The Brussels Post, 1975-07-16, Page 8;•
•
1
' I
t
1
.1 I
'
• h
I
Sugar and Spice
by Bill Smiley
Well, Canada's in good shape for a long,
hot summer, it looks like.
Don't be surprised, even in these days of
women's liberation, if you hear some time
this summer that a member of the male sex
has given birth to • a child.
The figurative father would be Mayor
Drapeau of Montreal, one of the great con
artists of the 20th century.
Asked near the beginning of the fiasco
whether there was any, cance of the
Canadian Olympics being a financial
disaster, His Worship replied something
like this: -There is as much chance of the
Olympics losing money as there is of a man
having, a baby.
. Well, hi there, Dad! The 1976 Olympics,
to be held in the Canadian city with the
worst slums, the worst schools, the worst
sewage problems, and the biggest crime
rate in Canada, is now approaching $300
million over estimates.
But don't sell M. Drapeau short.iHe has
pulled so many rabbits out of so many hats
in the last decade, baffling his audience• in
the proceedings, that it's not at all
impossible that he will prevail upon one of
his stooges to produce.
1 can see the headlines now: Drapeau
Aide Bears Baby; Medics Baffled. The kid
will be born with an Olympic coin in his
mouth, and he'll be hustling lottery tickets
from his cradle.
But you and I will still be stuck with a tax
bill that would have made the Fathers of
Confederation have a simultaneous group
stroke.The whole country wasn't worth
thatl
Don't be surprised if M. Drapeau starts
a completely new lottery, with the winner
(men only) chosen as the first man in
Canada to have a baby. I .know a lot of
women who would buy tickets.
However, that's peanuts, only
something like one tenth of the national
debt.
There's the very serious problem of the
increase in the price of gas. Dear me, if
they keep putting up the price of gas, it will
soon be more than a pack of cigarettes. It
has already soared past the cost of a bottle
of beer. What is this country coming to?
Fearless John Turner, with about as
much choice as a lady who is eight months
pregnant, has produced again, with a
budget that will go down in history with the
same impacts as the 50th anniversary of
Joey Crack and Flossie Snail. •
So the price of gas hs gone up.So, what's
new? Did we all expect it to go down?
And these stern, new prices are going to
cut away back in our mis-use of one of the
our natural resources. My foot!
Did you stop smoking when fags went up
to 80 cents a package? Did you stop
drinking when beer crept up from about 12
cents a bottle to 30 cents?
Are you going to stop driving and get off
your lazy*tail and walk down to the store for
a pack of cigarettes or a pack of beer?
Those, of course, are rhetorical
questions. We're smoking more than ever,
drinking more than ever, and 'we'll
probably burn more gas than ever, just to
prove how irrational we are.
There is only one thing that is going to
cut away back in our wastage of fuel. That
is when some politicians (they'd have to do
it in concert, because no individual would
have the guts to do it) decree that the
speed limit will promptly be reduced to 40
miles an hour, in Canada.
If we did that, and at the same time cut
by two-thirds the amount spent on
superhighways, we'd almost pick up the
amount M. Drapeau is flushing down the
drain.
I can see that you're wondering why
Smiley isn't Minister of Finance, if he has
all the answers.
Well, .I can tell you. I have the big, broad
concepts well in hand, but sometimes the
niggling little details escape me.
Recently, for example, I had my wife
convinced that if I paid up for my war
service, and taught for another year, I
could retire at a pretty good pension.
Not that she was in favor of it. She wants
me to work until I'm so old and sick and
tired and stupi .d and useless that nobody
will have me, except her. Then she plans to
cart me off to Golden Glow Haven or such.
One of th6se awful places where couples
can retire together.
My idea is that we should split when we
finally decide we are mature. She can have
the house, the car (1967 Dodge), the piano,
rugs, the $147 in stocks and bonds, the
lawnmower and the snow shovel. I won't
need any of that. „
I'll just take my grandbaby, Pokey, and
we'll go off somewhere and make a good
life for ourselves, with no women.
My calculations were out about 400 per
cent on the pension deal, so I have to work
for another 20 or 30 years. •
And perhaps that is the reason I am a
very astute financial critic in the big world,
and a complete failure in my own.
