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Times-Advocate, 1978-10-05, Page 4Page 4 Times-Advocate, October 5, 1978 ------------------------------------------------ - oi» | |S1 I O IM ________I—_______> That’s restraint?? Deciphering the wheat from the chaff in government promises has never been easy. But you really have to wonder about the federal government’s commitment to financial restraint. According to the most recent Statistics Canada figures, the federal government employed 16,594 more peo­ ple in June of this year than one year earlier. That represents $2,292.8 million for payroll payments in the second quarter of the year or an increase of $33.3 million from last year. If that bears any evidence of restraint it is a lucky thing for Canadians the government didn’t decide to go on a spending spree. It’s all well and good for the federal government to slash budgets and things like the Company of Young Canadians, The Consumer Protection Association and other high profile areas of government spending. That gives the impression the government is serious about keeping a lid on spending, but we have the sinking feeling that the government is more interested in appearance than substance and in fact, groups like the Company of Young Canadians and the Consumer Associa­ tion are sacrificial lambs. Even with those cuts one could con­ clude the federal bureaucracy is so large and so far out of control that the government ends up spilling more than it spends on services.“I was going to buy a roast for supper but I needed a co-signer. ” Liit cr tlian you think The fact that municipal nominations and elections are planned almost one full month ahead of usual apparently hasn’t hit home with many area residents as yet, because very few people have been stirred into action. In about 10 days, nominations will be received by municipal clerks for the various municipal and school board positions and where elections are necessary, they will be held on November 13. In short, it’s later than you think! Indications are that there will be several vacancies to fill in the area this year and there is also a suggestion that some of those who have been filling public offices for the past two years could be replaced by more energetic and conscientious individuals. Holding a public office is not an easy task. One has only to look at some of the major decisions that have been faced by council and school board members over the past two years to see that it requires people who are not afraid to take a stand on some ex­ tremely important matters. But that fact alone points up the need for every ratepayer to accept his responsibility to ensure that he/she is represented by the most capable peo­ ple in the community. There are many such people in every area municipality, but it is up to their fellow citizens to encourage them to seek public office to ensure that the proper leadership is available to make the important decisions that will con­ front all public bodies in the next two years. If you think you deserve the best, make sure you get it! Short is long This not a tall yarn, but the results of a study: short -men live longer. Women may still prefer tall, dark and handsome men, but if they prefer those likely to be around longer, they better go for the shorter kind. Science Digest reports that a study of U.S. presidents, successful businessmen, baseball players, and boxers reveals that “the shortest men in each grouping lived longer than the tallest group.” The article doesn’t say how age and height are linked. But the long and the short of it is that somehow they are. Tall men should think twice before they look down their noses at their shorter companions. Ottawa Citizen Think small Beggar your Neighbour Perspectives There’s considerable accent on far­ ming in the area these days, what with the International Plowing Match on our doorstep and the annual rush to get the bean and corn harvest completed under the fall vagaries of the weather. To that extent, we felt quite at home on our tour through the German coun­ tryside recently, because the harvest was in full swing there as well in the lush growing area of the Black Forest. Wet weather had set crops back about three weeks, so farmers there had their worries as well. The interesting aspect of German farms is that there are no self- contained units as we know them in Huron County. All the farmers live in the small villages and each day head off to the perimeters of the village to look after their land. Their barns and implement sheds are attached to their houses and there are no farm buildings in the crop area. Generally speaking, the farmer’s house and barn are attached, with the livestock living in the “next room” to the family abode. Invariably, the manure pile is located outside the front door of the house, yet there doesn’t appear to be any odor as one walks along the twisting streets. The size of the manure piles would indicate that German farmers spread it on their fields at more regular intervals than their Canadian counterparts. Due to the numerous military exer­ cises staged throughout Germany, as well as the limited size of most farms, livestock are seldom out of the barns and fences are few and far between. In fact, in most of the small villages we visited, we were advised that animals were never taken out of their pens or stalls. Fences were not permitted in that area because the cost of restoring them after military exercises had been held would be too great. Because many of the Canadian Forces units had taken up residence in farmyard locations in the villages, we had several opportunities to inspect the barns and found them uncommonly clean and