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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1991-12-11, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 11,1991. E ditorial Ignoring the obvious Sometimes it seems that human beings can't see a good thing when it stares them in the face. Sometimes we’re so used to looking across the fence at greener pastures we can't see how lush the vegetation is in our own yard. Such is the case with shopping. So many people insist on shopping in the city these days, or across the border in the U.S., that they may soon not have any choice but to go out of town to shop because they've driven their local merchants out of business. There's an old fable about a dog that has a bone in its mouth, quite large enough to keep it happily munching for hours to come. But as the dog prances home, it passes over a log across a stream. It looks down and in the water, sees another dog with a bone. Although it already has a perfect bone itself, it can't help being jealous of the other dog. It growls and opens its mouth to bark...and of course loses the bone it does have. So it may be with shopping if our consumers don't smarten up. Once upon a time there was, for instance, a furniture store on every small town's main street. Rising costs and the consumer's demand for more selection, however, soon made a small-town furniture store a rare sight. Recently in conversation with a young woman in another town, she complained that you had to go to the city because there was no selection in the local furniture store. That store only covers several thousand square feet of real estate and is jammed with furniture. The more people go to London or Kitchener to shop, the less money the local stores have to spend and the less they can afford to expand or to increase stock. If they can't afford more stock, more people will go to the city for greater selection and the vicious circle starts that eventually drives the local merchant out of business. Now the small town shopper is left with no choice but to drive miles to any shopping at all. There’s an old saying that if you don't use it, you'll lose it and it is never more true than in local business communities. Do you like the convenience of having stores on your main street? Then you'd better use them, or you won't have them when you want them. Shop at home. It pays you in the long run. Christmas spirit In a world where it's easy to be cynical, there are some heart­ warming signs of the goodness of our fellow citizens this Christmas. Everywhere you look this Christmas, efforts are being made to do something to help the less fortunate. Private companies and volunteer groups are organizing food drops to help get food into the hands of those who will find Christmas a lean time this year. The Huron County Christmas Bureau is getting help from many individuals and groups. The United Way has been surprised by how positive the response to its first campaign has been. This may be the most bleak Christmas in decades for a lot of people. People have been laid off and in some cases have seen their unemployment benefits run out. Some people on farms, barely surviving a decade of bad economic times and facing current prices that made the Depression look good by comparison, are facing an uncertain future with little cash to spend. It's a time when the traditional Christmas values of caring and sharing need to come to the fore, and that's exactly what has happened. People who have been concerned only with their own well­ being for years are suddenly looking around and realizing there are people who need help. It's a healthy sign. Perhaps if this recession can get us caring about each other again, instead of being so self-absorbed, there will be at least one good thing coming out of it. Stream in winter Looking Back Through the Years ONE YEAR AGO DECEMBER 12,1990 County council adopted a plan for construction to begin on the Huronview North site at Brussels in June. Brussels area youth gave new meaning to the words "kids on the street" when they gave their lime to take part in an Ecumenical food drive. Joan Van den Broeck was nomi­ nated by acclamation to a second term as chair of the Huron County Board of Education. Students at East Wawanosh Pub­ lic School presented the musical "Scrooge". Christmas came early for the Blyth Festival when Murray Cardiff MP for Huron-Bruce pre­ sented the final payment of $45,000 from the federal government's grant to the building program at the Fes­ tival. After much debate the Huron County councillors voted them­ selves a 4.5 percent increase for council and committee meetings. THREE YEARS AGO DECEMBER 14,1988 The newly elected Brussels coun­ cil voted to scrap the minute of silence traditionally used to open the council meetings. Blyth council swore in four rook­ ie councillors — Dave Medd, Dave Lee, Shirley Fyfe and Ken Brown. It was reported that Blyth Scouts' Apple Day brought in $264.91. Vincent Mclnnes of RR2, Wing­ ham was elected as the 1988-89 chair of the Huron-Perth Roman Catholic Separate School Board. Brussels council looks at garbage recycling alternatives. Harvey Black of Belgrave was Continued on page 25 CitizenTheNorthHuron P.O. Box 429, BLYTH, Ont. NOM 1 HO Phone 523-4792 FAX 523-9140 P.O. Box 152, BRUSSELS, Ont. NOG 1 HO Phone 887-9114 FAX 887-9021 The Citizen is published weekly in Brussels, Ontario by North Huron Publishing Company Inc. Subscriptions are payable in advance at a rate of $20.50/year ($19.16 plus $1.34 G.S.T.) for local; $19.16 ♦ $1.66 for each month after March 31/92 ♦ G.S.T. for local letter carrier in Goderich, Hanover, Listowel, etc. and out-of-area (40 miles from Brussels); $60.00/year for U.S.A, and Foreign. 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