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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.,