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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Exeter Times-Advocate, 1977-06-02, Page 4order inspectors The Glengarry News has something to say about the Quebec issue. Living in close proximity to Quebec, Glengarry drivers pay little thought to the border as they travel frequently back and forth. That casual approach could alter drastically if Quebec ever separates and there are indications of change even at this stage of the separatiste evolution. In the Ontario Legislature, last week, Albert Roy, Liberal MPP for Ottawa East complained of a move by Quebec officials to force commercial vehicles travelling into that province to buy a share of their gas in Quebec. It seems revenue officials in Quebec are considering a blockade of com- mercial vehicles because many drivers go- ing from Ontario to Quebec, and Quebec drivers travelling into Ontario and back, tend to buy gasoline on the Ontario side where frequently it is cheaper. Ottawa's board of education suspended field trips to the Quebec side when told gas- oline must be purchased in Quebec or a 19- cent-a-gallon levy be paid for all mileage inside that. province. Responding to Mr. Roy's complaint at Queen's Park, Revenue Minister Margaret Scrivener said she had talked with Quebec's Finance Minister about the threat. She believes the problem will be "satisfactorily resolved very shortly." The prospect of inspectors manning border points between our two provinces is one that will not appeal to Glengarry residents. Shame on Farrah Farrah Fawcett Majors broke every rule in the book recently when she used a skateboard to escape a would-be killer. And the Ontario Safety League is not very hap- py about it. On a recent edition of "Charlie's Angels", Miss Majors manoeuvered her skateboard through pedestrians in a park, upset customers at an ice cream stand, and clung to the back of a pick-up truck as it travelled down a highway. The sequence ended as Miss Majors collided with a park- ed car, flew over the hood and emerged, un- scathed, on the other side. Of course, her coiffure was not damaged. Most television critics agree that Miss Majors has become one of the most popular stars of the season. With that popularity comes influence and responsibility and the League hopes that the recent skateboard sequence will not have the same influence as Miss Majors' hairstyle. Skateboards have been around for a long time, but modern technology has taken over the toy and presented us with a new, light-weight, plastic and fiberglass model, with wider wheels and ball- bearings. League staff members have observed on more than one occasion young enthusiasts attaining speeds of up to 30 m.p.h. on busy city streets. At least one manufacturer includes a set of safety tips with eachunit sold. But as with almost any warning, the Ontario Safe- ty League states, these seem to go unheed- ed. The manufacturer notes that the skateboard is not recommended for children under the age of fourteen. Protec- tive clothing and "approved safety helmets" are recommended by the manufacturer, although the League is un- aware of such skateboard helmets. The unit should not be operated on public streets, nor near traffic or parked cars. Undoubtedly, skateboards can provide a lot of fun and healthy exercise, but keep them off the streets, away from traffic, says the Ontario Safety League. Read and heed the manufacturer's warning. Notes of cynicism "Not only in Canada, you say? Pity!" A look at the budget etefea tnes-Abuorafe 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 235-1331 L. Published Each Thursday Morning at Exeter, Ontario Second ClassMail Registration Number 0386 Paid in Advance Circulation September 30, 1975 5,409 SUBSCRIPTION RATESeCanada $11.00 Per Year; USA $22.00 • In The Soup Page 4 Times-Advomte, Jane 2, 1977 r- Two major fund raising events are scheduled this week for the South Huron Rec Centre fund. Hopefully, they'll push the campaign to its target. Area residents may be a little tired of the canvass at this point, but if they are, they should stop and consider for one mo- ment the many people who have been organizing the special events in the hope of attaining the necessary funds. These people have spent countless hours on behalf of the community and a look at the donors' list shows that the ma- jority have done more than their fair share in monetary terms as well. They deserve every consideration this week in getting the job completed, because if they don't, they'll just have to dream up new ideas to .6.14 jg141NR41ille11•111iiigglaif 141.,814L, ;41; '.iI;.:240016 1.4M6111...101•PYIffik) Finish the job raise the remaining funds. The target is within reach, and with a little extra from those who have con- tributed, plus the donations of those who have not yet contributed their share, the canvass should be completed. It has to be completed sometime, so it may as well be now. Get involved in the telathon and walkathon and give the organizers a vote of confidence for the tremendous job they have done on behalf of this community. If everyone contributes a little, it will spare them the task of finding new means to get that necessary money. Remember, every dollar you con- tribute is matched by $2.00 from Wintario. It's the bargain of the year and it would be a shame to miss out on it. One of my colleagues remark- ed jovially the other day that I was beefing again in my column. Another bystander chipped in: "Yeah! A gripe a week; that's Smiley." Recently a lady wrote from Alberta and suggested she'd noticed a note of cynicism creep- ing into this weekly epistle. Party of the first part had some justification. For about three weeks