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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes-Advocate, 1980-11-05, Page 4By W. Roger Worth Sticks and stones may break my bones but names will never hurt me. That old adage may carry some weight in personal rela- tionships, but the ridiculous name-calling eminating from the mouths of our major politicians is undoubtedly hurting the country, In fact, the war of words has reached such a crescendo that any good mother would wash out her child's mouth with soap for dealing in the kind of petty name-calling that has become front-page news, Roger Worth is Director, Public Affairs, Canadian Federation of Independent Business, It's no secret that Premiers Bennett, Lougheed, Peckford and Levesque don't person-. ally like the Prime Minister, and the same may be said of some other provincial premiers. If the truth be known, the reverse is probably true. But surely Canadians elect politicians to represent their various and many times dashing views. As it stands, many of our leaders appear to be using their positions as a national soapbox to. deal with personal likes and dislikes, Certainly there are some very real issues worth fighting about during discussions on constitutional and other mat- ters, And Canada's leaders would he derelict if they didn't present well-reasoned argu. ments to support or reject their positions. But it's high time our poli! licians -including those at the 'federal level - started acting a little more like statesmen and less like bully boys 'on a local schoolyard. Name calling only .exacer- bates the differences, making solutions to our problems even harder to find. own rriernory one, Pao. 4 iimis-Advocati, Novembir 3, 19110 1irriestsloblished,1073 A mate Estoblithed '1381 Amalgamated 1924 Mainstream Canada End the name-calling SERVING CANADA'S BEST FARMLAND 0.W.N.A. CLASS 'A' and. ABC Published by J. W. Eircly Publications Limited LORNE EERY, PUBLISHER Editor , Bill Batten Assistant Editor — Ross Haugh Advertising Manager Jim Beckett Composition Manager — Harry DoVrilli Business Manager -- Dick Jongkind Published. Each Wednesday Morning Phone 235-1331 at Enter, Ontario Second Class Mail Registration Number 0386 SUBSCRIPTION RATitr Canada $14.00 Per Year; USA $35.00 ,;•41.`4;.;'. +CNA Bird in hand B,L.E RIBBON A.",ARD 1980 Pure...Ton aourall Election fever slow to rise It's obviously impossible to tell how much stock should be placed in re- cent rumors that deHavilland Aircraft of Canada Ltd. may be considering Huron Park as a site for their new $30- million aircraft assembly plant. Any. conjucture on the situation is premature, but it would present some interesting challenges, albeit the type that would be welcomed by area developers and business people. The magnitude of adding 1,000 to the area labor force and then the com- plementary service industry would be difficult for some to comprehend, although area officials would probably be quick to advise deHavilland that they are quite capable of handling the situation. While people may dream about those birds in the bush, there was some interesting comments on one bird in Economist John Kenneth Galbraith cited one of the great parodoxical phenomena of the current market place in a recent address in Montreal. ' The Harvard University professor noted that socialism is being created by giant corporations such as Chrysler and Massey-Ferguson, rather than by socialists or governments with socialist leanings. Once the cornerstone of the free enterprise system, these private cor- porations have now become so large they are no longer allowed to fail and go out of business as the free enterprise system would normally dictate. Instead, he notes, they become wards of the state when they are press- Although the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) has ruled that only the residents of Vanastra will be responsi- ble for the original $130,000 debenture debt on the Recreation Centre, they are still right in thinking an injustice has been done. Vanastra, which doesn't have any official standing in the province's eyes; can't even use its name as a post office address; has no elected representative; can't collect taxes and is still being treated as a separate municipality only as far as the debenture is concerned. By SYD FLETCHER • If you happen to live in t.it city you may not realize that this is the season of fall church suppers. If so, I have to feel a little bit sorry for you. Anyone who doesn't get a chance to feast at one of these yearly events is on the unlucky side of life. The one I just visited was at Warwick, an active village church just out of Watford, Ontario, The village church women have got their yearly task down to a fine science, With their system of oraganization a thing of beauty. Five of us got there, and hand last week. In summing up his term of office at the Huron Country Playhouse, chair- man Len Evans stressed the value of the benefits the area receives from that enterprise. In 1979-80, more than $160,000 was spent on salaries, a large portions of which probably remained in the com- munity. However, that is only a small portion in comparison to the money spent by theatre-goers, some of whom make a weekend visit to the area to at- tend a performance. It's just one