Loading...
The Lucknow Sentinel, 1987-11-25, Page 4Page 4 -- lieknow : eOOinel, Wednesday, November 25, 1987 P.O. Box 400, Lucknow NOG 2H0 Established 1873 528-2822 VI CAI a.O CIq C U L AT IqN PAlo Thomas Thompson -Advertising Manager Subscription rates in advance: Rob Bun,d;y -Editor '17.00 Outside Canada Shp o0 Pat Livingston General Manager 514.00 Outside Canada $58."O Senior Citizen Second class mailing reg. no. 0847 Advertising is accepted on the condition that in the event of a typographical error, the portion of the advertising space occupied by the erroneous item together with a reasonable allowance far signature, will not be charged , for, but the balance of the advertisement will be paid at the applicable rates. Headache for consumers The great Canadian drug patent stalemate is over. Now the wait to see what the drug 'bill will mean to consumers has begun. Following 17 months of debate, the Senate last week gave approval to the controversial Bill C-22 which gives (brand-name companies a ten year monopoly on new drugs they develop. This means that other com- panies developing cheaper "copy cat" drugs will have to wait adecade before they can get their product on the shelves. This Bill is a great deal for brand-name drug companies who, in ex- change for the passing of the legislation, have promised to double spending on research and development. This will probably mean more jobs for Canadians. But what do consumers get from the Bill? It appears they will be pay- ing more for new drugs developed as the smaller, more competitive companies have been forced out of the market. To help offset this, the provincial governments will be payed a total of S100 million over four years to help will the immediate, short-term increases in drug costs. But that only helps the consumers who are covered in some way by a drug plan through their place of employment. Quite simply, the percentage of the population which is not covered by any form of drug plans will pay more, much more, for the new drugs developed. As aro example, if a large brand-name producer develops a cure for the common cold and must sell his product at a high price to regain the costs of research and development of the drug, no other company can sell o similiar product, at any price, for ten years. To their credit, the Senate has included a way out. The legislation provides for a board with the power to revoke a brand-name firm's pa- tent protection if it feels the company is' charging excessively high prices. The ability to keep wayward firms in line remains to be seen. Is Bill C-22 a good law? It's good for large companies but let's hope it doesn't cause any headaches for consumers. We may not be able to af- ford the' cure. R.B. My wife forced me to repeat a children's poem this week as we were ruuunaging. through the closets and drawers searching for "winter stuff". I couldn't remember more than the first couple of lines. The fact that I had forgotten the rest was the point my mate was apparently trying to make. Three little kittens Had lost their mittens, And they began to cry; "Oh, mother dear We do fear That we have lost our mittens." I have yet to get through a winter, except the winter we spend in Asia, without losing at least six mittens, three gloves, two to- ques and a scarve. This fact drives my bet- ter half up the wall. "No, you're not getting new leather gloves," she said when I casually mention- ed how chilly it's getting. "You'll just lose them on the way home from the store anyway." I don't know what it is about winter ap- parel. I just can't seem to keep it on or in my possession. I've considered `idiot str- ings' to keep my mitts attached to my coat - an option my wife likes to bring up everytime I go looking for another lost pair of mitts - but I'd probably lose the string, then the mitts. I really sympathize with kids and kittens who live in fear of losing their mittens. The thought_ f facing another long winter with only one mu r, worse yet, two mitts of different colours, 's a scary thought. The ridicule from your eers is terrible. - I've also consider d having my hands coated with some kind of colourful, washable insulation that I could have removed come spring but this seems a lit - By Rob Bundy tle drastic. Not as drastic as buying new mittens every couple of days, according to you know who, but there has to be a better way. I've also thought of getting a coat with mittens attached. Something not unlike kids' pajamas with feet attached. This could also be embarrasing to explain to some people though. I guess I'm destined to spend a greater portion of the winter months sifting through lost and found bins across the county in search of a matching mitt. Toques are another problem. It's real easy to head outside on a cold day not realizing you've left your $39, fur -lined, ear muffs attached, hat back inside. Over the years, I have lost enough winter clothing to outfit an entire Antarctic expedition. Anyway, I'm taking this opportunity to make