HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Brussels Post, 1977-10-05, Page 4Sugar and Spice
by Bill Smiley
Big isn't good
Some people, like me, believe in rolling.
with the punches, rather than sticking out
our chins to show how many we can
absorb. I have found that, in general,. if
avoid trouble, trouble avoids me.
If I know that some pain in the arm has
been trying to get me on the phone, I also
know immediately that he or she wants me
to do something that I don't want to do.
Therefore, I take the phone off' the hook
and leave it off Until the pain has found
some other sucker.
Another invention of mine to stay out of
trouble is patented as Nega-Prod. This is
short for Negative P roduction. The theory
is simple. The more you produce, the more
problems you have, whether it is children,
manufactured goods or farm products.
The more children you have. the more
emotional and economic problems yOu
create for yourself. The more: goods you
produce, the more you have to hustci to
find customers and meet payrolls. The
more form stuff y ou raise, whether it's
beef or beans, the greater your chance of
being caught in a glut on the market.
Our great national rails ays caught on to
this years ago. When they had lots of
passengers, they had lots of problems.
People wanted comfort. cleanliness, decent
meals, and sonic assurance that they would
get where they were going on time. There
was much more money to he made, and
fewer problems. by transporting wheat and
lumber and ca tile.
So the railways began treating people
like cattle. Passenger trains - became
uncomfortable and dirty. Quality of the
Total dropped like a stone. And they never
anived bn time.
Presto. End of problems. No more
passengers. SO the radway, w ere abl e t o
cut off icon-payng passenger lines, get rid.
-of all those superfluous things like station
agents and telegraphers and train
conductors. and concentrate on taking from
one point to another things that paid their
way and didn't talk hack: newsprint, coal,
oil, wheat.
Perhaps this is the answer for our
provincial governments, which arc quickly
and quictly building massive mountains of
debt for future taxpayers.
Perhaps they should just stop building
highways, and repairing those already in
existence. We'd all be sore as hell for a
while, but as the roads got worse and
worse, most of us would stop driving our
cars. The governments would save millions
ofdollars now spent on highways, and they
could fire two-thirds of the highway cops.
I don't quite see how the governments
could use Nega- Prod to get out of the liquor
business, which certainly produces plenty
of problems. The booze trade is so
profitable that asking government to
abandon it would be like - asking a
millionaire to forsake his country estate for
a run-dow n farm.
Perhaps it' they had a. Free Booze Day,
once a week, every week, say on a
Saturday, it would solve a number of
problems. It would certainly reduce the
sumluus population. This , in turn, would
cut down, drastically, the unemployment
figures.
Should the provincial governments find
that Nega-Prod is all I've suggested, some
, of it might spill over into the federal
government, usually the last to catch on to
what the country really needs.
instead of the manna and honey flowing
from Ottawa in the form of baby bonuses
and pensions, we might get some terse
manifestos:
"People who have more than one and a
half children will be sent to jail for four
years, Note: separate
"Persons who p late to live past 65 and
claim a pension will be subject td' an open
season each year, from October I to
Thanksgiving Day. Shotguns and bicycle
chains only."
"All veterans of all wars may claim.
participation by reason of insanity, and
may apply to- Ottawa for immediate
cut Ii cnisat to,
These might seem slightly Draconian
measures, but they sure would. put an end
toa kit of our problems and troubles. Think
of what they would do for such sinful
activities as sex, growing old, and hanging
around the Legion Hall, playing checkers.
But we must also think of the economic
benefits. With a plug put into that river of
paper money flowing front Ottawa, taxes
would drop, inflation would vanish and
undoubtedly. separatism would wither_ on
the vine. People would be lined up six deep
at the U.S.Border. trying to get across, and
th at would solve, in one swell loop. our
unemployment difficulties.
We could go hack to being hewers of
water and carriers of wood, which was our
manifest destiny before the politicians got
into then et. Fishermen or lumberjacks. in
short , w hi c h most o f t h e rest o f t h e wor ld
thinks we arc anyway.
Nego-Prod may seem a bit lofty and
abstraeta t first glance, but it works. I know
from personal experience. Every time I try
to make something, or fix something, it
costs me a lot of money, and I get into a lot,
of trouble.
So, I have a policy of never trying to fix
something or make something. It's a lot
less trouble to put up signs: "Beware of
falling bricks: Not responsible for slivers
from picnic table." And so on.
--THE BRUSSELS POST, OCTOBER
5, 1977
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A special Columbus Day
address will be heard over Radio
Station CKNX on. October 9, 1977
at 6:45 p.m. according to an
announcement, made by Phillip.
Durand, Grand Knight of Father
Stephen Eckert Knights of
Columbus in •Seaforth.
