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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes-Advocate, 1980-09-10, Page 4Perspectives I He works so hard when he gets home. Mows the lawn good. Keeps the flowers pretty. He's been a good man to me since we got out of that school. Hardly ever loses his temper now. The lady showed me how to take care of the baby. It's a good baby, Hardly ever cries. I like dressing her up pretty and taking her downtOwn in the carriage. People stop and look at her and smile at her. One man even asked me if I was her mother. Next week we have to go to court. The lady wants to take us there. Something about our little girl. Isn't she the cutest little thing you ever saw? The lady says I don't burp the baby right. T should try harder to make the baby burp right, I guess. The lady thinks that it's very im- portant. News item: August 20, 1980 Vancouver, B.C, Year old baby is taken from mentally- retarded parents. Judge says it was hardest decision he's ever made, Mother leaves court in tears while father exclaims "It just isn't fair," the severe drought affecting much of the United States, loss of crops there will cause a shortage and higher prices. The cost of most consumer goods has risen 10 per cent in the past year and homeowners are paying at least 9 per cent more for hydro than a year ago. Cigarettes. alcohol, new automobiles and oil related products have helped push inflation into double figures. In- creased labor and material costs have caused many of the price increases. Prime Minister Turdeau said the Liberal Government will not act hastily on the matter but will address the problem in a fall budget. It brings back memories of wage and price controls, doesn't it? Goderich Signal Star tea", eee,..eteesseme '%i;r01K Mainstream Canada ifietrow,fetk. A Matter of Interest. By W. Roger Worth Finally, some governments in. Canada are accepting re- sponsibility for their own er- rors and intransigence when it comes to paying bills. For years, suppliers of goods and services to govern- ment departments and agencies have complained that interest was not Paid on accounts out- standing more than 30 days, a normal business practice, Bills lying dormant in bu- reaucratic baskets for more than a month were paid al the face value of the invoice. Roger Worth is Director, Public Affairs, Canadian Federation of Independent Business. Meanwhile, business men and women across the country were paying 15% or more hi- (crest on money borrowed to finance the sale. At the same time, Ottawa and the provinces have been quick off the mark when it comes to collecting fees and taxes from businesses and con- sumers, automatically charging Interest and penalties en even Minor overdue accounts, The $6,000 member Cana- dian Federation of Independ- ent Business has fought the interest payment battle on be- half of small and medium-sized enterprises for the better part of a decade, and things are in- deed changing. Quebec was the first prov- ince to accept responsibility by paying interest of unpaid bills 411030 days. Now Ontario has changed its policy and will pay suppliers I% interest on tie- counts outstanding more than a month. Ottawa also seems to be moving in the same direction, Considering changes that will eliminate the unfair practice. " It is high time every govern- ment in the country followed suit. Business men and women should not be forced to pay for the mistakes of civil serv- ants who are sometimes slow in processing accounts. Besides, if bureaucrats knew late payments would cost money, perhaps they would move a little faster to get accounts cleaned up in 30 days. 11101.111111111111111111111 02110111111111111111111111111 1111111011111111111111111111 111111111191111111111.1111 1111111111111a111111111111 111111111111111111101111111 111111111111111111111a" 55 Years Ago The attendance at the Exeter Fair on Wednesday eclipsed anything in the history of the society. It was easily a thousand more than the average attendance. Gate receipts were $835. Mrs, John Pym, who for sixty-three years has been a resident of Usborne Township passed away early Monday morning at the age of eighty-five years, J.J, Merner was chosen the Liberal-Conservative candidate for South Huron, Militia training will start in Exeter in a couple of weeks, Those wishing to join should leave their name with Major Beaman: Mr. Ed Desjardin of Grand Bend was fined $10 for motoring on the newly laid pavement on the Proof Line road near London. 30 Years Ago The railway strike prevented John A. Marsh from speaking at Lucan's Booster night last Wed- nesday but his place was ably filled by Fred McAllister former mayor of London. Grant Morgan, Don Bell, Bill Mickle, Roger Van- denbussche and Walter Creery have registered for the two years practical training course at OAC, Elmer D. Bell, Q.C. an- nounces that Mr. C, Van Laughton LLB will be associated with the law firm. William Wareing has tendered his resignation as night constable marking the end of 19 years of police duty. Miss Mattie Ellis, Hensall won a television set at the frolic sponsored by the Hensall Chamber of Com- merce. Harry Strang obtained top yield in the 50-bushel Wheat Clubs of Ontario. The yield was 72.2 bushels per acre. 20 Years Ago RCAF Centralia officials have received approval to erect a $43,000 curling rink on the station. The sleek CA-3 , Miss Supertest III will be a feature attraction at Exeter Fair this week. Value of awards won by SHDHS approaches the $6,000 mark exceeding any previous amount won by a graduating class, RCAF Centralia played host to the biggest crowd, between 15,000 and 20,000 in its history, Saturday at Air Force Day. Hank Green and Ray Smith pulled seven pike from the Ausable River this week with the largest measuring 31 inches and weighing eeven pounds. 