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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes-Advocate, 1980-07-16, Page 4Page 4. iinittsrAdencota, July 16,, 1980 Amelea.moted, 1024 SIERVINO.CANAPAIlISIFAOMI.AND. C.W.N.A-,43M.N.A. CLASS 'A' and ABC 'Published by J. W 0ody Polpikations LORNE EEDY,..PUIBISRIER Editor Bill Batten Assistant Editor doss Haugh Advertising Manager ,-- Jim Beckett Composition Manager -, Harry-deVries Business Manager Dick Jong kind Published Each Wednesday Morning' Phone 235.1331 at Easter, Ontario Second Clasp Mail Set guidelines "I don't trust anyone over 30 . . . in a 20 m.p.h. zone." eNA Registration Number 0386 SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Canada $14.00 Per Year; USA $35.00 Advocate E,001olisheri 1881 tooMisned. 111 Can't have it both ways ANNOMMEMPIZOTIVE By BYO FLETCHelt As a teenager I worked in the office of a small factory. One of the salesmen who came there selling adding machines got talking to me. During the conservation he remarked that he had never eaten ham. basically because of his religion. Curious. I asked him what religion that would be. He hesitated. seem almost ashamed of it, then replied that he Was Jewish. It struck me that he changed the sub- ject rapidly from religion though as a teenager in a small town who had never encountered a person of non- Christian faith. I was genuinely interested in fin- ding out more about him. In sharp contrast to his reserved character. I had a Muslim couple visit my home a number of years ago. We goofed and served a pork roast. Instead of getting up- set about it they quite happi- ly ate the devilled eggs and salads. Despite our mistake, the couple became good friends with us. and in the process we learned a great deal about their way of life. For example. during the time of Ramadan each year, there is a period of forty days of fasting. No eating or drinking is allowed during the daylight hours. Each year my friend finds that he loses about 15 to 20 pounds then even though he is allow- ed to eat at night. They invited us back for a meal. Even though the foods we ate were all available at the London market building, they were combined together and cooked with an extraordinary Eastern set of flavours: fried chicken with a batter that was satisfying- ly sweet, all kinds of nuts in the salads, served with tasty sauces that made us come back for more. The Muslims take their religion seriously, as recent events in Iran may remind us. My friends take the time, five times a day, to face to the East and pray to Allah. They have a strong set of rules and values. and even though they live in a strange country they try to live by those standards. The Ayotullah Khomeni is not viewed as being too rational at times by Westerners. At the same time he is standing up for what he believes is right and is trying to preserve his country's moral standards which he saw as deteriorating very rapidly. Our own leaders are often afraid of not being elected again and so they refuse to take strong stands even though they know inwardly that a particular issue is dead wrong. Perspectives Te•glW•gar€,W,,,,.W.WArMipalourci:A•pr • • • ar an Dispelised by &rile ,P4 Some literature pure garbage Simply, Mordecai Richler, after a couple of good attempts, went back to the fecund well of his own background, drew from it, and drank deeply. The results are first-rate. He has not yet produced a "master- piece," as Maclean's, that pale copy of something or other, called his latest work. What's a masterpiece? A piece done by a master, which is recognized a hun- dred, or three hundred, years later by the current expert on masterpieces., Shakespeare was a journeyman playwriter. Dickens sold his stuff to magazines, and padded it un- scrupulously, because he was paid by the word. Nobody would touch Conrad with a ten-foot pole until he was aging. We have some excellent writers in Canada& you want to see into the mind of a woman.reaci Margaret Laurence. If you want to see into the mind of a Catholic moralist, read Morley Callaghan. If you want to see into the mind of a WASPread Richard Rohmer. And so on. But if you want to read the works of a hard-nosed satirist, who lays it right on the line about this country of ours,read Richler. Too bad his novels are too dirty to teach in high school. But I have snuck in Duddy Kravitz. Dear Editor: Sportsfest is being held in the host Community of Goderich on August 15, 16 and 17. It consists of lir recreational event tou,r- narrients, through which we encourage fun, good sport- manship, participation, low- key competition, and to promote on going in- tercommunity competitions in the future for these developmental sports. Sportsfest '80 is sponsored and organized by the Lake Huron Zone Recreation Association, (L.H.Z.R.A.) The events offered are for all ages. They include; ar- chery, ball hockey, cycling, euchre, fun run, girls soft- ball, gymnastics, horseshoe pitching, karate, men's slo- pitch, shuffleboard, soccer, swimming, t-ball, table tennis, tennis, women's softball, and women's alo- pitch. The registration deadline date for these events is July 25th. ' If you are interested in more information or in participating in Sportsfest '80 inGoderich, contact your local Recreation Director or Recreation Committee. Tim McLean, Sportsfest Co-ordinator, can also be contacted by writing to 166 MacDonald Street, Goderich, Ontario N7A 3N5 or bay calling 524-2127. Hope to see you par- ticipating in Sportsfest '80. Let's make it the greatest yet!!! <t. Sincerely yours, Tim McLean, Sportsfest '80 Co-ordinator By W, Roger Worth' The message from the top has been a plea for Canadians to tighten their belts, spend less, save more, and generally act a little more responsibly. White the input from gov- ernment leaders may be useful at a time when high inflation and a deteriorating economy are taking their toll, federal and provincial politicians seem to have difficulty follow- ing their own advice. • A few examples: • While all government leaders find it necessary to travel, New Brunswick Pre- mier Richard Hatfield perhaps holds the Canadian record for leap-frogging from New York, to London, to Paris. In 1979, for example,'he • was on the road for 168 days (about five months) and spent' an estimated $50,000. Wart "Niagara Falls" in Edmonton. Ontario, the government is red-faced over a $115,000 grant to help send a ear racing team to 'Europe. The car, car-' tying Ontario insignia, was supposed to be viewed by 300 million people watching the televised race, The team failed to qualify for the event. • Then there's Ottawa, the. granddaddy of Canada's big spenders. It's enough to say that this year's federal govera- ment deficit will probably sur- pass $14 billion,' or more than *$C1a,n1)diari. for every working The point is that Cana- dians can perhans be excused if they have difficulty believ- ing government leaders who talk about restraint, yet seem to have problems practicing what they preach. If Canada's politicians are really serious about their belt tightening messages, they should make more concerted efforts to cut unnecessary budget items and excessive spending. • Then, even hard-pressed independent business people Might have confidence that those pleas from the top are „ meaningful. tle machines would indicate that the wider those spaces are from civiliza- tion the better. -The manner in which some are driven by their youthful riders indicates that the more open the space the better too. However, society has been able to co- exist with the gasoline engine with all its noise and dangers throughout this century and hopefully some amiable arrangements can be made to let the lads continue their pleasures and reduce the danger to ear and limb of those who frequent some of the not so wide, and open spaces in the communi- ty. The easy way is to eliminate the problem by banning them entirely. The equitable way is to set up some proper guidelines for the time and place of their use. with promotion and with programs to help farm workers identify the hazards and avoid or correct unsafe situations. But much still has to be done in the never ending safety information process. The. Canada Safety Council sponsors Farm Safety Week in co-operation with Agriculture Canada. The 1980 campaign focuses on Tractor Safety, Itis hoped it will encourage operators to know their machines, apply basic safety rules and thus prevent accidents. The Council urges everyone concerned to strive for the highest possible safety standards. and all their related kin would take a good look at the mess they caused themselves. Greedier and greedier demands for more and more money put .the price of cars up so high that the im- ports sell and the U.S. Canadian made ones don't. It is that simple. They pric- ed themselves out of jobs and it looks like they will bankrupt more than Chrysler. Not surprisingly, in the case of the Doctors. •they are being told they "can't refuse" the new fee scale. So far they are standing firm...as every segment of society must to stave off the economic collapse of North America. Sarnia Gazette Ever since the invention of the gas- oline engine, society has been plagued with problems associated with the many uses to which it has been placed. There are those who think the impen- ding shortage of fuel may spell an end to the modern way of life, but there is an indication even that may have some blessings. Just think of all the lives it will save and the noise it will eliminate! Exeter council members, however, are wise in not waiting for that to happen as they grapple with the problem associated with one of the newer "nuisances" of the gasoline engine spin-off, that being trail bikes. As the name implies, the machines were intended primarily for the wide- open spaces and the noise factor which some manufacturers build into the lit- Safety first Mechanization has transformed Can- dian agriculture into an industry where increased farm production is now possi- ble with reduced physical effort. However, this change has been ac- companied by an increase in farm acci- dent hazards, says W.L. Higgitt, presi- dent of the Canada Safety Council. Efforts to reduce deaths and injuries involving agricultural machines and equipment have been made by manufacurers. They are improving ex- isting safety features and incorporating new ones into their designs. Governments and organizations in- terested in safety have contributed Rare example Hats off to a couple of groups in Michigan. One is an associate of Doc- tors in the northern part of the state who chose not to accept new fee scales on the grounds that the State economy is near bankrupt. The other is a lone Policeman in Detroit. who having been awarded (along with the rest of the force) $2,000 in back pay, through arbitration...chose to return the money to his city. He said simply "I could not live with myself if I took it. I believe Policemen are paid adequately. I make a good salary. No one is going to go hungry at my house...'