example of the advan- tages provided by many of the smaller industries in the area, and while there are those who would greet a major in- dustry with open arms, they should also stop to reflect on the benefits of the bird in hand and continue their support of these valued community endeavours. ed by unions and urged by bankers to go to governments to be bailed out. The situation adds credence to those who would suggest that big is best. When a company becomes so large it can expect to be bailed out by governments, it enjoys an advantage over its smaller competitors who still must meet the dictates and competition of the free enterprise system and the survival of the fittest. As the tentacles of modern con- glomerates reach out farther to encom- pass their competitors in the free enterprise system, they foster the growing tendancy to socialism. Strange, but true! Back in 1974 when the original peti- tion was passed around, Vanastra residents signed because they thought they were getting a modest recreation complex for use by their 600 or so souls. Little did they envision itwouldturn into a huge sophisicated complex tak- ing tens of thousands of dollars a year to operate. Because the centre is used by peo- ple from across the township, the debenture debt should be paid for by the whole township, not by one sector, who don't even use it very much. Clinton News-Record front of my plate. Is there no end to the supply?. The only logical finale is the multiple choice Of pies- cherry, apple, lemon and even sour cream and raisin. You can have as may pieces as you can tackle after that formidable first course. Church suppers are a com- munity effort. I don't know how much they make, profit wise. It can't be a great deal at the price they're charg- ing. However, the good com- munity feeling resulting from a joint effort as well as the meeting together of friends and neighbours, has to make it all worthwhile. Check your local paper for the closest supper near you. There are a lot more coming up in the next few weeks and you just can't beat the value received. Election fever hasn't exactly been overwhelming in the area to date, but as the candidates head into the final few days in their quest for a seat on council or.school board, it is expected that interest may escalate. ' The lack of interest in most municipalities is due primarily to the fact that there are few issues at stake. The elections will be fought primarily on "personalities" and"that, in itself, makes the task facing voters even more difficult. It is comparatively simple in some elections to align oneself with a can didate who espouses a position on a par- ticular issue that is in keeping with your own opinion on the same issue. When there are no major issues, it is necessary for voters to look for other attributes in the candidates he/she will support. This, of course, gives incumbent members of municipal bodies a slight advantage. Voters often tend to go with the known as opposed to the unknown, although that tends to suggest some laziness on the part of the voter for not taking the time and effort to better ac- quaint himself with the new candidates who have offered their services. In some instances, "new blood" can be an advantage to a municipal body as it brings new ideas and challenges. However, as mentioned in last week's column, the number of old guard politicians who have dropped from the scene in the area has already provided some major changes in several councils and it can be demonstrated that too many new faces can create problems for elected groups as the continuity needed for keeping past projects and ideas in mind is lost. * * * There are some very interesting races in the area, and regardless of the ar art Dive sed by SmileY This is the time of year when my heart goes out to city-dwellers. It's a time when rural or small town living is immensely superior to that in the con- crete canyons, the abominable apartments, the sad suburbs or metropolia. In the city, day ends drearily in the fall. There's the long, wearying battle home through traffic, or the draughty, crushed, degrading scramble on public transportation. The city man arrives home fit for nothing but slumping for the evening before the television set. And what greets him? The old lady, wound up like steel spring because she hasn't seen a soul she knows all day, there's nothing to look at but that stupid house next door, exactly like their own, and the kids have been giving her hell. He's stuck with it. For the whole evening. That's why so many city chaps have workshopslin the basement. It's much simpler to go down cellar and whack off a couple of fingers in the power saw than listen to Mabel. Life is quite different for the small town male. He is home from work in minutes. He surveys the ranch, says, "Must get those storm Windows on one of these days," and goes in, to the good fall smells of cold drinks and hot food. outcomes, the municipalities. will lose the services of some very qualified and conscientious representatives. In Stanley, Hensall, McGillivray and Exeter, for instance, there are fights on for the top spot on, the council. In those municipalities, the services of one veteran official will go by the boards and that tends to make everyone a loser, regardless of the out- come. That