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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes-Advocate, 1979-08-29, Page 4Page 4 Times-Advocate, August 29, 1979 Times Established 1873 Advocate Established 1881 Amalgamated 1924 Imes-Advocate 14.4.4 N. 4.1.44. M. 4:,3131131=1,,It 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 Published Each Wednesday Morning Phone 235-1331 at Exeter, Ontario Second Class Mail Registration Number 0386 SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Canada $11,00 Per Year; USA $30.00 . ..... Seems unnecessary eCNA Ontario Place, on the Toronto waterfront opposite Exhibition Park, has proved to be a very interesting and attractive spot, providing a wide range of activities for all ages. Of course the fact that it is located right within the City of Toronto means that a very high percentage of its paying customers are Toronto people. It seems that Ontario Place is losing money.., a million dollars this year and three times that in previous years. An in- crease of 50 cents per head would put the centre in a break-even position, but Larry Grossman, the Ontario cabinet minister who oversees Ontario Place policy doesn't want to increase the ad- mission fee because the place is so pop- ular. Ontario Place losses are borne by Ontario taxpayers generally. It could be safely assumed that the people outside of Toronto would gladly pay 50 cents more to get in on those comparatively rare occasions when they have a chance to get there, provided they didn't have to foot a bill for huge losses. Governments are strange organizations indeed, There has been no audible argument about millions of dollars lost at Ontario Place, but all hell breaks loose when the hospitals of the province try to keep their active treat- ment beds. Wingham Advance-Times Seniority counts Wines improve with age; so do whiskeys, Now, if public school students are to benefit in Ontario, so better had teachers - Improve with age that is. Why? Because according to the majority, a "substantial majority" of teachers, the "major factor" used to determine teacher redundancy and .job protection should not be merit or qualifications but seniority. At least that's what we think a press report we received from the Ontario Public School MenTeacher's Federation says. As we read it, public school teachers with seniority, regardless of their merit or qualifications, are the ones who ought to get priority when it comes to keeping their jobs, according to the OPSMTF. It's an odd policy for such a supposedly enlightened field as educa- tion. Mind you, we've heard many parents say the best public school teachers around are those coming from the 'old school', so maybe this policy is the best thing after all, But somehow we don't think this is exactly what the teahers' federation has in mind. In fact as we read the press release we received a second and third time, we weren't certain just what the federation was saying. We will quote you the first two papagraphs of the release: "BY a substantial majority, delegates to the annual assembly of the Ontario Public School Men Teachers' Federation have approved an 18-point policy statement on teacher redundancy and job protection, "In passing the policy, delegates have said that seniority, not merit or qualifications, should be the major fac- tor used to determine redundancy." As we stated, we believe that. this means senior teachers ought to have priority when it comes to retaining their' jobs. But reading the press release literally, it could mean that redundancy is to be determined by seniority, which in effect is the exact opposite position.. We tried to clarify the matter Friday afternoon (editorial time) by calling the By SYD FLETCHER Last week in the middle of a heat wave, I wrote about the hottest I have ever been. If it will make you feel any cooler tell about one of the coldest experiences I've ever come up with. This was back in the days before snowmobiles became popular. Honest, that wasn't so long ago. If you didn't want to walk out to the ice-fishing huts on Lake Simcoe some other form of transportation was necessary. My uncle came 'Up with the idea of an air- boat. You've probably seen similar outfits on television in the Everglades, where they have a shallow-draft boat pushed or pulled by an airplane propellor. Such was his 'Scoot', as he called it, a great way to travel, especially on glare ice, where speeds of up to eighty or ninety miles an hour could be reached. It was almost like flying, On thick snow it was OPSMTF but had little luck. The con- tact number given us by the federation turned out to be the Skyline Hotel in Toronto which informed us the federa- tion had packed it in and was not taking calls to that number anymore (even though we phoned the same day we received the release). We then called the federation's Bay Street number at 3 p.m. only to be told by an answering service that federation members were not back