HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Lucknow Sentinel, 1982-01-13, Page 6�.ItorIal
The
LUCKNOW SENTINEL
••'lie Sspay Te+inn"
d 1873, .
SHARON a . DIETZ - Edi[or
PAT I.Ivhf�GSTON. - 0eree t Manager
MERLE ELLIOTT Tap seuet
JOAN 'HELM - CtiewpoP4eqe,
Latham
sem, waaarliay, 7aiwry 13, 191P, --arm, c
, Business and Editorial Office Telephone 521-2822
Mailing Address PO, nos 400. Luckeas•, NOG 2110
Second Class Mail Registration Number -0847
Sinnipelw tole. S14.511ger year le r.andr
Saler adieu rake. SILOS per year In advance.
U.S.A.Mil Ridge. Sum ped' Yawr dv
Sr.. CIL U.S.A. a.d Fieekp. VIA* per year Inohmic!
Thanks Gary and Doug
While most of is were snuggled warm in our homes by a
fire or next to the wood stove during the weekend blizzard,
.udknow's. Wolfs . Employees Gary Austin and. Doug
Haldenby were worimg to restore hydro power to much of
the village.
Austin and Haldenby worked all day Sunday in the raging
blizzard searching for blown. fuses .whidi were disrupting
power service: to residents in the village.
While many of .os waited for power to be . restored- by
bundling up to take away the chill as the house grew colder,
Austin and ,Haldenby were out . i the wind and snow
warring to restore heat and electricity.
While the storax created an inconOenience for those who
had no power o4 Sunday and otherscgmbed the walls with
cabin fever, two members :of the Wmgham PUC were
climbing hydro poles to replace fuses, , in wind which
readied vdocitiwes of Tl 80 kilometres an hour.
Many will comment that Gary and Doug were probably
well paid in overtime for their service but Austin and
Haldenby will not be paid overtime. They will take the time
off to compensate for their work on Sunday.
It' wouldn't be such a bad idea 'if village residents
commended Austin and Haldenby the next time they see\
them on the street. They did a good job on Sunday. They
• worked in conditions few of us would consider safe. Thanks•
Gary and Doug.
Not an easy choice
Beef rattle farmers are facing a disquieting decision. Low
prices for their product and 'i slowdemand created by high
prices at the: meat counter have fostered the urge in some
quarters . to witch the entire beef industry to what is
commonly known as "supply • management". In other
words, ' go ' the way of the egg producers and the dairy
industry by setting up a marketing board-
Several farmers we have talked to are hesitant to go the
marketing board route. for they are intelligent enough to
recognize the fact that submission to the dictates • of a
marketng board requires the surrender of free choice in the
way they would operate their own businesses: More money
but less freedom, •
It is interesting to learn something about attitudes on the
same problem in Western Canada. The December issue of
Business Life carried the following story from Calgary:
Alberta cattle producers have expressed serious disap-
pointment with the recently -released Senate Agricultural.
Committee Report on Beef Marketing. Stan. Wilson,
chairman of the Alberta Caattle.Commission, said that apart
from being Icy researched and 'inadequately docum-
ented, the study is extremely biased towards the concept of
supply management and regulated marketing. While the
report does offer four so-called alternative marketing
systems, they are all leading to the same end a completely
controlled beef cattle.. industry in Canada.
Wilson. said that everyone' involved. in the cattle industry
knows that producers are facing very serious problems,
most of them generated by factors completely outside the.
industry. These include high interest rates, rapidly rising
costs of energy and feed and a sluggish beef market.
However, it is difficult to see how greater government
control of the industry will solve any of these problems.
Along with that, the study does not 'point out that the
advantages, if any, of their proposals would not show up for
a number of years. It would 'take at least five years to
establish any form of national plan for beef cattle: The
problems; facing beef producers are immediate and
pressing.
