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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes-Advocate, 1981-04-08, Page 4Page 4 Time+ Established 1873 • Times -Advocate, April 8, 1981 Advocate EstabI,shed 1881 Imes - 8 dvocate rre,r,am. ••••,Yr' �Wi+r�fn�! SERVING CANADA'S BEST FARMLAND C.W.N.A., O.W.N.A. CLASS 'A' and ABC Published by .1. W. Fedy Publications Limited LORNE EEDY, PUBLISHER Editor — Bill Batten Assistant Editor — Ross Haugh Advertising Manager — Jim Beckett Composition Manager — Harry DeVries Business Manager — Dick Jongkind Phone 235-1331 Amalgamated 1924 Published Each Wednesday Morning at Exeter, Ontario Second Class Mail Regestration Number 0386 SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Canada $17.00 Per Year; USA $35.00 B1 U E RIBBON AWARD 1980 Need answers One of the basic premises that should be realized when considering an engineering report is that the author is a businessman. An engineer is selling his service on a percentage of the final price of the project and therefore makes more money on the super deluxe model. In the long term, that model may serve the customer to the best advan- tage. However, the customer should at least determine if there is a standard or even compact model that could be con- sidered. So it is with the engineering report on which Exeter council agreed to request funding last week. The sewer expansion project will cost $1,108,000. Of that amount, $175,000 is for engineering and contingencies. Ob- viously. the firm has much to gain in council's acceptance of the project. There is no suggestion of inac- curacies in the engineering report. But some statements and suppositions in the report are open to question. Some of those statements are not even at- tributable to the engineer. For instance, they use figures from the Huron County planning department to indicate that continued population growth of 1.0 percent per annum can reasonably be expected in Exeter. That is certainly open to question inview of the fact that Ontario is quickly losing its appeal and the provincial growth rate is now at 0.9 percent. Can Exeter really expect to be above the provincial average? Is there not an indication that the provincial rate and Exeter's will even continue to decline? In discussing alternatives to the $1.1 million project. the engineers discount the possibility of reducing existing flows significantly although they suggest more investigation should be undertaken to establish and eliminate points of storm water connection. It is also admitted that the spring to summer flows ratio is not desirable although it is normal for communities of the size of Exeter. What does thatmean? It suggest that some reductions are possible. The ques- tion is whether the reductions are significant enough to pursue. If something is not desirable it should be changed. In arguing against doing nothing, which would limit growth in Exeter, the engineers say that a growth restric- tion is assumed to be socially un- desirable. The point here is that growth restriction should not be construed as total curtailment. There would be limits. but to date. those limits are not defined and this newspaper has By SYD FLETCHER When you go camping here in some Southwestern On- tario campgrounds you will often have some masked visitors during the night. Unless your edibles are lock- ed up tightly you are liable to find yourselfa little short on breakfast if the raccoons have their way The little beggars become pretty cheeky too. daring to burrow under the corner of dining tents or wherever • previously suggested that a study be undertaken to determine just what those limits may be. It would appear to be one of the ma- . jor considerations in the expenditure of $1.1 million and yet it is a question that remains unanswered, which is rather ridiculous in view of the amount of money involved. The engineers correctly state that the industrial sewage flow allowance granted to Canadian Canners by agree- ment cannot be reduced. However, that should not be misconstrued either. It doesn't say that the actual flow cannot be reduced. Perhaps that too is an avenue that could be explored. Canadian Canners, the report notes, have discharged only 80 percent of their allowed total in the 1973 agree- ment and yet for design purposes the engineers have assumed that the com- pany will discharge 100 percent of the agreed total. What is the basis for that assumption? Why not assume that it will remain at 80 percent or even go below that? The engineers dismiss another alternative partially on the basis of high operating costs, and yet admitted in questioning by Councillor Bill Mickle, that the operating cost of the system they are recommending has not been evaluated. It seems strange that the operating costs of systems that are dis- missed are evaluated and one being recommended is not. In rejecting land disposal methods, the engineering report outlines the ex- cessive use of valuable farm land and the high capital cost of irrigation on municipally owned land. They appear not to take into consideration the municipally owned land not aready in use at the lagoon site nor the possibility of using less costly marginal farm land that is in close proximity to the town. While these points are made to question the scope and cost of the proposed project, there may be questions on whether itl is in fact realistic on the other side of the ledger as well. The engineers note that a 20 -year design period is used for such projects. So why did the lagoon expansion program undertaken in 1975 suffice for less than six years? Will the proposed expansion only serve for that length of time as well and therefore suggest that an even