is one of the pitfalls in the current method of electing municipal officials. It gives some support to the Suggestion that' municipal councils should be elected in a manner similar to organizations that choose their of- ficers from a list of nominations and those elected then choose their hierarchy from their own ranks. In the municipalities mentioned, it is probably safe to say that the candidates opposing each other for the top spot would each be elected. The disadvantage, of course, lies in the fact that the ratepayers do not have the say in who will represent them in the top administrative post and could obviously generate some internal problems for the elected officials who would have to make that choice and then continue to work with a candidate who may feel .he had been snubbed. While the writer has some personal knowledge of the abilities of the con- testants in Hensall and Exeter through covering meetings, voters can not look to this source to help them make their decisions in total. That, of course, may come as a dis- appointment to some of the candidates who can often count on getting support through the very fact they have not been endorsed by the press. It's an en- dorsement that is many times akin to the kiss of death. . , His wife saw him at breakfast, again at lunch, has had a good natter with the dame next door, and has been out for two hours, raking leaves with the kids. She doesn't need him. Instead of drifting off to the base- ment, the small town male announces that this is his bowling night, or he has to go to a meeting of the Conservation and Slaughter Club, and where's a clean shirt. And that's all there is to it. While her city counterpart squats in front of TV, gnawing her nails and wondering why she didn't marry good old George, who has a big dairy farm now, the small town gal collects the kids and goes out to burn leaves. Neighbors call out, lean on rakes. Women, kerchiefed like gypsies, heap the dry leaves high on the fire. Kids avoid the subject of bedtime, dash about the fire like nimble gnomes. Or perhaps the whole family goes to a fowl supper. What, in city living, can compare with this finest of rural func- tions? A crisp fall evening, a drive to the church hall through a Hallowe'en landscape, an appetite like an alligator, and that first wild whiff of turkey and dressing that makes your knees buckle and the juices flow free in your cheeks. Rut it's on weekends that my pity for the city-dweller runneth over. Not for •01 To be quite honest, the writer is hav- ing some difficulty in making up his own mind on how to mark his ballot on Monday, but hopes to get some help in that regard after attending the ratepayer's meeting which post-dates this writing. ' The mayoralty candidates present many similarities and on a personality basis there appears little doubt that either would give the community a favorable image and conscientious leadership. Bruce Shaw's experience will be seen as an advantage by some voters, but it also costs votes on the other hand, particularly in View of the fact Bruce led council through some rather controversial projects during his terms of office and there will be a few grudge votes cast, Both candidates work out of town, they are in the same profession and have demonstrated their community Involvement. As noted, the writer laments the fact that only one of them will be on Exeter council over the next two years. When it comes to the six council positions, the writer has no qualms in supporting the two incumbents, Jay Campbell and Lossy Fuller. They are both dedicated members and their ex- perience will be particularly important in the upcoming term. The other five candidates have much to offer and there is no vested interest evident in any of their candidacies, so it should be a close battle. The choice is now up to the elec- torate, and regardless of how you cast your ballot, the candidates should be given the encouragement •and thanks they deserve for putting forth their names, and that can only be done if you accept your responsibility to get out to the polls. • e"; him the shooting-match on a clear fall Saturday, with its good-humored com- petition, its easy friendliness. Not. for him the quiet stroll down a sunny wood road, shotgun over arm, par- tridge and woodcock rising like clouds of mosquitoes. It's not that he doesn't live right, or doesn't deserve these pleasures. It's just that WS physically impossible to get to them easily. If he wants to crouch in a duck-blind, at dawn, he has to drive half the night to get there, Maybe on a Sunday or holiday, in the fall, the city fainily decides to head out and see some of the beautiful autumn foliage. They see it, after driving two hours. And with 50,000 other cars, they crawl home in late afternoon, bumper to bumper, the old man cursing, the kids getting hungrier, the mother get- ting ovvlier. Small town people can drive for 15 minutes and hit scenery, at least around here, that leaves them breathless. Or they'll wheel out a 'few miles to see their relatives on the farm, eat a magnificent dinner, and sit around watching TV in a state of delicious torpor. Yup. It's tough to live in the city, in the fall. Strange indeed Wrong decision Perspectives seeing a long line of cars out- side of the church and hav- ing been