from lunch and that she was unable to assist us. We then tried a third number supplied to us via the press release and got no answer whatsoever. So much for modern communication. By the way, despite the declining enrolments and or present recession, the press release also states it is "still the position of the federation that there should be no need for redundant 'teachers in light of the outstanding needs of young people that are not being met." Not a word about how education in this province might be revamped to get back to some of the basics while at the same time retaining the best of our modern education. An earlier release from the federation stated, "There's no question that job protection and security will be the number one priority for teachers this year". So much for professional ethics. Seniority in any job must be a con- sideration, but it isn't and should not be allowed to be everything. Surely merit is of more importance. It has been our observation that seniority is most often obtained by those who avoid making waves. Now and again any field, even education, can benefit by the movers and shakers who are not afraid to stand up and be heard as individuals. Unfor- tunately it has also been our observation that teachers as a whole seldom buck the federation's official position, so we haven't a doubt but what future teaching positions will indeed be based upon a seniority first basis. - Listowel Banner AiTtif4voratii&t iK"KAIMMINSUg Perspectives another story though, The bottom of the outfit was smooth plywood but with three men on it there was a fair amount of resistance. Because of that factor our speed was kept down to about twenty miles an hour on our way out to the ice huts. The sun was shining brightly and it was a strange world for me out there on the lake, It was like a perfectly flat white desert with only the cluster of fish huts to be seen in between you and the faint shoreline. We had to chop through eighteen inches of ice before we could drop our lines down. The little hut, with its gas stove was warm and cozy enough to sit in shirt sleeves watching the little piece of wood that tipped suddenly when a fish was biting. Then you had to be fast, pulling the line up quickly hand over hand from fifty feet below, the whitefish or laketrout swirling to the surface. Lots of excitement: Being in the hut we didn't realize that a storm Was building up until a neighbour pounded on the door and warned us. Now, instead of bright sunlight there were black clouds, and swirling snow. Too, night was only about an hour away and the temperature had dropped suddenly to about 10 degrees below zero Fahrenheit. It had only taken about ten minutes to get out to the ride, an enjoyable ride. The wind was now against us and being a wind vehicle, like a sailboat or plane, we had to tack back and forth to get where we were going, Though there was a plastic windscreen it only provided protection for the driver. Besides the propellor sucked frigid air over and around us like a gigantic fan as we huddled together for warm- th, such as was available. An hour and a half later we were still half a mile from the shore and our bodies seemed like frozen rigid lumps. On our last four tacks we had only gained a few yards, We left the 'Scoot' there and began walking, eyes screwed half-shut against the wind and driving snow. It was lucky that we could see dimly the lights that winked occasionally from the small town on shore, Sitting in the warmth of the ear finally, my only real reminder of the whole ex- pedition was an ear which still tingled from a touch of frostbite. 40 OW PAL You 401114 TO DI,,. IF TIIE tif140o0,3 • I•ET "03041,0,4 L •^10•117 "Quick — which way is Sweden?" BATTN AROUND Not fiction There's the old adage that suggests what you don't know won't hurt you, and this was certainly the situ ation for the writer last week, While making plans for a holiday trip with the boys into the Collingwood area, there was no suspicion that some words which were penned for a previous column were being attacked by Councillor Ted Wright. While there is a temptation to let the issue rest, that is difficult due to the fact Ted suggests we printed some fiction, not facts. That allegation is too serious to bypass. If he would peruse the column in question again, Ted will find that it was not fiction. It stated quite factually that , council had accepted the recommen- dationof hiscommitteetospend$5,000 to pave the parking lot behind the municipal office. The balance of the comments were the editor's opinion that it appeared that council had their priorities "more than a little out of whack" when the money was approved just after Ted had noted the-community was falling behind in its sidewalk rebuilding program. At no point was there a suggestion that money had been transferred from the sidewalk fund to the parking lot project, and if some taxpayers came to that con- clusion, that was of their doing and not