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The Citizen, 2004-11-25, Page 4Looking Back Through the Years EDITOR'S NOTE: — Newspapers are always looking for ways to help their readers understand how to properly prepare a letter to the editor. The following appeared in an edition of the Rocky Mountain House (AB) Mountaineer. One of the best read parts of any newspaper is the letter to the editor column and there are usually more than enough to make issues lively and interesting. Rules of writing letters are quite simple. Stick to these and we will be quite happy to print them, if not one week, then the next. • Address your writing to the editor. With "Open letters" to someone else. we always get the feeling of snooping in someone else's mail. • "Thank yous". Please use our card of thankS column in the classified section, or have your group budget for display advertising space, rather than using a letter to the editor. Letters are the place to express opinions and carry on debates. • Bad taste. This is a family newspaper. People can make their points without vulgar language. • Libelous material. To bad mouth someone in public is slander, to do so in print is libel. If we allowed someone's character to be unduly attacked, we are just as subject to a libel suit as the author of the letter. • Illegible and incoherent letters. Our typesetters are renowned for their ability to read bad handwriting. However, the most ideal situation is to have the letter typed and double spaced. Some letters ramble and make no sense, no matter how nimble our mental gymnastics. If we can't make heads or tails out of the letter, we won't make our readers try. If we can edit the letter to make it clear, we will. • Length. This is not the place for a textbook of personal opinion. We suggest that most people can get their point across in fewer than 750 words. Keep it short and to the point. It is in the best interest of the writer for the letter to be interesting and understandable to other readers. • Prose and poetry. We are a newspaper and not a literary magazine. There are places for short stories and poetry. The only time we will publish such material is if the item is, in itself, newsworthy. Winning a competition with a poem or story is a good reason. On occa- sion we will invite such material as we do annually for our Christmas edition. • Anonymous letters. If the writer doesn't believe the letter is worth signing, we can't believe it is worth reading. The opinion is more valid if the writer is willing to stand behind it. If a person does not want his name to appear, he must make a strong case to us in person. • Unsubstantiated facts. If you want to quote "facts" in the letter, tell us where they come from so readers can check on them. • End of Debate. After we feel all sides of a debate have been thoroughly aired and letters on the subject become repetitive, we will put an end to it. • Local Interest. Any topic is fair play, but letters should be of interest to the people of our community. EDITORIAL POLICIES PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2004. Publisher, Keith Roulston Editor, Bonnie Gropp Advertising, Heather Armstrong & Capucine Onn The Citizen Editorials Opinions The Citizen is published 50 times a year in Brussels, Ontario by North Huron Publishing Company Inc. Subscriptions are payable in advance at a rate of $30.00/year ($28.04 + $1.96 G.S.T.) in Canada; $80.00/year in U.S.A. and $100/year in other foreign countries. 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. PUBLICATIONS MAIL AGREEMENT NO. 40050141 PUBLICATIONS ASSISTANCE PROGRAM REGISTRATION NO. 09244 RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESSES TO CIRCULATION DEPT. PO BOX 152 BRUSSELS ON NOG 1H0 email: norhuron@scsinternet.com We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Publications Assistance•Program (PAP) toword our mailing costs: CanadV. +CNA 67 -. 06 Member of the Ontario Press Council iNix1:=1. We are not responsible for unsolicited newsscripts or photographs. Contents of The Citizen are Copyright P.O. Box 429, BLYTH, Ont. NOM 1H0 Phone 523-4792 FAX 523-9140 E-mail norhuronitscsinternet.com Website www.northhuron.on.ca P.O. Box 152, BRUSSELS, Ont. NOG 1H0 Phone 887-9114 FAX 887-9021 What happens if border opens? There was a ray of hope for hard-hit beef, sheep and dairy farmers this week when Prime Minister Paul Martin announced U.S. President George W. Bush was beginning the process of reopening the U.S. border to Canadian imports of ruminant animals ending the 18-month ban after a single cow tested positive for BSE in May 2003. It's still a long way to go before Canadian livestock producers can expect relief from the depressed prices that resulted from the backlog of cattle waiting to be processed at overwhelmed Canadian packing plants. But at least there is a new sense of hope for producers, as the Christmas season approaches, that an end to the crisis may finally be in sight. But if the border does indeed open, where does Canadian agriculture go from here? Do we go right back to being as dependent on American packers and American consumers as we were when the BSE crisis hit? The BSE crisis has shown the vulnerability a country faces when it depends too much on "free trade". One of the great advantages of trade is economies of scale and those efficiencies led to dependence on large Ameritan packing plants to slaughter our beef cattle, cull dairy animals and sheep from western Canada. With the border closed, suddenly we couldn't process what we produced and even after the border was opened for many cuts of meat 15 months ago, the crisis continued. Small, but significant, steps have been taken in recent months to make Canada more self-sufficient in processing of animals raised here. The Gencor plant in Guelph has begun processing cull cows which were badly backlogged by a system dedicated to producing meat from younger animals that could be exported