15 Years Ago Miss Carol Fletcher and Miss Marjorie Cook, both recently of Montreal, left Exeter Thursday for San Francisco, Cal., where they will join a hospital nursing staff. Exeter Promenaders Square Dance Club resumed dancing Wednesday evening in the Exeter Arena which will be their scene of ac- tivities every Wednesday. John MacNaughton, son of Mr. and Mrs. Charles MacNaughton of Exeter has been working all summer in preparation for the fresh- man variety show to be held at the University of Western Ontario in the near future, John is the producer of this annual show for the 1965 season and as well as this work has directed it and will be acting as master of ceremonies, Ontario • rime* Ototali*hqct 1873 Advocate Arnotocuoatect 1924 Poo* 4 Tinaps-AcIvo ate, SapTarrtisr 10, 1900 1101101101*****4110111010~01Criati1WWW161114100100.1.10001104014404r sight of blood dripping from his stump, Terry Fox made believers out of most people that he would actually ac- complish his dream. Then, he was struck again by cancer' as he crossed through northern Ontario and tearfully announced he would have to terminate his marathon of hope. Terry Fox deserved a better fate, But Terry Fox does not need your sympathy, He needs to know that his dream has become a reality by an out- pouring of donations to step up the fight against the dread disease which has dealt this new Canadian hero such a devastating blow. Can you really say no to him? eeeealteee, 'aae: ati • BLUE RIBI30 AWARD "The recalls are corning back faster than we build new ones." Of no fixed address bicycles were included in the original list of vehicles to be prohibited from the parks. There had been some that hope council would explore the situation and give the trail bike operators some specific area or times to use their machines, but that was not undertaken. However, the youthful operators possibly gained some concession through the very fact that the bylaw in its present form won't be strictly en- forced and they will have many ex- amples of that to tell the judge should they be hauled into court, Snowmobiles are also presumably prohibited under the new bylaw although their operation in some of the parks is not really a problem, It appears to be a bylaw that should be reconsidered. Editor —Bill Batten Assistant Editor — Rose Haveh Advertising Manager Jim Becton Composition Manager —HarryDevries. Busine*s manager — Dick Jongicind Published Each Wednesday Morning Phone 235-1331 at fester, Ontario *and Class Mail Itsaistsation Number 0386 SUBSCRIPTION RAM': Canada .$14.01 Per Year; USA $35.00 Can you say no? Needs re-thinking Gloom and doom SOWING cANADA'S BEST FARMLAND CAN.N74.4a D,W.N.A, CLASS 'As and ABC Published by J. W. Feely Publications Limited LORNE EEDY, PUBLISHER i4OPCNA On April 12, when a young man dipped his artificial leg in the Atlantic Ocean and vowed to repeat the procedure eight months later in the Pacific, very few Canadians were aware of the man's name or his intend- ed goal. 'He struggled across the eastern provinces with little attention, but by the time he reached Ontario, Terry Fox was starting to gain recognition and support for the raw courage and deter- mination he was showing in his un- selfish quest to raise money for the fight against a disease which had claimed his leg. Despite the blisters, fatigue and the The manicured condition of Ex- eter's parks could well deteriorate significantly now that council have prohibited the use of riding lawn mowers and tractors. People hauling horses to the Exeter fair or setting up the midway will also have a tougher time now that they can't drive onto the community parks grounds. It's doubtful if council intended their laws to go that far, but by not in- cluding some exceptions in their bylaw aimed at ridding the parks of trail bikes, they have set the stage for some obvious discrimination. Laws that are designed to be all- inclusive, when in fact they are intend- ed primarily for specifics, often create situations where they can not be fairly or logically enforced. The local bylaw almost became absurd when pedal Gloom and doom predictions about the economy offer convincing evidence that Canadians will have to tighten up the belt a notch. Last week Statistics Canada reported that the consumer price index rose 1.1 per cent in June pushing the annual in- flation rate to 10.1 per cent. Double digit inflation . And things are expected to get worse before the end of the year, The United States has been living with double digit inflation for quite some time and higher food and energy prices have now forced