• . producers feel that the
marketing system needs improvement. The Cattle Com-
mission has been conducting a series of studies this year to
get a better understanding of the problem. In additions they
have suggested to cattlemen's organizations in other
provinces that producers themselves should . be working
towards an, improved marketing system However, the,
mjority of producers remain opposed to any system that
will take away the rights of the individual to decide how
much -he produces' and where and When he markets it.
- :The Wingham Advance -Times
One fOot In the furrow
Farmers are reasonable, sensible
People-
For proof, let me quote. Ralph. Bar-
rie, the articulate and dynamic presi-
dent of the Ontario Federation of
Agricnitwe, after the province an-
fans.nera $6 million plan to help
"The plan seems : fair and
reasonable," he said. "We realize
there isn't enough money :aroundto
give everyone massive amounts. But..
it should help farmers who are having
the most trouble. •
Mind you, the reasonable tone came
after fanners and their wives prac-
tically stormed Queen's Park. .The
reasonable tone came after a rump
group threatened to use forge, even
guns,, to get help - for the troubled
agricultural sector of the economy..
The government proposals will pro-
vide grants to defray high ' interest
rates nett
for farmers. 'ALnost the same day
that Ontario announced aid, Finance
Minister Allan Mac,Eachen restored
some retirement benefits for farmers
in budget changes.
Farmers, as well as small business
people, were hit hard: 'in the Nov. 12
budget With the cancellation of
income -averaging annuities. and the
intro ion of an.income forwarding-
averaging system on taxes.
Now, do not, for heaven's sake, ask
redtrees
me what all that govenu hent
gobbledy-gook means. Those who stn
understand snarl jargon maintained
the annuities helped them to retire on.
the profits of the sale of 'their
basinesses. They maintained • they
worked long and hard for many years
bulling their, farms and their
and whyshould they n*tbe
allowed some compensation for the
extra work and worry?
As a weekly. newspaper manager, T
can heartily agree with their cam-
metes. Until you have been in
business for yourself, you simply do
not realize how many enema hours are
. needed to nut those businesses. The
risks -are great, especially in these
days of high interest.
Farmers are in exactly the same
boat. Nobody locks the door . on a
stable full of dickens or hogs or beef
or dairy cattle and walks away.
without a Worry.. That respibility is
constantly on your mind.
You cannot tell a field of beans or
corn or grain or hay or tobacco to quit
growing vale. you take off to cot-
tage
ottage for a weekend. Or to the sunny
south for a week or two. Somehow,
somewhere, somebody should
recognize that fanning is not a nine -
to -five job. Compensation should be
provided.
Fanners who sell to their' diildren
will be able to spread payments over a
by bob ,trotter
10 -year period to reduce their tax
bad. Even sales to non -family people
can be averaged over f ve years.
. In the .original budget, full capital
gains tax would have had to be paid
the year of the sale which would have
made it virtually imposst'bie to pass a
family farm onto the next member of
the fainly,
The provincial system to help
farmers' includes a plan to allow
banks to defer interest for six months,
not compowiding the interest, to help
with chow. Another option asks
for the goVernment to make grants to
reduce age, on 'bank bans by five
percent - to not less than l2 percent —
for one year. A third option in the pro-
vincial plan is a guaranteed credit for
farmers who need to plant crops, buy
livestock or cover other operating ex-
pe:ist s.
Treasurer Frank filler said banks
had been consulted and are willing to
badcthe program. \ ri
Now, if someone' would just tell�'me.
how I can get some low-interest loans
for my little business, I'll dance at
your wedding or. ,whistle at your an-
niversary . or something similarly
stupid-
rin glad farmers are going to get
some help from both the federal and
provincial goveimnents. They, above
all people, arein dire straits.
0
by,don ca�r�r�pbell
It would be •a mistake to imagine
that ill Scottish immigrants to Can-
ada. , were individuals ,deprivedof
opportunity in their native land. • The
vast resources of Ontario attracted
' many rich and titled personages,' who
sought to add. to . their ` already
considerable wealth and prestige.