as the result of any comments made in this column. Actually, it is encouraging to hear that Ted got some flak over the matter as it indicates that perhaps others share my opinion that the priority was wrong and that pedestrians should be given more consideration than they are at the present time. On the "good news" side of the Sugar and $ Dispesed by Smiley ' Inspection of the new ship H.M.C,S. Cootenay was the highlight of a recent visit to Hamilton by Councillor Ross Taylor, Mrs. Taylor and Douglas. The couple's eldest son, Chief P.O. Kenneth Taylor is stationed on The Cootenay. Miss Alexia Lostell who attended a summer course at the University of Toronto has taken a position on the Glencoe High School staff. Jim Tomlinson is at- tending Beal Technical School taking a course in electronics. Simon Nagel has also returned to his studies at Tech. 15 Years Ago Council accepted the proposal from the Ausable River Conservation Authority that the repairs to the south retaining wall of the dam at the Riverview Park reservoir be un- dertaken as a project of The Authority. The aftermath of a wild and wooly Labour Day Week end in Grand Bend showed itself, Tuesday, when 128 court cases were brought before Magistrate William Pearson. The top two graduates of last year's graduating class at SHDHS have been awarded ' entrance scholarships to the University of Waterloo. Sandra Jory, Kirkton and Dave Buchanan, Hensall, both plan to take an engineering course. I DOLLAR SERSE The five-year plan for home ownership By Jack A. Boulibee, CA Well, here it is, Tuesday afternoon, time to write the column. I could have written it last Friday, or Sunday mor- ning after church, or any day during the past three weeks of holidays. But. I couldn't. I write my column on Tuesday afternoon, rush to the post office, plead with the clerk to squeeze it into the out- going bag. Summer or winter, working or vacation. If I try to write it on a Thursday even- ing, a Monday morning, there's a com- plete block. Blank paper, vacuum mind. Especially in summer, when I have enough time to crank out a couple of volumes of the Encyclopedia Brittanica. That's why the summer columns don't have one single, brilliant theme, lucidly expostulated, witty, striking a single, singing note in a muddled world. They usually come out as a kind of shotgut effort. There are too many dis- tractions, A couple of promiscuous bluebirds have proliferated on our property, There are now five juveniles of the same species, shrieking bluebird imprecations from five different trees, driving out the song-birds of yesteryear, This morning, we had one of those real, old-fashioned summer storms, Darkness at noon. The gods bowling in the heavens with tremendous balls that rumbled, crashed, and reverberated down the empty halls of the black sky, Bolts of lightning straight from Zeus that hit, you swear, twenty feet from your giant oak. Blinding rain, cars driv- ing, lights on, as though they were for- ding the Ganges. I love storms, ever since the one that put a pine treetop through the roof of our cottage, when I was seven, and ever- body calling, "Where's Billy?" and fin- ding Billy standing against one of the remaining walls, scared speechless and grinning like an idiot, Or the one on the Lakes, when several ships went down, and the captain was puking in his second-best hat, and every dish in the ... just an opinion ledger, the comments by Councillor Jay Campbell about the recent night on the beat with Kevin Short are much ap- preciated, Actually, the article has resulted in many comments from local citizens, the majority of them indicating people were able to become more aware of the work of the men who provide protection For the community. "I had no idea there was so much paper work," was the comment of one local lady, although she added that most of her 'riends were now attempting to find out where Kevin's secret hiding place is located. The whole experience was most enlightening for the writer as well and has resulted in a better understanding of what should have been common sense: that a policeman can only be in one spot at a time. I could almost feel Kevin's frustration at hearing squealing tires and knowing that by the time he arrived at the loca- tion of the incident, the culprit would be gone. Perhaps the mostunusual aspect of the evening (and morning) was the fact that . we were not contacted by any local citizens reporting any problems in their area. This may have indiCated that everything was in order throughout the community, but it may also point out that people ,just don't want to get in- volved in reporting incidents which are bothering them, The night on the beat certainly made it evident that the police need all the citizen assistance they can muster to help them in their task. People can cer- tainly remain anonymous if that is their wish, but even providing a licence galley was smashing. More distractions in summer. Rotten kids, Card from