.' So he gave it back. One would hope that the auto-workers If the Huron County board of educa- tion announced the hiring of a new ad- ministrator at a salary of $70,487 per annum, or two teachers at annual salaries of $35,243.50 per year each, there would be a great hue and cry from most ratepayers, including municipal officials. Of course. there's nothing municipal officials enjoy more than lamenting the rising costs of education and over the years they have given their support to resolutions denouncing the board members for their spending habits. However, when they are given an op- portunity to help reduce education costs, those same municipal officials have vetoed the attempt in what appears to be a very clear case of wan- ting to have one's cake and eat it too. The $70,487 figure is the one the board indicates could be shaved frOm their budget if municipalities made quarter- ly payments of their levies rather than the semi-annual payments which are now in effect. Unlike the hiring of an administrator or a couple of teachers, there is ob- viously no educational value received in the expenditure of $70,487 required to pay for the loans which keep the board solvent prior to receipt of the municipal levies. * * * In some cases,-there are legitimate and logical reasons for some elected municipal officials to turn down- the request to have the levies paid quarter- ly and thereby save Huron taxpayers $70,487. Many of those municipalities, of course, collect taxes from their ratepayers only semi-annually (a cou- ple only annually) and therefore they in turn would have to go out and borrow "If you're so smart, why don't you write something intelligent and literary?" That's what a lady said to me, after reading in that dumb article that I was a graduate in honor English. My immediate response was, "If you're so smart, sister, why are you reading that trashy weedend magazine?" Fortunately, as they say, cooler heads prevailed, and my wife and I were once more pried apart before we could injure each other. O.K. You want literary criticism? You shall get it. I've just finished reading "Needles", the novel that won for its author, William Deverell, $50,- 000 in a new gimmick established by, I think, Seal paperback books and the old and - it says here reputable Canadian publishing firm of McClelland and Stewart. It was according to the cover blurb, theunanirnous choice of the judgqs. I wonder who the judges were. Gordie Howe? George Chuvalo? Lassie? "Needles" cannot be written qy a fine young Canadian. It is straight out of Sax Rohmer by Mickey Spillane with James Bond doing the accouchement, It is pure garbage. But the sort of garbage that makes you dig right to the bottom of the garbage can. (Note the repetition of the word garbage there, you literary crits?) But it 'is wonderful garbage, and that's why the judges chose it. It will sell. It's so rotten that I finished it at three a.m. It's so bad you can't put the dang thing down. It has everything that the modern reader Wants. and can't quite get, even though TV and the movies are busting their corsets to probe our every a bbera tion. the money to pay the board of educa- tion levy and incur interest charges of their own. In short, it's the proverbial case of robbing Peter to pay Paul. However, that situation does not app- ly to Exeter, and it is therefote difficult to understand why,council here vetoed the move to quarterly payments to the board. Local 'ratepayers pay taxes on a quarterly basis now and ironically the thinking behind that move when it was instituted was to reduce the borrowing costs for Exeter, as well as to make it easier for people to pay in smaller in- stallments. Rural municipalities face a different set of problems when it comes to collecting taxes. It has always been the thinking that most of their tax dollars are reaped from people who do not have a steady income similar to their urban cousins. Many of the ratepayers are cash croppers who heretofore received payments for their crops in the late fall and then headed out to the tax collector on December 15 to make their annual payment. That is now as much the case now. Many farmers hold their crops over for spring sales, or in the instance of some commodities such as bean's, receive various payments over an extended period of time. Quarterly tax payments may not be as impractical as they once were. * * * The entire situation boils down to a question of what is best for the majori- ty of taxpayers in the entire county, keeping in mind that living on credit in these days of high interest rates is often very costly and impractical. It must also be considered that It has kinky sex, drugs, genital mutilation, booze, a cop who likes kick- ing people in the guts, a courtroom scene with a lawyer who is'shootinginto his vein, and a re-incarnation of Dr. Fu Manchu, the great Chinese villain of the aforementioned Sax Rohmer's books. It also containes every dirty word you ever thought you might like to say, and every violent deed you might like to commit. It's bound to be a best- seller. And that is why Gordie, George and Lassie chose it. Not for literary merit. To be fair. it has a few great descrip- tive passages from the Vancouver Chamber of Commerce tourist booklet, and some switches right out of John Le Carre. So sue me, Jack McClelland. Everything is in my wife's name. Ac- tually, I thoroughly enjoyed the novel, and I'm sure you will, too, if you can't get enough sex and violence at home. Might as well get all this lit crit out of my system at once. That brings up - no pun intended - Mordecai Richler's new novel. I haven't read it, because the library has not yet stocked it, and may never do so. When his