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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes-Advocate, 1980-05-28, Page 4*CNA AV W. Roger WWII; Thousands of Canada's small and medittrwsized busi- nesses will be placed hi bank- ruptcy or receivership this, year, partially due to high interest rates and partially as a result of a weak economy. The government argues that additional support for inde- pendent businesses can't be justified because the freedom to fails an integral part of the free enterprise system, The argument makes a lot of sense and in fact statistics indicate that Iwo out of three entrepreneurswho fail will succeed when they later take a • crack at running their own business, While bankruptcy may seem tough medicine, there is little question the system produces the. "scar tissue" that is many 'Roger Worth is Director, Public Affairs, Canadian Federation of Independent Business. Dear editor: On behalf of the Huron County Unit of the Canadian Cancer Society, I would like to express our congratulations and ap- preciation to all people in the Exeter area who contributed so generously to the 1980 Cancer campaign for funds. As a result, the Exeter Branch, under the capable direction of Carfrey Cann and Charles Smith, is the first branch in Huron County to exceed its objective having achieved the significant atnourit of wet $13,000.00. Efforts such as this enable the Cancer Society to con- tinue its important work in research , treatment to `Patients, and education of the public in prevention of cancer. With sincere appreciation and gratitude, I remain, Yours truly, Ross IVIcbaniel, Campaign Chairttran Huron county 'Unit Canadian Cancer Society teams fill arenas, bring in big television revenues, and the N.H.L. is well organized arid carries a lot of clout. Maybe I sound like a hawk in this column. I'm not. I'm a school teacher. Perhaps because of that, I realize that, as there must be order, and semblance of civilization, in the structure of nations. • There are times when I'm ashamed of my country. We are not without guts and imagination as Ambassador Ken Taylor's high jink's in Iran proved, But tittle and again it has been proved that Canada will never take strong measures, whatever the provocation, if it's going to cost us a felar bucks in trade. That's the way the free en- terprise system is supposed to work, But from Ottawa's point of view, what's sauce for therose is apparently not Sauce for the gander, For while thousands Of smaller firms are allowed to fail, Canada's federal govern- ment has opened the money- vault &Mrs, providing $200 tnillion worth of support for troubled automaker Chrysler Corp. The 1J,S. government has kicked in another $1.5 bil- lion and further aid from vari- ous American state goverh, meats is in place. The point here is not whether the governments (and taxpay- ers) are likely to lose their money. Or whether support is justified because of the thou, sands of jobs involved. A much broader principle is at stake. If taxpayer aid for one mismanaged and Inefficient enterprise can be justified, why • shouldn't all troubled firms receive support? That is the one delicate question the politicians have failed to answer in all the dis- cussions concerning support for ailing Chrysler. The public, and especially independent business people facing bank- ruptcy because they are playing by the rules, deserve a real an- swer to that very tough question. beside nursing, intermediate year at the Sarnia General Hospital school of nursing, Saturday, Mr. and Mrs. J. Hubert Jones,. left Monday on a conducted tour of the West going as far as Vancouver. W. Joseph Hogan, son of Mr. and Mrs. Wilfred Hogan, RR 8, Parkhill received his BA degree at UWO con- vocation .Saturday. Kozy Korner restaurant has been purchased by Alice Lockie, Zurich it was an- nounced this week by John Burke, Exeter realtor. Mrs. David Millar, town, Mrs. J.P. Williams of Cumberland, Maryland and Mrs. David Henry of Clandeboye attended a reunion of registered nurses in Stratford last Sunday. 15 Years Ago Miss Ann Fairbairn of Exeter showed pictures of her trip to Newfoundland at the citizenship meeting of Hurondale WI in Caven Presbyterian Church last Wednesday evening. Mr. and Mrs. Lorne Genttner of Dashwood celebrated their 25th wed- ding anniversary quietly at their home Saturday. Mr. and Mrs. R.D. Jer-. myn, Karen and Don Jermyn of Ottawa attended con- vocation exercises at Waterloo University Saturday. Douglas Jermyn received his BA.Sc, degree in mechanical engineering. John Quinlivin, 64, of Grand Bend, passed away at South Huron Hospital, Exeter Monday, May 31, The Telephone System plans to instal dial telephone in Dashwood, Stephen Township Reeve Glen Webb and Clerk Ross Haugh were authorized by council Thursday night to sign easement agreements with the Hay Municipal Telephone System for their planned work in Dashwotxl. Time;AtiVoCOte, May 18,, 1980 Am91gorntolid 1924 AdvFate Established .1 as I NV. 4 rim steklished.102. LMainstream Canada Two sets of rules "I think Trudeau finally achieved his Just Society — the country's JUST surviving!" The stress factor increases • $E1IVIIN.0, CANADA'S BEST FA4MkAND A" and ABC Published- ist,f. W.Eedy Puisikations. timited l,ORNIE EEOY, PRilittS.Nfft While it may be correct to say that figures don't lie, they can be manipulated, depending on the end' result one wishes to attain. Nowhere is this more evident than on a discussion! of municipal taxes and one member of Exeter council last week indicated that the 12,47 percent increase in the local