in a row I was bitching about my sore back, my dire rear, and my rotten car. Party of the second part was reading things that were not there. I am not, never have been, and hope I will never be a cynic. A skeptic, yes. I am about as deeply skeptical as can be any man who has been through a depression, a war, a marriage, and several decades of political bullroar. But I love life and peo- ple and my native land too much ever to turn into that creepiest of humans, a cynic. Perhaps there was a sharper edge to my bleating there for a few weeks. But despite the flail- ing blows of life, I am not down- cast, dejected, or depressed, which I'll prove by giving you a lot of good news this week, I don't have either cancer or tuberculosis in my back, All I have is a little problem called "disintegrating discs." It's not at all serious, It merely means you are falling apart in the transmission system, like an old car that looks pretty good but will crumble into a heap Of rust if you give it a good kick. Anyway, I think my d.d's began quite a few years ago, on a deer-hunting trip, when I carried for half a mile a huge hound that some idiot in another hunting party had shot and badly wound- ed. The dog was almost as big as I was and was twisting and yelp- ing in pain. I had a sore back for a couple of years after that. Whatever, I've got the d.d's (better than having the d,t's) and it's not without its advantages. I'm not supposed to lift anything too heavy. The Old Lady has been putting out the garbage since I learned about it, something I've been trying to engineer for years. When she decides to move the furniture around, I give a little groan and point to my back. It makes her furious, and she's thinking of trading me in on a later year's model. As for my dire rear, it's com- pletely ended, no pun intended. Some service station people weren't radiant after reading my remarks about mechanics. But a number of friends and readers who have suffered severely at the hands of the modern-day highwaymen assured me I was right on, Some other good things have happened, I got my income tax return into the post office three hours before the deadline, a new record. It cleaned me out of every spare nickel I had, but that's an annual occasion. So we eat bread and beans for a month, They're good for you. By the time this appears, I'll have been through the annual agony of going through a hundred eager applications for one English teacher's job, and the nauseating business of playing God with young people's lives Will be over again. I've practically caught up on my marking, by ignoring the hockey playoffs and sitting at the kitchen counter with a pencil in one hand and coffee in the other. I counted today, and there are only a hundred and twelve es- says, short stories and bits of drama to mark. That's almost home free. But perhaps the best thing that's happened to me in a coon's age occurred last Friday. I had foolishly made an appointment with a nose specialist in a neighboring city. I don't know why. I must- be getting dotey. That's a perfectly good nose, it's rather badly bent here and there, and I can't smell anything. But if I ever have to resort to spectacles, it will be an excellent nose on which to rest them, Well, as soon as the word got around, the horror stories began coming at me. One guy swore they used an electric drill to bore through the bone and gristle of noses like mine, Another, who'd had a nose job for sinus trouble, contributed, "Worst pain I've ever gone through in my life. He (the butcher) didn't go up the nose from outside. Heslashed through my cheeks, inside my mouth, and went up from there, Dreadful!" Two other birds who'd ,had nose jobs just shook their heads gravely and winced, when I pressed them for details, Needless to say, I was a bit white and skittery when the old girl and I got in the car and head- ed off last Friday. I was hoping the car would break down, as usual, Dam' thing ran like a top. X-rays under my arm, I crept up to the reception desk and an- nounced myself, so faintly the young lady made me repeat it. "Oh, Mr. Smiley, the doctor The old adage claims there's nothing certain except death and taxes, although it is becoming evident that there is another certainty that should be included with those other two. That is the certainty that thxes will continue to rise. Exeter ratepayers, similar to most in the area, found that out last week when it was announced that the local mill rate would increase by 22 mills. That's one of the heftiest increases in the county, although there's ob- viously not going to be much cheering for that dubious honor. Members of council are quite correct in pointing out that they had little to do with the major portion of that increase. Education costs were the main culprit and it is staggering to note that education now consumes about 41 percent of the local tax dollar.- It is an area which must be of concern to most people, because obviously it can not continue to increase at such an alarming rate. Some bold steps are needelt to curtail spending before°. it bankrupts us. However, municipal officials must also be concerned with the increases in their own budgets. Exeter's mill rate has increased by 40 mills over the past five years and local taxes are cer- tainly among the highest of any community in this area. °Each year members of council indicate they can see the light at the end of the tunnel, but each year some special project keeps surfacing to blot out that light, In 1977, council will spend about $200,000 on storm sewers and $104,000 on sanitary sewers and hopefully those expenditures will start to decline as the major portion of the community is covered by those services. But, what special problems may arise that will require sizeable expenditures next year? We can only wait and hope there will be none. However, these are services that local residents require and often demand - so they can have few complaints when they are out of town for the day. You were supposed to be here yesterday." Seems that the local doctor's office, when my wife called to check on the appointment time, made a beautiful boo-boo. We stood there in front of the nose man's receptionist with vastly different visages. My wife was furious, mouthing at me silently, "You coward, I'll bet you're glad." I don't know why she'd think that, unless it was because I was grinning like an idiot child. We made another appoint- ment, but it's 'not for a month, I'll think of something. 