million on the
lotteries is so small as to be worthless
anyway.
The truth about the lotteries is that
from 40 to 50 percent of the money goes into
prizes. That means that of your $252
entered, only from $100 to $126 is paid back
in prizes.
So that means that, after levelling out
the odds, you could make twice as much
money by putting the ticket-money into the
bank.
And then at Christmas or whatever
time you decided to take the cash out, you
will have a nice total of winnings on hand
instead of cursing that you didn't win.
Plan not working
Recently a major Canadian bank had
signs in the lobbies "Retirement is just not
working." And careful investigation by the
Canadian Federation of Independent
Business argues that, that is true in more
ways than the bank meant.
Canada has all sorts of pension plans,
all of them carefully "indexed" to the cost
of living. At present, however, the level of
contributions being made by workers to the
Canadian Pension Plan is inadequate to
cover the promised benefits to workers
when they retire, even without indexing.
This problem does not extend to the
pensions of civil servants, including our
MPs, whose retirement income is
protected. At about the time the amount of
pension benefits increases substantially
because of our declining birth rate, the
number of workers who support the plan
will decline so that fewer workers will be
paying for more` pensions. Unions are now
pushing to have all private pension plans
fully indexed. If Canadian industry accepts
this then there will be higher wage costs.
Perhaps the Senior Citizens who are now
living on pensions which are adjusted \ to
rising costs, in retrospect, will be the lucky
ones.
Ridgetown Dominion
From the literary scene
Educational Heresy
Page 4
Times-Advocate, May 26, 1977
VAKOMPDOMIWAVAN.,,,,,AVW,N,Xiii•AMMWAVOMMOMPI.WAVOA,,,,,:wW
Encouraging start
"I'm afraid you'll have to give up smoking; drinking; and thinking about Quebec."
Designations are unfair
For years I'd been hearing
about Canada Day, an annual
event at which Canadian writers
come out of the woods or from
under stones and allow
themselves to be pestered for
autographs, lauded to the skies
and otherwise tortured by hordes
of starry-eyed students and
eager English teachers,
It was Jim Foley, a
leprechaunish slip of a man, who
spawned the idea originally,
when he taught high school
English in Port Colborne. Why
shouldn't students have a chance
to meet some real, live writers?
First year it was done on a
shoe-string, Foley's students
raised money by collecting beer
bottles and other nefarious
means. A few authors and poets
turned up and talked to the kids.
It was a great success.
Since then, it has grown in both
scope and ambition, and is now a
singular annual event in Cana-
dian literature circles, with hun-
dreds of students busing hun-
dreds of miles, and a pretty good
accounting of Canadian writers,
good, bad and indifferent, tur-
ning up for their accolades.
Foley, who is no dummy when
it comes to raising money, got
publishers, a notably reluctant
lot when it comes to spending
money, to set up displays, He
tapped every possible cultural
well, from departments of
education to Canada Council,
This year I attended, along
with a young colleague who is a
budding poet, and we had a good
time and came home dropping
names all over theplace and buf-
fing our cultural fingernails all
over ourselves very ostensibly.
"Well, after Margaret
Laurence gave me a big kiss," I
noted, "the whole weekend was
just one mad whirl." This made
my students sit up.
"Michael Ondaatje's beard is
neater than mine," contributed
my friend Roger," but I'm a
better poet, and I told him so."
"At least half the writers there
are regular readers of my
column," I commented smugly.
Three or five of them actually
are, but wotthehell.
"We had breakfast with Mayor
Moore and drove him to his
seminar," Roger tossed in, And
so we went on.
As a matter of fact, some of
those things did happen, and
some others that I have no inten-
tion of revealing.
Some rather interesting con-
trasts popped up. For example,
the novelists seem to be rather a
steady lot, in comparison to the
poets, who had a tendency to get
into the grape.
Age seems to have little to do
with ability. Leslie MacFarlane,
the grand old man who wrote the
Hardy Boy books (and received
about $50 each for them as total
royalties) away back when, was
honored at the same time as
Young Jack Hodgins from Van-
couver Island, who has just
published his first novel. There's
close to sixty years difference in
their ages.
And by the way, there's a
young fellow to watch —
Hodgins. He was exhausted from
a combination of jet lag and too
many interviews in too short a
time, But he gave it everything
he had, in panels and quiz
sessions, He's very handsome,
very eloquent, and very
enthusiastic, ,and I imagine the
teenagers were swooning over
him. Let's hope he doesn't get
caught up in the snarling and
back-biting that too often stains
the Canadian culture scene.
