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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes-Advocate, 1979-01-17, Page 4Times-Advocate, January 17, 1979 Productivity too low Think small It’s a S.I.N. Declaring that “the fertility rate is too low*’ Lambton MPP Lome Hender­ son has called on Canadians to produce more children. Henderson, who serves as chair­ man of the cabinet and minister of government services, said in a Sarnia speech that a failure to do so will result in a society where there are not enough young people working to pay for Canada Pensions, homes for the aged and other benefits now available to senior citizens. At the present rate of population growth, the projection feared for the year 2010 would be 25 million. Of these, only five million would be working, supporting 10 million pre-workers and another 10 retirees. Eiirolmciit decline lilifts We see that Toronto high school students, polled by a daily in that city, think a retesting of their teachers every five years to see whether or not they keep their jobs is a great idea. That reaction certainly isn’t sur­ prising. Teachers on the same retesting idea would probably be equal­ ly unenthusiastic. That concept, suggested by Dr. Robert Jackson’s commission on declining enrolment, is as potentially threatening to the one group as it is potentially liberating to the other. The retesting maybe too ‘ex­ treme... would newspaper editors, doc­ tors, farmers and Main St. merchants not be a little upset about either pass­ ing a test every five years.or being shown the door? (Would newspaper editors pass such a test?) But it points up one of many real problems that will hurt our schools as student enrolment In Ontario continues its.decline. (We reject Dr. Jackson’s and MPP Lome Henderson’s suggestions that larger families be en­ couraged and see no turn-around in the decline.) As classes shrink, and teaching By SYDFLETCHER It was a different world. I needed a job. badly, and when the manpower office sent me out to the trucking firm for an interview I was more than pleased. It was supposed to be as a dock worker but as well I found myself driving a truck around the heart of Toronto for four or five hours each day. That in itself was an education, driving a large vehicle through rush hour traffic, backing into dark narrow lanes to dingy businesses that you never knew existed otherwise. One night at 5 o’clock I arrived at Richmond St. which has four lanes of one­ way traffic. The shipping dock where I was supposed to pick up six heavy bales of linen was a second-storey window which faced directly onto the street with no sidewalk underneath for me to back up on. To the tune of honking horns I stopped, backed up nervously and rang the doorway buzzer. It seemed like an eternity till I struggl­ ed on with the bales, then jumped down and walked around the front of the truck in time to see a motorcycle cop writing a citation. He grinned sympathetical­ ly, but pointed at the cars behind me, six or seven deep. “Sorry buddy but you’re blocking traffic.’’ Another learning ex­ perience was in packing box­ es. I stopped at Proctor and Gamble to pick up about for­ ty boxes of detergent, stack­ ed them neatly to the roof at the front of the truck, know­ ing that I had many more stops to make. Rounding the first corner I heard a sicken­ ing noise. I opened the back doors to find soap right to the back of the truck. It was a different world of people too. Like the shipper at one place which sold steel products. He had a rare sense of humour. Coming in one day he guided my truck very carefully up to the *< t 1 X ' , , Advocate Established 1 881 ... vocate Times Established 1873a a imes NP> 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 Composition Manager — Harry DeVries Business Manager — Dick Jongkind - Phone 235-1331 (♦CNA SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Canada $11.00 Per Year; USA $22.00 That would obviously be too great a drain on the economy of the day and a recent letter from an anti-abortionist suggests that five million workers would have to endorse a program that would dispose of the aged and han­ dicapped. That letter, written by G. Pearson Vasey of Sarnia, suggests that the workers would find that disposal as convenient as the unborn are now being extinguished. He notes that in 1977, there were 57,620 abortions performed in Canada (16 percent'of live births) and hints that had those births been fulfilled, the problem cited by Mr. Henderson would not be so serious. jobs with them, teachers will naturally get more concerned with holding on to their jobs. There won’t be much room for new teachers at the bottom of the profes­ sion and few veterans, even though they might be feeling stale and in need of a change, would risk giving up teaching. There may be some creative alter­ natives, like sharing teaching jobs and salaries, bringing in new teachers to teach night school and adult classes rather than giving permanent teachers more hours or teachers getting recharged by changing their subjects father than quitting the ’classroom altogether. The Jackspn. report has suggested some of these. It’s gotton us all to realize that declining enrolment is more than a phrase. There have to be solutions in order to keep our teachers doing the best possible job, our students stimulated and our taxpayers not unduly pressed. But the declining student popula­ tion is a given fact we have to work with...it’s in dividing it up that we’ll have to show a lot of imagination. Seaforth Expositor Perspectives dock, then had me go Gut again to get the back of the truck perfectly lined up. With his head he motioned now toward a box about eighteen inches high and the same wide. “That’s yours,’’ he said with a grin. “Need any help?’’ A little miffed at his implication at his little joke as I came in I shook my head, then tried to pick up the box. No way! I couldn’t budge it. The shipper laughed out­ right then motioned to the craneman to pick it onto the truck. Perhaps the part that stands out most clearly in my memory about that summer was the sight one day of a little boy down in the very poorest section of the city. The day was hot and I was sitting in my truck drinking a cold bottle of pop. Across the street in the worst ex­ cuse for a yard that I’ve ever seen was this little tyke, lying in the dust, listlessly pushing a broken truck around in the dirt. Nothing seemed to be even a little good in his life, no future seemed to be there. As I said, it was different world. , Amalgamated 1924 Published Each Thursday Morning at Exeter, Ontario Second Class Mail Registration Number 0386 BATT’N AROUND Faithful few give up S' Another of this area’s major attrac­ tions has bitten the dust with the an­ nouncement that the annual crippled kids’ weekend will not be staged at Pineridge Chalet. It joins the Exeter rodeo as events which have been cancelled in the past year, not due to a lack of interest from patrons, but simply the fact that those who organize the programs find they have increasing difficulty in enlisting volunteers to assist with the organizational work involved. A secondary reason is the fact that those who contribute time and material goods to the event find that the return on that investment is just not high enough to continue. As George Bebr explained, in an­ nouncing the cancellation of the weekend at the Pineridge, the same people were being asked each year to donate their efforts and the resulting profit for crippled children was not keeping pace with the inflated costs. Put simply, if the people who donated their time or cash for such things as advertising, prizes, snowblowing, dance music, etc. turned that into a direct contribution to crippl­ ed children, it would exceed the profit that could be raised by holding-the event in the first place. However, the main problem rests with getting enough new volunteers in­ terested each year. Generally speak­ ing, as it was with the rodeo, the same people had to be counted on each year to do the work, and through attrition due to one reason and another, those numbers naturally decline making even more work for the faithful few. While an alternative fund-raising scheme has been initiated and hopeful­ ly will raise a good sum for crippled Going to become an eccentric With a whole new year extending itself lubriciously before us, perhaps it’s time to wonder what we are going to do with the next 10 or 12 months. My plan for the next 12 months is to become an eccentric. This may not seem much of an ambition, but I’ve always admired eccentrics, and secret­ ly desired to be one. My wife and other close friends have already suggested that I am a bit wierd, but that’s their problem. After almost 20 years as a teacher of English, I’m gona spell ’er like she is, the way my students do. That’s only one of my eccentricities. I am also going to grow hair in my nostrils, not to mention my ears. No more of this to the barber, “Yas, give the ears a liddle trim, and the eyebrows.” I want hairy ears and eyebrows. I .want to look like an an­ cient Jewish profit. If that isn’t enough, I’ll grow flurd in my bellybutton. You know what flurd is, I hope. It’s that cottony stuff that grows in your belly-button. Flurd was the real cause of the American civil war. The Northerners were growing more flurd in their belly- buttons than the Southerners were on their plantations. But enough of flurd. And who ever heard of a “civil war? A War may be full of fiendish cruelty or dreadful atrocities or monumental indignities but there is nothing civil about it. A civil war occurs when you sue your neighbour to tear down the fence that is bowing over your begonias. Back to my eccentricities. Every summer, until now, 1 have eschewed children, area residents who previous­ ly supported the special weekend through their attendance should be reminded that their direct personal or company donations. this year should reflect the fact that the indirect con­ tributions made in the past will not be available to crippled children, • * * it ■ It is also a good time to mention to those supporters that they can still assist crippled children and have an ex­ ceptionally good night out themselves by attending the annual Exeter Lions Sportsmen’s dinner. Inflation, of course, also continued to eat into the profits generated by this program, although with the exception of the food cost, all other charges are basically static regardless • of how many people attend. . So, the more people who do show.up, the greater the profit margin. Even if you don’t know Frank Selke from Glen Weir, we can assure you that the evening is most enjoyable from an entertainment aspect with the tripled benefit of having a fine meal and aiding crippled children all at the same time. • * * * While ole man winter has been com­ paratively kind to us to date, con­ sidering the heavy arsenal he’s tossed around for the past couple of years, it is interesting to note how many weather forecasters have been generated by the extremes