son Hugh in Paraguay. He'd previously written for five copies of his birth certificate, and copies of his student transcripts from U. of T. and Dalhousie, because he might be going to university in Paraguay or Toronto or. In- dia or Cuba. Card says, "Massage and English classes going well." What the hell does that mean? Phone call from daughter, who's off to Moosonee to teach music to Indian kids. Doesn't know how to get there. Doesn't know how to get furniture shipped, what to take, why, what, where, how much? So guess who sorts all that out? Animals, birds and fishes have the right idea. Teach the offspring to fend for themselves, kick them out, and have some more. I wonder how many grand- father whales, or bears, or eagles, are still solving problems for their fully- grown children, and baby-sitting their grandchildren? ' And in summer, of course, the daily mail, though a welcome break in the monotony, is distracting. Pleas, amoun- ting almost to demands, from relatives that you have to pay a visit, you promis- ed last winter. They don't really want,to see you, only make you listen to their problems, when all you want to listen to is the birds and the click of a five-iron as you set it up by the pin. Not all bad. Nice letter from Jim Lamb of Nova Scotia, saying I'd helped inspire his .new book Press Gand, and that I am his favorite columnist, along with Ted Reeve and Eric Nicol, Bless you, sir, Note from Bessie Doolan, 89, of Cereal, Alta.; "I attribute the smiles & chuckles I receive from your column as a big aid to longevity," And bless you, Bessie. Invite me to your hun- dredth, and we'll dance together and defy the fates, if you don't mind jigging with a guy with an arthritic foot that goes whither it wants. number can be of paramount impor- tance. One of the advantages of taking four fun-loving boys on a holiday trip is the fact you can quickly ascertain how old or young you are feeling. After slithering down the Great Slide Ride, clambering around the Scenic Caves and racing at break-neck speeds around go-cart tracks for two days, the writer is happy to report he is still able to keep up to the pace of his offspring, although his nerves are more than a lit- tle frayed. It's not difficult to heartily recom- mend the Great Slide Ride at Collingwood For all our readers, regardless of their age. The ride up on the chair lift is worth the price of' admis- sion alone, and the ride down can be paced according to one's own dictates, although we slow riders find that we're creating a bit of a nuisance for the peo- ple behind who like to have their hair blowing straight out behind as they whizz around the sharp curves. However, I can not recommend being a co-pilot on a go-cart with a devil-may- care eight-year-old who has a heavy foot and no apparent concern for the cries of anguish from his father as he recklessly squeals around corners and slips and slides along the track, There is a suggestion that the next generation may not be able to move as freely with vehicles due to the limitations of fuel and for that we can almost heave a sigh of relief, There's no way I would want to be on a highway with that character! Two proofs of a photo of yours truly, from Mike Boule of the Milton, Cana- dian Champion who dropped in one day to take a picture. Thanks, Mike, but I think you got your negatives mixed up. Surely this is a photograph of American poet Robert Frost when he was 86. Just kidding. You got me, warts and all, Every crease, every wrinkle, the warped nose with the scars on it, the bump on my lip from the car crash when a piece of the lip turned up missing dur- ing surgery, even the hairs in my ears, which you might have had the decency to trim before you shot. Never mind, my wife likes it, 'probably because it makes me look old enough to be her father, But she insists I don't have those bags and wrinkles on my forehead, I must have been squinting into the sun, I pointed out, Anyway, it's the sort of face of which people say when they can't think of another single thing, "It looks lived-in," or, "There's a lot of character in it." But it's been a good summer. Twice I've gone out to play golf and played with complete strangers who were worse duffers than I, despite their immaculate shirts and slacks, and fancy equipment. Occasionally I go down to the dock, look at the $30,000 to $100,000 boats, and chortle when I think of what they'll be worth when gas rationing starts. And snicker and snicker when I drive up beside a Lincoln Continental in my 1972 Ford so rusty you can put your feet through the floorboards and pedal with them, for mobility. Not quite like last summer, cruising the capitals of Europe, but fair-to- middlin', if the old lady would get off my back about falling through the back stoop every time she hangs out the washing. For engaged or recently- married couples, buying a home is usually high on the list of goals to be achieved and so it should be, A home of your