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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes-Advocate, 1980-10-08, Page 4• eee• 'e eeneeSe.'e eireVeSee eeesSe Teese 010KIWNIoNaNATAL "Good news — our credit check shows you can't afford any serious ailments." ,402 4.04.7WP ^`' Perspectives Mark Tvvain's comment, "I can't believe how much my fatherlearnedin my twenty- first year." It takes a couple of good scares usually before the youngster realizeshov‘r much he has to learn about driving and about how much momentum a two thousand pound Object has, moving along at 30 miles an hour. The first time I drove on ice, I was driving a little Volkswagen to school. Per- haps I was a little over- confident,. or was con- centrating more on the girls on the side oftheigtreet than my driving, 'butt suddenly realized that the end of the street was coming up, a dead end street right in front of the high school with two huge maples in between me and the school lawn. t panicked and jammed on the brakes, not knowing enough to pump them. I got stopped a mere six inches from one of the maples, amid the jeers of a bunch of lads leaning on the school fence. It took a long while for me to live that down but only a short while till I was just as cocky as ever about driving. More about that another week. ers write .3covvn memory ant} Am. oigemetedtele 'PPost 'times Estoblished 18/3 TIMessA4voctste, tobstr 8, 1980 Mainstreatn Canada 'Paid more to produce less v. ate Established tee Z. SERVING CANADA'S RE$T FARMLAND 0.W.N.A. CIA$S W and ABC Published by J.W. tedy Publications limned LORNE EEDY, P1,1111.1$HER Editor —Bill flatten Assistont Editor --- floss Hewett Advertising Manager Jim Beckett Composition Manager e- Harry DeVries. Business Manager — Dick Jong kind Published Eech Wednesday Morning Phone 23e-1331 at Exeter, Ontario Second Class Mail itegiWation Number 0386 SUBSCRIPTION RATES; Canada $14,00 Per Tome USA $35,00 BLUE RIBBON AWARD 1980 A hot topic ly do so in the future. Many rural property owners have electricity as the main alternative and will want to know the economical and feasibility status of switching older, poorly insulated homes to this energy source. Hopefully, the Exeter PUC will make the public fully aware of the pros and cons based on current and pro- jected energy costs, so others will know the status of their older homes. However, the Commission must also consider fully that the interest on the investment they are considering will go a long way towards paying current heating costs and is one factor that as yet has received little con- sideration. It is, nevertheless, one of the major considerations, wagoole,4. Police changes coming? 4. Left to themselves, all things go from bad to worse. 5. If you work on a thing long enough to improve it, it will break. 6. If you think everything will be OK you have surely overlooked something. 7. Mother nature always sides with the hidden flaw. 8. Mother nature is a witch. Begins at home Thanks, Mr. Murphy Readers will be following with in- terest the current debate concerning the plan to switch the heating in the Ex- eter PUC office from oil to electric heat. As indicated in a news story this week, there is some controversy over the feasibility of such a scheme, the PUC office being an older structure with poor Insulation. There is a difference of opinion from two men who are knowledgeable on electric heating and the matter will be settled by having experts from Ontario Hydro give their opinion. The issue is of interest to the tax- payers of Exeter, of course, but it will also be one that will concern many area residents who may be thinking of switching from heating oil as the price continues to escalate and will apparent- It was disconcerting to note in a story in this week's paper that the Huron Council for Action on Alcohol and other Drugs is greatly concerned about the problem of alcohol abuse among school children. Moreso than drug abuse. It is a problem that has been part of our system for many years, and Most often, parents are the last to know their children are into, drugs or alcohol, The information session at South Huron District High School in Exeter was chaired by an Exeter doctor and a police constable from that town. One of the main issues raised by Doctor Ecker was a lack of supervision of children, coupled with a double stan- dard. He said when a double standard exists in a home it makes it difficult to deal with the children. A high school teacher put the blame In answer to a special request, here are the corollaries to Murphy's Law - which states that what can go wrong will, and at the worst possible moment, 1. Nothing is as easy as it looks. 