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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes-Advocate, 1980-01-03, Page 4Spirit soon wanes By now, many of the toys which fill- ed Christmas stockings are broken and discarded. The longevity enjoyed by many of those expensive creations is perhaps a symbol of the spirit of the season. It is discarded all too .soon. Throughout the area, the preL Christmas season was filled with special programs and events. People went out of their way to visit a shut-in or drop in on someone who is confined to 'a hospital bed. Many even went to church. • ' However having performed the once-a-year good deed, we forget about those about us who need our concern and sharing throughout the year, and not just at Christmas. If you still have.room for one more resolution'on your list for 1980 make it one that encourages you to bring some warmth and kindness to those in your community who are passed over far all but one or two weeks in the year. You'll make them feel a great deal better and your own rewards will be almost un- believable. Big' shoes to fill The race is on in the battle to succeed Huron-Bruce MP Bob McKinley, who surprised most people with his announcement that he would not seek re-election in the February 18 election. It was obviously a decision over which he had labored. He told the T-A on December 15 that he would be a can- didate and while he appeared to have some hesitancy in that conversation, he was quite definite in his answer and took another two days to finally decide to withdraw after 14 years' service to the constituency. While Bob has never been a dynamic figure in the House of Com- mons, he has been a most faithful MP for this area and represented his riding well. Observers never ceased to be amazed at his uncanny ability to remember names and- that was an abili- ty that he unquestionably turned into votes. He says he's now tired and wants someone else to take on the respon- gibility and surely that is an attitude for which he must be given full marks because he obviously knows best the amount of time and effort that the job entails. He did it very well for 14 years and goes out a winner. It is a derserving way to go after such valuable service in a task that slowly drains one's physical resources and enthusiasm. Have an enjoyable retirement, Bob, you've earned it! Spend on peace World War III could begin within ten years if money continues to be poured into buying arms instead of into preserving peace, according to an editorial in the January issue of The United Church Observer. The only defence against the arms race is peace, "yet compared to what we spend on war, we spend nothing on peace," says James Taylor, the magazine's managing editor. Because of this disparity, "the arms race makes liars out of all Christians," says Mr. Taylor. The average United Church attender spends almost four times as much on war through taxes than he gives each year to the church, he says. "It's time Christians put their money where their prayers are, and started putting their resources ... into peace instead of war efforts." Arms spending not only tips the economic scales, creates fewer jobs and uses up more fuel than peaceful ac- tivities, it also "steals. desperately needed brain power that could be work- ing on everything from alternative energy sources to improved food production," says Mr. Taylor. PvITP.'4751.704Vmr By SYD FLETCHER I'll bet you didn't know that every big city newspaper has a morgue. At least that's what they call it on the newspaper staff. It's a place for dead newspapers. Everyday that the paper is printed, a girl takes eight or nine copies of it and files most articles in it with other related articles. For example Joe Clark's election would be filed under Elec- tions, Canadian and also under Joe Clark. This brings us down to the one and only time I have ever visited a newspaper morgue. Two university buddies, Bob and Al and I were ap- proaching Christmas with some degree of nervousness. We were nearly broke and a good portion of the school year remained, as well as the need to buy gifts. Our business venture had been a success. Al, a Jewish boy from Toronto, had come up with the idea of selling balloons at the Santa Claus parade in that city. We had trundled down there in my beat-up Chevy, and had placed an ad in the paper to recruit kids to sell balloons. About 40 showed up and merrily set out along the maasive route. Although only about 35 returned after the parade we made quite a bundle out of that venture. However, now it was December 8 and all we had was an ad in the university paper asking for some fellows to sell Christmas trees. We needed that job. Badly. Bob had heard of the morgue and we decided to see if