to the U.S. Smaller packers were being assisted by the government to increase their slaughter and storage capacity so they could lift some of the burden. There was a long way to go, and there's much faster relief of farmers in reopening the border but these were steps in the right direction. But will it now be back to "business as usual" once the border 'reopens? Will lessons be learned or will we revert to a system that makes farmers, and by extension the whole rural economy, vulnerable to future disruptions. Pork farmers are also experiencing the vagaries of dependence on exports with the U.S. countervail challenge that could mean $20 a hog levy on every market pig shipped to a U.S. packer and smaller amounts for the millions of weaner pigs shipped to fill the barns of U.S. hog producers. Sheep producers haven't even been able to access the full Canadian market for lamb because major supermarket chains. will buy only federally-inspected meat and we have no federally-inspected lamb packers in Ontario. So lamb producers suffered the humiliation of seeing lamb continue to be imported while they were hit with devastating prices. Solutions to these problems are tougher and take longer than reverting to dependence on American packers and markets and the temptation will be to slip back into the old ways when they become an option. If we do we'll continue to be vulnerable for the next crisis.— KR Nov. 26, 1952 Mrs, Wildfong of Moorefield shared her photos of her trip to Alaska with members of the Majestic Institute during family night supper. Nov. 27, 1969 During a recreation committee meeting, which was hosted by the Brussels Lions, Hugh Pearson, former chairperson of the recreation,- committee, was honoured for his 20 years of service. Huron Food Products Plant in Brussels was broken into by would- be safe crackers. Entry was gained by forcing a side door and several other doors were jimmied to reach the office containing the safe, which was then dragged from the office into the plant. The culprits used everything from a sledge-hammer to a cement drill in an attempt to open it, but were unsuccessful. They ended up being scared away by the store manager, but not before helping themselves to some ice- cream cones. Nov. 29, 1972 Brussels firelighters were called to a chimney tire at a local resident's house. There was no one at home when the fire was noticed by a passerby. A neighbour was alerted and called the fire department. There was no serious damage done. Mr. and Mrs. Ira Campbell of Belgrave celebrated their 75 wedding anniversary. The 25th annual Huron County 4- H achievement night was held at Central Huron Secondary School. The president of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, said that "parts of each county must be zoned for livestock farming and quickly," during the OFA's annual meeting in Hamilton. Students from Grey Central Pubic School joined with teacher David Perrie to show how area pioneers produced apple cider at a centliFy old cider mill which Perrie had purchased. - About 176 boys were registered for hocke)/at the Brussels arena and 40 women had signed up for curling. Nov. 26, 1986 The Brussels Mennonite Fellowship held a paper drive in Brussels in participation with recycling week in Ontario. Some local championships from several divisions of the Royal Winter Fair included Bodmin Farms Ltd., Huronia Farms, Loreldo Farms, Jan Van Vliet, Hugh and Jo- anne Todd, Brent Robinson from Vista Village Farms and the Rintoul girls from West Wawanosh. Sandra Hunt of Walton was crowned Huron County Queen of the Furrow, marking the official end to the plowing match season. Eight new Girl Guides were enrolled in the 1st Blyth Girl Guides.. They were: Kimberley Ferguson, Jackie Caldwell, Pauline Stewart, Erica Clark, Kerry Hallahan, Jennifer Cucksey. Laurel Campbell and Tina Burkholder. During a Londesborough United Church service, a wall clock was dedicated in memory of Rose and Will Hunking by their family. The Londesborough ladies of two separate groups of the United Church Women put on a baking bee and produced more than 100 pies in less than four hours. Pies were sold by the piece at a fund-raising event to raise money to purchase a van for Lion Ron Nesbitt. Angus Sinclair, the new director of the Blyth Festival Singers, directed his first performance of the choir. Nov. 25, 1992 Members of the Belgrave Guiding movement had a wonderful time cuddling little teddy bears from the Little Village Floral Crafts at the organization's craft show. Everyone was ready to enjoy some delicious home cooking when they showed up for the annual Brussels United Church Women's pre-Christmas Bake Sale and Luncheon. Gary and Nellie Clayton purchased the former County Store in Belgrave and transformed it into a showroom for antiques and called it the Old Tyme Radio Centre. Alex Motely, 18, was a long way from his Pleasanton, Calif., home as he spent the winter in Brussels as a member of the Brussels Bulls. Dorothy Tamblyn, Helen Lawson and Rev. Paul Ross held open the new Londesborough United Church doors which were installed . to replace the church's old wooden doors which were deteriorating. Nov. 27, 1996 An unoccupied two-storey brick house burned in Blyth. The suspected cause of the fire was a woodstove that was not properly put out. Katie Clark and Chrissy Mason had a great time preparing sundaes, made-to-order, during the Ark's SAFE (Substance Abuse Free Environment) week activities. Students at F.E. Madill Secondary School were tested on their alcohol and drug knowledge during a health fair. A posthumous honour was bestowed on the founders of the Huron Pioneer Thresher Reunion with a plaque at the Blyth , Community Centre trophy case. Blyth council agreed in principle to the establishment of a practice by Dr. Daniel Rooyakkers. Provincial agriculture minister Noble Villeneuve and Huron MPP Helen Johns visited various farming. operations in the county.