in the weather which are becoming more common. Hardly a day goes by, it seems, without someone passing along a tip that we are about to be hit by the worst blizzard on record, or that the ther- the wearing of a tie. And I know my dignity has suffered. I’ve heard people say it. They say, “Look at his dignity. Did you ever’see such suffering?” Next summer, come what may, I’m going to chew a tie. Every day. It may be a little rough, a tie a day, but with the price of lettuce what can you lose? ■ Another thing I plan to do next year is dribble. No, no, not dribble a football about the backyard. Any irieccentric can do that. I mean dribble at the nose and mouth, constantly. And I will wipe it with my sleeve. This is only slightly less eccentric than picking one’s nose in public and eating it, which a real eccentric will do every time. Do I begin to digust you? Don’t worry. It gets worse. I have well- formulated plans to wear white wool sox with black patent-leather shoes, brown shoes with a blue blazer, and white shoes with an orange tuxedo. I will wear my hair long, but always in a discreet bun to go with my granny glasses. I am planning a big party for the Twelfth of July. So far, only the Pope and a few cardinals have accepted. But I’m expecting a few other rare birds. Like King Billy the Eleventeeth. It promises to be quite a conflagration. Another thing I’m going to do in the next year is Not Go South For the Winter. This is becoming one of the more eccentric things to do. And I’m going to change my whole attitude toward my grandboys. No more love and attention. That’s not eccentric. That’s bourgeois. This year it’s going to be, “Get off my clavicle, you little monster, or I’ll give you a and private information agen­ cies to keep closer tabs on Canadians than anyone this side of George Orwell ever believed possible, We are five years from 1984; will Orwell’s predictions of total Big Bro­ ther control by that year be­ come reality? Obviously, there are some valid aspects to the use of the S.I.N. Government is re­ quired to collect taxes on a basis which our elected rep­ resentatives define as “fair”. Unless everyone’s income is reported completely, how­ ever, it isn’t possible to assess taxes fairly; those individuals who do not report some in­ come escape part of their rightful tax burden. The uni­ versal use of S.I.N.s makes tax evasion more difficult. But the liabilities of uni­ versal S.I.N. use are greater. Although S.I.N. use may make it more difficult to avoid reporting cash income to the government,it doesn’t get at the problem of an un­ derground barter economy. Too much personal informa­ tion in the wrong private computers violates every in­ dividual’s right to some pri­ vacy. And, in the final analy­ sis, there’s always the matter of human dignity. Somehow a number strips away the last vestiges of per­ sonal pride and sense of worth. A number isn’t a hu­ man identity; it’s a sin. . l zZ r /k mometer will hit all-new lows, or that spring, will come much earlier than normal.. The official name is Social Insurance Number. And the official name is misleading. Maybe in its original form, around 1965, the name came closer to the truth. In the be­ ginning, everyone who con­ tributed to the Canada Pen­ sion Plan was assigned a life­ time identification number which ensured that the own­ er would be credited with contributions to the plan. So far, so good: the number was a means of insuring the con­ tributor against being short­ changed for pension benefits. But the government did not stop there. S.I.N.s had to be supplied with income tax returns. Employers demand­ ed the numbers to verify their payroll with the govern­ ment auditors. And,gradual­ ly, the circle widened. The S.I.N. has reached the stage where identifica­ tion for social security pur­ poses is only a tiny aspect of its function. Every institu­ tion from banks to depart­ ment stores asks for the cus­ tomer’s S.I.N. Chargex wants to know your S.I.N. So does the pro­ vincial government when you apply for a driver’s license. They want to know your S.I.N. for medicare coverage. And they want your S.I.N. when you apply for a pass­ port. The S.I.N. has reached the stage where identifica­ tion for social security insur­ ance is only a miniscule as­ pect of its function. The insurance aspect has all but-vanished. Instead, the S.I.N. is enabling government "Think small" Is an editorial message from the Canadian. Federation of Independent Business© While these guessperts don’t appear to do any harm, it is surprising how many people are starting to give them some credibility. Fact is, the ex­ perience of the past couple of winters has made many people “gun shy’’ when they hear about storms and they even change their plans on the basis of the kooks’predictions. . Only last week, one chap said his son decided to stay in London rather than head for the Huron hinterlands, after being advised by a co-worker that her mother had indicated the area was to get the worst storm in the past 200 years. Well, it didn’t, but we wonder how many other people changed their plans on the basis of that prediction...or will forego outings in the upcoming weeks due to the prognostications of people who base their opinions on the ache in their big toe or the number of nuts they find in a nearby squirrel’s nest. It’s getting to the point where people even stay close to home on sunny days just because their favorite almanac has indicated that’s the day of a raging blizzard. - Ironically, some of the