Canadian publishers, on the
whole, showed their usual un-
inventiveness, coming out of
what seemed a deep lassitude
only when John Robarts of the
Federal cabinet said something
about more help for publishers.
That's the only thing that seems
to stir them. Exceptions are a
few small publishers, who show
some verve and imagination in
design and quality of books,
Farley Mowat's beard is
almost as long as he is, but he
has a nice wife. Pierre Berton is
still combing his sideburns over
his bald spot, but looks healthy
and self-satisfied as ever. Suave
Hugh Maclennan makes most of
the other writers sound as though
they'd just left Hayfork Centre.
Yves Therriault, a popular
Quebec writer, has a new and
charming second wife who
seems to like him. Lloyd Person,
Saskatchewan novelist, still
thinks I should devote a column
to a review of his book if he sends
me a copy, Mayor Moore doesn't
comb his sideburns over his bald
spot and looks fine just as he is,
Poet John Newlove has eyes like
two boiled eggs at a certain point
in his progress. Some of the
young fellows from New-
foundland put on the liveliest
show of the weekend, with music
and poems, Max Braithwaite and
charming wife, fit and tanned,
are just back from California,
During the past few weeks, the
writer has attended several
meetings at which education has
been discussed, and certainly
many people in this area have
been involved in that discussion
as part of the internal evaluation
team of education in South
Huron.
One disconcerting aspect of
the total exercise has been the
fact that some unfortunate labels
have been tossed about and it has
prompted some parents to
wonder whether their concern
and interest is really ap-
preciated.
At a board of education
meeting called to discuss text-
books on the English course, the
parents who attended to express
their concerns were referred to
as a "pressure group" by one of
the principals in attendance. •
However, at another meeting
at which only a handful of
parents attended, it was
suggested that the lack of in-
terest was due to their
"apathetic" nature.
While it may be a rather over-
simplified statement of the situa-
tion, one parent recently com-
mented that it was difficult to
know where she stood, "If I at-
tend a meeting, I'm considered
part of a pressure group, and if I
stay away I'm labelled as being
apathetic," she commented.
Obviously, it creates a quan-
dry!
* *
Education is the public's
business and it is encouraging
that parents have been formally
invited to be involved in its
evaluation. After all, it con-
sumes a considerable portion of
their tax dollars and they have
an economic interest as well as
the more important interest of
the education of theiechildren.
Unfortunately, evaluations or
public meetings on education
generally concern themselves
with the weaknesses of the
system. That's as it should be,
because those are the areas that
need improvement.
However, too often those who
and they're making movies•of a
couple of his books.
Uh, let's see, Irving Layton is
getting old, just as he threatens
in his poems. I don't know why
Mrs. Jim Foley doesn't go out of
her nut, running interference for
Jim. Politicians, about eight of
them, insisted on welcoming
everybody, to everybody's dis-
may. Al Purdy looks as though he
needs a week in a rest home.
Poet Don Gutteridge's wife,
Anne, enjoyed driving us back to
the motel when my driver ran
out of steam.
There you are, Just a few notes
from the literary scene by a non-
hero-worshipping weeky colum-
nist who knows that when you
peek behind the talent, the writer
is just a dogsbody, like the rest of
us.
are in areas of responsibility im-
mediately take on a defensive
role and tend to assume that peo-
ple are finding fault with
everything they do.
Basically, if people were asked
to rate our education system on a
scale of one to ten, it would
probably come out at an average
of around eight or perhaps even
higher.
But obviously, it would never
hit ten. What does reach that
elusive goal of being perfect?
Probably nothing!
Surely it does not indicate that
people should ever be satisfied
with anything less than ten
though. When we reach a stage
where we consider eight or nine
being ample, it usually indicates
that we wouldn't be too concern-
ed if it dropped to seven. In
short, when people stop reaching
for perfection they usually slide
a long way below that level,
Education is a team effort in-
volving the ministry, trustees,
administrators, teachers,
parents and students. When any
member of that team is unable to
accept criticism or suggestions
for change, then he jeopardizes
the team's effort and certainly
minimizes his contribution.
Hopefully the dialogue that has
been opened will continue and
there will be more opportunities
for the members of the team to
get together to discuss their
common goal.
*
Election campaigns always
produce some interesting com-
ments and prove that people can,
in the interest of their party,
almost prove that black is white.
That is particularly true in this
area, where for the past few
years, we have managed to get
ourselves into the opposition at
both the federal and provincial
elections.