there was any material there. There was! Scads of it. Size of trees that had sold other years. Numbers sold and so on. Impressed by our research skills, the guy who was running the lot, hired us. He had printed up thousands of cards saying "All trees on lot either $2.50 or $1.50 sold by university students." (Try buying one for that price now), and we handed cards out at the local plazas. Business wag tough and since we were paid on a commission basis we weren't making much money. It seemed as if everyone was buying ar- tificial trees. Then the sleet storm struck. Our trees had been baled in the north country and we had not had foresight enough to cut the strings so now all our trees were frozen stiff in the shape of a white drain-pipe. Not exactly saleable. We rented a construction heater, a little garage nearby and hauled frees over there to thaw them out. Beautiful! They looked really gorgeous with their green needles all spread out the way they should be. The only trouble was that people came back the next day saying that as soon as the trees were taken inside the needles dropped off. They were not at all pleased. A little less direct heat ap- plication was in order and business was booming again. As the snow fell on Christmas Eve the lot was empty and our pockets were full and everything in our little world seemed to be perfect. Then greed overtook us. It seemed a shame to sell those 'beautiful eight and nine footers for only $2.50 as our little cards had indicated. We jacked our prices up, only to discover that crime does not pay. An irate customer called in the constabulary to prove that one should stay on the up and up in the advertising world. Now we had observed the customer's temper as he left and perceived that we were in big trouble. When the young constable saw three quaking university boys had a lot full of trees with little cards on them all printed $2.50 he turned to the angry customer and said, un- smilingly, "Looks like all the trees here are $2.50 mister. Why don't you pick one out? The man left with his proud possession, a trifle deflated and the constable, with a smile now playing around his lips, said, Merry Christmas, fellows." Perspectives 55' Years Ago W.D. Sanders was elected reeve of Exeter and Joseph Davis, Eli Coultis, C.F. Hooper and Wm. Gillespie were elected members of the council. The general store of J.C. Moore of Kirkton together with dwelling apartments and barn were totally destroyed by fire. January 2. The store contained stock of groceries, general drygoods and hardware. Edward Neil, son of Wellington Neil near, Kirkton, wbile crushing grain, had three of his fingers so badly injured it was found necessary to am- putate the ends of them. After convalescing at her home Mildced Harvey left for Alma College, St. Thomas, to resume her art course. 30 Years Ago Exeter leads the way with the first 1950 baby born in Huron County. Daniel Ross, son of Mr. and Mrs. William Walters of Winchelsea was born at 3:45 p.m. Eight of the original chapter members of the Ex- eter Lions Club were honoured with seats at the head table at the supper meeting in the Central Hotel, Friday. They were J.P. Bowey, J. B. Creech, Dr. H.H. Cowen, Dr. Dunlop, A,O, Elliot, T.0 Southcott and B.W. Tuckey. W.E. Middleton was elected chairman of the Ex- eter Public School board for 1950. The installation of the newly elected officers of the Ancient Mystic Order of Samaritans took place in Ex- eter in the Opera House honouring the newly elected Grand Monarch. Ivan Stewart. 20 Years Agf General Coach Works, Hensall has .started con- struction of !a prefabricated home. The prototype is being built for inspection by a federal government depart- ment. .Its purpdge has not been disclosed for "security reasons". Exeter's olders resident, Mrs. Eliza Sims, quietly celebrated her 96th birthday, Tuesday. A quartet from Exeter, skipped by Lee Learn, ,cap- tured H,ensall's annual mix-. ed bonspiel last Wednesday. A building bylaw, a new dump and at least two new bridges will be some of the projects faced by Stephen Council during, the coming year, it% was revealed by reeve Glen Webb at the in- augural meeting. 