HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes-Advocate, 1981-05-06, Page 411111• • ,►.
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SER\ LNG CANADA S BEST FARMLAND
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Another avenue
The recent decision by this
newspaper and its sister publication in
St. Marys to join the Ontario Press
Council is one that has been made
recently by two other weelkly:
newspapers. bringing to nine the
number which are now included in the
council along with 10 daily newspapers.
Basically, the decision to join the
Press Council is for the benefit of our
readers and not the newspaper. Much
of the Council's activity is really activi-
ty on behalf of the public as it deals
with unsatisfied complaints from the
public about the conduct of the press, in
opposing anything that interferes with
the freedom of public expression, or in
defending the public interest in the
freedom of the press.
While this newspaper and its
employees have attempted in the past
to resolve matters to the satisfaction of
readers. membership in the Council
does provide another step people can
take if they are not satisfied with our
decisions or actions.
Newspapers are not above
reproach and membership in the Coun-
cil indicates a willingness to accept out-
side adjudication if the need should
arise.
Equally important, is the growing
strength of the Council to defend the
public interest in the freedom of the
press.
Worth a try
Vandalism continues to be a
problem for both private and public
property owners as the bill for the
repairs of wanton destruction mounts.
Various attempts have been made
to come up with a remedy, but most
have failed as much as the studies on
why people have so little regard for the
property of others.
The Middlesex Board of Eduction
has come up with yet another attempt
at reducing the damage in their
schools. the latter being one of the
prime targets of the hooligans who are
responsible for the vandalism.
The board has set up a fund for
each school to repair damages and any
money left at the end of the year will be
turned over to the student councils in
those schools to spend as they see fit.
It's a bit of a carrot and may well
prove successful. as the peer pressure
may encourage vandals to think twice
before they attack the schools and sub-
sequently the funds. Other students
may also be more vigilant as they move
to protect the money that will be theirs
if the vandalism is curtailed.
It is a novel project that school
boards across the province will be
watching with interest as most of them
share in the mounting cost of damage
to school property.
Court disaster
One of the certain signs of spring
every year in Grimsby is the increased
presence of bicycles. particularly those
ridden by children and adolescents.
The sights are everywhere:
— carefree youngsters on bicycles
weaving through traffic:
— careful youngsters on illequipped
bicycles. particularly those riding at
night without lights or reflectors.
Sooner or later. this year or next.
yet another young rider is going to be
seriously injured, or worse, killed — a
harsh word, perhaps, but it has too
often become a. harsh reality.
Many youngsters, showing the
results of proper upbringing and train-
ing. exercise responsibility with their
wiwzgwompfaron
By SYD FL.ETCHER
Bad luck seems to run in
streaks At lean that is what
the teacher at my school
who comes to do speech
therapy is hoping.
It all started with a storm
that appeared to he. in hind-
sight anyway. a small tor-
nado. The wind was strong
enough that they had second
and third thoughts about
staying on the main floor of
bicycles. Too many others are, simply.
a hazard to themselves and others.
Somewhere, sometime, a smart -
aleck bicyclist will have a collision with
a car. and hell come out second best;
or perhaps he'll be unable to avoid a
slow-moving senior citizen as he races
along a sidewalk or shopping plaza.
Then, his grieving parents will be
asking themselves questions. when it's
too late. Why not ask them now?
Do you know where and when your
youngster is riding his or her bicycle?
Do you know how he or she approaches
that responsibility? Does he or she
know how to ride a bike?
Let's ask the right questions now,
and not the wrong questions later.
Grimsby Independent
Perspectives
the house Checking around
the place after the storm
they discovered that the gar-
age had shifted right off its
foundation and two big steel
!doors had suddenly imagined
'successfully) that they
were birds and had taken
off
On inspecting their swim-
ming pool. they discovered
that the Winter cover' looked
suspiciously clean. Right.
The cover had shifted in the
storm emptying all the
debries into the water.
The cleanup started and
after a hard day all seemed
to be well again.
About 4:00 in the morning
she heard this strange
gushing sound. Water was
moving somewhere in the
house. All the taps though
were off vet she could still
hear the pressure pump go-
ing and water gurgling.
Down in the basement
they went to find themselves
stepping through water. A
valve in the water softener
had broken down causing
water to spurt nut in the
wrong direction.
After spending an hour
sweeping water up before
she could leave for school
she heard a strange clunking
noise coming from under the
hood of the car.
She decided to ignore it.
After all, things had been so
bad they were bound to get
better.
"Y ou gave me quite. a start — for u second 1 thought .vou were my' loan manager."
BAITN AROLJND
with the ed
Farmers aren't alone
There's a new version to the old song
about how you're going to keep them
down on the farm and it has nothing to
do with New York. Broadway, or bright
lights but rather high interest costs and
low prices for farm products.