larger project be considered? In conclusion, the report contains too many assumptions and questions for council to embark on the expen- diture of $1,108.000 without satisfying themselves and the ratepayers that the assumptions are correct and getting answers to the questions. Perspectives their mischief can take them. One of my friends found himself forced to get up and chase them fifty yards away only to find one hack at the site before he himself got there. In Florida. there are raccoons. too. but also little bundles of armour called ar- madillos which enjoy payine house calls during the night. One of our church choir members was down in the sunny south a few weeks ago. During the night she heard some noises outside the trailer and decided to in- vestigate. No 'coon' or ar- madillo was going to spread her garbage all over the lot. To her amazement the bandits were not four -legged at all. Two young fellows were busy applying some old-fashioned mechanical knowledge to the neighbour's Cadillac. "Somebody get the police!" she hollered. "They're stealing—'s car." The two young crooks dropped their tools and head- ed for their car. I think they would have been more than shocked if they'd looked in their rear-view mirror and seen a usually sedate lady chasing them down the street. The sheriff who arrived a few minutes later remarked, "You're lucky they didn't take a pot shot at you!" "1 just wanted to get their licence number," she replied. Who ever said there are no heroines among us? "Stop getting hysterical — they're only statistics!" 'NI AROUND... the editor:. Creating their own danger Canadians who point an accusing finger at their neighbors to the south and suggest that acts of violence against political leaders there can't be duplicated in this country are fooling themselves. As mentioned editorially last week, it is a growing problem in this nation as evidenced by the harrowing ex- periences of Premier William Davis and his wife during the provincial elec- tion and the ugly mood of some demonstrators in attendance at the public excursions of U.S. President Ronald Reagan during his recent visit to Ottawa. Ironically. this new danger to govern- ment leaders in this country is, to a great extent. of their own making. The new emphasis being placed on political party leaders is creating a situation where people can be expected to assume that if they have a gripe against the government, they shquld direct their fury towards the leader. It is thererfore understandable that residents of Ontario who have com- plaints against the government would direct their attack on the person of Premier Davis. Certainly, the adver- tising campaign conducted by the Progressive Conservatives In the elec- tionwouldfoster such action. He was singularly portrayed as the party and consequently the govern- ment. The inference was that regardless of who was running as the local candidate in any particular riding, it was the PC candidate who should be elected because that in effect was a vote for Bill Davis. The result was that some protestors came from as far away as Sudbury to conduct demonstrations at the nomina- tion meeting for Davis and at other political rallies where he was in atten- dance. • While that may explain why leaders such as Davis are harrass td; it is cer- tainly not any condonation of some of the verbal and even physical abuse to which he was subjected.,, .0 However. it does point out that many Canadians do have some misconcep- tion of the structure of governments in this country and the power which is given to leaders of the parties in power. Certainly. it is vastly different than the structure of the U.S. government and the power which is given the presi- dent of that nation. One of the major differences is that the president ap- points his chief advisors and cabinet members from the private sector, whereas in this country, those positions are filled from the ranks of elected of- ficials by the premiers or prime minister. In effect, voters in this country have a great deal to say about the abilities and philosophies of the people who are available for cabinet postions and who become almost equal partners with their leader in formulating policies. That person does not become an equal partner in the sense that he can be removed from' the postion by the leader if the two are at odds over any particular issue. • • The whole point is that there is a growing attitude in this country that the matter of leadership is the major question when it comes time to mark ballots during an election. The problem is that leadership is often confused with personality or even personal appearance. The political parties do little to Suciar and Spice Dispensed by Smiley Ripple of the old feeling Went to a political meeting recently, first in years. It was a nomination meeting to select a Tory to run in the next election. And, despite my rather jaundiced view of politics and politicians, I was able to muster a little ripple of the old feeling that politics is exciting, and the democratic process is far from perfect, but better than most systems devised by civilized man. As an old weekly editor, this was nothing new to me. I published a week- ly paper in a.rural riding, and had to go to the dang things. Often had to drive fifty miles. sit through a smoke-filled nominating convention, drive home, arriving about 2 a.m., and have to write the story for next morning's paper. But I enjoyed every minute of it, even when my man lost, which he frequently did, because I lived on the water, and the farmvote would almost always lick us. Farmers are thicker than thieves,. when it comes to politics. If it's a Liberal riding, they vote a solid Liberal. 