a plea to you, the Sentinel readers, for suggestions on how to keep one pair of mittens intact for an entire winter. If you have any thoughts or stories on where lost mittens end up, I'd love to hear from you. I mean, if there's wool, there's a way. Just jot us a line and drop it in our mail slot here at the office. In the meantime, I've got my hands full - and uncovered - trying to convince my resident shopper to free up a couple of bucks for yet another pair of mittens. Have a good week! 1 OH., ITS Jugs HIS ANNUAL PRE W,NrU' COLD. IrLL Go AWAY AS SooAl AS THE CHRISTMAS CAWS ARE FINIS!IE'D, tNO� 0 0 70 years ago November 29, 1917 Prisoner writes home -Mr. and Mrs. Neil McInnes, of Lucknow, recently received photographs and a letter from their son Finlay, who is a prisoner in Germany at this time. The photo shows the young soldier and his comrades in their kilts, having been members of the Kilty Battalion. They don't look starved and seem clean and well kept. In the letter, Finlay states that he hears conscription has been introduced in Canada, and he adds that it is right to send men over and have this job finished up. This is an expression one hardly expects to come from a German prison camp. Farmers will be exempted -There has been much complaint in the Township of Ashfiled about the way the Tribunal at Dungannon has been interpreting and ap- plying the Military Service Act. It is said that practically all Class A men were be- ing refused exemptions, regardless of what service the provide on the farm. Some young men, it is said, who prac- tically have charge of the farm, or who represent about all the man power for a 100 acre farm, have been exempted for only six weeks in order that they make some other arrangement about their farm. This, if true, is a rather strange pro- ceeding when there is such a cry for SENTINEL foodstuffs in Ontario. The Tribunal, evidently, is overemphasizing the need for men and overlooking the equally impor- tant need for food. 50 years ago November 25, 1937 Purchase of site completed -Purchase of the Cain House property, upon which the Federal Government will build a post of- fice in Lucknow, has been completed. Reeve W.B. Anderson, while on Toronto on Saturday, was advised by the MP for Bruce that the deal has been made and the deed signed. Considerable delay has resulted in con- cluding this transaction and it is doubtful if any of the work will be undertaken until spring. The contract, however, will be let in the very near future. Kinlough family escapes fire -Mr. and Mrs. Donald McFarlane and baby, fleeing in their night attire early Saturday morn- ing, narrowly escaped being trapped in the upstairs of their home by fire which even- tually completely destroyed their residence. The McFarlans reside a mile and a quarter west of Kinlough at Hays Lake. On Friday evening, shortly after eight, stove pipes in their home took fire. They were extinguished and the couple took to bed satisfied that all was well. Unaccountably awakened about one in the morning, they opened their bedroom door to be faced with a blinding cloud of smoke. With their infant, they groped their way downstairs and outside to safety. Any later and escape would have been impossible. Neighbours arrived and assisted in removing a few articles from the home but the blaze was beyong control and the house was completely destroyed. The fire eveidently started below the upstairs floor. 25 years ago November 28, 1962 Ice on schedule -Installation of the ice making equipment was completed recent- ly and icemaking efforts have followed so that the December 1 opening date of the Lucknow Arena is right on schedule. In fact the thickness of the ice was being checked, and, when this was written, it looked as if the ice may even be ready for a skate by November 28. Saturday morning, bright and early,.Pee Wees will hold their first practice for one hour before giving up the ice to the Squirts and then the Fleas. Any boys wanting to play hockey this season must register before that time at the Municipal office. There will be a $2 en- try fee to cover insurance costs. Farm fire -Harry Girvin escaped serious injury last Thursday just before noon when a flash fire broke out while he was putting gas in the tractor. The Girvin farm is located between, Dungannon and Nile: Harry was filing the tractor which had not been running for a long period of time. The ensuing fire set his clothes ablaze and he was able to shed his coat and gloves in an instant. This quick action pobably sav- ed his life. 10 years ago November 30, 1977 Lions donate again -The Lucknow and District Liens Club have donated another $5,000 towards the community centre building fund. This makes a total of $10,000 contributed to the cause by the local Lions. The contract for the community centre has now been signed. The builder will be Metal Building Systems from Milton, Ontario. Dennis Hogg, president of the building fund conmiittee, says the work should be started by early next week.