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Home My WebLink AboutTimes-Advocate, 1981-01-28, Page 4Page 4 Times -Advocate, January 28, 1981 r,mes Established 1873 Advocate Established 1 881 Otereeeelearetiree .. aaa Imes - dvocate 1•R\ SERVING CANADA'S BEST FARMLAND C.W.N. A., O.W.N.A. CLASS •A' and ABC Published by J. W. Eedy Publications limited LORNE EEDY, PUBLISHER Editor — Bill Batten Assistant Editor — Ross Haugh Advertising Manager — Jim Beckett Composition Manager — Harry DeVries Business Manager — Dick Jongkind Published Each Wednesday Morning Phone 235.1331 at Exeter, Ontario Second Class Mail Registration Number 0386 Amalgamated 1924 SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Canada $14.00 Per Year; USA $35.00 61461MOMMIMMSDASI Getting expensiv e While the deficit of the Huron police communication system elicited some comments from Exeter council this week, the proposed increases in the operating budget for 1981 drew only passing interest. ' The proposed budget increase is in the range of 10 percent , and while that is almost becoming an accepted figure in today's escalating inflation, the total cost of the service is reaching alarming proportions. When the system was instituted about three years ago, the total costs were expected to be around $75,000 per annum. The proposed budget for 1981 has been listed at $103,210 and obviously such an increase in that period of time is well above any inflationary factors. While the present councils of the five county towns can not be faulted for the fact the system is costing more than originally expected, they must start to question whether the cost in- volved is warranted by the service provided. When the local police answering service was provided by a private in- dividual three years ago, the cost was around $8,500 and the project cost for Exeter in the current year is $19,919.53. Goderich could be paying $40,045.48. There are obvious advantages to a county -wide dispatch system, but the five councils must keep a close eye on the costs involved because they appear to be considerably higher than those which were indicated when the system was approved. In Exeter's case, there appears to be a duplication of services now that a full-time secretary is available to answer the phone during the day. If the other towns are in the same position, it may be that the central system cost could be reduced by having it in use only during non -office hours. There is also the possibility that by bringing other emergency calls into the system (through a central emergency number as used in most cities) the cost could be apportioned over a wider base to reduce the growing drain on police budgets. It's a situation to which the local police committee should give some deliberation. Sigh of relief The world heaved a collective sigh of relief last week when, after 444 days in captivity, the 52 Americans being held hostage in Iran were released. It is to the credit of the U.S. government that the matter was finally resolved by negotiation, although there are few who would have chastised them for using force, especially when the Ira- nian captors appeared to be madmen capable of carrying out their periodic threats against the hostages. Few people can imagine the ex- treme physical and mental torment to which the hostages were subjected, although the incident is far from being the lone example of man's inhumanity to man in today's troubled world. Now that the hostages have been set free, there will be those suggesting retribution against Iran, but that think- ing separates them very little from the perpetrators of the original deed. What must be remembered is that only a small percentage of the populace of Iran can be blamed for the contempt shown for the rules of world diplomacy and humanity. Ironically, it is an excuse that can not be used by citizens of a democracy. Helping others One of the things many of us see as a benefit of life in a rural area is the fact that people will help other people. We've certainly seen some sterling ex- amples of that around here lately. Take the reaction of Varna and area to the pre -Christmas fire that destroyed everything a young family owned. A few days later that family could move into a freshly cleaned and equipped house and all the labour and material and goods were donated. We also remember an OP.P. of- ficer. who was interviewed on radio about emergency aid arrangements at the time of the Oxford county tornado. •'These people are very good at looking after their own." he said, while ex- plaining there was no panic and no desperate need. We should he very careful not to becometooself-righteous and claim this good neighbourliness as an exclusively By SYD FLETCHER "If it wash t for hunting." said the tall young man, dressed an a plaid work shirt with a full bullet -belt around his middle. "there wouldn't be much sense in living." "Not really." he added, "hut life would he pretty boring. I guess Ile had been telling me about hunting wolves in Lamhton County. Ile had bagged three of them this year already At *50.00 a pelt he didn't pay for much more than the feed for his eight dogs but he didn't seem to be too worried about that. f rural trait. Yes, it's one of the hold overs from pioneer days that we've been lucky enough to