HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Lucknow Sentinel, 1981-02-25, Page 5ty
Statistics make a far:
- My old grandmother called February
the suicide month. The older I get, the
more I appreciate, her nickname for this
most miserable of months,.
Although this year the weather has
been unusually mild, it is just the thought
that , winter',. is far from over yet that
makes it that much harder to bear. High.
winds as cold and wet as a dog's nose and
just as probing still whine and howl
through the bleak, black hardwood limbs
in the bush behind the house.
No Canadian will truthfully allow that
winter is over. We hunker into ourheavy
coats and scarves and slog through the
snow knowing. full well that at leastone.
more, probably two or three, storms will
swoop relentlessly across the land.
It's depressing. We have already been
through three months,- some, years four
of winter. I get snarky and morose. in
February. I'm sick of snowbanks, knifing
winds, yellow snow, white snow, brown
snow and black snow. '
Every time a supercillious television
announcer says we are going to get five
centimetres of the "white stuff" I feel
like punching him in the mouth. I'm even
snarling at Ozzie,our playful, little
Siamese cat. She doesn't know the winter
is going on out there. A smart cat, she
sl
Lucknow Sentinel, Wednesday, Fe
25 1981 Fage 5
s February depressin,
won't even . go. outside the door; hasn't
been out since the first snowfall.
And why do those announcers insist on
calling It white stuff? Surely, theere are
more creative people available tri those ,
fancy newsrooms.
Getting . out of our long laneway
becomes a real problem. Although we
have a snowblower rernOV‘ most of it
after every snowfall, there is a buildup
and we have to be careful not to dig
through the crust orit will; take another.,
half-hour to get to workI'm like a skunk
in February. I feel like sleeping all the
time so I never leave enough time toget
out of the lane. I'm late more often than I
like to be. My old-fashioned, Protestant
work ethic'keeps me punctual the rest of ti
the year.
To make matters even more depress-
ing, along comes Statistics Canada with
that annual story on . cash receipts for
farmers. They doit every time. They on-
ly tell half the story: Paan cash receipts
rose 11.1 per cent to $15.6 billion in 1980
from a year earlier.
That's it No mention of increased
costs, just that farm income rose 11:1 per
cent. Every city slickertri the nation
reads those figures and comes to the con m
elusion thaLfarmers are living high off
the hog, tripping over subsidy cheques
when they pick up the mail at the farm
gate, if they can get through the snow.
It must make farmers
StatsCan doesn't say khat feed costs
doubled during the same time period,
that land costs keep escalating, that in-
terest rates have hit farmers hardertthan
any other sector of the economy, that fer-
tilizer
ertilizer costs have doubled, that labor
casts are up 10 to 15 per cent.
In a recent study, a group, of farmers
was polled by, statisticians at the Univer-
sity of Guelph whish houses - one of
Canada's best-known agricultural col-
leges. After those farmers ' paid
themselves wages, they endedupwith a
rate of return of about 3.5 per cent on the
capital invested.
How many other people . would stay in
business with a return like that? These
were more profitable farms . that were
studied, too, commercial -scale farmers;
Look at those huge profits racked up by
oil -companies in recent years -and you
wonder why anyone would be stupid
enough to stay in agriculture.
It is fortunate for Canadians that
enough men and women love the ' land
and the rural life to remain in farming. If
they weren't so good at what they do, half
of this nation would be wandering around
with distended bellies sufferingfrom
malnutrition.
Lettei* to the editor
•from page .4
cosen to. circumvent its .own
legislation and refuses • to
listen to us.' . '
We urge you to consider
time seriousness of this prob-
lem for while this particular
topic is South Cayuga and an
environmental issue = if the
government's dictatorial atti-
tude goes unchallenged . -
next time it could be' you and
your community over another'
issue.: ,
If th overnment cares so
little fot .the rights of 4,000
people in our area - do you
really think they will care or
listen to you?
Think carefully beforeyou
cast your vote on March
19th.
Your truly.
Rene Tunney, For H.O.P.E.
(Haldimand-Norfolk
Organization for a
Pure Environment).
P.O. Box 10, R.R. # 9.
Dunnville, Ontario.
Thank you
To the Editor:
A sincere "thank you" to
the residents of Huron and
Perth Counties who, once
again, have supported ihe.,
work of Christmas Seals in
the 1980-1981 Campaign.
We are encouraged by
Community response and
will be able to carry on ex-
panded service' programs.
and research in Lung Dis-
ease.
There is still tithe to
answer your Christmas Seal
letter, "Lungs Are For Life"
"Use Christmas Seals - - It's
a Matter of Life and Breath".
Mrs, Beryl Dunsmori,
Executive Director,
Huron Perth Lung
Association.
•
I
Dates
vailable
tudcbow &
District
Community
Centre
SATURDAY, FEB. 28
Leo Dance
OPEN DATES
AVAILABLE
MARCH
Friday 6
Saturday 7
Friday 13
Saturday 14
Friday 20
friday 27
APRIL
Friday 3
Friday 10
Friday 24
MAY
Friday 1
Friday 15
Friday 22
Saturday 23
Friday 29
Now Booking For 1982
FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION AND
MID WEEK BOOKINGS;
CALL 528.3532
Lucknow
Arena
SdUie
WEDNESDAY, ;FEB: 25
1:30-3:30. Moms and Tots
3:45 Brookside Boys Hockey
7:00 Atom Game
Lucknpw vs Brussels.
THURSDAY, FEB. 26
8:30 Industrial League
Playoffs
Kiritail vs Flying Dutchmen
10:00 Lucknow vs Holyrood
FRIDAY, FEB. 27
3:45 Brookside Girls Hockey
7:.00 Pee Wee Oame
W.O.A.A. Finals'
Paisley,vs Lucknow
8:30 Intermediate "C" Game
•' If Necessary
Mount Forest vs Lucknow
Or Wingham
SATURDAY, FEB. 28
House League
,.8:00 Canadians vs Hawks
9:00 Red Wings vs Leafs
2:00 - 4:00 Public Skating
8:00 Holyrood Butchers vs
C.K.N.X. Tryhards
SUNDAY, MARCH 1
1:1 - 3:00 Public Skating
•
TUESDAY, MARCH 3
Broomball
8:00 Lucknow vs Lanes
9:00 Holyrood vs Ashfield
10:00 Teachers vs West Wa.
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