same people will head out into an accurately forecasted blizzard on the basis that the almanac is calling for clear weather. Oh well, it does add some interest and challenge to those dreary, winter days. tj 1— -----------■"■■""v" :—:---------------------------- memory lane. I A • V good scelpt in the lurch.” That’ll teach them that it doesn’t pay to fool around with a relic. I have some eccentricities in store for my old lady, too. Instead of sitting there reading the paper,, I’m going to look up, smile’brightly and say, “Darl­ ing, that’s the most fascinating ac­ count I’ve ever heard of how you made the bed and did last night’s dishes and ■ vacuumed the living room.” She’ll probably go into a state of total obli­ vion. . There are a few other bad habits I’ll have to discard if I want to become the complete 20th century, eccentric. (Don’t try to say that one umess you • have your partial plate in.) I’m going to stop semi-supporting my kids; No more handouts.. Perhaps this seems excessively eccentric (see paragraph above), but at the respec­ tive ages of 30 and 26, they are no longer my business. In fact, I wish I had a business, so I could disown- them. A nice hardware business, for exam­ ple, with a net profit of about $50,000. I’d just love to say, “I disown you, and I’m leaving the business to your cousin ElwoOd, who smokes pot, hangs around the pool-hall, goes out with fallen women, and doesn’t know whether his arm is glued or tattooed.” I’d love to see the look on their faces. Or would I? This eccentric business is not as simple as it seems. And you’d better have your dentures in for that one. 55 Years Ago . The Evangelistic meetings in Main St. Methodist Church are off to a good start. The pastors of James Street and Main Street are in charge of the services and the two congregations have united for the campaign. The coldest spell of the season passed over this section on Monday. The mercury dropped to around ten degrees below zero. A. E. Erwin, reeve of Bayfield, was elected to the wardenship at the first meeting of the Huron County Council. Mr, H. Bierling has pur­ chased from Messrs. R. McKenzie and Son the general store and pos,t office in Exeter, North, Miss Hopkins, whq has charge of the young ladies’ class in connection with the short courses put on by the Ontario Department of Agriculture, entertained the members of the Exeter and Hurondale Women’s Institutes on Thursday of last week. The attendance was large. An interesting program was put on by some of the young ladies taking the course. 30 Years Ago Mr. and Mrs. Godfrey Wein of Crediton celebrated their diamond wedding anniversary on Saturday. Mr. Ed Hunter-Duvar who recently sold two houses on John Street has purchased property from Albert Mit­ chell south of the village limits and intends to erect a garage and a home on the property. A severe windstorm visited this district Tuesday night. Hydro was disrupted and many roofs were damaged. The roof of the new Huron Lumber Co. was blown dff. Mrs. Hugh Taylor, for­ merly of Thames Road, was honored last week when she was elected first vice- president of the Foreign Missions Conference of North America. Thompson Brothers who have the contract for in­ stalling a new lighting sytem for the James Streeet Church, now have the work well underway. Salaries set by Exeter council called for the reeve to receive $4.00 per meeting and councillors $3.00. Bell ringer, Emerson Cornish to receive $20 per month and the clerk-treasurer, $2,000. A special admission of 42 cents (including tax) was set by Leavitt’s Theatre for the showing of “Duel in the Sun”, 20 Years Ago Robert Southcott was elected president of the James St. United Church AOTS Men’s Club and was installed by the Rev. H. J. Snell. • Edgar Cudmore and Morley Hall of South Huron Gideon Camp distributed New Testaments to 74 pupils of grade 5 at Exeter Public School. John Anderson of Hensail copped the Labatt 50-bird handicap trophy at the Kippen Gun Club when he won the shoot with a score of 41. The natural ice rink at Dashwood Lutheran Church has been busy over the past week. Raymie Wein has been supervising the rink. A fox hunt organized by Joe Haskett and Earl Greenlee in the Lucan area was unsuccessful. The hunters saw and shot at five foxes, they bagged none. A yearling doe was chased into town by two hounds Saturday but it escaped unharmed, thanks to protection from Hank Greene, local game over­ seer. 15 Years Ago Exeter District Co-Op directors met Wednesday night to discuss plans for the replacement of their $80,000 feed mill which burned to the ground yesterday morning. Traffic was blocked off Highway 21 and area residents warned of danger Tuesday night when a propane truck leaked a ' heavy fog of gas over the golf course at Grahd Bend. Driver. John Hotson suffered minor burns. Huron County has almost reached its quota in the sale of shares for FAME, the farmers’ meat processing co-operative it was revealed at a regional meeting in Walkerton. Attending- from this area were Ernest Pym, Alex MacGregor, John Soldan, Malcolm Davidson and William Coleman. Earl Dick of Cromarty was re-elected president of the South Huron Agricultural Society in Hensall, Saturday. Several improvements have been completed at the, Dashwood library, librarian Mrs. Ernest Koehler reports 16 adult readers and 54 children. C. H. Lewis and J. B. Ready plan to erect a $200,000 motel in Lucan, A vote in the village this week gave the necessary majorities for a dining lounge and cocktail lounge,