15 Years Ago One of the worst fires in Exeter's history destroyed the Exeter Produce and Storage Co. Ltd. plant caus- ing an estimated $300,000 damage and- left 2 2 employees without jobs. It is suspected the blaze may have started in the waxer pot on the main floor. J.C. Clayton. general manager of General Coach Works Hensall has an- nounced the awarding of a contract to Pounder Bros., Stratford for the 17.000 sq. foot addition to the Hensall plant. Ross Tuckey was elected chairman of the Exeter Public School Board, Mon- day evening. Eugene Beaver was in- stalled as president of the Exeter Branch of the Royal Canadian Legion, he succeeds Percy Noels. Dear Editor ; FamilY and Children's Services would like to take this opportunity to thank the resfdents of Huron County for their generous support of our 1979 Christmas Bureau. We assisted 195 families , with a total of 450 children, Receipts to date total ' $10,623.42. Donations are used to supplement food and gift allowances as well as assist with outstanding in- voices incurred by depots to supplement articles not available. A special thank you to our Goderich Coordinator, Mrs. Dianne Armstrong, her fellow volunteers, the kinsmen Club of Goderich for the time and effort put into their toy drop for needy children. This depot looked after 42 families with a total of 88 children. The Salvation Army generously loaned \their facilities for this venture. Reverend Robert Roberts, Mrs. Kay Whitmore and volunteers, working out of the Seaforth Town Hall, assisted' 24 families with a total of 57 children. Thank you all and also the Lions Club of Seaforth which assisted in Many ways. Mrs. Wyn Homuth, Clinton, deserves an extra special thank you. Singlehandedly, she looked after 53 families with a total of 122 children. Thank you very much Wyn, our com- munity is fortunate to have you. The Clinton Town Hall graciously supplied space Please turn to page 20 rage 4 Times-Advocate, January 3, 1.91{0: TiMil 10400 1472 Advocate Woblilhect106.) Amaleomoteci 1924 Mainstream Cana:da. ; Let's Play By; Roger Worth "For many years, New York lived with the illusion of pros- perity. We believed it was every Man's dream to come and live here", - Morton Getman, Senior Vice President of the New york Board of Trade was trying to explain to a reporter why the Big Apple had lost 500,000 jobs in six years in the manufacture ing sector alone and another • 100,000 because head offices moved away from the city. The problem became serious` enough for the likes of David Rockfeller of the Chase Man- hattan Bank, the powerful New York Telephone Co., the New York Port Authority, the Cheinical Bank and other busi- ness leaders to take a hand. Roger Worth is Director, Public Affairs, Canadian Federation of independent Business. Copy Cat The New York Port Author- ity put it this way: "When a small or medium size business locates in a community, you can he sure it will remain there for a good length of time. And the multiplier effect is higher than for any other type of busi- ness activity". Overnight, it seemed, small became beautiful. Even in 14 ew York. And while ivory tower economic planners are talking "economies of scale" and tionalizing" business and in- dustrial activity, the prestigious Massachusetts Institute. of Technology is publishing a massive study indicating 66% of all new jobs created in the U.S. between 1969 and 1977 were due to firms with less • than 20 employees. A similar study conducted in this country by the Cana- dian Federation of Indepen- dent Business gave just about the same results: 59% of all new jobs between 1971 and 1977 were created by firms with fewer than 20 employees. Meanwhile, .federal and hrovincial government tech- nocrats in Canada have .been reluctant to accept Federation conclusions about the crucial importance of the small busi- ness sector. Now that New York has moved, perhaps Canada's in- dependent busit!ess sector can expect more concrete action. As in so many situations, Canada's bureaucrats seem to move faster once the Ameri- cans proffer their seal of ap- proval on a new idea, an idea whose time has undoubtedly arrived.* 'SERVING CANADA'S OM FARMLAND . cnViAnAn,,QM..N,.A. PASS '/V and ABC Puldiiturd by J, W. Eiciv Publications Oohed KANE IPEDY.P4MUSHER, Editor — dill Batten Assistant Editor —,Ross Haugh .Advertising Manager .,..Jim Beckett Comp.ositiOn Manager — Harry peVries Ousmersithiartager e,e. Dick Jongkind Published Each Wednesday Morning, Phone 235-1331 . at Exeter. Ontario_ Second Class Mail It•aistration Minikier 0386 SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Canada $11,00 Per Yon; USA $30.00 svettosow7---"- -.tGrmwtsaia* Poor timing indeed The now familiar "I love 4 New York" campaign came out of these discussions; but what is not so well known is that the underlying strategy the powerful business magnates selected to reverse the horren- dous drain on New York's eco- nomy was to attract and de- ( velop small and 'medium-size independent business. • There's nothing quite as' valuable as hindsight to aid in logical decisions. While I don't have that advantage, there's little doubt that we at the T-A have blundered badly in attempting to put out a paper on January 3. It will be Thursday when you sit down to read this effort, but readers should be advised that the major portion of the production