2. Everything takes longer than you ex- pect. 3. If there is a possibility of several things going wrong, the one that will go wrong first will be the one that will do the most damage. By SYD FLETCHER One of the biggest thrills of being sixteen is getting your driver's license. The first time I drove my dad's car down the town's streets, by myself, was quite an ex- perience, one of the good things about growing up. Of course, every sixteen year old also thinks that he knows everything and anything there is to know about driving, or for that matter, about almost any topic you can name. I like Ontario Attorney-General Roy McMurtry has let it be known that he favors the phasing out of small police forces in favor of replacement by either regional police forces or the OPP. The government, of course, has already taken one step in that regard by providing a higher grant structure to municipalities involved in regional police forces. That is a favorite ploy of the provin- cial government to get their wishes followed by municipalofficials. As the latter face increasing budget problems, * * * There is some validity to McMurtry's suggestion that small police forces should be phased out. His comments stemmed primarily in ar Dispe sad by Smiley Every year about this time, I have an affair, whether my wife likes it or not. I fall in love and let the chips fall where they may. I have my September Affair. In movies and novels, that title means that a man, or woman, falls in love in the fall of his or herlife.lt has a sweet, nostalgic note, with a Itouch:of sadness in it. But I've had a September affair since I was a sprout. Every year, I fall in love with the month of September. And it is sweet and nostalgic and a little sad. And achingly beautiful. As a tyke, it meant coming home from two months of wild, free running about at the cottage, one of a big fami- ly, We were sun-burned and bramble- scratched and just a couple of jumps ahead of the gopher or the ground-hog, socially. What a thrill to be homei Flip a light- Switch, flush a toilet, in the big, old house with the high ceilings and cool rooms, after eight weeks of grubbing it. And theh, the magic of modern living re-discovered, it was out into the streets to find the "kids" and race around in the glorious September evenings, playing Run Sheep Run, and Red-light and Hide and Seek. Mothers called, but nobody came. it was the first fascination with the September Affair. Our mothers seemed to sense it and let us have a last fling before life became serious and autumn dimmed the lamps. relation to a current investigation of the police department in Tillsonburg and were echoed by Ontario Police Commission chairman Judge Thomas Graham. The latter questions the abili- ty of small forces to do an adequate job and the police commission has recommended for some time that small forces be disbanded. There is reason for the concern about the job being done by some municipal police forces. Currently, the police commission is investigating departments in at least five Ontario towns. Over the .past decade, such in- departments or through the complaints of private citizens and municipal coun- cil members, Combine those problems with the in- creasing costs being faced by municipalities, and it is evident that McMurtry has some strong ammuni- tion to use in his bid to have his cabinet colleagues provide additional OPP fun- ding so that the phasing-out process can commence. * * * There is little doubt that the duplica- tion of police costs throughout the province is one of the main arguments to be considered in any discussion of moving to disband municipal forces. Nowhere, perhaps, is this any more evident than in Exeter. This community has two modern police facilities located less than a mile apart. Each has its own elaborate com- munication system, vehicles, office staff, administrators, lock-up facilities, office equipment, etc. While it is not a complete duplica- tion, it is obvious that the policing costs on a per-capita basis could be substan- tially reduced by an amalgamation of some type. AS a teenager, working five hundred miles from home in September, I had my Affair. There was a churning year- ning to get back to school, friends, foot- ball and the interrupted romance with the brown-eyed girl. It almost hurt physically. As a youth, there was the headiness and tension of going off to College, a big word, in September. A strange and frightening place. A small-town boy in a big puddle. New people. New manners, New everything. A September Affair. And at college, first year, there Was the wrenching affair with a South American wench Sylvia. We met by chance and it was wrenching because she had to go back to Rio in four weeks, and I was really gone, and I knew I'd never see her again, and we wandered in the soft, September dusk, hands clutched, and my heart turned over in its grave. Then came the war years and there were a few memorable Septembers. One on the Niagara Peninsula; With the grapes and peaches lush, and the thrill of knowing I had passed elemen- tary flying school and could put the white "flash" Of a pilot in my cap. One in England, hot and hazy and languorous after a cold, wet summer. And the weekend leave in London, twenty years old and a pretty girl on my arm and death lurking in the wings, I, • . The example of Exeter is, however, not the same as every town in Ontario. Clinton, for instance, does not have the same duplication. The OPP overseeing the rural area in proximity to that com- munity is headquartered in Goderich. There would be some concern on the part of citizens in Clinton to lose the "presence" of a local police office, as there would be in Exeter if any change resulted in there not being either an OPP or town police force headquarters in the municipality or its close prox- imity. Residents in neighboring South Huron villages