Canadians into the same situation, Most people tend a small garden and that may cause a dip in food prices over the summer but the fall will likely br- ing on higher food prices. Coupled with By SYD FLETCHIR How are we getting along? Oh fine now. The people from the Society have been so good. The lady comes out every week. She sits and talk;, helm eerated the ff 3f., it a nice house, you know. My husband really likes it. Periodically, police forces across the nation apprehend some felon and among the information provided for the news media is a notation that the per- son is listed under "no fixed address." Some people may find that difficult to comprehend, but having now moved to my fifth address within the past 14 months, the writer probably qualifies for the "no fixed address" title par- ticularly when it was noted after the last move that our nomadic tendencies perhaps may warrant inclusion in the Guinnes book of records. This move makes number 22 for yours truly, with 13 of them being in this community. Those addresses in- clude most of the streets in Exeter with the exception of the area north of the river so if you want some firSt-hand opinion on the quality of life in any par- ticular neighborhood, don't hesitate to ask. I am presently considering a booklet to distribute to local realtors who may wish to pass out such valuable information for newcomers looking for an ideal location, Actually, there's no such thing as a bad neighborhood in Exeter, although a few individual homeowners do lessen the attractiveness in some cases by neglecting their properties or creating periodic nuisances of their conduct. But you don't have to put up with that, all you have to do is move. Being of "no fixed address" does have some pitfalls, of course, but by us- ing your wits you can minimize those to a certain extent, For instance, when buying appliances you should always non- chalantly request the dealer to agree to Had time do do some reading this summer, though precious little, in between losing my wallet, entertaining my grandboys. being almost torn limb from limb by mosquitoes at a lake up north, and being thoroughly whipped at golf by some old guys who should be in nursing homes but can still hit the pill right up the middle. Highly recommended is Farley Mowers account of his personal World War II. Its title alone would have made me read it. It's called "And No Birds Sang". borrowed with a slight change from Keat's ballad, "La Belle Dame Sans Merci". First part of the book is typical Mowat, very readable but merely an account of the training and bumbling experienced by the average Canadian soldier, and sprinkled with a few highly improbable incidents. But when Mowat gets his feet into the real war, the invasion of Sicily, the brutal fighting up through "sunny" Ita- ly, where the men were half-frozen most of the time. he hits his stride, and I don't think he's ever written anything better. No one could have written this book who was not there. He conveys with chilling accuracy the exhaustion, the bitterness, the dogged courage, and, yes, the wry humor of the real fighting men in a campaign that had little of the drama and dash of the invasion of France. Just tough, bloody fighting over range after range of mountains, against some of the toughest and best troops in the German army, Mowat seems to have put himself back into the mind and the emotions of moving these heavy objects to any new address of your choosing within the time frame of the warranty. Being un- assuming chaps who figure you'll stay planted for a few years, they quickly agree to such conditions in the hope that you'll never collect. Just don't mention my name in the conversation, or they may become leery. Another helpful hint is to advise Bell Telephone of your planned move so they can schedule it in their work orders. This is particularly important if you plan to move over the Labor Day weekend as I found out. That just happens to be the busiest time of the whole year for telephone in- stallations and transfers and the friend- ly soils at Ma Bell advise that it would take eight days for them to get around to my order. The cable TV company is apparently less hurried and we had next day ser- vice from them this time around, In fact, the TV set had just been hauled off the moving truck when the installer arrived to hook it up. Just a word of caution to those who consider the nomadic life and like to keep a tight rein on the budget. It costs about forty bucks for the telephone and TV cable people to get you back in business at your new location. * If you happen to think that changing addresses can delay attempts by the bill collectors to catch up with you, think again. They seem to have some inside information and appear at a new address before you even have the walls touched up where the paint was chipped off by some cumbersome piece of fur- niture that just wouldn't bend around the young Canadian lieutenant he was then. He drops his posturing, and elo- quently and movingly reveals the anger, the bewilderment, the savagery and the suffering of the Poor Bloody In- fantry. Narrowly missing death himself a number of times, he makes no effort to put himself in the hero's