keep and nurture. But it exists in cities too, as well as in some neighbourhoods. This willingness to help each other is probably on the increase as people get together, out of common need, to im- prove things like schools. cross walks, land lord responsiveness or just to have fun as a community. We've lived in cities and we've liv- ed in the country and so far (though we keep forgetting) it's been our ex- perience that in the big tragedies, death or fire or the minor ones like get- ting stuck in a snow bank or dealing with a sick kid. people are there for each other. Good neighbours, let's appreciate them and encourage our kids to grow up to he like them. Huron Expositor Perspectives I wasn't even aware that there were wolves in this part of the country "Yep-. he said "They're about the size of a German Shepherd and you wouldn't believe how smart they are. One fellow sets out traps for them but never has any luck. They'll take the bait and then urinate on the trap, but will never spring it." I asked if the wolves were a problem locally, killing livestock or bothering peo- ple. "No. he replied. "Probably wild dogs do more damage. In fact, a lot of people lay the blame on wolves and it's really dogs that bother sheep and cattle out in the fields. There's enough wild game out there, rabbits and deer, that the wolves are able to fend for themselves " He uses a rifle with a scope on it that is sharp and clear at even three or four hundred yards. It has to he. Otherwise he'd never get close enough to shoot the wolf. In the old days wolves were feared, perhaps not too fairly. as I understand that there has never been a proven case of a wolf at- tacking a human being. Usually the creature is shy and stays away from people, knowing only too well the effect of a high-powered ri- fle. It seems a little unfor- tunate to me that we have to hunt such an intelligent animal, that we have to kill it to pove something to ourselves. I wonder if a camera fixed to that telescope would not ac- complish the same result. A* " 'N--.04,.... "Our car's so old, it's already paid for." • An enthusiastic beginning Eiceter'S industrial committee may have been merely testing the waters in their suggestion that they receive a budget of one mill (approximately $5.750) for promotional purposes this year, but the request at least suggests that the committee members are aim- ing higher and are perhaps more enthusiastic than some of their predecessors. Industrial promotion has been a rather hit and miss situation in the municipality for the past several years, and similar to many other endeavours, has depended to a great extent on the interest and effort of those associated with the work. However. it is also an area in which there is a considerable amount of over- lapping of efforts at the various levels of government: municipal, county, regional, provincial and federal. Not only is there a problem with that over- lapping. in many instances there is direct competition between one level and the other. That ofter results in the efforts of one level being usurped by another of those levels. The municipality, being on the bot- tom level of that totem pole structure, is in a precarious position in efforts to attract industry. If the federal govern- ment is providing incentives for in- dustry to locate in Nova Scotia or the provincial government is providing assistance in an effort to locate in- dustries in Eastern Ontario, the efforts of industrial -promotion groups in other parts of the country or province are .put at a decided disadvantage. • However, that situation pertains primarily to large or medium sized in- dustrial concerns, and it has been an accepted fact that municipalities can only hope to attract small industries through their own efforts unless they are located m an area which is being promoted by either of the two senior levels of government or the industry has a particular interest in a given area. That basically leaves Exeter in com- petition with municipalities in Western Ontario and a few years ago, Huron County council decided that the in- terests of the county would be best served by having an industrial develop. ment officer to co-ordinate efforts in 1-Ipron. That is reasonable thinking, because the major competition for new industries comes from cities which can afford full-time staff and sizeable budgets for their industrial promotion work that goes beyond the scope which a small town such as Exeter could muster. The local industrial committee members have already recognized the fact they must liaison with the county and hopefully they will recognize that the main thrust of their financial and human resources should be aimed in this direction. Plans for a major piece of promotional literature have already been approved by the county and that should negate the need for a similar ex- penditure on the part of any municipali- ty in Huron. But the local industrial committee should ensure that the town's needs are met by that county literature without having to duplicate the costs involved Sugar and Spice Dispensed by Smiley Puts iron in Canadians Ah. winter! There's nothing like you to put the iron into the souls of Canadians. We can tuff you out. But the trouble is that the iron stays in the souls. and our short summer is not