own is probably the best invest• ment you will ever make, The value of the property goes up while your mort- gage payments remain relatively stable and your increasing earnings make the payments progress- ively easier to bear and any profit you make from the sale of your principal residence is exempt from capital gains tax. The problem most young couples face is that they have no money right now, General financial advice by members of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario. and are faced with saving for an unknown -- but definitely long -- period of time. Just how long and how hard you save is up to you, but my advice is to 'ick to an agreed five-year plan. The route many couples take is to try to live on one salary while banking the other. A problem with this, however, is that it can place an additional strain on the marriage itself. One partner may feel he or, she is working for nothing, and this often leads to bicker- ing over allowances, etc., when one partner ends up taking all the responsibility for the money. The five-year plan is not easy to stick to, but it's simple. Each partner should plan to save about $150 per month after the rent and fixed expenses have been paid, perhaps out of pooled earnings. By putting $1,000 per year into r. 55 Years Ago The Exeter-Lucan High School Field Day was held in Exeter on Monday and was a total success. Mr. R.E. Pooley had a successful auction sale of his effects realizing $2,300. The fifty acre farm was sold to Mr. Earl Johnston of Whalen. Maurice Harvey has returned to Toronto to resume his studies at the Medical College, 30 Years Ago Mrs. Harry Dougall was awarded provincial honours for completing 12 4-H projects at Seaforth, Wed- nesday. Enrolled at Victoria Hospital for nurses' training are Janet Kestle and Joanne McCurdy, Canon A.A. Trumper of London, a former rector, was speaker at the 61st anniversary of Trivitt Memorial Church. Jack Drysdale, Hensall, has won a $5,800 prefabricated cottage at CNE. In June he won a complete set of living room furniture at a draw staged by the Exeter Legion. 20 Years Ago Arthur Gaiser, Shipka has purchased the home of Mr. and Mrs. Bruce Biggart at the corner of Andrew and John streets, Mr. Gaiser will move his family in at the end of the month. Dear Editor: When we discuss safety, most often there is concern for one's physical self such as preventing injury to the body. This week I would like to pass on some information which may keep your wallet or purse safe from becoming empty through an unlawful financial venture which may sound good at the time. Presently, the Ontario Provincial Police Anti- Gambling Squad is con- ductingan investigation into a chain letter circulating in the Province of Ontario. The purchaser of one of these letters is led to believe that by investing One Hundred dollars ($100.00) he or she can reap a return of $204,800.00, This scheme is unlawful and any person with a tax-free Registered Home Ownership Savings Plan, the remaining $800 per year into a tax-free Regis- tered Retirement Savings Plan and the resulting extra tax rebates into a separate savings account, each of you can accumulate over-all savings after five years of at least $14,000. That's about nearly $30,000 be- tween you -- about a third in long-term savings and the rest as a downpayment on a house. If you are now paying $300 per month rent and each of you saves $150, you will be putting out $6,000 per year for shelter and savings. In five years your rent will be about $400, so you will then be putting out $7,200. For that same amount, with no additional sacrifice, you can assume a $50,000 mortgage and $1,000 per year of additional homeowning costs, on a house worth $70,000. It also means you will have solid equity -- about 30 per cent --in the house from the day you move in, which is very important, You might be tempted to buy earlier, with a lower downpayment, but be wary of second and third mort- gages with their high interest rates. Don't buy with less than 25 percent down and never assume mortgage payments ex- ceeding 25 percent of your take-home pay. The five-year plan is realistic and gives you a definite goal. Any addition- al saving you can manage will be a bonus, but sticking with the plan should be basic. Mr. Boulthee is with Coopers and Lybrand, Toronto. Tales of summer knowledge of the letter or participating in it, is requested to contact their nearest O.P.P. detachment and leave their name, ad- dress and phone number, and you will be contacted by an O,P,P, member, Please remember that your police force is an ex- tension of you and we can only enforce your laws as well as citizens help the police. A small bit of in- formation may lead to the solving of many crimes and it is your responsibility and duty to assist in this way, Be safe - report a crime. All information will always be treated with the highest confidence. R.W. Wilson P.C. Community Services Officer ociimn memory ane.,