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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes-Advocate, 1979-10-03, Page 4nONETARY COLS-Ant ?RUM t.D """ to tna+tHs "Relax, we don't have a thing to worry about — we're already broke." BAITN AROUND WI#11:tb::0ditOr All for the lack of trees? Canada Mainstream Canada It's Not All Doom and Gloom By W. Roger Worth For Canadians, life is not nearly as bud as the situation portrayed by those doom-and- gloom articles in the nation's major media. Certainly Canada has prob- lems, but compared to other countries we're the next thing to Utopia, and the potential surpasses that Trf any country in the world. Consider some of these facts, alongside seemingly end- less predictions of an energy squeeze, a recession, and other assorted pessimistic forecasts from the economic experts: Fact: Canada is creating jobs at a faster rate than any country in the world and more people are now gainfully em- Roger Worth is Director, Public Affairs, Canadian Federation of Independent Business. ployed than at any time in our history. It's important to note that the majority of these new jobs are being created by small and medium sized businesses, most of them by entrepreneurs employing fewer than 20 peo- ple. Fact: Canadians are among the best housed and fed people in the world andat relatively cheap prices, compared to costs in most other countries. Fact: Canada's inflation rate - at 8% - 9% - is several points lower than that in the U.S. and while unemployment may seem excessive, business people across the country are having difficulty finding workers. Fact: Canadians benefit from what amounts to a guar- anteed annual income, provid- ing help for virtually everyone in need, from cradle to grave. Sometimes the support may ap- pear niggardly, but few Cana- dians die of starvation because they can't receive government aid, At the other end of the scale, systems such as unemploy- ment insurance and social wel- fare may be disincentives for people to lake low paying jobs. Fact: On a per-capita basis, Canada's proven energy re- sources are the greatest of any country in the world (not in- cluding life Mid East), and the potential for huge oil and na- tural gas supplies is phenome- nal. At a time when countries such as Japan are importing almost 100% of their high priced energy, and lineups at gas pumps become a way of life in America, Canadians gulp up the commodity, pay- ing 25% less than the U.S. price. Fact: Ottawa and the oil and natural-gas producing provinces are quarreling like children over ways to share the booty from increased en- ergy prices. Such an argument must be indeed unique in an energy-short world. Fact: Canadians are able to spend more than $1 billion per year on foreign aid to as- sist the poor and starving in developing countries. Fact: Emigrants from around the world are scram- bling to enter Canada as landed immigrants, To them, Canada is a land of milk and honey where the streets are paved with gold. The pessimists should take another look at our nation. While Canada may be living beyond its means, chalking up huge deficits, the quality of life in this country is per- haps without equal. Few peo- ple, it seems, understand how well off we are. 55 Years Ago Mildred Rowe, Ruth Lamport, Gertie Frances, Mary Homey, Carrie Davis and Mr. E. Christie, Normal students were home for the holiday. Mr. J.M. Southcott showed lantern slides in James Street Sunday School on Tuesday on. the Canadian Weekly Newspaper Association trip overseas to Belgium, France and Great Britian. Mr. and Mrs. J.S. Harvey were in Port Perry on Saturday attending the wedding of their son. Rev. Linden C. Harvey to Lillian Follick, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. T.H. Follick. The ladies of Centralia are having their big fowl supper tonight - great preparations are being made. 30 Years Ago Plans are being made for the organization of a Home and School Association in Exeter. Adorning the front of Exeter's post office is a huge thermometer that, in the future, will mark the progress that is being made for the erection of a new hospital to be known as the South Huron Hospital. ' The Sweitzer Lanes, owned and operated by Mr. and Mrs. William Sweitzer have been sold to Rene Francois of Tillsonburg. William Ellerington returned home last week after a trip to the west going as far as Calgary where he purchased 350 head of feeder cattle. 20 Years Ago Exeter Dairy Ltd. can now pasteurize and bottle milk. The local plant recently installed new short-time pasteurization and deor- dorizing equipment which makes it the most modern dairy in Western Ontario. The first rural central school in the area will be officially opened this Friday night. George A. Pearson will be guest speaker at the 'ceremony marking the completion of McGillivray Township School at West McGillivray. The district got its first taste of below-freezing weather early Wednesday, but the forcast indicates milder temperatures for Thursday. 