So, we have the provincial PCs
going around saying that we
should really get back on the side
of the government, while in the
next federal election they'll
probably point out the need for a
strong opposition.
Conversely, the Liberals will
tell us now that we need a strong
opposition, while come the next
federal election they'll be en-
couraging us to get on the
government side of the house.
The whole concept of that type
of argument is, when considered
fully, rather distasteful because
it suggests that governments
tend to find favor only with those
constituencies which are
represented by a member of the
government.
Unfortunately, it is often based
on fact!
* *
We hesitate to look a gift-horse
in the mouth, but the advertising
campaign staged recently by
Conestoga College is almost un-
believable.
The College ran two-color half
page advertisements in niany
area papers last week announ-
cing their tenth birthday party,
and inviting people to join in the
tencennial celebration days.
Now, before you gather up
your Sunday best to head out to
that big party, you should be
reminded that it doesn't occur
until September 30 to October 2.
The advertising manager is
hoping that the campaign con-
tinues to grow each week until
that time and by the week prior
to the event he should be able to
stay at home and fill the paper
with colorful page after page for
the Conestoga tencennial.
If he can hold out long enough,
he should be able to retire quite
comfortably on the commission
for their 25th anniversary.
* *
It was rather surprising that
Councillors Barb Bell and Lossy
Fuller weren't able to convince
the male members of Exeter
council to complete the
renovations at the new police of-
fice this year, rather than delay-
ing some until 1978.
Several council members had
been concerned about the in-
conveniences and disruption that
was going to be involved if the
police stayed at the town hall
during renovations there, but
now they don't seem to consider
that such a problem at the new
office.
If it only involved an expen-
diture of $1,000 it would seem
practical to get it all completed
at the present time,
* *
We take this occasion to
welcome Howard and Peter
Hughes back into the communi-
ty. The two boat builders will
certainly be welcomed back with
open arms by the employees who
will find work at Hughes Boat
Works Ltd. when they start back
into production at Huron Park.
It should also give the area
economy a shot in the arm to
have the former North Star plant
back in operation.
• •
Amalgamated 1924
CCNA
IRUI 1418110N
AWARD
1974
55 Years Ago
Last Thursday, the ceremony
of the stone laying of the new
Crediton Methodist Church took
place. Rev, G. W. Rivers,
chairman of the district, presided
at the well-attended occasion.
Rev. Walter E. IVIillson, London,
was the principal speaker of the
afternoon. The Trustee Board
stone was laid by John Sherritt,
Granton. The Ladies' Aid stone
was laid by Mrs. Mollard, Exeter
and the Sunday School stone was
laid by J. M. Southcott, Exeter.
The old building on Main
Street, recently purchased by C,
F. Hooper, has been torn down,
Mr. Hooper will erect a s tore
and residence on the property.
The bowlers were on the green
Tuesday evening for the first
time this season.
Rev. Blatchford unveiled the
Soldier's Memorial, and Rev.
Gordon Butt unveiled a window in
memory of his father, Rev. W. H,
Butt a former pastor at Centralia
at the second Sunday of services
held in connection with the
opening of Centralia Church,
Rev. J, E. Reycraft, Goderich,
preached at both services, which
were well attended,
30 Years Ago
Clark Fisher was elected
D,D.G.M. at a district meeting of
the Oddfellows.
Exeter has joined a baseball
league with Centralia, Dash-
wood, Lucan and St. Marys. They
also joined a softball league with
Centralia RCAF, Clinton,
Goderich, Seaforth and
Wingham.
Close to 1,000 fans attended the
opening of the Huron-Perth
baseball season at Dashwood
May 24. Dashwood was defeated
by the Lucan Irish Nine 18-14. It
was the first team fielded by
Dashwood in 20 years,
Congratulations to Mr. and
Mrs. Eli Coultis, who celebrated
their 50th wedding anniversary
Monday at their home. Many
friends called to offer
congratulations.
Ten Honour Graduation
Diplomas and 13 Graduation
Diplomas were awarded at the
annual commencement exercises
of Exeter District High School,
held in the arena Tuesday
evening.
by JIM SMITH
Sometime in the very near
future — it may, in fact, al-
ready have taken place by the
time you read this -- Canada
will celebrate a historic mile-
stone. For the first time in
more than 40 years, Canada
will have (count 'em) one mil-
lion unemployed workers.