Mr. Durand stated that the
address would be delivered by
Virgil C..= Descant, Supreme
Knight of the Knights of
Columbus. The executive head of
the more than 1,2 million member
Catholic, family, fraternal,
service organization will speak on
"A Time for Optimism."
In commenting on the program,
Mr. Durand said, "Four hundred
and eighty-five years ago,
Christopher Columbus completed
one of the most daring and
courageous exploratory sea
The market, at Brussels
Stockyards was very active on
Friday on a lighter supply of
cattle. All classes of pigs sold
higher. There were 708 cattle and
1312 pigs on offer.
Choice Steers - 45.00 to 47.00
with sales to 47.60.
Good Steers - 43.00 to 45.00.
Six steers consigned by Ian
Wilbee of Walton averaging 1180
lbs. topped the market at 47.60'
with his lot of 10 steers averaging
1189 lbs. selling for 46.90.
Four steers consigned- by Earl
Sellers of Bluevale averaging
1122 lbs. sold for 47.40 with his 14
steers averaging 1100'lbs. selling
for .46.40.
A steer consigned by Maple
Emblem. Farms of Dungannon
weighing 1290 lbs. sold for 47.00
with their 26 steers averaging
1100 lbs. sold for 46.00
Two steers consigned by Alf
Kuntz of Formosa averaging 1285
lbs. sold for 47.25.
Twenty steers consigned by
Lloyd Wheeler of Bluevale
averaging 1130 lbs. sold for
46.50.
.A steer ,consigned by Doug
voyages recorded in the annals of
mankind the discovery of the
North American Continent, More
than one and a quarter million
men of the western h.ernisphore,
all Knights *of Columbus
members, join together this week
in observing this the anniversary
of Columbus' epic voyage."
In addition to the special radio
broadcast, other Columbus Day
activities are being planned, The
Knights of Columbus willbeasked
to attend a special service at Saint
Josephs Catholic Church in
Clinton at 8 p.m, Wednesday,
October 12, 1977. The Knights of
Columbus extend a special invita-
tion to other denominations to
join with them in a prayer for
peace in the world and unity in
Canada.
Wagg of R. R.5, Mitchell
weighing 1100 lbs. sold for 47.00.
Twenty-three fancy light steers
consigned by Robert Kreller of
Fordwich averaging 974 lbs. sold
for 46.25 with his heavier steers
trading to 47.00.
Choice Heifers - 40.00 to 42.00
with sales to 42.75.
Good Heifers - 38.00 to 40.00.
A heifer consigned by Doug
Wagg of Mitchell weighing 1040
lbs. sold for 42.75.
Thirteen fancy light heifers
consigned by Brian McBurney of
R.R.1, Wingham averaging 888
lbs. sold for 40.00.
Choice Cows - 26.00 to 28.00
with sales to 29.50.
Good Cows' - 24.00 to 26.00.
Canners & Cutters - 20.00 to
24.00.
Bulls traded to a high of 32.50.
30.to 40-1b, pigs.traded to a high
of 41.00,
40 to 50-lb. pigs to a high of 47.25
.50 to • 60-1b. pigs to a high of
52.75.
The next Stocker — Feeder
Sale at Brussels Stockyards will
be held Oct. 18th.
Knights of Columbus
To be on CKNX
Brussels Stockyard Report
Huronview
Members of the Clinton Christian Reformed Church formed
a choir for the Sunday evening song service led by Mr. Dick
Roorda. Mrs. Elsie Henderson accompanied at the piano for
the service and Mrs. Van Dyke sang two solo numbers.
Three new residents were welcomed to the Hone at
Monday's activities Mrs. Milton Wiltse, Mr. Henry Glodsher'
and Mrs. Mae MacGregor who is with us for a mor0 of
vacation care. Marie Flynn, Lorne Lawson, Norman Spew and
Cecil Skinner provided the old tyme music with a special
number played for Mr. and Mrs. Orville Dale who celebrated
their sixtieth wedding anniversary On September 28th. The
Clinton Christian Reformed volulnteers assisted with
activities.
The "Chapelites" entertained with a progratti of sacred
Music On Family Night which was greatly enjoyed by
everyone. The program was arranged by Mrs. Doran Rolston
of Goderich who along with Mrs. Shirley McMillan sang
several vocal duet numbers arid played sakaphone duet
selections. Mr. uric Campbell of Blyth accompanied at the
piano and Mr. Clark Forrest accompanied with electric guitar.
Miss Shelley Teal of Goderich provided her own accordion
accompaniment for severl go4el numbers. Mrs. Bessie
Elliott expressed the appreciation of the residents,
The Ed. Stiles of Goderich visited the Horne oil Thursday
4ifternoon and entertained with an hour of organ music in the
Chapel. Mrs Beatrice' Geiger of Zurich led a:sing-a.-long of
sacred numbers and requests,