15 Years Ago The Mary-Ellen Memorial Chapel at the Grand Bend museum of Peter Eisenbach was dedicated in a special service, Monday. The quaint chapel with its antique furnishings was filled to capacity with 165 people. The Exeter Businessmen's Association decided to sponsor six orphans this Christmas with each receiving $50, bringing a total 'of $300. Another $500 was set aside for several draws to be held throughout the Christmas shopping season. Area residents will have an opportunity to view the new Usborne Township central school this Friday when the official opening will be held at the eight-room structure, CANADA COLUMN By John Fisher of the Council for Canadian Unity midnight and up there in the sky the ravens will glide above the earth. It's such an immense sky and it's easier and faster to travel through the air than across the muskeg and tundra. Maybe that explains Yellowknife's infatuation with man in flight. Down by Great Slave Lake stands a granite pylon erected to the memory of Bush Pilots, those courage- ous characters who "pene- trated the age old isolation of remote and virtually unchartered regions„. Yellowknife itself was started by men who like the ravens dropped in from the sky. Yellowknife has a special tie to the Bush Pilot and the The emblem of Yellow- knife, capital of the North West Territories is a big black raven holding a gold brick. The gold refers to mY eeini°t waksnaifem'siningec satambplisihn- 1934, The raven is the most familiar sight in northern skies. He seems to be everywhere. He has been known to power dive for golf balls and to make a nuisance of himself. Yet, there it is as the city's official emblem and VIP's visiting Yellowknife are given a certificate alleged to be signed with the blood of a raven. The raven is a creature of the night too, When daylight lasts most of the 24 hours of the day, Yellowknife stages its famous golf tournament at raven, Times Established 1873 Advocate Established 1)351 * Imes 6.1M... Amplsamcited 1924 dvocate N..* WO* SM. t 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 Goal is reached 4PCNA Pape 4 Times-Advocate, October 3, 1979 In an era when pride is often one of the missing ingredients in the work force, the management and staff at South Huron Hospital are to be com- mended for their success in getting the local institution full accreditation from the Canadian Council on Hospital Ac- creditation. It has been a long, uphill battle for the hospital and the task of achieving the goal has been ongoing for many years, It is certainly to their credit that they continue their efforts. With home owner tax relief a cer- tainty, the time for criticism aimed at torpedoing the plan is over. Now it's time for the government to sit down with housing and tax experts to design a plan that will work smoothly and won't cost the earth. The proposal as billed (to be phas- ed in over four years to provide a deduction of up to $5,000 for mortgage interest and $1,000 for property taxes) is deceptively simple. As Michael Walker, director of the Fraser Institute, said recently: "The full implications of the proposal are not known, and neither the government nor its critics has had sufficient opportunity to assess its im- pact in the detail that in necessary." He recommends a private sector- government task force to study the im- pact. Others agree. Claude Renaud, director of business devolopment for the Mortgage Insurance Co. of Canada, has already jotted down a 16-point "preliminary" list of areas for careful study and fine-tuning. He urges a more gradual phase-in that originally propos- ed. And given the significance of this move into uncharted waters, this is wise counsel. Just a few of the questions that need answers. Is the plan to be related to income? Even though there is a limit on the total deduction ($6,000 after four years) it may cost too much in tax revenue to provide this tax break to higher-income taxpayers. Then, how low in the income scale should it be effective? Given today's lending requirements, prospective home owners with less than $18,000 of gross family income wouldn't qualify for a big-enough loan to buy a house in some centres. Should the plan be oriented to take account of the substantial disparity in house prices in different cities? Some say it should, and they point to previous housing measures geared to local market conditions. But providing regional differences in the federal tax system would create a precedent that could have far- reaching implications. Is the tax break to benefit home owners immediately or must they wait until the following year to claim a tax refund? If the proposal is to help new home owners when they need it most, it should be built into the calculation used by employers in withholding By SYD FLETCHER One of the more memorable cases for me of a student playing hooky happened in Ingersoll a number of years ago. The grade 8 graduating class had departed and it was September. 1 asked one of my students how her big sister was getting along in the ninth grade. "Oh she's not going to school," came back the innocent reply. "She's helping out at home on the farm." I could well believe it. Last year my grade 8 boys had been staging an arm- wrestling match during Receiving full accreditation is no easy task in view of the high standards involved, and it is interesting to note that South Huron is one of the smallest hospitals to earn the distinction. It exemplifies a high standard in all facts of the hospital's operation and as such is an achievement shared by all the people involved in the facility, from the administration and medical staff through to the maintenance personnel. The team is to be congratulated. employee's income taxes — as per- sonal exemptions are now. Is the benefit to be claimed as a deduction from income (as implied) or a tax credit as urged by many? A deduction would make the employer withholding tax system easier to ad- minister. But, many argue, a tax credit is more equitable and it would simplify nrocedut e p ovincial gove, oments are unwilling to share in the tax incentive. Is refinancing to be allowed? If so, there could be significant mortgage de- mand from rate-conscious borrowers for other purposes, including the purchase of consumer durables. Indeed, refinancing has already been heaVier than usual this year. Most of this activity is probably because mortgage rates have been lower than consumer or prime-related loans, but some of it has undoubtedly been in- fluenced by the promise of mortgage interest deductibility. Critics, as well as some proponents of the plan, have urged that refinancing not be allowed initially at least — because of the strain this could cause in mortgage markets. But is it