role, and in» deed deprecates his own ineptitude in many situations. Rather, he writes with an admiration that is almost love, of his friends and fellow-soldiers and suf ferers. He flares with rage at the in- competence and stupidity of senior of- ficers, and in a couple of paragraphs strips all the gift from that pompous lit- tle idiot, darling of the newspapers, General Montgomery. It's an honest , book, and a good read. It had a little special interest for me, because one of his friends, Major Alex Campbell, was in his unit, and died just as he would have wanted to, in a mad, single-handed. hopeless charge against a German position. It could only be the same Alex Campbell I knew. We grew up in the same town. Perth, Ontario. Alex's father had been killed in the first World War. From the time he was a nipper, he wanted revenge. He joined the militia as soon as he was old enough, and by the time I was in high school, he had a commission. Alex used to help train our high school cadet corps, ferociously but with an 'underlying decency. A few years before, he had been a tiger on the line of the football team, a vast man with great strength and no fear of anything or anyone. I'll bet he was the happiest man in the country when Canada declared war on Germany. And he died exactly as he would have wished, hurl- ing his bulk against machine-guns in- stead of opposing linesmen, Another author I discovered this summer was Leo Simpson. He lives in the village of Madoc, Ontario, and knew of him, but hadn't read his novels, probably due to the incredible in- epitude of Canadian publishers when it comes to promoting good books. He is an excellent writer, much more literate than the famous Farley Mowat, who knows how to promote his own books and keep his name alive in the papers with various stunts and burning causes. I managed to grab two of Simpson's novels and read them straight through. They were "The Peacock Papers" and "KovvalSki's Last Chance". Buy them or borrow them or steal them. They're great. Simpson came to Canada from Ireland, but you'd swear, from his novels, that he'd lived in a small Cana- dian town or city all his life. He knows the vernacular he knows the petty little hypocrisies, and he knows the often peculiar attitude toward life of Canadians. In "The Peacock Papers", he ex- plores, with wit and irony and pity, a decent, middle-aged. successful Cana- dian businessman who starts to come apart at the seams, as so many of us do. In "Xowalski's Last Chance", he peels off layer after layer of the social strata in a small city and dabbles with leprechauns until you are convinced the next short guy you talk to might be one. Both books are very funny, but a great deal more than that, And my book. you ask? Well, it's going swimmingly. One night, in a rage about nothing, my wife cleaned all the copies of my columns out of various drawers, top of my desk, vegetable bin, and other likely spots, bundled them in a green garbage bag and threw them into the attic. This produced some complications. Sitting around the livingroorn are about eight shoe boxes. They are labeled: Politics, Weather, Celebrations, Family, Sex, and so on. I sit in my easy chair, reach into the green garbage bag, produce a column, scan it, and hurl it toward the appropriate box. The one marked Miscellaneous is overflowing. The one marked Family is full. The one mark- ed Sex is virginal. And the floor looks just as the backyard does in October, when the oaks shed. But we're getting there. By Christmas I reckon I'll be halfway down that big green bag. economy by up to five per rent. Inflation saves money, Properly inflated tin's Improve f uel ;41 Ministry of ''71410 Transportation and Energy Communications Ontario 0 !i!Ert'by ilmqYSIDIce Enjoyable summer reading the stairwell. If you're among those of us who don't wander too far, you' can beat the cons- tant form-filling exercises required for those change of address documents from the credit card company, the licence bureau. etc. A lesson learned some time ago was to merely give a post office box as an address and then it isn't necessary to report the new street numbers. We nomads fight household postal delivery for that very reason. There are, of course, several little time-saving steps that are learned by people "of no fixed address". The coup d'etat this trip was moving a glass- fronted cabinet complete with its stock of books. glassware and assorted goodies. By carryign it at a prescribed angle and loading it in the truck at the same tilt, it was moved without incident, although a couple of bumps on the road left some doubt as to the wisdom of such a plan. That happens to be one of the basic problems with free labour. They cut a few corners whenever possible and ob- viously don't have to accept the risks involved in such time-saving exploits, So, the writer has now taken up residence in the townhouses on Simcoe Street, E and for the first time in 13 Ex- eter addresses. there are horses in my backyard! However, that's not by accident. I cased the town thoroughly in view of the pending gasoline shortage and already have lined up a wagon for those animals to pull me to address number 23. .lavvry rilertionf lane„,