often complain about not seeing the OPP in their com- munities. However, those same municipalities enjoy a much reduced police cost fac- tor. It's the old adage of whomever pays the piper calls the tune. The problem is, it is getting more expensive annually to call the tune and as the growing number of police force in- vestigations indicate, the tune is not always that harmonious. * * The question for the municipal councils in Huron's five towns may not be if they want to move to a central Police force, but rather only how they want to make that move. They can sit back and let Mr. McMur- try and his provincial colleagues make the decision for them, or they can com- mence their own discussions and attempt to organize the way they want. There is every indication that like it or not, the handwriting is on the wall for autonomy in municipal police forces. In many municipalities in On- tario, the policemen have no one to blame but themselves, while in others it is the small town "politician" who is leading the way to their demise. and caring not. Too fast it went. One in Normandy and jump to Lille, and jump to Antwerp and life every day on a tenuous, white-hot wire, and the beautiful weather and the terrible daily disappearance of Paddy and Mac and Taffy and Dingle Bell and Nick and Freddy. And that long, hot September of 1945. Home. Alive. Unreal. Really unreal: the family, the places, the peace, the boredom, and then the silly young peo- ple back at the university. But the September Affair with the trees and the cool blue sky and the long dark hair and yet another pair of brown eyes, browner than ever. And the next September. Marriage to the brown-eyes and a wonderful week at the old cottage in Quebec, with this strange woman. Canoeing and swirls- ming and me teaching her how to cook. And she's just as strange today. And just as brown-eyed. And a lot of Septembers since, golden and blue, with the last breath of summer it the green trees and the first kiss of fall in the cool nights, and the magic that makes Me fall for the ripe charms of that ripe lady of the year, September, oozing With plenitude, gorged with the fruits of SuMmer, fret Wakening with a sigh to the brisk business ahead. I have a bad' crush on the lady. By Hi; Roger Worth Two years ago the federal and provincial governments agreed to the principle of com- parability between civil service salaries and those paid In the private seeter. The reason the discussion came up at an? Incomes earned by bureaucrats and civil serv- ants in many job categories were running well ahead of those paid-by business. In fact, because public sector employ- ees are highly organized, they have been able to negotiate wage settlements that are many times well above those in the private sector. Roger Worth is Director, Public Affairs, Canadian Federation of Independent Business, The overall effect of this ridiculous situation was to provide an incentive for pro- ductive workers in industry to join the vast army of civil serv- ants. 55 Years Ago The concert put on by the J.L. Hudsons Co.'s Ladies Quartette and the Male Quartette of Detroit in the James Street United Church on Friday evening of last week under the auspices of the Centralia Ladies Aid, as among the best that has ever been heard in this com- munity. In spite of the fact that a drizzling rain fell most of the evening, the large auditorium was filled. Monday was the Golden wedding anniversary of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Kestle of town. John G. Walper was fined $25 and costs for conducting a pool room in Exeter without a licence. Messrs. Harold Turnbull, Wil - Allison and Gordon McDonald returned home from the west, 30 Years Ago The Ratz reunion was held in Shipka school on Satur- day. Seventy five cattle buyers, some from this district, paid nearly half a million dollars last Thursday in four and a half hours for Manitoulin Island's famous feeder and stocker cattle. The 1950 South Huron Plowing Match was held on the farm of Elder Bros., Hay township. Mr. and Mrs. John T. Allison quietly celebrated their diamond wedding anniversary on Monday. Mr. and Mrs. Ed Westcott of Usborne are leaving the' farm and moving to Exeter into the house they recently purchased from Thomas Coates. A plaque naming those who subscribed $500 to the proposed South Huron Hospital will be erected. Twenty seven have qualified. 20 Years Ago A four year old Hehsall boy, Bill Vanderhorst is Dear Sir: I would appreciate space in your paper to inform your readership of the establish- ment of "The John G. Diefenbaker Memorial Foundation." The Foundation was established to retain, for posterity, the tremendous achievements of The Chief during a lifetime of dedication to his fellow Canadians. There Will be two major objectives of the Foundation. To save, for all Canadians, present and future, his home in Rockcliffe Park, Ottawa, as a museum, That museum will be open to all Canadians who visit their capital. To develop youth-oriented programmes that will be associated with the Diefenbaker Centre in Saskatoon and Parliament. Both objectives will require funding. It is the view of the Executive of the Foundation that we should first appeal for support from the ordinary Canadians of Canada. John Diefenbaker was