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Home My WebLink AboutThe Huron Expositor, 1997-02-26, Page 5TNI MINION Tip j1, February ae 1•67-4 Guest Column by Frank Sills Saluting in London, England durin WWII Will r l Before Christmas we asked readers to submit memories on a variety of topics for the Celebrate Seaforth 's History committee and to publish in the Duron Expositor. We have received a series a tic!: :.;. wa me».�.- ries from Frank Sills, one of Seaforth's most involved citi- zens over the years. This week we present one of Frank's pieces. BY FRANK SILLS During World War II the city of London in England was perhaps the one with the most popularity with Allied Troops. The streets were full of various national troops both officers and men. This entailed a lot of saluting and g 1 trans anted g i ransp anted workers spend salari various ruses were used to getting around it. One of the commonest was to turn and show a great interest in the contents of a store window. I was on leave and went to the Canadian Beaver Club near Trafalnar Square.. •o— .-y..K�.. wilcrc i ran into some Canadians who had been on a Radio Course with me at the University of Toronto and finished as Radar Mechanics after a course in England. We were all glad to see each other and set out to see a pic- ture show in the city. There were six of us and we all came from different units to where we performed similar duties. We noticed an officer com- ing towards us so we auto - Huron MPP writes about Bill 104: matically tum to look into a window. A voice said "Airmen turn around." It was the Canadian officer who announced that he was in charge of special police for the city of London and IfA_ r he had been getting com- plaints that the likes of us were not saluting. He imme- diately asked the first airman "Where are you from?" "I'm with a Czech squadron." "You should know enough to salute." "Who are you with?" "I'm with a Canadian Squadron." "You should know enough to salute." "Who are you with?" "I'm with a Free French squadron." "You should know enough to salute." "Who are you with?" "I'm with an RAF Squadron." "Yat: s t,uiu know enough to salute." "Who are you with?" "I'm with a Polish squadron." "You should know enough to salute." Then he turned to me and said, "Who are you with?" "I'm from Ireland." "Ooh, well there might be some excuse for you." "Yes Sir, we hardly ever see an officer." This wasn't exactly true but it served the purpose. What are teachers marching about? Dear Editor: The Government has lis- tened to the concerns of rural Ontario and has acted by - introducing Bill 104. As many parents are aware, there have been inequities in the funding formula since it was designed, and these inequities have been very harsh when it comes to funding education in the County of Huron. Presently, the Huron Perth Separate School Board spends approximately $4900 per student. This is made up of approximately $7.6 mil- lion raised through property tax and a $18.5 million grant from the province. The Huron Board of Education spends $5500 per student, approximately; $26.5 million through property tax levy and a $27.5 million grant from the province and therefore from income tax collected from the taxpayers of Ontario. The situation is quite different in the major cities. in Toronto, in the pub- lic system approximately $9000 is spent for each stu- dent's education every year. All of these funds are raised by property tax. levy. An inequity in per pupil funding has led many people to be concerned about a two tiered education system. As subsequent governments have reduced grant funding to boards of education, Huron boards have been substantial- ly affected as a result of the grants they receive. The Toronto board on the other hand, has received no reduc- tion in its funding because it receives no grants from the provincial governments. Therefore, it is important to note that Toronto schools 'have faced no reduction in funding whatsoever. Many have talked about the equi- tableness of this situation. 41 believe that this system no longer works, and is not equi- table to the people of Huron, and therefore it must be changed. We have done this in Bill 104. Subsequent gov- ernments have considered change but to say the least, it is controversial, especially in Toronto. As a result of Bill 104, funding for students will be on a per pupil basis. This will ensure that all students in the province have the same' dol- lars spent on their education regardless of where they live. Depending on the results of the funding formula discus- sions, there is a possibility' that more dollars will be spent on thc students of Huron. The same bill amalgamates school boards across the province. I believe that this will reduce administrative costs across the province and put dollars into thc class- room. A Huron Perth board presently represents the sepa- rate schools in Huron and it will not he changed. The public school board will become a merged Huron Perth Board. Will this pro- duce savings? . Presently we have two directors, two busi- ness managers, etc. and I believe we cannot help but reduce administrative costs. One of the last issues out- lined in Bill 104 is the estab- lishment of the Education Improvement Commission. This commission was set up to ensure the transition occurs smoothly and stu- dents' concerns are met and that the taxpayer's interests are protected. A trustee in the Huron Board has stated that he welcomes the commission so the interests of the public are protected and there is no question as to the fairness of the amalgamation. As th s teachers unions gear up this week by picketing MPP's offices and taking the debate into the classroom, I ask parents, teachers and stu- dents to consider carefully the effect of this bill on thc education of Huron students. The government responded to the requests and petitions of the people in Huron by putting forward this bill. Since -the bill meets the needs of the Huron students, it sur- prises me that the teachers union has mobilized teachers to march in Exeter on Friday. What is it that they are marching about? Is it a pre- amble to the bargaining table? I certainly hope not! Sincerely, Helen Johns, MPP Huron ESSIAH TME PASSOVEI BETHEL BIBLE CHURCH Seaforth District High School 1111 SUNDAY, MARCH 9 10:45 AM 'es in town? workers spend their salaries in our communities". We urge you to contact Helen Johns, MPP Huron at 1-800-668-9320 or the Minister of Education and Training, John Snobelen at 416-325-2600 to express your concerns about your children's education. CUPE, Local 1428 mem- bers at Seaforth Public School Marilyn Beuerman, Janice Carter, Carol McGregor, 'oanne Durnin, Ruth Ribey. Joanne Flanagan, Ann Kelly CONTINUED from page 4 punch clock has struck to sig- nify our day's end,yet the is government feels the veteraHarrns of educational sup- port are easily disposed of at the expense of the students themselves. We are contributing mem- bers of our communities and we support our local busi- nesses. Will "transplanted" outsourced support workers care for the children in our schools like we do? Will "transplanted" outsourced VITAMIN C VITAMIN E ODOURLESS 500 mg 400 I.0 Synthetic GARLIC Reg. Retail Value Up to $6.29 A L- i rr- r r ■ LIMITED TIME OFFER! TAURUS OR SABLE, SEDAN OR WAGON! 24 MONTH � S "ON THE LEASE • PLAN" WITH $2,998 DOWNPAYMENT OR PURCHASE AND GET $1,000 CAS COMPARE THE VALUE! HBACK" ROOMY, COMFORTABLE AND QUIET! U"..:npayment Monthly Payment , ,,,tn valent trade Sedan or Wagon MINWIAZAIIIIIIMMILIUMIMI OR MAKE ONE SINr-i1 E PAYM1 rJ i S8,(198 AND Drrrvr rr,u , ^,,r,•, See Your Ontario Ford & Mercury Dealers %Mr 1ll 7 Tams WWII6f,_we. 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