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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Brussels Post, 1975-09-03, Page 13e ling, call Iores she IS no but tops find !rent for id it don't r an and dney onth from tome the that jars that ask "by ake een ince he ade was id, een rnia that and e've uals ying and rder that the lids this or the f in t to only ith ned s to ugh the slue one ent ar' cid if sod the all to ar, cid alt ter to Sugar and Spice by Bill Smiley Just clearing off my desk before heading to Saskatoon for a convention of weekly editors, Boy, am i a lazy bum! There must be 45 letters stacked here, unanswered. First of all, there are two piles of letters about the metric-Celsius nonsense. Those who agree with me form a much deeper pile. But in fairness, those who disagree are much more literate. Does this have any significance? The more literate letters, are, on the whole, much duller than the emotional ones. They treat me as a backward child, or a senile old man. I am neither. Sample, from Wm. Gary Wharton, of Unionville, Ont. "There are things occouring (his spelling) in this world that from the sounds of your column you couldn't even begin to comprehend. Things are dealt with on a world-wide basis now and in doing so we need a common unit of measure, weight and volume." And so on. Baloney! If that is so, why don't we have a common world-wide language, and a common unit of currency? We have neither. The argument holds no water. On the other side, Earl F. Gilchrist of Perth, Ontario., is equally lacking in logic, "'The metric system should never be introduced in Canada because it isn't Canadian. I want my children to grow up in a Canadian Canada not a Foreign Canada. Any Canadian that accepts the metric system isn't a Canadian." Well now, I wouldn;t ,go that far. That means that I could never enjoy English fish-and-chips, French fries, chicken chow mein, lasagna, southern fried chicken, and would be condemned for life to drinking Canadian -- ugh! — wine. That way madness lies. There's a letter from Mr. and Mrs. C. Knott of Rorketon, Man. "The guy that invented this stuff (Celsius and metrics) died so why doesn't it die with him as it sure doesn't make any sense ...We are only two out here, but I know there are many more in this area. Go to it Bill , send out petition or whatever it.takes to stay as it was before." A June editorial in the Waterloo Chronicle by Mike Roy is headed Some Facts, Please. ffle then attacks my "half-baked ideas" about the metric system. He goes on to state a lot of facts about the world's population, makes a desperate attempt to link these to the need for a metric system, and fails. I just take back my remark that letters urging a metric system are more literate than those. against. Here's a long, witty, oft bawdy letter from Harvey Malcolm, a farmer, municipal politician and news correspondent. from Janetville for the Bowmanville Statesman. He wants metric. "Have y6u ever tried from scratch to figure out in the twinkling of, an eye with a ratepayer breathing over your shoulder, how many lots 99' x 133' or such like can be found in an umpteen acre field?" No, I haven't. Harvey. But 1 imagine it could be done with a calculator in about three minutes by a teenager of average intelligence. What's the big rush to find it out, anyway? Somebody only wants to make a buck. Let him wait. B.C.Leaden of Rosedale, British Columbia, says that he often disagrees with me wholeheartedly, but on this, is on my' side. In part, he says, speaking of politicians: "They take our money and they screw it all up until you can't tell one bill from another, except for the good Old deuce, and l suppose they'll soon get rid of that. They shove French down the English throats and English down the-French and now they drop this Celsius bit on us poor long-suffering bastards. What in hell do we want that for? Celsius r Sounds more like a disease than a degree of temperature." Another brief letter from a Western couple, stamped envelope enclosed, says, "Tell us what to do, write our M.P. or what, and we'll do it." Well, folks, that's a good place to start, but don't be suprirsed if you get a polite brush-off. To try to sum up my own feelings would require another whole column, and would just touch on the subject. Firstly, I agree • that metric is easier. Ally idiot knows that. But don't try to snow me with arguments that' Canada's economic future depends on the metric system. Our economic future, like it Or lump it, is tied to that of the U.S., which is not metric. The metric system should have been introduced 50 years ago. It wasn't. Now is not the. time to do it, when inflation is making terrible ravages on our economy. Maybe it's 15 years too soon. We just can't afford it right, now. Celsius is silly. I don't care what the temperature is in Outer Mongolia, or what system they use.I want to know whether it's 10 below or 80 above — Fahrenheit. The U.S. uses Fahrenheit. The radio and TV stations along the border use both. The newspapers report British and, continental temperatures in Fahrenheit. The changes to metric and Celsius seem to reflect that old Canadian tradition, which applies in everything from styles to education. It goes something like this: "Let's drag our feet for a while, until everybody else has tried this thing out. Then we'll jump it and go the whole hog, whether the thing worked or not." Heck with both of them. I only hope that when I get to. Saskatoon, it's been a good summer (Fahrenheitally speaking) for wheat, and that those fish I don't catch in northern Saskatchewan will not be less than two • metres in length. istrict 4H members take part in achievement- day program. i FLAG CONTEST The County of Huron is conducting a contest for the design of a distinctive flag for Huron County Prizes to be awarded Open to anyone in Huron COuntY Rules 1. Contest ends Nov 1, 1975 2. Entries to be in' colour 3. Entries to be 6" x 12" in size Submit entries to: Development Office Cowl House Goderich, Ontario N7A 1M2 Winning entry will not necessarily be used. ps Courtly-Hog. THE BRUSSELS POST, 'SEPTEMBER 1975...,•13 cronbipok Henderson family holds gathering Over 100 members of the 4-H Horne Garden. Club Participated in the Clinton area achievement day on the use of vegetables at the Central H uron Secondary School in Clinton. They are among the 600 member, s across Huron County who have been involved in the garden clubs since April. During the summer months, each club Member planted and cared for ahome garden. With the variety of vegetables grown," ekh girl haspractised WaYs, Iliteparing and serving the garden litOthice to her family. demonstrations and skits related to gardening were presented by the girls to the large audience attending 'the Clinton event under the direction of Jane S. Pengilly, Home EconOnlist for Huron County. Miss Pengilly said the Garden Clubs in Huron this year were the first in ten years and had proven to be popular and -successful. Mrs. Betty Obokata0 tegiOnal supervisor of honie econcimists for Western Ontario commented on the exhibits and Mrs. Agnes King, 'Home Economist, W.. commentedoti the demonstrations and skitS. Receiving provincial 'toners for completing tWelVe projects were; Karen Whit more, 5eafoith; Linda thomsou, Kip -ft; Marlene Sewers, Correspondent Mrs. M. Engel The Henderson family gathering was held on Sunday, August 24, in Cranbrook Community Centre. Miss Margaret Kerr of Ewart College, Toronto, attended and spent a few days with Mr. and Mrs. Clare Veitch. Miss Einylene Steiss entertained members of the 'Steiss family at dinner on Wednesday in honour of their cousin Alex and Mrs. Stewart of Surrey, B.C. The Stewarts left of Thursday following a week of visiting relatives in the area. Attending the dinner were Mrs. Orma Wilson, Mr. and Mrs. , Arthur Nicholls, Atwood, Mr. and . Mrs. Oscar Huehn, Conestoga, Mr. and Mrs. Alex Steiss, Brussels, Mrs. Calvin Cameron and Mr. and Mrs. Stewart. Achievement Day for the 4-H Garden Clubs was held in. Howick Central School on Wednesday, September 27. Cranbrook girls gave a demonstrastion "Let's toss a salad". This was given by Arlene Strickler and Ellen Lefor. Rosanne Engel received County Honours. - Mrs. Clare Veitch and Mrs. Lorne Strickler attended the Training School in Wingham on Thursdy and Friday for the club `Let's bake bread." Mr. and Mrs. Walter Johnson and. girls, London, visited Mr. and Mrs. Gordon Engel and family on Wednesday evening. The service in Knox Church will, be held as usual on Sunday, September 6 at 9;4S a.m. Mr. and Mrs. Ross Knight and family have moved into their new house the past week. Mr. Ed. Giessler and a friend, Fraser, Mich. spent a few days here recently. Mr. and Mrs. John Bouch and children of Collingwood spent the weekend with Mr, and Mrs. Douglas Purdy. The community just received word of the death of Earl Rudd in Toronto on Saturday , August. 23 in his 73rd year. He is survived by a daughter and two sisters. Burial was in Guelph on Tuesday. The Rudd family operated the Cranbrook store some years ago. His wife, the former Dorothy Pride, of the Cranbrook area, predeceased him. r Z I P ELECTRIC CONTRACTING Residential, Commercial Industrial atuasels, Oat ar14441/ Prop. WAYNE GRUBE • Londesboro; Debbie Rodges and Jan Ginn, both of R.R.2, Clinton. Receiving county honors fot Completing six projects were' Catolyn Van Doty, R.R.2, Seaforth; Dianne Consitt and Kathy Peck, .Varna; Janice DeWeerd, and Golda Sewers,, both of R.1.1 0 LondesborO; Karen Rodges and Marjorie DeBoer, both of it,12:2, Clinton; Dale Schwartzentruber and Mary Ellen S teckle, both of Zurich; Shirley Anne Gilbert, Susan Fuller and Barbara Hesk, all of R1.2, Goderich; Marianne Mayer; %R 4, Clinton; and Sherry Verbeelt, R.R 1, 13elgrave, The fall pfOject for 1975 will be Let's Bake Bread.