fair to deny the substantial number of today's home owners who have paid off their mortgages the benefit available to those who haven't? Then, tax-assisted refinancing could be an important incentive to renovate older homes or convert bigger ones to duplexes. And this may be a more sen- sible incentive in the years to come than massive hOusebuilding programs. Some suggest refinancing should be related to the purpose of the loan. but this would create its own inequities and complexities. What cuts can be made in govern- ment spending to pay for the new tax benefits? Walker suggests delaying in- troduction of the plan until an expen- diture reduction schedule is in place. Walker and Renaud urge a close look at all federal provincial housing measures — tax and nontax — to see which should be eliminated and which enhanced to complement the plan. In short, it's a highly complex plan that could have wide-ranging im- plications for the tax system as well as the financial and housing markets. If it's to appear in the fall budget, there's no time to be lost in examining all the ramifications. The Financial Post already set in that direction so if he had left it at that he might have succeeded in his case. Instead he went on to say, "What's more, I need her at home. She's a better worker than the hired man." Case closed. A fifty dollar per day fine for each of any future days that she waskept home. She went on to high school that year, vowing to quit when she was sixteen. The ironic thing that happened was that I changed to high school teaching about that time and four years later found her in my Grade 12 English class, still getting top marks. On graduation she was to be enrolled in nursing school. She came to me on the last day of school and with a wry grin admitted I had been right in 'squealing on her.' One of teaching's little satisfactions, 1 guess. There appears to be no such thing as job security in today's society, with the possible exception of the public ser- vice. The rest of us are at the mercy of the whims of the marketplace in many regards, and while those who are prepared to show the necessary in- itiative and dedication may have few worries, it is not without some concern about the future. Those of us entrenched in the newspaper business have written many articles on the plight of the nation's un- employment, but seldom with any real personal concern that we may join the growing list. Now, however, journalists are star- ting to take a worried look at their future. It has nothing to do with a decline in business. In fact, the weekly newspaper business is booming. If you can believe it, newspapers are running scared these days due to trees, More correctly, of course, it's a shor- tage of trees, or at least the newsprint that comes from those trees. At the present time, weekly newspapers in Ontario are facing a 1,500-ton shortfall of newsprint and there is a fear that many will have to cut back drastically in their produc- tion. The major newsprint mills can't meet the production requirements and have refused to chop their exports to the American market which is partially un- derstandable in view of the fact that market pays approximately 20 percent more per metric ton for the product. The ramifications of the newsprint shortage are unclear at this time, although the T-A has already been ask- ed by the printers to tighten up by reducing the number of pages in each week's issue. Me and the old lady had another wed- ding anniversary last week. Holey Ole Moley, how the years fly by! Usually, we remember our anniver- sary a week or ten days after it has gone by, and laugh about it. We don't believe much in anniversaries, as do some people who squabble all year, then go out to dinner with wine and roses, and are back pounding on each other within two days. One day I actually remembered and brought home eighteen yellow roses. She fainted dead away with shock, and when she came to, gave me the devil for wasting all that money. This year, I thought about it away back in August, and filed it away in my memory bank, determined to surprise her this year. Show her, by George, that there was some fire, or at least a few embers, underneath that wisp of smoke. My first thought was to sneak off with her engagement ring and have it re-set in 24-carat gold. I had to dismiss this for two reasons. First, I'd have to remove her finger to get the ring to the jeweller. Secondly, the price of gold went up so fast it made my eyes water when I read the financial page. Then I thought of a mink coat. But again there were two obstacles. One wasthe price of mink coats, which have soared almost as high as gold. The other was a conviction I've long held, that the only creature on this earth who needs a mink coat is a mink. Well, I worked my way clown through an emerald brooch, for her Irish ancestry, a pearl necklace, diamond earrings, It was all disappointing. I knew I'd be ripped off with emeralds, she likes gold necklaces, not pearl, and That's easier said than done, of course, because it would be to the detri- ment of our current news and adver- tising coverage of the area. However, we may have to sharpen our editing pencils and turn down some photo assignments, but at present time there is no risk of a decline in the coverage of area events, but primarily an increased dedication to provide in- formation in the most efficient way possible. Meanwhile, the NDP are pressing the Ontario government to seriously look into means which would guarantee that the domestic market takes precedence over export sales to the American or other foreign customers. "Surely if,government funding is be- ing used to assist the pulp and paper in- dustry to modernize itself, both federal and provincial governments have the right to insist that the domestic market does indeed obtain this legitimate precedence,"an NDP statement