enough to make it molten. In other words. everybody over fifty has arthritis. Mine doesn't bother me much. because I'm always trying a new remedy that is guaranteed, and hope lives eternal in the human beast. I've tried carrying a potato in my hip pocket. It was a sure thing, I was told. But from sitting around on that cold mashed potato for a couple of weeks. all I got was arthritis in the hip. where I'd never had it before. My son, who is a great man for herbs and a vegetarean, except when he's home, when he eats three helpings of meat. had a surefire recipe that would cure arthritis in three weeks. It's an herb from Switzerland, called Devil's Claw. It tastes like a devil's claw that hasn't been washed since His Evilness was kicked out of heaven. You have to drink three cups of the junk. brewed in hot water and left stan- ding. per day, before meals. I was faithful for the three weeks, even though it was an ordeal to look at food after swallowing the swill. Result' I shad the worst arthritic knee I've had since a guy kicked my kneecap two in- ches to the left hack in 1944. A kind lady from Alberta wrote that she could get me a special price on some kind of machine that gives you ul- tra -red (or something) treatments. 1 declined to answer, on the reeasonahle grounds that I knew it would turn me into a red arthritic. I wouldn't mind be- ing a red Indian (something I've never scen). but I didn't want to become a red arthritic. for some reason. My wife has about eight books about arthritis. She keeps reading me bits from each, 'and I get so confused I don't know whether to diet strictly, eat like a hog, get into acupuncture, or go out and roll in the snow, naked. I imagine any .or all of them would have the same result. Anyway, my arthritis doesn't bother me at all. It's just a good excuse for getting out of a lot of unnecessary chores, which my old lady is quite young and fit enough to do herself. Scrubbing (my knees are bad.) Wallpapering (my shoulders are killing Sue). Garbage (doc says don't lift anything over 20 pounds; my back.) Anyway, I didn't intend to write a column about arthritis. As a topic of either conversation or literature, it's about as exciting as the common cold, another subject which winter provides Canadians some stimulating repartee about. What I really set out to do was write an Ode to Winter. And here it comes. I tell my students that any dang fool can write modern poetry, but there aren't many of us left who can make it rhyme. Ode to Winter "Winter, you is a time for Slipping and sliding, Swooping and gliding, Snowmobile riding. But if you decided to spend the winter in Flor'da I'd adore ya." That's all. No need to spoil a perfect in presenting local information to prospects interested in locating in Ex- eter. In recent years, Exeter has basically left the matter of industrial promotion to the county, and while that should be the focal point of their efforts, the local committee should assume the respon- sibility on behalf of this community to ensurethat the county efforts are keeping pace with those of other coun- ty, regional and city groups with whom they are competing. They should expect close cooperation from the county development officer in being advised of any interest being shown by prospective industries and should provide the local liaison when the need arises. County development officer Spence Cummings has had a rather low profile in Exeter, due in no small part to the inactivity of a local industrial promo- tion committee, and hopefully this year's group can correct that situation. By the very nature of the beast, in- dustrial promotion is oftegn a cloak and dagger situation, but it should also be an open and well -coordinated effort between those involved in equal pur- suits. Hopefully, the early enthusiasm in- dicated by the new industrial com- mittee in Exeter will be rewarded in tangible terms and will provide a strong local effort to back up the coun- ty efforts in this regard. bit of poesy. But imagine what a modern poet, especially a young one, would do with that. Here's a sample, no rhyme. no rhythm: Hey, Mr. Winter 1 dig you. Beer and bums after the ski hill. Downing the drinks after the bonspiel Knocking down farmers' fences with my Bombardier Flier. You're a white man, Ole Mister. I dig you." Come to think of it, the second ode has more concrete nouns than the first, more action verbs, more appeal to the senses, and sharper imagery. Not to mention a great and powerful use of repetition in the opeing and closing lines. It's a better poem. but how can it be abetterpoemif it doesn't rhyme? As R. J. Needham would ask, who once stated publicly that there hadn't been any good poetry written since Ten- nyson. I told him that was utter non- sense. He agreed. He was just trying to get somebody to say something. Nah. Winter's not so bad. But my heart sinks when I think that Wilson, the boy next door, is in Grade 12, and will soom he off to college. In the mor- nings. after a blizzard, I sit quietly drinking my tea and reading my paper until 1 hear his shovel clanging on the hack porch. Then I leave for work, knowing my path and driveway are open. In the summer he cuts my grass. I'm going to ask all his teachers to fail him this year. The only other solution is to sell the