Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Exeter Times-Advocate, 1977-07-28, Page 4Times-Advocate, July 28, 1977 • ' While women continue to win more rights and gain equal opportunities with men, there is an indication that it is a battle with some cost. A Cambridge medical professor claims that many women who are making it to the top are ending up with hair on their chest, or bald or singing baritone in the church choir. Seems that career-oriented women are also frigid, or oversexed and the professor says these results of "stress disease" are widespread and increasing. He has urged working women to recognize their limits before it's too late. Some women may take that advice, while others may see it as an opportunity to encroach even farther into the male do- main razor blade commercials. Watch those trucks Ever since the speed limit on our highways was lowered from 70 to 60 on our expressways and to 50 miles per hour on all other highways, except where otherwise posted, complaints have been mounting regarding the motoring conduct of some truckers. It used to be that truck drivers were the most respected motorists on the roadways. However that attitude is chang- ing. Now other motorists travelling the likes of the 401 or the Queen Elizabeth are more than likely to have complaints about how they were cut off, tailgated or passed at a high rate of speed by some 18-wheeler. Most of the motoring public can realize that truckers are running on a tight schedule. While a few minutes per mile is meaningless to us, to the trucker time is in- deed money, But this knowledge doesn't make the driver of a compact travelling at 50 or 60 mph feel any better about some great lumbering truck screaming in front of him at around 70 or 75 mph. It's enough to unnerve even the most seasoned of drivers. Another bane of the everyday motorist is the travel bus which habitually travels as though it was running a couple of hours behind schedule. While travel bus companies haven't appeared to be unduly concerned about the rate of speed maintained by their drivers — their excellent drivers, we might add — this is not the case as far as truckers are concerned. The Ontario Trucking Association has recently issued a brochure entitled Sharing the Road with a Truck. The purpose of the publication is twofold. Besides offering some helpful hints on such topics as: tur- ning, passing, backing accidents, rollback accidents, CB radios, tailgating and stop- ping, the association adds this piece of ad- vice: "If you see a truck driver behaving in an unsafe manner or failing to observe courtesy on the highway, let the Ontario Trucking Association know about it. Record the vehicle's licence plate(s), number on cab door or rear of trailer and name of his company if available. Note also the time, date and location of the incident. "Then write to: The Safety Council, Ontario Trucking Association, 555 Dixon Road, Rexdale, Ontario M9W 1H8. Or telephone (416) 247-7131. The information you provide will be forwarded to the driver's company on a confidential basis. It will then take appropriate action." Now that's what we call a responsible attitude. Copies of the leaflet Sharing the Road with a Truck are available from the Association at the address given above. Thanks, Jun Am the first, time in almost 21 years %Vali Batne11 didn't read the Huron county road committee's report in a. county session,: At Monday's meeting, county administrator Bill Hanly presented the report to county council while Jim • Britnell sat in the wings. Part of that report, of course, was the recommendation to hire a new county engineer to replace Britnell who leaves the county's employ next month for another position. The replacement for Britnell, Robert Alexander Dempsey of Stratford is a mere 28 years old, but oddly enough he is exactly the same age as Britnell was when he came to the county more than two decades ago. Perhaps that is a favorable omen, for cer- tainly Jim Britnell has been an asset to Huron County throughout his tenure here. Dempsey was the first to admit that he has big boots to fill, coming after Britnell. In a conversation with 13ritnell 3ecently it was evident the man leaves the county job with some degree of 'reluctance, as perhaps anyone would who has so efficient- ly handled an important position for such a long period of time. It was obvious to anyone who knew Britnell and his associa- tion with Huron County that he did his job well, showing remarkable flair for main- taining excellent relations with the public as well as the people for whom and with whom he worked. As a professional engineer, he was trusted and admired; as an employee he was faithful and devoted; and as a man he was friendly and obliging. Now Jim Britnell is ready for a new challenge, and the County of Huron bids him farewell and the best of luck in whatever he chooses to do. Thanks, Jim, for 21 good years. Goderich Signal-Star Hall replaces dogs, dust Times Established 1873 The Canadian Federation of Independent Business 0 Tomorrow? That's the day you were going to start exercising, remember? A costly battle? N Air 3 tel Intl la, 0 'a ro tiv Ai' 111 n iii 1 11 ''11 0. 