mill rate was com- parable to most other municipalities. That is more than a little suspect. Two weeks ago it was reported that Hensall's mill rate went up eight and half percent, while only last week council set a rate that was equal to the previous year. However, the one consideration in discussing the Exeter rate is that it has been increased 24.35 mills for public school residential ratepayers, and while that represents a percentage in- crease of 12.47, it is extremely high and in fact could be a record. Talking in terms of percentages is always a questionable practice. The higher the base factor is, the lower the percentage an increase represents. Had Hensall's mill rate increased by 24 mills, for instance , the percentage in- crease would have been 17 percent. But because they started with a higher Michelin wants $50 million in government handouts to construct a new plant in Nova Scotia (it has already been given $22 million by the federal government toward building its first two plants) while other tire com- panies across the nation are in dire straits. Firestone has already been forced to inititate layoffs and plant closings because of the depressed radial tire market. After spending $150 million during the last eight years on conver- ting, upgrading and building its own plants, Firestoneis justified in its de- mand that, if Michelin wants to expand, it should use its own funds and not tax- payers' money. Last week's news told of yet another boxer who lies in a coma after taking a beating in the ring. Not long ago a boxer died of his injuries. Modern men, and some modern women, are indeed strange creatures in this century of enlightenment. Boxing is still called a "sport" when, in fact, it is nothing more than a demonstration of the same sport of brutality that brought roars of approval from Roman mobs in the coliseum two thousand years ago. What is sporting about two men facing each other in a roped-off enclosure, intent on hammering each other to insensibility on the mat? Why is the public ready to pay these gloved gladiators millions of dollars so the spectators tan witness a display of brutality? Art Linkletter used to have a program called "Kids Say the Darndest Things". I have to agree. Just when you think you've got the little duffers all labelled and wrapped up they tome along and make you realize that you don't really know them very well at all. Take the little guy in grade I who walked out of the school one day, wrinkled his note, and then leaned back base, Exeter's 24-mill boost was only a 12.47 percent hike. Council will point to the education levies to cite the major reasons for the increase in local taxes, But the in- fallibility'ofIthat argument depends to an extent on whether the mill rate or percentage increase is to be con- sidered. The school rate for high school pur- poses is up 25.03 percent, compared to an 8.45 percent increase in the general municipal rate. Quite a difference! But, the actual mill rate increases are comparable at 7.69 and 9.27 percent respectively, and in terms of dollars, the increase in the high school rate is only $223 more than the increase in the town's general levy. The underlining fact is that the mill rate has been boosted by an all-time high and local ratepayers have every right,to be concerned. Hopefully, members of council will give some explanations of the budget before they pass the bylaw at their next meeting, because to date the ratepayers should pay one of the highest increases in this community's history, particularly when they started with a surplus of $120,0004, One reason put forth for the government's interest in the Michelin grant is the desire to stimulate the economy and job market in Nova Scotia. While the aim may be commen- dable, the approach is faulty, There's no sense in spending public money to create jobs in one part of an industry, knowing that it will cancel jobs in another part of that industry. If the federal government wants to help Nova Scotia, it should investigate other incentives, such as reduced federal sales tax on construction in- dustry materials - or help other businesses get started in an industry that is thriving and which will not be hurt by the increased competition in a saturated market. Modern society has passed all sorts of laws against brutality in other forms. If you beat a horse or a dog you will face heavy fines or imprisonment. If you hit your neighbor, even with an open hand, you will be charged with assault. If you slap a neighbor's youngster after he has smashed your living room window you will be in real trouble. Organized dog fights were outlaw- ed years ago. Cock fighting has been forbidden; killing baby seals has half the world nauseated - but it is still a multi-million dollar business to get two grown men to beat each other into un- consciousness or death. Stange world! Wingham Advance-Times whispered to her mother, "Somebody turned my volume down!" I was standing outside of the grade I room as the little ones were getting ready to go home. The bell rang and one of the boys, wide-eyed, looked at me as if he could hardly believe his ears and blurted,• "How did that happen?" I think he figured that I just lived to press that magic button eight times a day. There's no chance of a per- son getting too inflated with one's importance with little kids around. Quite inhOceht- ly, they're always ready to cut you down a peg or two. If you've taken advantage of some of the warmer weather of late to get some spring planting done in your flower gar- den, you may notice that inflation has not