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The Lucknow Sentinel, 1994-05-18, Page 4Page 4 — Lucknow Sentinel, Wednesday, Ma. 18, 1994 -yr AI b 51. M "raw*, 0,00.+W .✓0.4.yi ^r' Published weekly by Signal Star Publishing Ltd at 619 Campbell Street Lucknow Ont PO Box 400, Lucknow, Ontano NOG 2H0 • 528-2822 Fax (519) 528:3529 Established 1873 Thomas. Thompson Advertising Manager. Pat Livingston General Manager/Editor Phyllis Matthews Helm Front Office Subscription rates advance: Local Regular $2000 within 40 mi radius G 5 r incl Local Senior $1 700 within 40 rni radius G 5 T incl Out Of Area (40 miles) - Regular $32.24 -C Senior $29.24 G.S.T. incl. Forogn * U S A $9669 Publications mail registration no 0847 held at Lucknow Ont Changes of address. orders for subscriptions. and undeliverable copies (return postage guaranteed) are to be sent to Lucknow Sentinel at the .above address 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 for signature, will not •be cha.cied tor• but the balance of the advertisement will be paid at the. applicohle rates Would Singapore . solution ever be tolerated here? The case of the young Ivan in Singapdre facing a S2,230 fine, four months in jail and six' strokes of a splitbamboo cane for vandalism has been debated over and over by thousands of North Americans as they sip their beer. Is it' an appropriate sentence for such a crime? Michael Fay, 18, was arrested in October'last year and charged with, 53 avis of vandalism, including spray -painting cars. In March this year, he pleaded guilty to reduced charges, but only after he was allegedly slapped, punched; threatened and deprived of sleep by Singapore police. Now United States President Bill Clinton has intervened on the hog's, behalf, suggesting the youth's confession may not have been voluntary and claiming a four month jail sentence is "quite severe". The family's lawyer has made an appeal for a,pardon to Singapore President Ong Teng Chong. Failing clemency, thc boy's father has offered to take the beating for his son. - • . Unlike many North American cities which are dirty and dangerous, Singapore is said to be exceptionally clean and safe. ,No wonder: ' Singapore's laws are deliberately designed to deter titterers and vandals and thieves and thugs - and' those who are foolish enough to disobey the law once,. usually don't want a second encounter. Travellers, we're told, are warned that•ignorance of the law is no excuse in Singapore courts. When in Singapore, you are under Singapore law and you are subject to, the same punishments. So what about it? Is the Singapore, sentence upon Michael Fay too harsh? Most people concede that Singapore laws are Singapore's business. Most people agree they are fair - and effective - in Singapore. Most reluctantly concur that young Michael should take his lumps like a man. Would stricter laws work here? Should we flog those who scratch obscenities on public buildings? Should we incarcerate those who drop a tissue on a public street? Should we cut hands off shoplifters and execute robbers? .• While many Canadians long for stiffer penalties they think would help to protect society from itself, it is unlikely thc Singapore solution would ever bc,tolerated here. Canadians always err on the side of mercy - and live with the consequences lest injustice prevail. - SJK The Sentinel Memoirs Saturday holiday proved difficult 70 years ago May 22, 1924 Aholiday problem - A legal holiday falling on a Saturday presents a difficult problem to the, town grocer, the banker and the butcher. Meats won't keep from Friday until Sunday, and many find bread unpalatable when it is two days old; besides there are pies and a variety.of other cookery which many regularly buy on Saturday which are of little use if bought on Friday. Much the same may be said of what the grocer supplies. It is not too much to say that the trade in these lines on Saturday afternoon and evening is worth any other two days of the week. Shop keepers are up against this difficulty this week - Saturday being that long-established holiday, May 24th of May. There has been a good deal 'clone, but no definite conclusion has been arrived at. We understand, however that practically all stores will be closed though likely bread and meatcan be obtained. 50 years ago May 24, 1944 ear Hydro rate explanation - Representatives of the Hydro Electric Power Commission of, Ontario, who attended a public meeting here on Thursday night,. when hydro rates were discussed, held out little hope of this municipality receiving any very substantial rate reduction in the immediate future. A smaller reduction in local rate charges was recently authorized. Any further reduction, it was pointed out, would depend on the analysis of the 1943 operation of the local systems and which analysis will not be completed until well into the summer. If the local system shows a sufficient opperating profit by this analysis, a further small reduction per horse power may be expected. • It's CF month 'r0 THE EDITOR Dear editor. May is CF month. Did you know that one in 25 Canadians is a carrier Of a defective gene causing cystic fibrosis? Chances are one in four' that a child born of two parent carriers will have CF. Cystic fibrosis is a genetically transmitted; incurable disease affec- ting primarily the lungs, and diges- tive system. Symptoms include:. constant cough producing thick mucus; excessive appetite but loss of weight digestive and bowel disturbances; excessive salty taste to -the skin, and repeated or prolonged bouts of pneumonia: Presently there is• no cure- or