On the other hand, there are not many
guys still driving a '67 Dodge that runs like
an well-oiled rabbit. And there are not
many guys left who still have 12 share of
Elder Mines. And there are not many guys
my age who could still make a good living
in a pool room.
So, watch it, John Turner.
Beaton's celebrate anniversary
Report from Queen's Par
Saturday, July 5, 1975 proved indtistrious couple decided to go
to be an action-packed day at the into business for themselves.
home of Mr. and Mrs. Bev Beaton Thus, for 11 years they operated a
of Blyth. successful bakery in Goderich. At
Their house was decked with this time, they moved to Hensall
ribbons, bells, • streamers and where they carried on the
beautiful home-grown roses. A "baking business" until 1973.
stunning three-tiered cake with They retired at that time and
pink rosettes caught all eyes as came to reside in Blyth where
the guests entered the living they have made many friends.The
room. What was the special numerous cards and gifts
occasion? Dorothy and Bev were received by the couple remind us
celebrating their golden wedding of the high esteem in which they
anniversary! are held in this community.
It all began on July 4, 1925 in Approximately 150 guests from
Hensall, Ontario when Beverley Blyth and other areas attended.
Beaton and Dorothy Green were Visitors from as far away as
wed. The attendants of 50 years Detroit, Toronto and Florida and
ago were Miss Pearl Beaton, from as near as Goderich,
sister of the groom, and Mr. Bill Mitchell, Grand Bend, Exeter,
Gre en, brother of the bride. The Seaforth, Hensall, London,
anniversary festivities were made Millbank and Listowel were
all the more pleasurable by their present. The day was made
attendance. especially meaningful by the
Following their marriage, the presence of Bev and Dorothy's
happy couple resided in Detroit two six's: Beverley and Ronald:
for six years. During this time NatUrally a,celebration such as
Bev was employed by the this requires many helpers. In the
Railroad. Later ; they made a afternoon ; Mrs. Joan Beaton
decision to return to Canada and greeted the guests and had them
so made their home in Seaforth sign the register, which will serve
where Bev became an employee' as a precious reminder of the day.
in a bakery. In 1946, the Mrs. Wes. Green and Mrs. I
8—THE. BRUSSELS POST, JULY 16, 1975
Dorothy Milliken assisted by
pouring tea. Those serving
sandwiches and cookies were
Mrs. Pearl Koehler, Mrs. Marie
Green and Mrs. Marg. Radford.
When the festivities
recommenced in the evening,
Mrs Ruth Stewart received the
visitors at the door. Mrs. Pat
Sparling and Miss Isabel Fox
poured the tea while Mrs. Fran
Campbell and Mrs. Marge
McNall graciously served' the
lunch. Those who aided in the
kitchen for the day were Mrs.
Dorothy Gwyn, Mrs. Betty
Bowes, Mrs. Connie Bromley and
Miss Maxine Bowes.
During the supper hour, the
relatives of the couple were
treated to a delicious banquet of
Kentucky fried chicken which was
tremendously enjoyed by all.
To, top off the happy day, the
couple received congratulatory
Messages from Prime Minister
Trudeau, Governor General
Leger, Robert Stanfield, Robert.
Nixon, Bob McKinley and Murray
Gaunt. addition, a
commemorative scroll from the
Ontario Government Was
presented to them.
By Murray Gaunt , M.P.P.
(Huron-Bruce)
This week the Treasurer,
Honourable Darcy McKeough
submitted his mini-budget to the
Legislature as the Provincial
Government tried some more
"fine tuning of the economy".
It contained a package of
initiatives valued at $178 million
intended to get more houses
built, more jobs created, the
elimination of the 5% Ontario
sales tax on most North American
built cars and station wagons and
the lowering of wine prices by 5 or
6 cents a bottle by passing on
federal excise tax reductions.
The rebate on new cars which
should average $175 per buyer
will last only until the end , of
December.
The Treasurer estimated the
deficit will jump another $100
million to a record $1.76 billion.