their champion. He fought their battles throughout his lifetime. His Nothing Much has changed in the period since the govern,. merits accepted the principle of comparability with 1118 pri- vate seetor. Many salaries and benefits paid to public sector employees are still above those in industry, At the same lime, Canada's auditor-general claims civil servants are only working at 60% of their capacity. Even if the auditor-general's assess- ment is only half right, Cana- dian taxpayers are being taken for an expensive ride indeed. Civil servants are being paid more to produce less than the private sector counterpart, putting the cart before the horse. Somehow, governments must find ways to rate the work habits and productivity of public servants, particularly as they compare to similar jobs in the private sector. It makes little sense to create an incentive for a trained craftsman to become a postman, especially when Canada faces a dire shortage of skilled trades people: Undergoing the painful anti- rabies treatment after being attacked Saturday afternoon by a pet cat which went wild. Dr. Robt, McClure, widely travelled Canadian Medical missionary will speak in James St. United Church, Friday evening. Exeter Lions Club collected 18 tons of paper Monday morning in one of the most successful paper drives yet. Repair on the Anne Street drain where it crosses Main Street has required a detour around Main Street. This week, workmen are in- stalling large 54" culverts under the road, where a bottleneck has caused damaging floods in previous years. South Huron Hospital officials expect to interview architect Charles A. Gillen, London, to approve final plans for a 16 bed addition, 15 Years Ago The new portable classrooms went into operation at the South Huron District High School Tuesday morning. The caretaking staff worked overtime Thanksgiving Day in order to scrub and wax the floors. The painting was not completed until Monday evening. A flash hail storm Tuesday morning quickly turned the main street of Exeter white and also turned many people's thoughts to such things as snow tires. Although the storm lasted some 10 minutes the . hail stones were small and little if any damage was incurred. The new auxiliary police officers have now received their uniforms and are prov- ing aevaluabIe asset. Religious education will be instituted at the S.H.D.H.S. this fall but it • will be freedom of choice for the individual student. The course is being set up to start in the near future and will be held, after school hours. Bill of Rights gave them equality in the Canada of today. Philip Seto, a young resident of Ottawa wrote the Foundation and 'made the first donation of $1.00. In his letter he stated, "I am Chinese, and I amCanadian, born in Ottawa...the people of Canada should get together and put Mr. Diefenbaker's home in Rockcliffe so that all Canadians across Canada and this World can see the home of this great man and Canadian, the man from Prince Albert that stood for all of Canada—I feel Ottawa and Canada owes it to this man." If you feel as Philip Seto feels, please send a donation to the Foundation. No amount IS too small. Let's save his home. Please send your donatione, which can be used as a tax deduction, to: The John G. Diefenbaker Memorial Foundation, P.O, 130x 9324, Alta Vista Terminal, Ottawa, Ontario. 1U0 3V1 Yours sincerely, Hobert C. Coates, .C., M.P. squarely on the parent's shoulders. He said the kids could not be blamed for their actions until parents are educated. A student at the information ses- sion said that kids were likely to experi- ment with alcohol and drugs if their parents were doing the same thing. Bill Murdoch of the Addiction Research Foundation claimed that alcohol was the number one problem in schools today and by Grade 13, 94 per cent of the students were using alcohol. That figure is substantially higher than the 85 per cent of the general population who use alcohol. The group came down heavily on the responsibility of parents in this case and the burden is definitely there. The educational process must begin at home. Goderich Signal Star eNA it is difficult to withstand the pressure erestigations have been conducted in a of not accepting those larger hand-outs, high percentage of the police although it usually is quickly followed edepartments in this province as the. by a loss of autonomy. result of internal problems in those So, the hinterlands of Ontario end up with regional health services, regional libraries, regional school boards and numerous other regional bodies handl- ing affairs which heretofore were the sole responsibility of individual municipalities. The suggestion of phasing out municipal police forces is nothing new. Huron County went through the discus- sion on that very topic a few years ago and there is little doubt that there are some very valid pros and cons to be considered. Huron police forces have already moved to some form of regional ad- ministration as it pertains to com- munications. The five towns in the county are hooked up to a central dis- patch system in Goderich. That system came into being primarily through provincial funding and obviously must be seen as the first step to a county police force. A September affair `.feeeeseeseee"'" e"- •""