ef- fective control for CF. Your help . can make a difference. Please sup- port CF. For more info. contact Canadian Cystic Fibrosis. Foundation; 2221 Yonge St., Suite 601, Toronto, Ontario. M4S 2B4. (416) 485-9149. Denise Gilchrist CF Chairperson Lucknow & District Kinettes. Have chance to attend hockey school - Lucknow's famed chin line - Bill, Albert, and George - are booked to attend the Detroit Red Wings hockey school for two weeks. in October, A Detroit talent scout was in town on Monday, when he made arrangements for the boys to attend this school in the fall, if they so desire, 25 years ago • May 21, 1969 Burning will have to cease at dump Luck - now village council has received a corn- munication from the. Environmental Health Services Branch, Public Health Division, and Ontario Department of Health, regarding open burning at the Lucknow municipal dump. The Department of Health advises the Lucknow council. that the air pollution control act prohibits open burning "except with the permission and under the direction of a provincial officer". The department states in its letter that it understands that open burning is presently being done at the Lucknow dump which. is in violation of the act. - The department states that this will, create air pollution problems and must eventually cease. In the letter, the department states that they recognize that immediate cessation by the village may produce difficulties and that time must be allowed to make other arrangements. In this regard, an application must be submitted within 30 days if . the municipality intends to keep burning refuses at the dump. Permission will be extended indefmitely.and the department suggests that alternate methods of disposal be investigated. The letter to Lucknow council is one of a series of such letters which has gone out to municipalities in Ontario. Cliff Mann and some members of the Scouting association are shown helping during tree planting day last Saturday. Members of various clubs and the public turned out to help make Lucknow greener as part of the Greenway project. (photo. submitted) Friendship and co-operation led to responsible government PROVINCE OF CANADA, 1841 -- Canada's existence owes much to the partnership of two moderate reformers: Louis-Hippolyte La Fontaine and Robert Baldwin. Trained as a lawyer, La Fontaine began his political career with elec- tion to the Lower Canadian As- sembly when he was twenty-three years old. Tall and portly, La Fon- taine was respected as a man of ideals ' whose love for French Canada was readily apparent. Like La Fontaine, Robert Baldwin was a lawyer who took up politics at an early age. But Baldwin was shy and prone to depression. • Political life held . little appeal for him. However, motivated by high principles and a strong sense of duty, he devoted much of his life to changing the Canadian political system. In the early 19th century, Canada's political system was in much need of reform. The British Colonies of Upper and Lower Canada were dominated by closely knit elites. Satisfied - with their positions of privilege and supported by the British Governors, these elites paid little attention to the elected assemblies in'the colonies. In• 1837, resentment against the elites reached a boiling point, and rebellions broke out in Upper and Lower Canada. In Upper' Canada the rebellion was quickly defeated but in Lower Canada, it was drawn out and bloody. When the fighting was over, the British government dispatched Lord Durham to inves- tigate the colonial grievances. Durham's report advocated greater pow,er for the colonial as- semblies - exactly what the leaders of the Lower Canadian rebels had demanded. However, he also recommended that Upper and Lower Canada be united - a proposal that many Lower Canadians vehemently opposed. Nonetheless, in February 1841, the Union was proclaimed and the election was called. La Fontaine ran in the riding of Terrebonne. But on election day; 200 armed thugs sur- rounded • the polling place, obstruc- ting La Fontaine's supporters from voting. La Fontaine's intervention prevented a pitched battle, but he lost the election. A few months later, La Fontaine received a letter from Robert Baldwin. Baldwin had been elected in two ridings. He had spoken to his constituents in Fourth York and. had persuaded them to elect La Fontaine in his place. Would La Fontaine agree to run in a byelec- tion in Toronto? He would. La Fontaine cam- paigned in Toronto. on a platform of French -English cooperation and won the Seat with a comfortable majority. Baldwin's gesture won the reformers considerable good -will in Lower Canada. The respected jour- nalist and academic Etienne Parent wrote: "If all the inhabitants of Upper Canada are like him (Baldwin), 1 predict the most bril- liant results of the Union of. the Canadas". By the end of the 1840s, Baldwin and La Fontaine had succeeded in • convincing the British government that legislative. power should rest in the hands of the elected assembly of the colony. Moreover, their his- torical compromise showed that French and English Canadians could work together to solve their political problems. � Letter policy The Lucknow Sentinel welcomes readers' views and opinions. All letters must be signed and include the author's address and telephone number for verification purposes. Letters should be topical and are routinely edited for length, style and clarity: Brief letters which make a point -have more impact and stand a better chance of inclusion. Personal attacks, consumer complaints and potentially libelous letters will be rejected. .