The mini-budget also included
provision for: •
— $30 million more this year to
encourage increased housing
most of which is to finance fully
the building of the first of 4,000
senior citizen units.
— $12 million more foraewer and
voter projects.
— $17 million for improved
pension benefits for retired civil
servants and teachers.
(Intended for last week)
A 90 day freeze has been
implemented on the prices of
gasoline, diesel fuel, propane and
home heating oil until October
1st, announced the Premier
William Davis in the House this
week.
During the price freeze in
Ontario, a one-man royal
commissin will be established to
examine price levels, hear
arguments from the oil companies
and recommend to the Provincial
Government what it shOuld do
after the freeze.
This move will fix wholesale
and ret ail prices in the province
at the levels that were charged on
June 23rd; federal-budget night,
plus the excise tax of 10 cents a
gallon imposed by the new
budget.
To uphold the freeze the
Petroleum Products .Price Freeze
Act was given first reading in the
legislature this week and it
provides for fines of up to $25,00
for corporations, and up to $2,000,
for company officers or directors
convicted of raising prices,
refusing to supply information or
knowingly supplying false
information to the province.
As the province does not have a
lot of inspectors to enforce the
proposed law Mr. Davis said "the
history of this kind of legislation
has been that it's sort of enforced
by the consumers."
Liberal Leader Robert Nixon
supported the Ontario
Government's 90-day gasoline
and fuel oil price freeze, but said
"it should be extended into the
winter season to help offset home
heating costs".
Mr. Nixon also asked•Mr. Davis
in the House if he has any real
concern about energy prices that
he prevented Ontario Hydro's
30%ao ,
proposedberainteg inrcervejaesweesdofbay tli lmestt
Ontario Energy Board.
The Ontario Government
announced a programme to
stabilize income to producers of
beef calves, and the plan will
guarantee producers SOC hundredweight for stocker calves
this year. This guarantee is for
the first year of a five-year beet
calf , income stabilization
programme, but the governmeN
says the plan "must not he
viewed as a guaranteed income
scheme, rather it is a plats to
stabilize the income of beef calf
producers".
High lot prices in Ontario
Government sponsored Hone
Ownership Made Easy projects
are under investigatioa
according of Housing Minister
Donald Irvine. Mr. Irvine said
some people taking part in the
project are finding themselves
unable to purchase the land on
which their homes are built,
Mr. Irvine is going to make a
policy statement in two weeks
which will determine how fair
market value is placed on lot
prices.
Royal assent was given in the
Legislature this week to 12 bills,
including legislation to provide
for the province's first
ombudsman.
Premier William Davis is faced
with one of his toughest problems
to appoint a new agriculture
minister. William Stewart, who
has held• this crucial cabinet post
since 1961, suffered a heart attack
on June 12th and is presently
recovering in a London hospital
but he is not expected to return to
Work for "quite some weeks",
It is an accepted fact o
provincial polities that, just as th
attorney general must be
lawyer, the agricultural ministe
must be a farmer, and speculation
at Queen's-Park as to Stewart's
successor has centred on thre
men - Environment Minist
William Newman, Robert Eaton,
agriculture parliamentar)
assistant, and Lorne Henderson,
from Lambton.
Farm write
discontinu
column
Adrian Vos, the Blyth ar
farm writer whose colum
"agri-notes" has been a papal
feature of this newspaper,h
decided to discontinue writing Id
column.
Mr. Vos writes that the cost
keeping up with the farm news
order to write his colum
effectively has become too Mg
He feels that he has failed in h
objective in writing his colum
Which was to inform non farme
of the problems that farmers fac
This newspaper hopes that M
Vos has not failed in trying
reach the non farm reader an
feels that his column will
missed.
Atwood Cal-Ray Shoppe
SUMMER
CLEARANCE SALE
July 17th-31st
Including Dresses, Long Gowns (7 24o)
os ALL SUMMER 20% OFF IsE
Tops, Shorts, HalterMs,EmilenC'sHsAhiNrtsp;
Pants and Sport Coats up to size 46.
Special Clearance Racks of
Children's and Adult. Clothing
From $2.50 tO$6.00
Open Friday Night Until 9