neat. * * * Each morning, the villages were a hive of activity as farmers drove through the streets with their tractors and machinery on their way to the fields. The women, meanwhile, were pushing their milk carts along the street to a central location where they would be picked up for delivery to a dairy. Our women readers will be in­ terested to note that German wives work very hard on the farms, and we suspect that some men have been smart enough not to train their fraus on the fine art of driving a tractor. Haying operations were in full swing in many areas, and we noticed that it was invariably the man who was driv­ ing the tractor, while his better half was relegated to the more arduous task of taking the bales off the baler and stacking them on the wagon. Potato harvesting was also a common sight, and again it was the male driving the tractor while his wife (and quite often grandma) were out breaking their backs picking up the spuds. It was also evident that every last strand of hay or straw was valuable. After the machinery had combed the field, the women were out with hand rakes, collecting any portions that may have been missed. They also raked up the grass that had been cut by highway crews along the roadsides. Wheat, corn, hay and potatoes were among the main crops, along with a considerable acreage of sugar beets, which we were told, were used for processing as well as feed for pigs.. Contrary to popular belief, Germans do not live on sauerkraut. They were very few cabbages in evidence, although we did see one field being harvested and the heads were gigantic, almost equalling the size of pumpkins. * * * Around the larger communities, such as Lahr, many of the city residents rent land in their neighboring rural area, and on a drive through the coun­ try on Saturday, it was buzzing with people out harvesting their fruit and vegetable crops. Most of the people have erected small tool sheds on their holdings, and quite often take along their sleeping bags and stay out in the country for the weekend. The Black Forest area was experien­ cing a bumper fruit crop, especially plums, and most trees had to be propped up with boards to keep them from splitting. Most of the harvesting of the fruit crop was simply undertaken. A large piece of plastic was placed on the ground around the tree and the branches were then shaken vigorously to disgorge their yields. Grapes were also abundant, and home wine making is a popular hobby. If you don’t have your own wine, you can take your bottle to a farmer to have it filled. When it is emptied, you return with your bottle for another refill for about 50 cents. * ★ -k With the price of energy even higher in Germany than here (about $2 per gallon for gasoline) the German farmers enjoy cost-saving benefits with their farm operations; The heat from their animals help warm their houses and usually, their grain is stored in the attic. It is a rather unusual sight to walk along a street and see a grain auger pumping the harvest in through the windows above the bedrooms. A long time ago, the well- known Fathers of Confedera­ tion agreed that, in future,all of Canada would stand to­ gether, sharing equally in the good and the bad. But some­ thing went wrong along the way and now the impover­ ished Maritimes are part of the same Confederation as wealthy Alberta and Ontario. Increasingly - and quite aside from the well-known sovereignty issue in Quebec - Confederation has become a matter of every province for itself. The noble concept of one for all and all for one has gone by the boards. One example of the course we’re taking can be found in Quebec where, by provincial decree, it has been specified that construction workers from outside Quebec will not be permitted to work in that province unless it can be de­ termined that workers with similar skills are not available locally. Quebec’s action invited immediate response from Ontario which has introduc­ ed legislation barring Quebec tradesmen. Other regions can be expected to follow suit. But let’s not dump all the blame on one province. Last year, for example, Ontario went shopping for new pub­ lic transit vehicles. The lowest bid came from MLW Worthington, a Quebec-based outfit - but the contract went to Ontario’s Hawker- Siddley at a higher price. Alberta, meanwhile, gives preferred status to its own contractors for pipeline con­ struction. Outside contrac­ tors get work only when there aren’t any local firms available. Manitoba stipulates that only Manitoba-based consult­ ing engineers be employed on nuclear generating plants there. Competent engineers from anywhere else in Cana­ da are out of luck. Then there are the inter­ provincial trucking wars where vehicles with out-of­ province license plates are pulled off the road by police. The examples of beggar- your-neighbour policies with­ in Confederation are almost endless. It’s impossible now to ignore the fact that Con­ federation just isn’t working out the way the Fathers plan­ ned it. The provincial leaders are to blame - but so is Ot­ tawa, which has failed to de­ velop a comprehensive na­ tional development policy. The provincial ploys are bom out of frustration with an economy that has stagnated. There is an important les­ son here for Canadians. Al­ though we operate one of the world’s most open economies (more than half the goods coming into Canada pay no duty whereas the U.S., for example, taxes more than 90% of its imports), our trade representatives in the Geneva trade negotiations are talking about cutting ta­ riffs even further in exchange for non-tariff concessions from other countries. But agreement on tariffs is a relatively easily attained state, being nothing