HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Lucknow Sentinel, 1978-10-11, Page 6Page 6---Lucknow Sentinel, Wednesday, October 11, 1978
Citizens apathetic to municipal business •
A turnout of five citizens at a ratepayers
meeting in the village of Lucknow, is to quote
one of the town councillors, "pathetic".
It is sad that in this village there are only.
five citizens who are interested in the
municipal affairs of the village.
The meeting was an opportunity to
question councillors on decisiorig they have
made in the past two years, to ask for an
account on the ways they have spent our
municipal tax dollars and to see if we are
getting our money's 'worth in financial
assistance from the federal and provincial
money that is available for municipal
projects.
It was an opportunity to complain; ask
questions and find out the intentions our
elected representatives have for the next two
years, if they are re-elected.
As Canadians we have freedom of speech,
thought, religion, and a democratic govern-
ment with representation of the people by the
people. We elect our municipal representa-
tives to deal directly with our provincial and
federal government ministries and to handle
our own village affairs.
Because we live in a free democratic
society and our rights are not being
threatened, we take these rights for granted.
This is 'evident in the village of Lucknow
because of the apathetic attitude the citizens
have for municipal. business.
Some of the villagers are only too willing to
complain when a problem affects them
personally. They will stop the councillor on
the main street or call him at home to
complain or deride the council for their
handling of a situation which affected them.
But they will not take the time to come out to
a public meeting to discuss, question or ask
for an explanation when such an opportunity
is provided. -
One has only to pick up a daily newspaper
to read of repression of free thought in Russia
where Soviet dissidents are being tried for
speaking out against violations of the
To the Editor:
October is Block Parent
month. The Lucknow Kinet-
tes are very anxious to get
the program started and the
signs in the windows. Could
anyone who has an applica-
tion please return it as soon
as possible. If we all work
together we can all help each
other.
Thank you,
Jan Langlois,
Lucknow Kinettes.
September 29, 1978.
Dear Editor:
Please renew our subscrip-
tion. We look forward greatly
to the weekly "Squeak", and
the local news involving
family and friends.
Thank you.
Susan and Robert Ritchie.
The Luckn�w Sentinel
LUCKNOW, ONTARIO
"The Sepoy Town"
On the Huron -Bruce Boundary
Established 1873 - Published Wednesday
Published by Signal -Star Publishing Ltd.
Robert G. Shrier - president and publisher
Sharon J. Dietz - editor
•
Anthony N. Johnstone - advertising and
general manager
Subscription rate, $11 per year in advance
Senior Citizens rate, $9 per year in advance
U.S.A. and Foreign, 521.50 per year in advance
Business and Editorial Office Telephone 528.2822
Mailing Address P,?: Box 400, Lucknow, NOG 2110
Second class mail .registration number
Helsinki accords; apartheid in South Africa
and Rhodesia; the suppression of the Somoza.
regime in Uraguay.
But perhaps such violation of human rights
does not mean anything when you have never
beenthreatened by anything more than the
War Measures Act during the FLQ
kidnappings in Quebec in 1970. It is easy to
become apathetic when you have always
lived in a free society.
The right to a democratic government with
representatives of the people elected by the
people is something we take for granted but
to some countries it is a 'long sought for
privilege.
'The apathetic attitude of the citizens of our
village concerning the village's municipal
affairs is pathetic. But perhaps, as the village
clerk observed at the rapepayers' meeting,
everybody must be satisfied because nobody
came out to the meeting to complain.
The village is very fortunate to have four
councillors who are community minded
people who want to do the best job they can
to make Lucknow a progressive place tolive,
to get the best value for the tax dollars they
are entrusted to spend, and to conduct the
municipal business of the village in a
professional manner with the interest of the
people they represent in mind. These people
care about the village and the citizens who
live here. The concerns of individual citizens
are always discussed with the sincerity
necessary to work out a solution.
The reeve is ardent in his approach to
co-operate with the four surrounding
townships and because of this working
together Lucknow has many services that a
village of our size does not usually have. We
have our own arena, swimming pool, medical
centre and dental suite. These are services
which •if not for the co-operation with the
townships, would only be available if we
drove to Wingham or Goderich.
The citizens of Lucknow are fortunate to
have a council which is working in the best
interest of the village and its citizens.
We are also fortunate to be living in
Canada where freedom of human rights and a
democratic government are so much a right
they are no longer a privilege and can be
taken for granted.
Village preschoolers are enjoying an hour of stories, games
and music at the Lucknow Library's Children's Story Hour.
Organized by the librarian, Lorna Gary, the story hour is held'
on Monday afternoons at 2.00 p.m. Children who attended
recently were clockwise from: the upper right, Boxy Bergman,
R. 5 Lucknow; Adrian Helm, Lucknow, Mark Hiiverda,
Lucknow and Lisa Kaufman, Lucknow.
LOOKING BACK
THROUGH THE SENTINEL FILES
75 YEARS AGO
The large drain down Campbell
Street his become choked up some-
where near the bridge, and as the old
drain passes underneath the granolithic
walk on the south side of the street the
council have decided to put in a new tile
drain from Inglis Street to the bridge in
the centre of the road.
Charles Barber, who spent three
years on the Sentinel staff in Lucknow,
has _ purchased • the Pilot Mound,
Manitoba, Sentinel, and took posses-
sion of the office on October 1. Charley
isa first class young man and we can
heartily recommend him to the citizens
of Pilot Mound and his many friends
here wish him every success.
For the past week the village . has
been in darkness, so far as the street`
lights are concerned. At the meeting of
council board a communication was
received from Walter Stewart, owner of
the light plant, asking for an increase of
100 dollars per year over the former
prices for lighting the streets, and also
that,a five year contract be given to him
at the increased price. Up to the present
time Stewart received $500 a year for
the street lights and, as council did not
see their way clear to pay $600 and give
the five year contract, the lights have
been shut off. What the result of the
dispute will be we do not know, but one
thing is certain, we must have light and
if the council cannot arrange the matter
satisfactorily with Stewart, then it is
their duty to get lights from some other
source.
50 YEARS AGO
In connection with the raid on the
Stanley farm on concession 14 of
Culross and the "finding of a whiskey
still, there are certain somewhat
thrilling incidents. It appears that when
provincial officers, Nelson and McClev-
is could not find sufficient evidence to
make an arrest, McClevis went into the
large swamp near the house to took for a
still, leaving Nelson to watch Charles
Stanley and his wife. Mrs. Stanley
remarked that, if her husband was
going to be arrested, she had better go
and arrange to get bail and she asked
Nelson if it would be possible for her to
leave.° Nelson said it would be all right
and Mrs. Stanley undertook to crank the
old Ford. As she failed to start the
engine, her husband requested leave to
start it for her and he and the constable
stepped to the' car. Getting a short
distance from the constable, Stanley
made a dash for the swamp, while the
woman grabbed the officer by the coat,
thus giving her husband a short lead.
CONTINUED, ON PAGE 7