The combination is pushing many
farmers to the wall and the number of
farm bankrupticies is growing at an
alarming pace. Beef and hog producers
are hardest hit because they say
they're losing money on every animal
they send to market.
One of the difficulties in assessing
the situation is to sort out the wheat
from the chaff. Farmers. similar to
everyone else in society these days, are
prone to grumbling about their situa-
tion. Some of it is well-founded and
some of it is caused by the disdain for
belt -tightening to which people in all
walks of life are being subjected.
Not all farm bankruptcies can be
blamed entirely on the market place. of
course. Some are due to poor manage-
ment. Many have been created due to
expansion programs that were ill-
advised in view lof the market con-
ditions.
There are stories of farmers paying
as much as 81.000 per week in interest
charges. an obvious indication they are
in over their heads. and even if the in-
terest rates dropped a few percentage
points. that type of financing would still
be a burden that few could expect to
carry and still come out with a profit.
Another farmer lamented the fact
the bank foreclosed on him by moving
in to cart away his hogs because he
couldn't come up with the 8170,000 he
owed them. Anyone that far out on a
limb has to be classified as a big
gambler who lost.
However, while it is difficult to
Summar and
Die per smtwty
muster much sympathy for those who
have obviously bitten off more than
they can chew. it must be noted that all
things are relative. All except the most
secure farmoperations are hard press-
ed and it would be folly to dismiss the
agricultural problems as being
associated only with poor management
and big gambles.
There are few farmers able to
operate without borrowing money and
the excessive interest rates are taking
away whatever profits they require to
maintain their viability.
While paying $1.000 a week in interest
may be uncommon. even a small por-
tion of that figure would be a hardship
for smaller farm operators.
To a large extent. farmers have
created some of their own problems.
The chap who has borrowed heavily to
expand his operation has contibuted to
the over -supply in the market that has
reduced the price of his finished
product and subsequently made it im-
possible for him to repay the interest
and capital on his expansion.
Not only has he made it difficult for
himself. he has also created a problem
for all producers who are affected by
the declining prices and increasing
supply of product oh the market.
Providing government assistance to
help farmers meet rising interest costs
is only a bandaid approach to the situa-
tion and, as sure as night follows day,
some would seize upon the subsidiza-
tion to go out and borrow more funds to
expand their operations to an even
larger extent and drive prices down
further and continue on the merry-go-
round that got them into trouble in the
first place.
The fact of the market place is that
not everyone can produce what he
wants and in the quantity he wants.
Those who fail to abide by the dictates
of supplyand demandcan't expect to be
bailed out by tax dollars, because that
in turn reduces the spending power of
the consumers they need to buy their
products.
Obviously. any assistance in the
matter of interest rates must be ac-
companied by some self-help from the
commodity groups adversely affected.
If that isn't voluntary it would have to
be a stipulation to receive the govern-
ment aid.
One of the confounding matters is
that Ontario consumers still have to
import many of their agricultural
products. Some of those porducts could
be grown here and some government
aid to permit farmers to switch to
alternate products may be a practical
method of alleviating some of the
current problems.
•
It is, of course. all very complicated
and certainly won't be resolved over-
night or merely by replacing Lorne
Henderson as Ontario's agriculture
minister.
In many instances it is a national
situation. and while it may require
some immediate short-term solutions,
there is a clear indication that some
national long-range policy planning
must be considered, not only by
politicians, but also farmers.
It may not be much solace to the
farmer facing financial difficulties, but
he should know he's not alone: He's in
the same boat as many other large
and small businesses in this country as
well as a large section of the population
as inflation, interest rates, energy
costs and government spending push
many to the wall.
Taking train something else
There are three ways of getting to
Moosonee. You can fly, which is expen-
sive. You can walk. which is lengthy, or
you can take the train, which is
something else. I took the train because
I was a bit broke after a major
decorating job. because my gout was
acting up and 1 couldn't have made it
walking in two years. and because I
wanted the experience.
It was an experience I will never
forget. Or repeat. When 1 think that
my daughter made the same trip. two
years ago. with two small boys, my
heart bleeds for her. It's almost
twenty-four hours from Toronto, and
she refused to get sleeping berths,
against my advice.
But she's very adaptable, strong -
hearted and generally clear-headed
young woman. and has made not only a
go of it, but a success of copingwith a
frontier town. if' there's such a thing
left in Canada.
At Cochrane. you change from a
fast transCanada train to the self-
styled Polar Bear Express, somewhat
of a misnomer. as it has nothing to do,
even peripherally. with polar bears,
and is the exact opposite of an express.