been rampant in that regard. In fact, there is evidence that defla- tion has hit the box plant industry, but it is a situation that warrants some scrutiny from buyers, The price range runs the usual gamut from 694 to 894'. but similar to most other aspects of the marketplace, one has to watch carefully because some bargains really aren't. What is happening is that the people who grow all those beautiful flowers or vegetables in their greenhouses have eliminated any standard by which a careful shopper can judge his purchase. So, while you may be prompted to rush to the garden centre offering that special price of 69c, you may find that• all you get is six plants, whereas the dealer offering box plants for 84 may have nine cubicles in his offerings. At any rate, the only way to go shop- ping is with a trusty calculator in your pocket, especially so you can haggle over the price when you find that one of your boxes has a blank cubicle, The box plant business is one of the fastest growing in today's society and if inflation continues through to next year, you can probably bet that the price won't have increased. However, there will be new boxes on the market that have only four cubicles, It's the new way to beat inflation! * While old-time gardeners scoff at those of us who load up the trunk with box plants and head to the garden, it's not merely a case of being lazy or spendthrift. ti r'an oispe aedby srniley Headlines are not reassuring these days, to day the least. By the time this appears in print. they may be terrify- ing. The American debacle over the hostages has ended, and who knows what violent and world-shaking stunt the CIA and the U.S. military will try next. There is no more dangerous time for our society on earth than one inwhich the Americans are embroiled in foreign affairs, and, at the same time, there is a presidential election in the offing. This has been proved, over and over again. The incumbent president, if he wants another term in office, and he nearly always does, is tempted, es- pecially if it is going to be a close race, into perilous ventures from which he will emerge as a hero and waltz into of- fice. President Jimmy Carter showed, for a long period, admirable restraint as the lawless Iranians twisted the tiger's tail. But, as the election loomed, arid the situation remained stagnant, he came under more and more pressure from the "hawks" among his advisors, and from the mood of his people, to "do something." He gave in, with the resulting fiasco in Iran. A, completely bollixed rescue sortie. The hostages, target of the attempt, scattered. American soldiers killed in action for the first time in his regime. At the White House, the moderate Secretary of State, Cyrus Vahee, resigned because he was against the somewhat strident mission. And a new, It's the only way most of us have' of knowing what those green shoots are in the garden. The tales are many of an ardent tenderfoot removing all the tender vegetables in a row and leaving only the weeds. The writer is quickly coming to one sound philosophy that could set the box plant business back a few years and once more make it easy for people to buy the less expensive seeds in• those colorful packets. The first rule in weeding gardens is to pull out anything that appears to be healthy. Chances are that it is a weed. The second rule is to watch what the birds and squirrels don't eat. It too is probably some type of weed. The third rule is to keep a close eye on insects. Any green item on which they appear to be gourging themselves is a vegetable seedling. And the fourth and final tip is to search out dog tracks. Those tender, crushed pieces of foliage under a giant paw mark are also vegetables. Dogs, it seems, 'do not like. walking on weeds! The writer has come up with another sure-fire trick this year to thwart the usual invasion of weeds which tends to decimate a garden. After several years of getting out a string and a couple of stakes to make certain the rows of vegetables were straight, I came to the realization that whoever is in charge of weeds was do- ing the same thing. So this year. I merely eye-baIled the garden and put in a few zigs and zags to keep that fellow off guard. The move is already paying dividends. Just this past weekend I spotted two huge dandelines that had failed to zig and there they were, right out in the middle of nowhere where they could be harsh, hard-nosed voice for Carter, as No. 1 Man on foreign policy, Zbigniew Brzezinski, who doesn't believe in the soft-shoe shuffle, but in hob-nailed boots. Another arrogant idiot like Henry Kissinger, the late, unlamented mouth for Richard Nixon. Lord help us all. Behind all the pious expressions of grief for the dead men, and the lukewarm sympathy of America's in- ternational "friends" lie a lot of un- answered questions. Why didn't Carter wait another three weeks, until the date many of his allies had agreed to apply heavy sanctions on Iran? You supply the answers. How could a nation with the greatest technology in the world, a nation that put a man on the moon, so abysmally foul up a rescue operation similar to the one carried out successfully by tiny Israel at Entebbe? Why did they leave their dead behind, to be ignominiously displayed before the world's television cameras by the savages Masquerading as holy men, of Iran? Surely you take your dead with you. Those are just a few of the questions the headlines force one to ask, unless one is a booby. and trusts the leaders of nations, Let's leave the Yanks alone with their troubles, and have a look