more than a matter of arguing over easily defined numbers. Non­ tariff barriers, on the other hand, are far more subtle and less readily defined. So, if we can’t cope with trade barriers within our own borders, how can our naive “boy scout” approach to international trade in Geneva accomplish anything of value? There’s a lesson on international trade to be found in our own inter­ provincial affairs. “Think small" is an editorial message from the Canadian Federation of Independent Business i cjown memory IcitWL Seeing pictures in the paper recently of plowing contests reminds me of the stories my father tells of the days when horses were used for transportation summer and winter. They pulled buckboards, plows, coal carts, and the milk wagons. Even I can remember the milkman swinging easily out from the wagon. The horse, an old straw hat over its ears would keep right on go­ ing and the milkman would catch it at the next house. Dad talked of one team they used to have, not what you’d call a matched pair. The grey gelding was about six hundred pounds more than the little bay mare yet it seemed they could out­ work any pair of big horses around. Though the gelding did the bulk of the work she seemed to know exactly when to pull so he could get his footing. Together they were a real team. Apparently my grandfather was a real judge of good horseflesh. One time he picked up a mare that was half-sister to the fastest horse in Canada. Speed was in her and she would not be passed. Once dad and his older sister were coming home from church in the cutter and somebody came up behind them. The old horse took the bit in her teeth, and her rear quarters moving like two pistons, they fairly flew home, snow flying out in every direction. A wild, scary ride. The story I liked best was not really about a horse at all. Dad had gone to work for a cousin as a hired man. The cousin mentioned that the mule they used for plow­ ing was ‘a little mean’ but never said much else. When dad got into the stall with it to harness up it started to crowd him. just easing over a little at a time, laying its big ears back quite knowing­ ly. Each day he did this, then when he got out into the field would work half­ heartedly, always waiting for a chance to kick. One day he caught Dad in the stall. iMoved in fast enough, hard enough to almost break a rib. Angry, Dad took a piece of rope and wrapped it around the base of the mule’s ears; pulled it tight enough to cut off part of the circulation, then went in and had his breakfast. When he came out the old mule was swaying back and forth. He stood very docilely to be hitched up and then went out to the field. All day he worked, really worked, plowing a good acre and a half of ground. They were good friends after that. It was just a matter of being boss. There is something to be said for working with horses or mules. Now if your trac­ tor breaks down on you, the best you can do is kick it and that doesn’t help a great deal. We do have tourist paradise Times Established 1873 Advocate Established 1881 jmes - Advocate 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 Amalgamated 1924 Published Each Thursday Morning ' af Exeter, Ontario Second Clast Mail Registration Number 0386(♦BnA SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Canada $11.00 Per Year; USA $22.00 While we were travelling this past summer, my wife remarked something to the effect that it’s too bad Canada doesn’t have the attractions to lure hundreds of thousands of tourists that Europe has. I assured her tartly that she was all wet. This country has everything to make it a tourist’s paradise: moun­ tains aplenty, great plains, deep forests, thousands of miles of coast line, a million or so lakes, good hotels, interesting cities in French and English, and good highways. It’s not that we don’t have enough for the tourist. We have too much, and we take it for granted. Tiny Switzerland doesn’l, and it makes use of every inch, milking the tourist as carefully as it milks its cows, those brown ones that graze up the mountains in summer and give chocolate milk. We have tremendous sports facilities: skiing, sailing, fishing, hunting, hiking, alot of it free or very cheap. Try going skiing or fishing or hunting in Europe. It will cost you an arm and a leg, and in many countries is impossible for foreigners. We don’t have any ruined abbeys or falling-down castles, but have plenty ^abandoned log houses, which, in terms of humanity, are just as touching, if not as impressive. We’re a little short on cathedrals, but not on churches. Some of our towns of two or three thousand have as many as ten different churches. You can pray standing up, sitting down, on your knees or flat on your back. You can’t do this in Europe. We are nationalistic, but in a lackadaisical way, with nothing of the prickly pride of the French, the deja vu pride of the Italians or the smug complacency of the Swiss or Germans. We have a certain blandness, a lack of local color perhaps, to the unob­ servant eye. But local color often consists of nothing more than rolls so hard you can’t eat them, dirty toilets, and execrable wine, in Europe. And we certainly have all those. As local color, try a house party in Newfie, Saturday night in Sudbury, a stroll down Yonge St.’s Strip in Toronto, or amble through downtown Montreal or Vancouver. Or try Friday night in a beer parlor, anywhere in the country. We don’t have many ancient ruins. We put them away in nursing homes. But a visit to these could probably be arranged for the tourist. People think we don’t have much history. We do. We have all kinds of it. It’s just younger than that of European countries. But the Battle