0, Times Established 1873 subsequently handed the bills for the completed work. There are some rather in- teresting figures in this year's budget. For instance, it will cost Exeter taxpayers some $61,500 this year to have their garbage picked up and hauled away to the dump. That's a figure over which members of council have little control. They just provide the service of picking up what the taxpayers line up on the boulevard, so if there are any reductions to be made in that area, it is obviously up to the citizens to make them. It does point out that living in the throw-away society is not cheap. Part of that cost is also eaten up with meeting the demands of the provincial ministries who continue to increase their con- trols of how that refuse must be disposed. We don't argue with those controls, because they are aimed at protecting the en- vironment. That is a necessity, but as the amount of garbage increases and the cost of disposing of it in a satisfactory manner also increases, it is evident that taxpayers must show some concern if those costs are to be checked. C Another major expense on this year's budget is the $238,000 which will be spent on protection to persons and property. That includes the costs of the police department, fire department, Ausable-Bayfield Conservation Authority levy and the con- troversial fire hydrant rental fee the town pays to the PUC. Five years ago, the budget for protection to persons and property was a paltry $90,000, although it is not certain if the Conservation Authority levy (this year's is $8,225) was included in that figure. At any rate, it has probably increased the most of any budget in the general levy, and ironically is a service that no ratepayer' wants to use although everyone would agree that it is necessary to have when it is required. The new police office and a new police cruiser accounted for $32,000 of this year's figure, and most readers already know our opinion of the police office expenditure, so we'll make no further comment on that. • Pill7TICIMET101711 Fitness. In your heart you know it's right.. Advocate Established 1881 However, it is one budget that appears to be growing out of proportion with other municipal costs and warrants some serious deliberation from council. The police budget is three times that which the community will provide for recreation, parks and the rec centre. This year's expenditure on roads is down to $156,000 from last year's $178,000 although most ratepayers would agree that council could have spent any amount on that budget and still not satisfied the complaints about dust, pot holes, etc. However, this is an area where council should probably keep a close watch. As gas prices con- tinue to increase there is an in- dication that vehicular travel may decline and perhaps the town should be spending more to bring sidewalks up to acceptable standards as more and more people will have to consider striking out on foot rather than jumping in the family auto to make their trips around the community. It would obviously be ironic to have our streets brought up to first class standards just as the energy shortage made all but the -most necessary of trips im- possible. The $33,000 to be spent this year on street lighting may be in somewhat the same category as roads. Increased hydro costs have pushed that budget up $8,000 over last year and perhaps councillors should be in- vestigating the savings possible in reducing the hours of street lighting or perhaps the number of lights provided on each block. That too could become a necessity not only due to the cost, but the availability of electrical power. Although it's a small item on the budget, the cost of animal control may be questioned by some residents. This year it is estimated that it will cost $1,900 to control animals, while the anticipated revenue from dog tags is only $900. There are many who would suggest that the two figures should balance, * * * However, the real story of , increased municipal services and taxes may rest with one single item in this year's budget, That's the $12,000 grant which the town will provide the cemetery board. That too has increased con- siderably in the past five years. Obviously, if it costs more to look after the dead we can only expect it will cost more to look after the living. As we said at the outset, death and taxes are the only two certainties people face. Amalgamated 1924 55 Years Ago The annual trap-sshooting tournament of the Hensall Gun Club was held last week, under ideal conditions, Fred Kerr, Crediton, won the silver trophy and high average, R, F. Jordon, London won second honours, Hydro workmen have been busy at Crediton wiring up some of the houses in preparation for the coming of hydro. It is ex- pected that the lines will be completed about the end of August. Mr. Melville Gladman has taken a position with the Dominion Tire Company, Kitchener, for the