So it was, that even from the early
days of Muddy York, elaborate homes .
were built in the centres of prosperity.
These were fine stone houses, con-
structed in the image of those left
behind in the wealthy suburbs of Edin-
burgh, or other .bastions •• of Scottish
culture.
Among those settling south of Bloor
Street, was an entrepreneur by the
name of Sir Daniel Dove. Both his
wealth and title were gained by his
unscrupulous manipulation of money
and people. A widower, he took
passage to Canada on a fast ship, with
all the amenities those of the
aristocracy, and . i ion came a well
educated, spoilt, but beautiful daugh-
ter, called Jane. •
In the fall of 1842. Doctor Cameron
was called. to attend upon this pillar of •
Upper Canada capitalism, but in spite
of hr's modern training, was unable to
save him from as disease we now
recognize as pneumonia. It was both a
sad and happy occasion for the young
doctor. Sadness stemmed. as it always
did. from his inability to save a life.
Yet in the beautiful face and sparkling
eyes of Jane there was something still
very much alive in the family' of Dove.
Jane was a young lady of sonie•
twenty-three years. She had searched
amongst the young Swains of Toron-
to's social set,' for a spark to set foe to
the romance she had always dreamed
would one day consume her heart.
Yet, there never had been such a
gallant, charming and handsome fel-
low to appear before her, than the
dashing James Cameron.
As soon as the period of mourning
was over, ' and respectability. would
allow, she was often . seen in the
company of Cameron. her only .•regret
was, that in the spring he would leave
for some God -forsaken spot in the
wilderness. amongst the hills, west of
Bolton Town.
A woman in those days had little or
no influence in changing the path of
determined men, and although she
knew the,doctor was :equally attracted
to her, he showed no signs of changing
his mind and remaining in Toronto.
On the contrary, he spoke about little
else except his people. the "friends of
Skye", and the great undertaking they
were about to embark upon together:
In order to stay by the side of the
young doctor, Jane found 0 herself
drawn into the company of the kind,
but rough Highland people. She toler-
ated .their company for the sake of the
man she thought was her first love.
, One evening in November. she
attended the last full meeting which
took place in the Masonic Hall rented
for the occasion. Duringthis time, she
stayed close to Doctor Cameron and
avoided the glances of the "common
women" who admired her high fash-
ioned clothes. and sniffed the expen-
sive perfume which drifted from her
being.
Jane was 'a never young lady and
somewhat treacherous when it came to
the affairs of the heart. She was
determined to use every power within
her means, whether it be her charm or
her wealth; to detain . James in
Toronto, fearing thatshe would• soon
be deprived of her new found interest.
Only when MacLeod addressed the.
meeting did she tear her thoughts
away from the doctor. Some power of
magnetism in the parson's voice
demanded her attention. - •
"And. I say unto you, it is easier for
a camel to pass through the eye of a
needle...." He paused as he saw the
rich young woman in the midst of his
people, : like a 'rose in a garden of
weeds. He was obviously surpised.
yet fascinated by what he saw, and
could not resist the temptation to draw
per presence into his text:
"And •I say again, it is easier, for, a
camel to pass through 'the eye of _a
needle, than fora rich man ....or a rich.
woman," he said, looking intently at
Jane Dove, "to enter into the King-
dom of God.\ We are poor and .humble
people, but we will share our widow's
mite. and we shall' go forward in
strength, with the courage of our
convictions. We shall find our wealth
in the happiness which °is'given by the
presence of God!"
Suddenly the blood flowed hot to the
face of Jane Dove,..yet it was not with a
feeling of .resentment, or embarrass-
ment. In one fleeting Moment, the
light which she carried for the young
doctor became dim. and was replaced
by the strong beam of courage, which
emanted like an aura from the
Reverend Duncan MacLeod.,