house. L111[ainstream Canada Free enterprise is not what it used to be By W. Roger Worth There's little wonder governments in Canada are offering all kinds of goodies to virtually anyone prepared to create badly needed Jobs, particularly in the manufac- turing sector. While unemployment hovers around the 800,000 mark, the provinces and the federal government have been forced to provide job -creation incentives to compete with our neighbors to the south. Roger Worth is Director, - Public Affairs, Canadian Federation of Independent Business. Just consider what's hap- pening in the U.S. The city of Williamsport, Pennsylvania, for example, offers interest rates of 3% per year for up to 70% of the pro- ject cost of a new or expand- ing manufacturing enterprise. That's not a bad interest rate, considering the lowest bank rates are in the 18°7o - 20010 range. In Pawtucket, Rhode Island, they're offering 100°10 financing on the cost of land, buildings and equipment. And the State of New York has been running an advertising campaign in Canada, attempt- ing to entice our entrepreneurs south. In addition to low cost financing, many states are of- fering tax holidays, subsidies to train workers, and a host of other incentives. To keep up with Uncle Sam, Canada's provincial and federal governments have de- veloped more than 300 sup- port programs for new and ex- panding businesses. The hodge-podge of incen- tives includes low-cost loans, the Department of Regional Economic Expansion, which provides subsidies for creating jobs in slow growth areas, and grants to train workers. All the provinces, of course, have a long list of in- centives to attract business, and even the municipalities are participants as they devel- op industrial parks. While dyed in the wool free enterprisers may argue that such support programs are not necessary, there is little question the incentives have played a prime role in keeping our unemployment rate as low as it Is. The world has certainly changed and free enterprise is not what it used to be. Save on income taxes invest more for future By Frank Kaplan It's that time of the year again when people should be thinking extra hard about how to ease the forever growing burden of taxes. Income taxes are inevitable. They're one cost of an organized society. One of the few pleasant aspects of the Canadian income tax system is the provision of opportunities to minimize the bite in ways that anyone can use. You don't have to be a tax lawyer or an accountant to take personal advantage of many of the tax breaks...they're easy. The most popular, the one that everyone must be famil- iar with by now, -was 'introduced over 20 years ago. In 1957, the Federal Government put in place what is prob- ably the best single tax break going --the somewhat cumbersomely -named "Registered Retirement Savings Plan." Today; a couple of million Canadians are enjoying the advantages of an RRSP. The first two months of the year have become a tradition with Canadian financial instit- utions using television, radio, newspapers and magazines to urge all of us to use their RRSP services and investment plans. In 1980, the period for completing our RRSP arrange- ments will extend to March 2. Don't overlook that dead- line. Most of us have been sold on the idea that RRSP's save taxes now, while we build fanancial resources for our retirement years. But we tend to overlook one key elem- ent -- the dramatic growth possible with investment of before -tax dollars, compared with much lesser growth achievement when investing after-tax dollars. Using an RRSP, you do not pay tax on the money invest- ed until some time in the future. Tax is deferred. Consider a typical young couple in their early thirties. The husband earns 130,000.00 and supports his wife and two young children. By the 1981 tax rates, this taxpayer is in the 38% bracket, so that, of every additional 11.00 he makes, he only has 62t left over. If he has 14,000.00 from earnings to set aside in savings only 12,400.00 can actually be saved because he must pay 11,520.00 in income tax on the 14,000.00 of earnings. Saving in an RRSP, the 14,000.00 he deposits is fully invested because no tax is paid on those earnings at the time they are deposited in an RRSP. It means that 11,520. more is in savings --that's over 60% more than by not using an RRSP. It's important to grasp that simple point. At the time you use your RRSP savings, tax must be paid of course. But the value of earning income on before - tax dollars outweighs that liability when you consider a second key point. No tax is payable on the growth or income earned in your RRSP until you use the RRSP savings. Therefore, the amounts in RRSP's grow much faster because they are tax-free amounts which accumulate free of tax until you use them. The next column will show some of the arithmetic that dramatically emphasizes the growth potential of investing before -tax dollars. 0 ti ti This column is prepared by Frank Kaplan, a prominent `writer on Canadian business esnd finance, in association with the staff and information facilities of The Investment Funds Institute of Canada, which represents financial organizations investing mor, than $3.3 billion of the savings of almost 500,000 Canadians. help your Heart Fund help your heart •