novel "Cocksure" won the governor General's Award, I chaffed our local librarian because it wasn't on the shelves. Her reply, and she was right, was that it was too dirty for our town. We must have had a dirty old man as Governor General at the time. At any rate, as they say when they don't know how to begin the next paragraph. grumpy old Mordechai has once again gone through his gestatibri, and produced, And once again, he is into the Jewish municipalities usually get a lower in- terest rate than individuals on bank loans and also that there are increased costs in levying and collecting taxes on a quarterly rather than 'semi-annual basis. The executive committee of county council would perhaps be doing member municipalities a greater ser- vice if they conducted a thorough study of the situation of tax payments rather than merely asking whether councils are in favor of more frequent levies to the board of education. That study could detail the amount of interest being paid by t'he municipalities, the county itself and the board of' education to indicate what it is costing Huron taxpayer§ at the various levels tolmeet expenses prior to receiv- ing taxes. It could then delve into the costs of levying and collecting taxes more fre- quently to come up with some idea of the savings that maybe created, if in fact there are any. But council members throughout Huron must realize they are running a business and therefore must apply practical business procedures in that operation. Obviously, the $70,487 in in- terest being paid by the board of educa- tion is only a portion of the total in- terest charges being paid by Huron tax- payers at various levels of their government. It is, in fact, wasted money in terms of being put to produc- tive uses in providing services to their ratepayers. Above all, Huron municipal coun- cillors must realize that their un- willingness to reduce education costs through more frequent levies leaves them in a rather untenable position when it comes to criticizing the board of education budget. thing. In short, he has once more re- written the same novel that he has been honing for years. He wrote one about a young Jew, then about a slightly older Jew, then about a youngish middle- aged Jew, and this one is about a really middleaged, Jew, I'm looking forward to his novel about an old Jew. Roger Worth is Director, Public Affairs, ' Canadian Federation of Independent Business. • Alberta is blowing $75 mil- lion on a provincial birthday party and cash is flowing like oil to finance every conceiv- able project, including a tem- 55 Yea rs.Ago' Lovers of flowers had the 'privilege of witnessing a profusion of bloom at the annual flower show of the ExeterlHortieultural Society in the skating rink on Friday andlSaturday:last.In spite of the fact that it has been an off season for flowers there was a magnificent showing in many of the races, Mr. and Mrs. Chas. Jeckell and two sons,. Charles and William of Youngstown, Ohio motored over and are visiting the former's brother and sister, Mr. James -and Miss L.M. Jeckell. Mr. Roden Rogers of Detroit, and Mr. Frank Jeckell of Toronto, nephews are also visiting with Mr. and Miss Jeckell. Last Tuesday evening and afternoon ,Mr. and Mrs. Edmund McPherson of Greenway celebrated their fiftieth wedding an- niversary. They were among the pioneers of this set- tlement making their home in the virgin forest vAt miles west of Greenway. 30 Years Ago Four students,Velma Ferguson, Glenn Love, Betty Mickle, and Grant Morgan were successful in all sub- jects in the Upper School exams. Night constable William Wareing is on two weeks holidays. Ross Keyes won the Beaver oat competition in the Exeter district sponsored by Exeter Agriculture.Ass- ociation. Twelve fields were judged. Three generations of the Lawson family, Mrs, George Lawson, her son Gerald, and his son Peter, will celebrate birthdays on the same day, August 15. Cecil Kipfer, 27 year-old Hensall veteran,. has been appointed postmaster for the village of Hensel'. Mrs. E. J. Miners will on Thursday celebrate her 91st birthday. M ainstream Canada. The Real Big Spenders 20 Years Ago Edmund Normington, Hensall has been awarded the Albert 0. Jeffery scholarship for third year honors mathematics at UWO, London. he is a graduate of SHDHS. Centennial celebrations at Thames Road School at- tracted crowds nearing 800 and was hailed by officials and visitors as an 'out- standing success.' Council granted a building permit for the erection of Exeter's ninth church. Bethel Reformed Church plans to erect a $40,000brick structure on Huron Street in the Pooley subdivision. Mr. Walter E. Creery,, son of Mr. and Mrs. T. Creery, of Woodham is attending- a teaching conference in Strasbourg, France. Jimmy Lee, his son,Tony and daughter Betty, all of London have taken over operation of the Exeter Grill. They succeed Ivan Wong who has moved to London. 15 Years Ago Bill Batten, editor of The • Times-Advocate for the past 15 months, this week com- pletes his work with paper. The publishers, J.M. and Robert Southcott, said they accepted his resignation with great reluctance. Bill joins Coca-Cola Limited in Toronto to create a new magazine for the firm's employees. Dr. J.C. Goddard and John are attending the Worlds Fair in New York. Mr. -Jack Doerr is at- tending a professional course in color photography at the Technical Service Centre of Canadian Kodak Company this week in `Toronto. Last Saturday Dr. and Mrs. M.C. Fletcher attended a reunion at Poplar Hill public school where the former received his formal education.