Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Lucknow Sentinel, 1976-03-03, Page 2FROM THE EDITOR'S DESK PRIORITIES ALL MIXED UP! Lugtiow SKATING CLUB ACHIEVEMENT NIGHT WILL BE HELD IN THE LUCKNOW ARENA Saturday March 13th at 8 p.m. ADMISSION $1.00 ' 12 AND UNDER FREE. GUEST SKATERS OLIVE LAPP - Skating Instructor for tho Lucknow Club. CAROL WHEELER (AGE 14) — BLAINE MOORE (AGE 15) MARK MOORE (AGE 7) All from the Wingham Skating Club Carol and Blaine were Gold Medalists at. Sarnia.W.OS.W.I.C. and North Bay Free Skating Competition in 1975 and Silver Med- , alists at Niagara/Falls and Toronto Invitational Free Skating - Competition in 1975: In February 1976 they were Silver Medalists at 1976 Western Ontario Sectional Competition in Cambridge and Ontario Silver Medalists at' On4rio Winter Games at Sault Ste. Marie. ALL ARE INVITED TO ATTEND TO VIEW THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF THE SKATERS: NO SOLUTION It has always been a debatable question which costs the most taking everybody's ' advice or taking no one's. South Kinloss Mr. and Mrs. Bob Campbell of Wingham were dinner 'guests with Mr. and' Mrs. Donald Maclntyre on Sunday. John and Ann provided the special music in, church on Sunday by playing a piano W and Organ duet. • Grace MacDougall and Audrey from Orangeville visited on the week end with Mr. and Mrs. Lloyd MacDougall. I • CHROME TABLES and CHAIRS. Swivel Chairs and Choice of Rectangular and &id Tables SPECIAL • ,41 JOHNSTONE and SON FURNITURE PHONE 5283013 ' `411111.1.1111.101111110* • LUCKNOW ‘11,100111011.1101110 -fIlt.nr, • THE LUCKNOW SENTINEL, LUCKNOW, ONTARIO , WEDNESDAY, MARCH 3, 1976 • PAGE TWO Never have we seen nor heard the residents in this area' so incensed as they have becorne over the issue of closing district hospitals. The provincial Ministry of Health, under its minister Frank Miller, has been using the method• of .closing hospitals .in its efforts to reduce the ever mounting cost of health •.services. The cost of Providing health services and facilities to the people of Ontario has mushroomed , over the past. years, largely due to the bureau , cratie administration of this same ministry, its attempts to buy. the voters'of Ontario with low cost and in many cases free health care and the general belief that the people of Ontario can, not look after them- selves healthwise, that government must be their "big daddy" and be sure that they are properly looked after. The end-all result, as is the case with most government run service- , es, is mounting costs, inefficient administration and general abuses of the system, far beyond anything that would, happen • if health care were still in the . ,hands of the private sector of Ontario. There alvvays comes a day when • ,someone finally says stop to this soaring cost 'monster and Frank Miller has the unhappy duty "of this. No one would deny that his thoughts are 'correct when he indicates that health costs have to be curbed, but his methods of reaching this ' point are to be questioned. very strongly by the public at large, For those 'of us who deal with government each and every day in .• many ways, we cannot help but be. bitter,' knowing. the •waste and waste and waste in Most depart- ments, overstaffed, underworked,i budgets that would "choke a:".,cow" aid often an indifference to the public who arc paying their wages. This past week end We were in Ottawa at the Ontario Weekly Newspapers Association Conven- ' tion and talked to 'a number of federal civil servants who told us of • the Many fixed budgets for departments of sovernment which were spent " on unneeded and outdated 'equipment for the basic reason that "it must be spent or 'we, ,won't get it .again next year". The same waste holds true whether it be in Ottawa or Toronto. The question that amazes os is why this cannot be seen by our/ M.P.s or M.P.P.s. 'We are inclined to believe that it is easier for them to look the other way rather than to tackle the monstrous civil service system, its unions and 'political hacks.: So while it may on the surface not seem so, Mr, Miller has taken • . the easy way. He has hit the ordinary individual, the "little guy" in the small community who may not' be quite so hard to handle, but initial public reaction may upset this theory. It doesn't • seem to matter that many of these community hoSpitals _were put there by the residents.Of the area themselves, through their tax money, before medicare wrestled the powers away. It doesn't seem 'to matter the payroll that the facility js .generating in the