The last time so many Ca-
nadians were out of work,
the official term was "depres-
sion". Today, it's known as
"cyclical dysfunction", but
that doesn't help the unem-
ployed.
This isn't unemployment
like we've known in the past.
This unemployment is con-
centrated among the young
and the unskilled. For the
first time, unemployment is
reaching into the homes of
the well-to-do; the sons and
daughters of the wealthy are
as unemployable as every
other youth.
What will happen to the
newly graduated social work-
ers? What will happen to the
newly graduated teachers?
What will happen to the new-
ly graduated history experts?
The answer is the same: noth-
ing. Though there's a short-
age of skilled labour, there is •
no significant demand for
new administrators, t eachers,
or members of the traditional
white-collar circle.
Eventually,society at large
is going to recognize the ob-
vious truth: our education
system simply isn't preparing
young Canadians for the re-
alities of modern life. There
iS no point in training our
youth for jobs in big institu-
tions when big institutions
can't absorb them.
Interestingly, the most
practical approach to the cur-
rent situation is being applied
to a bunch of social drop-
20 Years A90
Air Vice Marshall J. G.
Bryans, CBE, CD, air officer
commanding training command,
arrived at RCAF Station Cen-
tralia, Tuesday, May 28, to carry
out his annual inspection of the
base. The whole station was on
parade Wednesday morning to
start the inspection.
Official nomination
proceedings for the upcoming
federal election were conducted
Monday. Elston Cardiff,
Brussels, is again nominated as
Progressive Conservative
candidate. He has been suc-
cessful in the last four Dominion
general elections. He will be
opposed by Andrew Y. McLean,
Seaforth, who was his Liberal
opponent in 1953.
Some 500 Scouts and Cubs from
15 communities in the area are
expected to take part in the
Huron District rally at Exeter
Community Park this Saturday.
About 100 persons attended a
banquet 0 at Armstrong's
Restaurant, Tuesday evening, on
the occasion of the ladies' night of
the Exeter Lions Club,
15 Years Ago
Five people from Exeter and
one from Dashwood were among
the 30 persons who became
Canadian citizens at a ceremony
in Huron County courthouse last
week, Those receiving their
papers were Mr. and Mrs. John
Roelofs, Mr. and Mrs. William C.
Van Amerongen, all of Andrew
Street, Brigitte J. Minderlein,
Main Street and Magdaline
Creces, Dashwood.
The summer season got off to a
record start when an estimated
20,000 people visited the popular
summer resort at Grand Bend
over the holiday weekend.
Mayor W. E. Simmons turned
the first sod in a brief ceremony
conducted Sunday at the site of
the new Precious Blood Separate
School, which is expected to be
completed for September
opening.
Earl Douglas, London, a
Bayfield summer resident, an-
nounced his intention to contest
the federal seat in Huron riding
as a Social Credit candidate. It is
believed to be the first time that
four candidates have sought the
seat.
outs at Twin Valleys Com-
munity, a project of Ontario's
St. Clair Community College.
The students at Twin Val-
leys are what society usually
calls "drop-outs". It's equally
valid to say, however, that
there was never any place for
them to drop in to. Canada
has never taught self-reliance
to young people so it should
not be surprising that, faced
with a need for indepen-
dence, the young are unable
to cope.
Twin Valleys teaches self-
sufficiency. Students grow
their own food, construct
their own buildings, and
learn about contemporary,
people-oriented technology
like solar energy. By the time
they leave Twin Valleys — of-
ten only a few months after
arriving — they have learned
skills that make them readily
employable in the outside
world, even while university
grads are looking desperately
for work.
These one-time social mis-
fits learn to adapt to society.
They learn self-reliance. They
learn skills. They are more
than institutional cannon
fodder. As far as the Cana-
dian Federation of Indepen-
dent Business is concerned
education projects like Twin
Valleys must be come the
wave of the future.
But there's an irony about
the success of Twin Valleys.
Even while we continue to
pour dollars into university
courses to teach skills that
can never be applied in our
economy, these children, the
outcasts and rebels of mod-
ern society, are receiving first-
rate practical educations.
Sooner or later, the upper
and middle classes will recog-
nize that the education sys-
tem is ripping them off.
+CNA
Times Established 1873
Advocate Established 1 881
141te toteferZimes-Ainsocate
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 Manager — Jim Beckett
Plant Manager — Jim Scott
Composition Manager — Harry DeVries
Business Manager — Dick Jongkind
Phone 235-1331 Published Each Thursday 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
Sale Dr/kw If An owe* lives •