411.. im ill Ill•' CI Pi til x Those darn hypocrites There is one type among the species Man that puzzles and saddens me. In an age that congratulates itself on its openness, its honesty, its "Let it all hang out" attitude, the hypocrite is still very much with us. Some people might think the 19th century was the golden age of hypocrisy. Certainly, it set some high standards in this line. There were the manufacturers who preached enlightenmentand progress on the one hand, and on the other worked children 60 hours a week in their factories. There were the men who brayed of chastity as one of the prime virtues, and dallied with prostitutes. There were the men who spoke glowingly of a gentler way of life, and set savage fighting dogs on one another, The list is endless. And the women! Oh, but weren't they the hypocrites, too? Just as tough and voracious as any woman of today, they hid these traits behind a facade of gentility, humility, helplessness and fainting fits. It was an era in which the public mouthing of the Christian virtues was only exceeded by the private materialism, corruption and sometimes downright viciousness of the middle and upper classes. Well, then, have we got rid of this particularly obnoxious type, well into the second half of the 20th century? Not bloody likely! Perhaps we're not quite as hypocritical as the Victorians, but I wouldn't want to bet on it. All that's changed is the terms of reference. No Manufacturer today could get away with hiring children. But don't think they're any less heartless than their forebears, At least, in the 19th century, you knew the boss was a bastard. Today, a company can "reorganize," and turn half a dozen middle-aged men into the street by an "executive decision." Many men in today's society still practice a double standard, one for themselves, one for their wives. A man who gets drunk has had "a few too many." A woman who gets drunk is "disgusting," A man can go to a business con- vention and have a little fling with a call girl. If his wife kisses a couple of guys at the New Year's Eve party a bit too warmly, she's a sex maniac. We have politicians who spout of peace and plan for war, doc- tors who preach against drugs and tell you cigarettes will kill you, even as they butt their 50th coffin nail of the day and pop a couple of bennies to keep going. We have pillars of the church whom you wouldn't trust as far as you could bounce a bowling ball in a swamp. We have all kinds of characters who will cheat on their income tax, and then berate people on welfare for "ripping off the government." We have teachers who "can't understand the attitude of young people today," completely forgetting that they themselves were insolent, lazy, and not even that bright when they were young people, We have mothers who got in the family way at 19, and had a shot. gun marriage, bewailing the "sexual licence" of their daughters. We have fathers who deplore at length the slothfulness of their sons, conveniently ignoring that they had to have a good boot in the tail from their own fathers before they'd even carry out the ashes. We have school trustees who will double over in an agony of glee after hearing a filthy joke, but-in public sternly deplore the "pornography" children are being exposed to in their school literature. They are the type who will respond with chuckles and even belly laughs to the seeual leers of Norman Lear in Maude and All in the Family, but thunder fulmina tingly against a fine novel like The Diviners by Margaret Laurence. They are the type who don't want anything racier than "The Bobbsey Twins" taught in school, but will shout with ribald laughter at smut on television and take in every restricted movie in town, laughing when there is blood-shed on the screen, and nudging heavily when a couple of naked bodies start squirming on the celluloid strip. What about today's women? Are they less hypocritical than their great-grandmothers? On the whole, I'd say yes. They're just as blasted irritating as ever, but they're more honest, They till cry for no apparent reason, but they know there's no per- centage in pulling a faint, They'd probably just get a glass of water in the face. But even the women are a long way from being out of the woods, There was a time when reporters working on this newspaper could always count on problems associated with dogs and dust to create numerous news stories throughout any given year. It now seems that the Exeter town hall has replaced both those topics and the p.roblems associated with that building continue to surface on a rather frequent basis. Members of Exeter council came under some rather strong criticism last week from four local ladies regarding the removal of furniture and the sub- sequent "butchering" of the old council table. The criticism appears warranted and it should be pointed out that the ladies were upset only with the manner in which the furniture was removed without any notice to, the Heritage Foundation. They agree that council had the authority to . remove the fur- niture, but the women felt there should have beep some notice. given. The butchering of the council table is a different matter, of course, and while they were assured that consideration was given to placing the table intact at another location, the delega- tion wondered why council never gave any consideration to merely leaving it at the location where it served for so many years. That would have been a logical consideration! However, giving logical con- sideration to the Heritage Foun- dation appears beyond the grasp of some members of council, and that is indeed most unfortunate. But it's an ill wind that doesn't blow some good, as they say, and there is every indication that members of the Heritage Foun- dation are even more deter- mined to complete their project, if for no better reason than to show some council members they can't be side-tracked. There is also an indication that more people in the community are starting to sympathize with them and this should assist them