assigned numbers 183-187, we were a little ap- prehensive about the ab- !since of seats in the upper auditorium. It looked like it could be a long wait till we got downstairs to the evening's real business. Not so, Twenty minutes was all the time we got to 'chew the fat' with some former neighbours. Before we knew it our numbers were called and down we went. Turkey with all the trim- mings. Served family style, piping hot and as much as anybody can eat. Sitting in the middle's a gobd place too, I found, because all the goodies start at the ends of the table and meet right in 4kedeitati Pity the poor city man 30 years ago Services in honor of the war dead were held in Ex- eter. The services were led by Rev. H. J. Snell, who spoke of the fear in Canada over the escalation of the Korean War and Canada's involvement in it. After the formal service, a parade' was held and wreaths were lain at the Memorial at the Town Hall. A Centralia airman was killed when his motorcycle left the road on Highway 4 and struck a telephone pole, four miles north of Exeter. The Exeter Lion's "Show- boat", a musical revue which poked fun at the residents of Exeter, played for two nights and was well received. The Exeter Pentecostal Church held celebrations to burn its second mortgage. The church, which had burn- ed three years previously, was almost completely built by members of the con- gregation. 55 years ago Several of those who went West with the harvesters have returned home, among them were Benson Tuckey, Fred Moir, George Moir, Fred Murphy and Ernest McNichol. Mr. Luther Penhale, Mr. Bert Clark, Mr. Richard Welsh and Mr. Ulric Snell were at the Ailsa Craig swamp on Tuesday and returned home with 33 rab- bits. Mr. Herman Hodgson, of Centralia, broke his wrist while cranking his car. Mr. G. W. Miners of Usborne was again among the winners at the Provin- cial Winter Fair. Sir: Recent developments in the debate over Canada's future Constitutional arrangements have placed in grave danger the most fundamental of our democratic institutions, the Constitutional Monarchy and the supremacy. of Parliament. Consider the following alarming trends: - The refusal in the House of Commons October 10th of Prime Minister Trudeau to deny unequivocally future plans' for the establishment of a Canadian republic, indicative of how the government appears to be playing a perilous game with the future,of our nation; - The entrenching of a referendum clause in Sec- tion 42 of the proposed Constitutional Act, whereby any demagogue'could appeal to the counntry's worst passions on an issue, without reference to the Provincial legislatures. Referenda are alien to our system, which depends upon the sober judgment of elected officials in Parliament for decision- making; - The placing of a Charter of Rights in the Constitution, removing the traditional protection of our freedoms now guaranteed by the Queen-in-Parliament, and ' 20 years ago Canada Packer's Limited announced that they were closing their egg processing plant on Main St. and con- solidating all of their efforts in Clinton. They planned to continue truck service to the Exeter area. Memorial services were held throughout the area, and wreaths were • lain in Grand Bend, Hensall, Lucan and Exeter. A truck collapsed the bridge at Concession 4-5 in Usborne, and officials ex- pect the road to be closed for nearly a year in order to effect repairs. The driver was hospitalized. 15 years ago A head on collision four miles south of Exeter on Highway four claimed the lives of two men. C. S. MacNaughton, a the Minister of Highways, spoke at the annual Remem- brance Day Banquet, telling those who attended that uni- ty of the country was the major problem that faced the country, Mayor Delbridge received support from all sides when he said November 11 should be declared a National Holi- day. He was speaking at the annual Legion Remem- brance Day banquet. Over 801 cars took a safe- ty test that was set up at the RCAF base in Centralia. 112 cars did not pass, but only a few needed major repairs. 10 years ago A report from B. M. Ross and Associates, an engineer- ing firm, said it would cost $143,210 to eliminate the, flooding that plagued basements on Thomas and William Streets in July. The study revealed that the drains were too small and that mismanagement was part of the problem. placing it into the hands of politicized courts; - The "presidentializing" of the Governor-General's office, deliberately downgrading the role of the Queen of- Canada, and removing her from day-to- day involvement in Canada's affairs. A number of these issues is addressed in more detail in a readable paper prepared by experts for the Monarchist League of Canada. Every citizen should read the sobering news as to where our political masters propose to lead us. Those who write for a copy of this brief to the Monar- chist League of Canada, 2 Wedgewood Crescent, Ottawa, Ontario K1B 4B9 will also receive a full-colour sticker bearing Her Majesty's portrait. The League has produced these to give Canadians a chance to proclaim their loyalty to the Sovereign in the face of the unwillingness of the Post Office to produce or main- tain attractive stamps of the Queen. Yours truly, John L. Aitner8 Dominion Chairman & Founder The Monarchist League of Canada