holidays. Mr. Edward Taylor of the Molsons Bank, Centralia, has been transferred to Ridgeway. Mr. Maurice Senior has taken a position with Pilon and Foote for the summer. ' The 24th of May holiday passed quietly in Exeter. A number of the citizens spent the day in their gardens, others at the bowling green, others fishing, and several went to Grand Bend. 30 Years Ago Rev. A, M. Hunt after a suc- cessful ministry of 15 years in Exeter, as rector of Trivitt Memorial church, delivered his farewell sermon on Sunday and moved to Mitchell this week. The crop situation throughout this area is considered quite serious. There are numerous farmers who have not sown one kernel. of spring grain, An old timer says he doesn't remember when rain fell continuously for 36 hours as it did Sunday and Monday. Council Monday approved preliminary plans for a new Exeter District High School. Rev. A. B. Irwin, Rev. N. J. Woods, Rev. C. W. Down and Mrs. W. G. Medd are attending the London conference in Chatham this week. J. Allison Morgan, first year student at the 0.A.C., Guelph, and Ross S. Proctor, RR 5, Brussels, were winners of the Huron County Scholarships. by JIM SMITH The educational require- ments fora career in the fed- eral civil service vary from position to position and de- partment to department. Of- ten, there's little apparent reason for them. But there's always one basic require- ment: a thorough knowledge of the ABCs. Ottawa is rife with initials, you see. There must be hun- dreds of government agencies and programmes that are known solely by a series of monograms. It's reached the point where insiders have de- veloped a mocking nickname for the profusion of initials — "Alphabet soup". DREE is a good example. It has a name -- the Depart- ment of Regional Economic Expansion but everybody uses the initials that rhyme with "tree". DREE exists because some parts of Canada are chronically undernourished. Atlantic Canada in particular suffers higher unemploy- ment. So DREE dreams up and implements projects that, on paper, promise to in- crease the number of jobs in the less prosperous regions. Unfortunately, DREE's track record hasn't won it much unsolicited praise. All too often, its proirammes collapse in spectacular fail- ure. Then there are the pro- jects, such as the Mercator One, that make an outsider . wonder just what goes on in DREE's collective mind. The Mercator One is a fancy cruise ship playing the Caribbean in winter and the eastern waters of Canada in summer. DREE funding makes this possible and,in re- 20 Years Ago On Tuesday Rev, H. J, Snell, who is entering his tenth year as pastor of James Street United Church, Exeter, was elected President of the London Con- ference of the United Church, held in St. Thomas. Pouring rain disrupted the district rally of the Scouts and Cubs here Sattirday. Always prepared, however, the troops moved inside the arena to finish their competitions. Exeter troop won the Scout laurels, while the Lions Club pack from Clinton won Cub honors for the second year in a row. Caven Presbyterian Church, Exeter, will be re-opened and re- dedicated Sunday. The dedication service will be held in the morning, SHDHS Board approved a three-cent-per-mile increase in transportation cost for 1957-58 at a meeting Tuesday night. Huron MPP Tom Pryde an- nounced this week that a contract has been let to Brennan Paving Co. Ltd., Hamilton, for the sur- facing of Highway 84 from Hensall to St. Joseph. 15 Years Ago Large congregations attended the 113th anniversary of Carmel. Presbyterian Church, Sunday. Rev. W. A, Young, a former minister of the church, and present chaplain at O,A.C,, Guelph, was the guest speaker. Credi ton's softball squad started off on the right foot, in the defense of their rec-league title when they defeated the Kinsmen 7-2, in the opening game played in Crediton, Monday. At a meeting of South Huron Agricultural Society in Hensall, Tuesday evening, W. R. Dougall was presented with an agricultural service diploma for over 50 years of service to agriculture, Over 150 cars have been checked in a three-day safety- check carried out by the Exeter police this week. They warned that, as of Thursday they will begin to press charges. turn, the ship features several Canadian sites in its nomen- clatpre. One can sun on the "Newfoundland Deck",switn on the"Prince Edward Island Deck", or get smashed in the "Peggy's Cove Lounge". This Can adian a facade, however, conceals some pe- culiar features. The crew is dominated by Thai sailors, although DREE's function is creation of jobs for Cana- dians. The slot machines and gambling tables are all illegal within Canada. And, to add insult to injury, this ship, floated by Canadian tax dol- lars, is registered in the Baha- mas to escape higher Cana- , dian taxation! All of which brings us to an,interesting and long-stand- ing debate: how can govern- ment effectively assist in the creation of jobs in slow growth regions? Well, it should be obvious that the answer isn't in flashy pro- jects like Mercator One or the complex alphabet soup programmes run by Ottawa. The Canadian Federation of Independent Business has a simple, albeit unglamorous, solution. Rather than at- tempting to create massive employment with enormous projects that don't fit the ap- titudes of the region, govern- ment should provide funding and encouragem)gnt to small business. If every entrepre- neur could he encouraged to add an additional job, the effect on unemployment would be tremendous. The only solid way to develop an economy is to build on what is natural to the region. As for the fancy federal ° projects, all too often the al- phabet soup simply spells TROUBLE, Be sure you vote on June 9 •