was done on the day after New Year's eve, which in itself is about three days in duration. There was an inkling of the trouble that could arise when the staff gathered for a short "social time" after completing the Christmas edition. By the time it was over, there was one chap noticeably reeling and the bad news was that Ike kept telling everyone he was going to behave himself until New Year's eve so he could really let his hair down and bring in the new decade with a resounding Welcome. At that point, the editor realized his mistake in not denouncing any associa- tion with this first issue of the new year. Somehow there's every indica- tion that the telephone could be jangl- ing from the wall when readers start to pick out the mistakes. The guys who produce calendars- ob- viously played a mean trick on, us all and the number of "make goods" on advertisements next week will probably set a new Canadian record. * * * While not being blessed with, any crystal balls, the writer pulled off one of the major coups in Christmas gift 'giving this year. While many of my friends were out getting their kids new cross country ski's, toboggans and snowmobile suits, the writer was lugging home bicycles Dispe sed smiiey Owing to the exigencies of the Canadian winter, thedecrepitudeof the Canadian postal service, which can't handle the mail in the height of sum- mer, let alone the Christmas rush, and various other factors, too miscellaneous to mention, this may not reach you until after the holiday when all you have left of Christmas is the colors, a red nose and a little green around the gills. Howsomever, (and I do this only about every 12 years) I am going to extend that hoary old cliche of the 20th Century, "A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year," to the whole world. First, to the editors and publishers who have stuck by me for more than 25 years, even when this column was puerile, pernicious, petty or political (on what they thought was the wrong side). Bless you chaps and gals for allowing me into the homes of so many Canadians. Were I writing for only one paper, I would be in a fury of frustration that these Great Thoughts of mine were being read by -only a paltry couple of thousand. Second, and more important, to my faithful readers, who scold me, ad- monish me, weep for me, pray for me, and laugh with me, as we proceed together through this vale of tears. And third, to my wife who has borne the slings and arrows of outrageous Bill Smiley for longer than she cares to think about, and with remarkable equanimity. She has never responded in kind when I was less than kind to her, and through her, to all women. Oh, she has responded. Yes, she has responded. And I have a broken nose, and a lump over my right ear, where she hit me with a plate of roast beef, potatoes and gravy, from a distance of eight feet, some years ago. All, those great old days, when you could Sling toast beef around. Today it would be a plastic plate and hamburg and I wouldn't even have a lump, Finally to my children and grand- The writer is not (repeat, not) among those making the annual New Year's resolutions to give up those deadly cigarettes. 4It's not entirely due to the fact it children. Just by being so rotten, they have provided me with acres . of material for this column, and brought me into touch with hundreds of parents of equally rotten kids. Last, and ‘absolutely last to the members of my English department. You notice I said "my" I don't own it. I merely serve as surrogate uncle, father figure psychiatrist, and wailing wall for the odd assortment of human beans in our department. But they stand by me; like reeds in the wind; like twigs in an ice storm; like snow in a March sun. And theyalso stand behind me - well behind when someone is after my scalp. 13 ut I depend on them to slander me, to mock my partical plate and hoary hair. I think that covers a fair assortment of the people I want to say M.0 and a H.N.Y. to Except for all my friends, and they both know who they are. Now I don't wish to be anything less than benign on this occaSion. But it may be more of a hairy Christmas and a crappy New Year than the other, if what our new Tory government has produced so far is any indication of our future. Not-another word. I'll get to that in the new year. Mustn't spoil this jovial mood I've built up. Must Stick to Christmas. Well, there've been some dandies and some stinkers. Like most people the stinkers are the ones I remember. One was • when my mother had prepared a great Christmas dinner for about five o'clock, working from 6 a.m. My older brother and sister went off skiing with a friend. My kid brother and went off to thespecialChristmas Matinee. We'd all promised to be home by four. We all got