1f it's a Tory, they go Tory. If it's NDP, they're crazy and must live in the West, according to Liberals and Tories. As a newspaper editor and quandem writer, 1 have been wooed by all par- ties. And, as a human being, I like to be wooed, whether it's by cats, grandchildren, beautiful women, or politicians. As a result of this personality weakness, I have worked, and written, politically, for all three major parties in Canada. I felt rather badly that the Social Credits did not woo me. I have written speeches, radio scripts, advertisements, and many "news releases," a euphemism for political plugs the editors just might run for free, for all parties. 1 never felt that I was prostituting myself, even though I didn't intend to vote for the guy I was working for. I was simply using a skill for someone, usually a friend, who'd asked me, because he didn't have the talent or the time to do it himself. There's another reason I didn't feel like a prostitute. My total reward for all this was one bottle of Crown Royal, and fifty dollars, deductible for the can- didate. And in every case, I voted against the guy I was promoting, which made me feel sort of virginal. Well, you don't want to read about my devious path as a political fink. Let's get back to that convention I went to the other night. Itwas a typical Canadian nomination convention, I figured, as I wandered off into the winter night with some young neophytes who had never been to one. Cigar smoke, a lot of rednosed guys whispering to another lot of guys with whiskey on their breath. A series of boring speeches, in which every can- didate pledged virtually the same thing, and invoked that big name in the sky, the provincial leader. And assurance that we must all pull together for the party, no matter who won. But what's this, when I walk in? A rock group whacking out some deafen- ing stuff. Banners, signs on sticks, silk scarves denoting your voting 01.0 LNiiiainstream Canada Millions for polls Br W. Roger Worth Gosernmenls in Canada spend millions of dollars per year on polls and surreys, yet most are reluctant 10 adserIlse the results. The reason: the results pro- s ide ro- side an ads outage for the party in power. That adsantage is denied 10 opposition groups. Roger 11 ort/: is Director Public 411nirs. Canadian l'edrrorion Independent liminess. Naturally, politicians on the government side argue That (he results could pit one government, one region, or groups of Canadians against .each other. The Opposition argues just as strongly that Canadians have a right 10 the information. And it's not only the federal government (hal is spending heavily to research voler attitudes and intentions. By now, virtually every pro- vincial government has set up similar polling systems. The broader question is whether, in fact, polls and surveys should be used al all. While kovernmenl leaden claim polls are simply a 100110 ferrel out problems, mane observers contend govern- ment polilicians are so hung up on survey results that new policies are accepted or re- jccled on the basis of a thou- sand or so interviews. The pollsters, of course, have been known 10 he wrong. No polling firm, for exam- ple. came close to projecting President Ronald Reagan's landslide victory in Iasi fall's U.S. elections, even though the most sophisticated meth- ods were used. Nevertheless, a lot of Canadians believe that if tax- payers are forced 10 fool the bill for having Themselves polled, they should be able to see the results. In a recent survey, mem- hers of the 58,000 -member Canadian Federation of In- dependent Business voted 79% in favor of immediate publication of all polls taken at public expense. The taxpayers who are paying the piper, it seems, would like to hear the tune. change that attitude. Whets they see it as an advantage, they stress personali- ty at the expense of the rural issues in an election. the policies and platforms. They, of course, are not totally to blame. If they can get votes on that basis from a gullible electorate, they can hardly be faulted. This creates the situation where political parties are in fact forced to choose leaders who will have wide voter appeal based more on their per- sonality than their qualifications, par- ticularly when there appears to be so little to choose between the philosophies of the two major political parties in this country. The consequences for leaders who fail to win that voter appeal is simple. It generally means being replaced. The outcome of the recent provincial elec- tion will probably spell the end of the career of Stuart Smith andperhapseven Michael Cassidy and certainly Joe Clark is hanging on by the skin of his teeth after being defeated in the last federal election. One would think that it is the policy that should be changed, but obviously that is not the main test in an election. That's not to say the situation is cor- rect by any means, but that is only the reality of it. . • So, returning to the original thought, it can be seen where political leaders in this nation are placing themselves (or being placed there by their parties) in a position where they are subjected on a more personal basis to the frustrations and anger of the electorate. Given the number of sick people walking about in that electorate, it may not be a safe position in which to be. preference. A kilty band warming up in the wings. Holy Old Nelly, I thought, what Is the sober Canadian voter conning to? And when 1 took a look at the size of the crowd, I was shaken. 