notes. For the first time in the party's history, they have strong support from Ontario newspapers. Now, to augment our pension fund, we're heading out to plant some trees! * * * While area readers will not be too up- set over the fact the 111-year-old Mon- treal Star has ceased publication, the reasons for the demise of the paper are noteworthy. The Star's closure came after an eight-month strike that ended in February. During that time, Montreal readers switched over to another daily newspaper and the Star lost $10.4 million since the strike in attempting to win back its circulation, It was not only a costly battle, it was rather futile. So, the 969 employees who were on she's always losing one earring, like every other woman. Whatis as useless as one diamond earring? I'd kill her if she lost one, That's one reason I got little done through August and part of September worrying about the present for this one anniversary I would have remembered. I considered giving her a new car. But I can't even afford one for the two of us, let alone one for her, One after another, I discarded seemingly brilliant inspirations, I even went to the lengths of planning to sneak out in the middle of the night and pain- ting the back stoop, which she'd been trying to get me to do all summer. But I shuddered at the thought of painting out there, all alone in the cold and dark, Finally, it hit me like a thunderbolt, and a tidal wave of relief swept over me. I had it. Something to suggest her Mother Earth qualities, Something' in green and gold, her favorite colors. Something that would suggest her sweetness, juiciness, tenderness, Something she could get her teeth into, instead of junk like ring, necklaces, fur coats. Thirty-three cobs of corn, With the decision made, I relaxed, and promptly forgot all about our an- niversary. She didn't, for once. On the fateful day, I arrived home from work, tossed out a few jollities, read her some in- teresting bits from the paper, asked what kind of day she'd had, All I got in return was cold shoulder and hot tongue. She was in a bad mood, Not because I'd forgotten our anniversary, Just one of those rotten tempers women get into strike for eight months, now face a new predicament. They are out of work per- manently. No doubt they'll be wondering if the new wage hikes they won in the strike were really worth the price. Somehow, it would appear they did themselves in! It's a situation other labor unions should be watching carefully as the economy takes a nose-dive. Experts predict that some large corporations may have to close their doors if wage demands keep escalating at their current rate. It all makes the writer wonder if peo- ple are really aware of what is happen- ing around them. The majority appear very blind indeed. If you were among those who judged the weight of the steer at the Exeter fair, you no doubt were interested in the wide variance of the guesses sub- mitted by fair patrons. Our associate in the next office was on hand when fair officials sorted through the 1,200 coupons and came back to the office chuckling over some of the figures. The live weight of the beast was correctly judged at 1,235 pounds by four people, while other guesses ranged from 440 pounds to 3,- 000. Ross was particularly surprised at someo of the far out weights submitted by a few area farmers who should have been a bit more accurate. However, there was one entrant who had the dressed weight only 15 pounds less that the live weight. Now that's the type of animal any farmer would like to raise! once in a while because they've had to deal with the plumber and TV repair- man, the vacuum cleaner went on the blink, all the woodwork in the house is "filthy", and they've scrubbed the kitchen floor with a sore back. In the old days, I used to pet her and pat her and promise her, and she'd gradually come around. But I gave that up years ago. It was too hard on me. Nowadays, I fire right back: "What the hell's biting you? Cut out the self- pity. I work too, you know. Aw, go soak your head, crab." And so on. We usual- ly have a good verbal set-to, sulk a lit- tle, and the air is cleared, But this time she speared me, right in the middle of one of my finest perorations. "Did you know this was out anniversary?" Talk about hitting below the belt. I was stricken with remorse, shame and guilt. No details, but we kissed and made up, and I did the dishes. Must say we've weathered the storm pretty well. I was five years older than she when we were wed. I now look like an elder statesman of about sixty-five. She looks about thirty-four. My hair is white, hers is black. Her teeth are white, mine are black. It's a little disconcerting when you go to a reception or some other function, the host reads your name-tag, and burbles, "Well, Bill Smiley, I've heard of you. And you've brought your daughter along. How nice." But I wouldn't trade the old battleaxe for a new one, even though she's laid a pretty good collection of scars On me, physically and otherwise. Many ramifications Perspectives lunch hour. Catherine (not her real name) had challenged the winner to a match. It was no contest really. His arm went to the table like a piece of rubber. Her wrists were like steel whip cords from carrying many pails of feed to the pigs. However, she was only thirteen years old and my best student in Grade 8, to boot. The attendance officer paid the home a visit and told them she had to go to school. The father refused, and the girl, angry because it looked like she would not get the truck her father had promised her when she was sixteen, dropped over to the school one night to tell me what she thought of me for 'squealing on het,' It went to court. The father pleaded that he was keeping her home on religious grounds. Now this was a Mennonite community and some precedents had been Finding the perfect 'gift