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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1994-05-11, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, MAY 11,1994. CitizensTheNorthHuron CNA P.O. Box 429, BLYTH, Ont. N0M1H0 Phone 523-47! FAX 523-9140 P.O Box 152, BRUSSELS, Ont. NOG 1H0 Phone 887-9114 FAX 887-9021 Publisher, Keith Roulston Editor, Bonnie Gropp Sales Representatives, Jeannette McNeil and Julie Mitchell r «tO 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; $3l.03/year ($29.00 plus $2.03 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. Advertising is accepted on the condition that in the event of a typographical error, only that portion of the advertisement will be credited. Advertising Deadlines: Monday, 2 p.m. - Brussels; Monday, 4 p.m. - Blyth. We are not responsible for unsolicited newscripts or photographs. Contents of The Citizen are © Copyright. Publications Mail Registration No. 6968 E ditorial I — ....... . ..-I Keep the faith The eagerness of South Africans to embrace democracy is both heartening and frightening. For black citizens who have been denied their rights for years, free elections seem like the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Those of us who have had democracy know that when you get to the end of the rainbow there is nothing there. Democracy will not solve all the problems in a very troubled country. The poverty faced by South Africans won’t go away quickly. There won’t be jobs instantly because a black president is in power. There was another election on the weekend. In Hungary, people who had yearned for so long to rid themselves of Communism, elected the socialist party, made up of some of the same people who had been in the old Communist party. Hungarians had expected their world to improve when they achieved democracy but there have been many problems. In Russia, democracy hasn't been a solution either and many long for the good old days of Communist dictatorship when at least they had jobs. Democracy without an improvement in living standards is a hollow victory. We in the West have preached the values of democracy to these countries for decades. What people have seen, whether in the old Communist empire or the poor in countries like South Africa, is our lavish lifestyle which they equated with the right to vote for the government of their choice. Once these people fight for their freedom, however, the West is often not ready to back up its words with action. While we were ready to pay billions to arm ourselves against a Soviet threat, we’re not nearly as ready to help make democracy work by the kind of economic boost that was given to western European countries after the devastation of World War II. We mustn't make the same mistake in South Africa that we've made in Russia and eastern Europe. We must help the South Africans prove the value of democracy. If not, the temptation to seek the simple solution of a totalitarian government will be too strong for many people to resist. That would be no gain at all for South Africans. — KR Strange criteria Residents in the areas around the 11 new candidate sites for a Huron County landfill site are getting their chance to ask questions at a series of public meetings this week and next. Perhaps it's time for the rest of us to ask some questions of the criteria used to choose the candidate sites. In the first round of selections two years ago nearly every site was in water-logged soil near springs and rivers. All were rejected after testing but hundreds of thousands of dollars and two years of time were wasted, and a lot of people were put through terrible strain while they worried their land might be take away from them for a dump. Now a second round of selections has been made. In the case of the three in Colbome Township at least, they are within a short distance of the Maitland River. It seems hard to believe that they could be secure sites environmentally. These sites were chosen under criteria set down by the provincial government supposedly with environmental protection in mind. Given that, why do we end up so often close to water? If all 11 sites prove unsuitable again after on-site inspection, two more years will be wasted, hundreds of thousands of dollars will be paid to consultants and many families will be left to worry for too long. It's time somebody took a closer look at the site selection criteria. Something has to be better than this system. — KR Beware simple solutions The avalanche is growing to combine the goods and services tax (GST) and the provincial sales taxes (PST) in one lump sum for the sake of simplifications, but consumers should be aware that that will cost them more money. A business panel is the latest to promote the idea of a single agency to collect both taxes. Say it quickly and it makes sense. It would mean less paper work for businesses and hopefully would mean less bureaucracy. But such a move would mean you would be paying PST on a whole range of materials you aren't now. Books and reading material, now provincially tax free, would cost more. So would advertising in this newspaper. Provincial governments will like this. We won't. — KR. Looking Back Through the Years From the files of the Blyth Standard, The Brussels Post and The North Huron Citizen 33 YEARS AGO MAY 11,1961 Students from the 19 schools in Morris and East Wawanosh Town­ ships competed in the annual Bel­ grave music festival. Letters THE EDITOR, To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the opening of the Paisley Central School in Paisley, Ontario, an open house will be conducted on the weekend of June 4. There will also be several other functions taking place over the course of the day, including both a dance and barbecue. The Reunion Committee invites anyone who attended or taught at Paisley Central School over the past 25 years to come and help celebrate Some of the winners were Bren­ da Stone, Mary Bewley, Keith Elston, Neil Bieman, Carol Wilbee, Brian Adams, Doris Coultes, Rose- Mary Henning, Gerald Blake, David Gowing, Margaret Nichol­ son, Grace Bromley and Ross Wightman. A 50 lb. bag of onions could be had for $1.50 and 75 lbs. of pota­ toes for $2. Morris council paid the following bills: Chas. Souch, Warble Fly inspector, $202.07; newspaper advertising, $1 and mileage for Wm. Elston to drive to Goderich, $6.40. Van Johnston starred in The Enemy General at the Capitol The­ atre in Listowel. this special event. This will be an opportunity to renew old friendships and reminisce with former classmates and staff. For further information and tickets for this event, please contact: Paisley Central School 25th Reunion Committee P.O. Box 280 Paisley, Ontario N0G2N0 (519) 353-5691 See you there! Laurie Reid RR 2, Paisley. THE EDITOR, Now that the Cancer Drive is completed, I would like to acknowledge the contributions and the volunteers. The total amount raised was $1,877.25. Theresa Machan. THE EDITOR, What has happened to our society? That's a question I find myself asking and I hear talked about a lot, especially amongst our older friends. Just listening to the stories they tell, I can only imagine the struggles they must have had and the need for mutual help and understanding. Boy, is that a world away today! Today, getting ahead at- all possible costs, no matter who it hurts, seems to be the rule. In the "olden days," if the neighbour got sick, people all got together to help." Today, they race to the doorstep to see who can buy him Continued on page 5