Community, keeping the commun., ity' vibrant and' its residents off welfare and unemployment insur- ance. But' more: important, it doesn't seem to matter that the medical care for that community is stepping many years ,backward by the, closing of a facility. - Uppermost in Mr. Miller's mind is the financial saving, and he admits to this. But will there be such a Saving? • ' • No matter how many hospitals Mr. Miller clOses, the need for 'medical care will still be there and the treatment will occurs' at adjacent hospitals where, in most case, the per, bed costs are' running higher than those being closed. You can't legislate people out of a sick bed. • The economic drain on, the' community Will cost OttaWa more' money on the- unemployment insurance lists and the .Ontario ' welfare system will likely gain a feW ',new faces. 'This money . will 'come out of your .packet and mine and/ taxes and assessments will go up to. cover it. We. all 'know how the circle turns. We have seen • it happen, many times before. • Mr. Miller will make few manoeuvres on paper that show his department as having accomplish-,, ed a remarkable saving, but in all likelihood the costs' Will creep into 'another crack in the wall and life will go on much the same, finanaally. In 'a week when the Ontario Ministry of Culture and Recreation grants 2.3 million dollars to the city of Kitchener to build a convention and arts centre, proceeds from Wintario lottery, does it, not seem that somewhere along the way someone has his priorities. just a trifle mixed up. Wintario is netting 2 million dollars' a draWand increasing each time. On this • basis, it would take 3 1/2 days to save the Durham Hospital which ,Mr. Miller •claims will save the Ministry about $500,000 a year when' closed. Of course, Mr. Miller's $500,000 saying is only on paper, not a fact of life. Federation Join _Protest Against Hospital Closing. Clinton': At' .a special directors meeting held, • in Clinton on February. 25th the, Huron .CoUnty Federation of Agriculture, voted to mit all their resources behind 'the move to resist closing of the Clinton Hospital, The Federation Directors feel that the presence of a hospital in a.rural town contributes much to its economic 'viability and to' the' well-being 'of its citizens - both urban and rural. ' The farm accident 'fate is one of --the highest of any industry and the proXimity of medical help can mean the difference between the loss or saving of an arm or leg, said Adrian .Vos, Federation President. With more than 2200 members in Huron County, the Federation represents ' a potential 10,000 hospital users. The subject of hospital closings will be' further discussed at the March 4th meeting of the Federa- tion to be held at Brookside School in the 9th of Ashfield.. A speaker on "Income Tax" will make the meeting • of timely interest to all members. $845 RAISED CONTINUED' FROM 'PAGE 1 weather_ con_ditions., these people canvassed:'Kay' Crawford, Karen Flanagan, Rita Gilmore, Olive Warren, ,Barbara Ritchie„, Jessie Johnston,' Susan McNaughton, Barb. Helm, Gloria 'Murray, Anne .gurney; Deanna Reavie, Elizabeth. and Joanne Ritchie, Donalda Scott, Catherine Andrew, Jessie Alton, Kathleen FOrster, Anne Anderson, Kay Collyer, Norma McDonagh, Evelyn Cook, Jean Kaufman, Tillie Wilson, - Ruth Mathers, Alene Clark, Gertrude Leddy, Marilyn Johnson, Kenneth Reid, Fern MacDonald, Carol. Atkinson, Ed- war cl . and Nancy Brown,[ Tena araner, Mary Collinson,' Elaine I win in Lucknow; Elsie Irvin and Margaret Mole in. Dungannon; Fred. Tiffin . and Mildred Purdon in Whitechurch; Belle Hackett in Ashfield and Kini Meyer in Holyrood. .••••••4044*********-••••••••••••••••••••••.• The LUCKNOW SENTINEL I LUCKNOW, ONTARIO "Til• SePoY towns' On the Huren-Brue.• Bourdarr • Second. Cliss Mail Registration Number' 0847 Established 1873 — Published Wednesday Mombar of the C.C.N.A. and Subscription date, $8.00 a year in advance S2 extra to U,S.A. and Foreign • • • • • • • • Donald C. Thompson, Publisher • • .••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••4•••••••••• .Wintario Aids Bruce Library A Wintario grant of $131,970 has been conditionally committed to the ,Bruce County Library Board. The atnount, that must be matched by, private funds, will' be,'applied toward capital, expenses -of new $450,000 wing now nearing com- pletion at the county museum • at Southampton. The addition, being built •by North Grey Construction Ltd. of London, Ontario, will be completed by early summer. It is located just south of the main museum building.