closer to home, More questions pop up. If Canada really syinpathizes with the American position on Iran and the hostages, as our leaders indicate, why don't we do something about it? pulled out without-removing six inches of spinach along with them. Even some creeping Charley vines have failed to notice the zags and are having trouble staying in the irregular rows to entwine the lettuce with their choking tentacles. The twitch grass, of course, isn't los- ing any ground with its rampant growth and one huge burdock still stands defiantly in the middle of the garden, knowing full well that it will take two rows of peas and 19fled beets along with it if I ever get up enough courage to pull it out. Oh well, you can't beat them all in one, year! * * This year the editor was among the early-birds in the gardening business, but now thatall the spring lawn and gar- den informition is starting to be made available, I have learned that procrastination would have been more advised. The first periodical received had a lengthy and colorful article showing the need for "companion" planting. That is to say, some plants apparently get along well together and some are bitter enemies. On checking through the list, it was found that every cardinal rule had been broken. My peas were beside the onions, the tomatoes were in cahoots with the cabbage, etc., etc. Now I'll have to go out and put up privacy fences so they don't know who they're bedding down with. No wonder so many guys are giving up gardening to sit around watching ball games and guzzling beer! The stress factor is obviously too great. .3. Whatever the Shah did, and his was obviously a corrupt and brutal reign, his successors are no better, They have hanged hundreds after kangaroo trials, persecuted racial and religious minorities and surrendered the prin- ciples of justice and Mercy into the hands of a narrow, religiously fanatic old man. Why doesn't Canada kick out all Iranians, stop trading with them, seize any assets they have in this country, refuse them entry visas, and keep it up until the hostages are released and a stable and civilized government is restored in Iran? Why doesn't Canada, internationally known as a peace-maker, go back to that role, and work through the United Nations. the Commonwealth, and the other great powers, to bring Iran into line? If we deplore Russia's invasion of Afghanistan, which we claim to do, why don't we do something besides deplore? Because we might lose some wheat sales: that's why. We make a feeble gesture by talking our athletes into staying away from the Olympic Games, poor devils. But we go right on planning to host Russian hockey teams in the "great" Canada Cup series. Of course, that paradox is simply enough explained. Olympic athletes don't make money, they cost Money. And they aren't very well organized and don't have =eh clout. On the other hand, Russian hockey Editor — Bill Batten Assistant Editor Ross Haugh. Advertising Manager — Jim Sackett composition Manager — Harry DaVries business Maneaer Dick Jenakinsi Pelslisbed. Each. Wednesday Morning Phone 235-1331 at biotin., Ontorlo Registration NumberClas oil 386 SUBSCRIPTION RATES; Canada $14.00 Per Yearj USA $35.00 CNA 9,o o~88os 4,4 , Vik,NW ttii,pN,t4„.;,,,;: Need explanation When will we learn? So this is sport! Perspectives in with his thumbs in his pocket just like his farmer dad and said to his teacher "Boy somebody sure is spreading the pig (Manure) thick today, eh?" Another teacher, on yard duty, was told by a little kindergarten lass that some of the bigger boys were pick- big oh her. He said that he would tend to them right away and just about laughed in her face when she said very seriously, "You're really going to give them (manure)?" In the Reader's Digest recently, a four year-old was afflicted with her first case of laryngitis. Amazed, she It's questiOn time times instrumental in driving business-minded Canadians to become even more successful than they might have been. The process also separates the wheat from the chaff, sup- posedly ensuring that the least efficient and productive busi- nesses will fail because they can't compete. ss Years Ago Mr. E.S. Steiner, VS of Bergen NY was in Exeter a few days and has decided to open up a practice here. He has rented one of Mr. C. B. Snell's houses on Anne St. Next Sunday will be an unique date in the Methodist Church, Hensall, as it marks the last Sunday of its existence as a Methodist denomination. During the thunderstorm Monday afternoon, Dan McCurdy, of Stephen had a. horse killed by lightning. Several trees were blown down by the wind. Mr. W.C. Keddy and sisters Misses Hanna and Nettie Keddy left Tuesday for the West. 30 years Ago Interior of the new air- men's lounge' at RCAF Station Centralia was gutted by fire Tuesday afternoon. Damage was estimated at $4,000, Dashwood Band was reorganized with T.H. Hoffman as leader assisted by Melvin Stade and Maurice Klumpp, William Brian, 8-month old son of Mr. and Mrs. Carl Decker, Zurich won first prize in the baby show at Hensall Spring Fair. Records were topped at the preliminary juvenile contest at Kirkton when e-76 contestants in 56 numbers from 23 public schools took part. The Huronia Male Choir took part in the anniversary services at Roy's Church on Sunday. Mr. Francis Clark, Crediton, was presented with a life membership in the Telephone Pioneers of America in recognition of active service in the telephone industry. 20 Years Ago Miss Sally Acheson, daughter of Mr. and Mrs, C.E. Acheson, town, won the supervisory staff award for ,..••••••••wor