in raising funds for their giant undertaking. Hopefully, that support will start to build up over the next few weeks as local residents see when it comes to hypocrisy. And many of the biggest hypocrites are "surface" feminists. They want all the perks of the new freedom, and all the treats of the old "essence of woman." Oh well, "Let him who is without sin cast the first stone." I'm certainly not talking about me and thee, gentle reader. But aren't you a little sick of them — all those hypocrites? the transformation of an eye- sore into one of the highlights on Exeter's Main St. * * During the recent provincial election campaign, Premier William Davis was doing everything possible to sell himself as the man who could best deal with the unity problem in Canada. It appears now that it was a rather shallow election promise, in view of the Davis government decision to award a major con- tract to an Ontario firm last week, despite the fact a Mon- treal company had a lower bid. The issue arose over the awar- ding of a contract for ther supply of 190 Toronto Transit cars to Hawker Siddeley of Thunder Bay for a price that was $2,140,000 higher than a bid submitted by MLW-Bombardier of Montreal. The government, of course, said the decision was based on the fact that unemployment is high in Northern Ontario and the contract would assist greatly in relieving that situation. Many people in the province would probably agree with the decision on that basis. The two million dollars will come out of their pockets, of course, but un- employment would probably cost an amount equal to that so there is little extra expense involved. However, the main concern is the harm the situation will cause to Canadian unity and it has already been suggested that On- tario has given the separatists in Quebec some major fuel through their decision. The Parti Quebecois had earlier announced a purchasing policy of favoring Quebec in- dustries, and while it may be Smiles Courtship is the period during which a girl decides whether or not she can do better. Wedding licence: A certificate that gives a woman the legal right to drive a man. Common sense is the knack of seeing things as they are, and doing things as they ought to be done. You are only what you are when no one is looking. Hard work is the yeast that raises the dough. Instead of bewailing the fact that we can't have all that we want, many of us should be thankful we don't get all we deserve. The reason people find it so hard to be happy is that they always see the past better than it was, the present worse than it is, and the future finer than it will be. Advocate Established 1881 argued that Ontario was just following that precedent, it was basically a situation where many would suggest that two wrongs don't make a right. The Montreal firm involved in the tender bid estimated it cost them $200,000 to prepare the necessary forms and estimates and that was obviously a com- plete waste. If Ontario had planned to give preference to a provincial firm they should have made that fact known when the tenders were called and the Montreal firm then could have decided if they wanted to enter the bidding. Obviously, the situation has helped to open the rift between Quebec and the rest of Canada and Premier Davis and his government have certainly shown they are not the saviours of national unity as they pretend- ed to be during the election, One of the other interesting aspects of the situation is that any municipality in Ontario which attempted to pull the same trick as the Davis government would have their fingers given a financial slap. That is, if Exeter council decided to award an area firm a contract for which it was not the lowest bidder, any provincial assistance would be based 'only on the amount of the low bid. So, if the low bid was $100,000 and the area contractor had bid $120,- 000, the government subsidy for the project would be paid only on the $100,000 figure. Many times, local councils are caught in a situation where they would like to give an area firm the work, but can't take the risk because other firms would quit bidding locally if the low bid was not accepted on all projects. In the long run, it would prove very costly. However, the situation with the transit cars is very similar and no doubt out-of-province firms will think twice about sub- mitting bids for Ontario work. Ontario firms can then afford to boost their prices due to the lack of competition and in the long run, the provincial taxpayers — that's you and me brother — end up losing. The ramifications are many, but with the information at hand, it would appear the Davis government may have made a serious error both in terms of the financial and unity aspect. Have you driven up around the new rec centre lately? It's taken on an entirely new appearance with a paint job last week and it really is starting to look like a million dollar project. It is surprising what a coat of paint can do to the appearance of a building. Amalgamated 1924 CIGNA etuf groom AWARD 1974 55 Years Ago Exeter Troop No, I Boy Scouts held their annual service in Caven Presbyterian Church last Sunday. The congregations of Trivitt Memorial, Main Street Methodist and Caven churches were united for the :occasion. Members of the Boy Scouts acted as ushers and collectors, Cunningham and Pryde has been awarded the contract for the erection of the Soldiers' Memorial which is to be erected at Arkona during the summer, Wilfred Shapton, Stephen, had the misfortune to fracture his collar bone at Grand Bend on Wednesday of last week while participating in one of the races