home about six, dinner ruined. A modern mother would have bawled the daylights out of us. My mother just looked so hurt it hurt my heart. Another was when my total loot under the Christmas tree was one suit of long underwear, with`the backflap, That wasn't so bad. We knew there was a depression on, whatever that was. But going out and meeting the other kids, some whose fathers were working and exchanging, "Whadja get?", was painful. How do you describe to a guy who has just got a pair of skates joy of receiving lon- johns.? But there have been some great Christrbases too, and they linger. Decorating the tree with tiny._ kids looking on. Then going out to a Christmas Eve part, (the most stupid social occasion in our calendar), arriving home at 4 a.m. doing up the kids' stocking and hanging them up and getting one hour's sleep before tiny hands are plucking at your hair, eyes, nose and treble voices, "Daddy get up. We want to see what Santa Claus brought." Oy veh! Another great Christmas strangely enough, was in prison camp. We had saved for months the choice items from our rapidly diminishing Red Cross parcels. From the graham crackers, chocolate powdered milk and other stuff, we'd make a magnificent Christmas cake. From the prunes and sugar, we'd made a potent Christmas brew, enough for about a quart each. Dinner began 'with horsd'oeuvres, a piece of cheese the size of a dime on a piece of sour German bread the size of a quarter. Then the entree. Canned salmon and smashed spuds, Then the coup de grace, the cake like lead but full of calories. And well washed down with a wine that was neither red nor white, but-sort of mudcolored: A memorable evening. Enough. Enough. Think back about your dandies and your stinkers, and mike this the best holiday season you've ever had, with a sober thought about the reason for it all,and what it means to you. ;to put under the tree for the kids. It all seemed a little foolish at the tail end of December, but you know whose kids were able to get out and enjoy their Christmas gifts, don't you! Oh well, don't feel too badly. You may be sitting around the house with a bunch of grumpy kids who can't get out and enjoy the usual pursuits of the Christmas vacation, but things could be worse. You could own stocks in some ski mountain! * * There hasn't been enough research yet to determine this year's most un- usual gift in the area, but chances are that Lossy Fuller is going to rank high in that department. She ended up with a cat and a dog'un- der her tree and at last report was half way through the huge pile of last year's council minutes as she followed the pets around the house with the necessary paper. During our brief „Christmas morning visit, it was a little ,difficult to tell which of the three was going to be the first to leave home the dog, the cat or Lossy. Actually, her family was showing great planning in the now common task of make-work schemes. As chairperson for the social services committee. Lossy is in charge of animal control and her acquisitions appear quite capable of keeping the animal control officer quite busy in the year ahead. Don't forget•Councillor,'you also need a dog tag! A belated greeting wouldn't be in the list of accomplished resolutions for the 20th straight year; but rather the whole exercise is now not worth the effort. Why not? Simply because most of my friends have added fireplaces or stoves to their homes and a one-hour visit is often akin to a three-day bash in the men's room at some corner watering hole. From what can be determined at a casual 'glance, the heat generated by most of these new energy savers is in direct comparison to the smoke that' fails to go up the chimney. There may be some difference between inhaling cigarette smoke or that which slowly clouds the room from a pile of wet wood, but no one has proven which is the more dangerous. The most ignoble act of the 80s could well be getting a look of disdain from, your hostess when you ask for an ash tray while she sits there with tears streaming from her smoke-filled eyes while "enjoying" her new stove or fireplace. It may be too early to plan next year's night school courses, but of- ficials should take a serious look at some instruction on how to enjoy`the heat without the smoke, or for the poor students, how to enjoy the heat with the smoke. For the real losers, who periodically forget to open their damper, there could be a course on fumigation. After all, it's too bad to see all that smoke go- ing to waste, although it appears to serve only to waken the flies, not kill them. Suddenly, leaders of big business are saying that sOund economic planning for their city does not depend on the location of head offices that will move away at the first sign of trouble.