of Duck Lake, Saskatchewan, is just as important to this country as the Battle of Waterloo was to Europe in its time. The restoration of Ste. Marie Among the Hurons at Midland, Ontario, the 17th century Jesuit mission, is just as valid as the restoration of the Roman Colosseum, ignored by the Romans for centuries. Furthermore, for the delectation of the tourists, we have a dollar that is worth 85 cents. That means their yen and marks and francs will stretch like elastic bands. And finally, we have something no other nation in the world can touch, Thanksgiving weekend, and everything that goes with it. The great sad, final flaming of our foliage before we close down for six months. If our tourist industry wasn’t such a weak sister, Canada would be crawling with millions of Japanese and Arabs and Germans and Italians from about September first to the middle of October, to the point where we wouldn’t have room to rake our leaves and burn them. Speaking of Thanksgiving, I hope you have a lot to be thankful for. I think we do, as a nation. We have the most bracing, delightful, exasperating climate in the world. We still have vast, comparatively unspoiled wilderness. (Witness the scramble for recent Europeans, now Canadians, to buy a chunk of it.) We have a very high standard of living, despite unemployment, strikes, high taxes, fumbling politicians. We have a country in which Jack is as good as his master, and servility is scorned. Don’t believe me? Try hiring a cleaning lady or bawling out your plumber. Ask among the first-generation Canadians from Europe how many of them would go back. Nary a one. Aside from thinking this is a pretty good place to live, I have lots of per­ sonal reasons for thanksgiving. A good wife who can cook like a chef, sew like a couturier. (We almost remembered our anniversary this year. Were just a day late.) My daughter, with two children and three degrees, finally got a job. As a file clerk. My son is alive and well in a South American country, which is sometimes a difficult thing to be. I have a great fad next door who cuts my lawn and shovels my snow faith­ fully. I have a job I like with people I enjoy working with. I have good neigh­ bors. But I must admit I’m looking over my shoulder quite often these days. I’m thankful that my health is good, but I think the Lord is trying to tell me something about my English depart­ ment. Two of them have faulty tickers. A third sprang his back and was flat on it all summer. Another, a recent ad­ dition, had his gall bladder removed recently. And finally, Rager Bell, whose contributions you may have read in this space, fell off his motor­ bike and dislocated his shoulder. It’s a good thing they have a strong, virile Chief. Be thankful for what you have. 55 Years Ago Mr. Clayton Prouty is suffering with a compound fracture of the right leg. Mr. Prouty was working in the gravel pit owned by Dun- sford Bros., Hay township when without warning the pit caved in and he was partly buried beneath the falling earth. The fine double bank barn of Mr. William Darling of the third concession of McGillivray near Clan- deboye was completely destroyed by fire together with the season’s crop, a pure bred Hereford bull and several pigs. Mr, Darling just completed his threshing that afternoon. The Plymouth Brethren have rented the old YPCA building for the purpose of holding gospel meetings. The 13th annual con­ vention of the Exeter and Usborne Sunday School Association met Tuesday in Thames Road Presbyterian Church with President J.W. Skinner in the chair. 30 Years Ago Exeter chapter OES celebrated its tenth an­ niversary last Monday. Six brides were received into church membership at Thames Road United Church on Sunday morning: Mrs. Lome Passmore, Mrs. Aimer Passmore; Mrs. Donald Kernick; Mrs. Beverley Morgan; Mrs. William Rohde; and Mrs. Edwin Miller. Prizes for the best skating couple at the Exeter Roller Rink carnival went to Marion Webber and ' Bill Musser. The Exeter Lions Club, sponsors of the Lucan Lions Club held a joint session with the Lucan club on Friday evening. 20 Years Ago Steve Storey, who has patrolled right wing for the Lucan Irish for the past four seasons, has been named playing coach of the Irish Six for the ‘58-‘59 season. The Exeter Times- Advocate offers to award the person who sends in the best news tip of the week, two free tickets to the Lyric Theatre which may be used for any regular per­ formance. About 35 pupils of Drayton school attended the marriage in the Christian Reformed Church,Exeter of Betty Petrusma, Ottawa to their teacher, William VanWeiren, on Saturday. McGillivray School Area Board have taken an option on land for a central school on the farm of Levi White, concession 14 and have engaged an architectural firm. 15 Years Ago Staffa Merchants, won the OBA “C” crown Sunday by defeating Little Britain 7-6 and staged a happy parade on a Model “T” through Staffa, Cromarty and Mit­ chell following the victory. Ivan Hunter-Duvar, local businessman escaped with minor injuries Sunday when the plane he-was piloting crashed on a runway at RCAF Station Centralia. Exeter Lions made a good start Thursday night in their raffle canvass, part of a campaign to raise $4,000 for welfare work for the coming year. A new railway siding is being built into the new plant of the Exeter Rutabaga Company in Exeter north. The new $210,000 Biddulph Central School will be of­ ficially opened Friday night in a public ceremony. Trucks of area farmers are making frequent trips to Staffa Creamery to draw waler for their livestock. Well below normal rainfall has resulted in many wells going dry and up to 35 far­ mers are drawing from this source.