1 was used to two or three hundred of the old party flacks, the people who handed out jobs in the liquor store, gave the nod to the contractors of the right persuasion for construction work - a post office here, a new dock there. But I needn't have worried too much. Despite the effect of American political conventions on TV, we Canadians behaved with decent decorum. There were no demonstrations. No fights, no marching around the hall, fiercely cheering their candidate, ex- cept for a few teenagers who em- barrassed everybody. Those honest Canadians wiggled their banners a bit, even held them up. A few uninhibited souls, with no sense of decency or decorum, actually shouted aloud the name of the man they were going to vote for, but were careful to shout it only when others were doing the same, so that they wouldn't be singled out or humiliated by sounding emotional. There were no women candidates, naturally. A women's place is. in the home, or out rounding pp candidates (male), or providing the lunch. There were seven candidates, only 'two of them with a hope of winning. Some of them might have seen Child Tax Credit Parents :— Do you have children 17 or younger for whom you re- ceived family allowance for January, 1981? If you do, and your family income is under $21,380, you will be able to claim a refundable child tax credit of S238 for each eligible child. If your family income is greater than $21,380, the credit will be reduced. Family income means the combined net income of both parents. This credit may only be calmed by the parent, usually the mother, who receives the family allo- wance cheque. if you are a single parent (mother or father) receiv- ing family allowance in January, you will be able to apply for the child tax credit. Usually the number of children for whom you can claim the credit will be shown in box (F) of the 1980 Statement of Family Allo- wances that you receive in January, 1981, from Health and Welfare, Canada. A child who was 17 during most of the year but in December, 1980, tamed 18 will not be in- cluded in box (F) and is not eligi- ble for the tax credit. You may, however, claim a child born in December, 1980, or a child who moved to Canada in 1980. To do this, you must obtain an award letter from Health and Welfare, Canada confirming the eligibility of the child. You apply for the child tax credit by filing an income tax return. Even if you have no income, you must file a return to obtain the credit. If you filed a return last year, you should automatically receive a personalized return in the mail. If you have never filed or have not filed a return fora year or so, you will not receive a per- sonalized form in the mail. You can, however, pick up a tax return booklet at any Post Office. To complete Schedule 10, the Child Tax Credit schedule in- cluded in the tax package, report your own and your spouse's net income and number of eligible children. In moat cases, the schedule must be signed by both parents. If an amount has been entered on line 3 where the spouse's net income is to be filled in, then the husband or wife whose income is being reported, must sign the certification box. Be sure to attach a copy of your 1980 Statement of Family Allo- wances, or the award letter from Health and Welfare confirming your eligibility to receive family allowance payments. Just a reminder — missing infor- mation will delay the processing of your return. Sometimes the in- formation slips you are required to attach to your return do not arrive until February or March. You should not file your return until you have all the information needed to determine your own net income and that of your spouse. However, don't forget to mail your return before the April 30 deadline. For more information on claiming the Child Tax Credit, refer to your 1980 Tax Guide. The readers write Dear Editor: Pet Owners of Exeter: I guess that for the most part this letter is more for dog owners, but it does in- clude cats as well. I received a letter from town council, stating simply that if I loved my dog I should prove it; by giving them ten dollars. (For what in return they never really said.) Anyway, I was about to write the cheque- when a .friend, also a dog owner, called me on the phone and asked me if I didn't think it was pretty ridiculous. I, of course being curious as to what they were talking about, asked what. "cats!" they said "Cats?" I asked. "How come cats don't have to. be tagged?" Well, well I thought. How come indeed. It was at this time I decided my dog needed ten dollars worth of food. Sorry about that council, but I figured that was a pretty good way of telling him I loved him. While we're at it., how about that - how come cats can run free chasing squirrels and birds, without a tag, while my dog has to be taken for walks on a leash, tied up when he's at home, and still be required to have a tag? D.L. Moody themselves as Joe Clarkes, winning on the fifth ballot, after the big shots have knocked eactt other out. This doesn't happen on a riding level. There is no corner- ing of delegates, last-minute deals and promises. The can- didates all stand up near the front, smiling desperately. The wives of the turkeys who ran without a hope are whispering harshly in their husbands' ears about all the money down the drain. But their husbands are euphoric in the knowledge that they can some day say they ran, and were narrowly defeated, for parliament.. The candidates all said the same thing, In different words. My man made the best speech, came second on the first ballot and stayed second until the last ballot, when he soared to second. It was all over. We elected a possible backbencher instead of a potential cabinet minister. But it was democracy at work. You can't beat them there farmers, when they get together. Why don't they do it more often? Because they are stubborn in- dividualists, that's why. And good for them.