at the James Street Sunday Schbol picnic. Miss Blanche Quance, who recently resigned her position at the Exeter post office, has ac- cepted a position in Hamilton. The wheat is nearly all har- ' vested in this community and threshing commenced this week. 30 Years Ago Rev. Harry J. Mahoney was inducted into the pastorate of Main Street United Church Friday evening. Mr. Archie Ryckman left last week for Moose Jaw, Saskat- chewan, where he will spend a few weeks. One of the heaviest downpours of rain visited this section on Sunday, Many crops of hay have been ruined by the wet weather. The road on Highway No. 83 between Exeter and the Blue Water Highway is being widened 17 feet on either side and will require 150,000 yards of fill, The new outdoor roller skating rink is attracting good crowds each week night, The number of summer visitors at Grand Bend this year is above average, 20 Years Ago ,) R. H. Middleton, who has been druggist in Hensall for 18 years announced that he has disposed of his business to Mr. TrevOr OTTAWA and Small Business If you don't belong to a union — and the vast majori- ty of Canadians (organized labour propaganda notwith, standing) have no union ties — the Canadian Union of Postal Workers has 227 rea- sons why you should sign up with it. , The 227 reasons may be found in what CUPW calls a "National Program of De- mands". These demands form the heart of the Union's posi- tion in current negotiations for a new contract. The list of demands, as they appeared in the Union's national news magazine "CUPW", is not easily taken seriously — unless, it seems, one happens to be an inside postal worker. If the Union has its way, a job in the Post Office will certainly beat working. The postal workers are asking for all those things that any sane employee would like — but never ex- pects to get. Like a 30-hour work week (6 hours a day, 5 days a week) — including lunch periods, hourly 10- minute rest breaks, and a 10- minute wash-up — in return for 40 hours of pay. The National Program of Demands includes numerous breathtaking suggestions, in- cluding: — Double time for all over- time (and senior workers get first chance at all over- time); — Double time for Saturday shift work — and triple time on Sundays, even if the hours are part of a reg- ular shift; — 4 weeks of vacation time a year for the mostjunior Wilson, London, a graduate druggist, who will . take possession August 5. Firemen from four brigades played 12 hoses on the elevator fire at Hensall early Wednesday morning to bring it under control. Although water damage to grain was heavy fire damage was confined to the headhouse of the seven-year-old building, owned by E. L. Mickle and Son. The RCAF School of Flying Control commanded by Squadron Leader, S. N. E. Beauchamp, Winnipeg, moved from Grand Bend to RCAF Station Camp Borden at the end of July. Janet Ferwerda, 19, a native of Holland, won the "Miss Civic Holiday" title in the preliminary competition to the "Miss Grand Bend" contest which will be held Labor Day. Monetta Menard's Restaurant in Grand Bend has received formal notice that its application for a dining lounge licence has been approved by the Liquor Licence Board of Ontario. 15 Years Ago Returning officer Russell Bolton, Seaforth, has been in- structed by Ottawa to start preparing for another federal election some time after Sep- tember 15. Lorne Hay, Hensall, revealed this week he does not plan to rebuild his locker plant which was severely damaged by fire early in July. Engineer, B. M. Ross, Goderich, said he expects .,to complete plans for Exeter's sewerage program by the end of this week. B. M. Francis, former reeve of Exeter, has financially adopted a seven-year-old Korean girl, Son Mi Ja, through the Foster Parents' Plan Inc., Montreal, A Royal Commission has revealed that Huron County has the lowest dentist-population ratio in southern Ontario, about one dentist for 4,074 people. One for 1,600 is considered ideal. employees, building to 7 weeks a year after 15 years of service; — A raise of 30 cents an hour , for any worker relocated from one postal station to, another (even if the old' and new stations are in the same block); — An end to all electronic surveillance of workers — as well as building super- visors' offices in such a way that the supervisors can't see the employees; No sub-contracting of any work to independent firms without Union ap- proval. There are more — many more — demands, but you get the idea. And the average Canadian(and small business- man, in particular), as the Ca- nadian Federation of Inde- pendent Business points out, is being manoeuvred into a "no-win" situation. Either there will be a prolonged postal strike which could bring the system (along with countless smaller businesses) to its knees or there will be extreme concessions to the workers which will bankrupt the already overburdened Post Office. All of which explains why the federal government is finding it difficult to arrange an early end to the wage and price control programme, despite pressures from the Canadian Lab our Congress and organizations represent- ing big business interests. A large postal settlement would set off a chain of stra- tospheric demands and set- tlements that would force a return to controls — on a permanent basis. ea Gw (W41E9PoNT0,1 Jou0.,q4 Rimesaimocafe 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 — Bill Weekley Composition Manager — Harry DeVries Business Manager Dick Jong kind 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 $1 1,00 Per Year; USA $22.00 . ,r - A Job:That Beats: Working by JIM SMITH • 0 I