It stops whenever it feels like it, backs
up for a while, sits for a while, then
jogs off again
Sitting in a coach surrounded by fat,
middleaged Indian ladies who chuckled
and gossiped in Cree, I felt much like a
Russian aristocrat who had been
banished to Siberia for supposedly plot-
ting Against the Czar. The train rolled
on hour after hour through the taiga,
skinny evergreens too useless even for
pulpwood, burnt-out patches every so
often, snow out both windows, and no
sign of human life. All we needed was a
samovar at the end of the coach, and
the Siberian image would have been
complete.
But a warm welcome, with some
hugs and kisses from grandboys dis-
pelled the first impression.
There seems little real reason for
Moosonee to exist. except that it is the
end of steel. Yet it's a thriving little
town. with all the requisites: liquor
store. post office, police station,
churches, The Bay store, with a
monopoly on most food and clothing, a
meat market. two hardware stores, one
garage, a Mac's Milk sort of place, a
Chinese restaurant, magnificent
schools, a really splendid, small art
gallery featuring the works of Indian
artists, and three taxis.
What more could a man want? Well,
maybe a poolroom. Or a massage
parlor. Or a movie house. But there are
sybaritic southern frills. No violent
movie could take the place of a dash
across the mighty Moose River just
before break-up, with the water flying
as though you were a ship In a stiff gale.
It's an odd community, geographical-
ly. It looks as though (sod or somebody
had flown over the place, dumped out a
few handsful of buildings, and let them
. fall where they might. I can find my
way arotind in moat major cities, but I
was constantly getting lost in
Moosonee.
Something else that made me wonder
was what people did for a living. There
is no industry. yet everybody seems to
have money. Nobody looks even vague-
ly hungry. Perhaps it's a matter of tak-
ing in each other's washing.
But I have a suspicion that if all the
government money, railway, liquor
store, schools• police, welfare, old age
pensions, baby bonuses and so on were
suddenly withdrawn• the place would
collapse, and be remembered as a sort
of rough-hewn Camelot.
There is. of course, the tourist in-
dustry: but that's pretty negligible ex-
cept for a couple of months in summer,
and during goose -hunting season.
On the other hand, the government
was left with a pretty sizable invest-
ment, and has used it with some com-
mon sense. The town used to be an
army base, and many of the buildings
have been put to use as schools, hous;
ing, administrative offices. Better than
leaving them to rot.
For example, the houses on the base
are now rented to teachers and other
officials. The barracks are used to
house the Indian kids from Moose Fac-
tory, across the river. The recreation
building is used for school -rooms. It
still has a bowling alley. There is a
curling rink, where kids also learn to
skate. At the school there Is a fine
cafeteria, with food that would make
Mainstream Canada
Who'll pay the piper?
By W Roger Worth
Canada's banks financial
institutions are making loud
noises about losses on charge -
card systems, so it's probably
only a matter of lime before
they put the bile on someone
to pkk up the slack.
The question is, who is
going to pa).
Roger li'orth is Director,
Public Affairs,
Canadian Federation of
Independent Business.
Will the banks start charg-
ing credit-card customers im-
mediate interest on accounts,
as funds are paid to busi-
nesses? Al present, customers
get interest-free money if they
pay their charge -card accounts
within 30 days of the billing
date.
As might be expected, a lot
of Canadians are taking ad-
vantage of This opportunity to
save significant amounts of
money.
There are also rumbles that
interest rates on accounts not
paid within 30 days will be
raised from the present 21%.
The banks and financial in-
stitutions that operate Master
Card and Visa are also discus-
sing an annual customer fee of
S15 - 825 to offset apparent
losses. Many American banks
have already gone this route.
For smaller "businesses,
though, the. real concern Is
that the bankers will simply
raise the already high charges
they are forced to pay the
banks.
These fees now vary be-
tween 20le and 7010 of sales,
depending on the size and type
of business.
A typical small restaurant
operator, for example,. might
pay 7010 of sales, receiving
only $93 for. a $100 charge -
card form when it is presented
at the bank for payment:
A major oil company or
big restaurant chain, on the
other hand, may pay as little
as 20/o - 3% of sales.
So under the present sys-
tem, smaller firms pay an ex-
tremely high price for the
plastic cards they are virtually
forced to accept .as a service to
customers.
There's little wonder, then,'
that Canada's small business
community is apprehensive
about where the banks will
pick up the extra money. 1t
may come direct(} out of their
pockets.
The read€;rs
Dear Sir:
We are requesting your
assistance in connection
with the responsibility of
this Ministry to enforce the
provisions of the Athletics
Control Act.
AM . -fights both amateur
and professional require the
consent of the Office of the
Athletics Commissioner.
Our particular concern lies'
with the promotion of
"Tough Guy" or "So You
Think You're Tough" events
in which members of the
public are invited to
challenge all comers in a
series of bouts until only one
fighter remains. This
province would not grant a
sanction for a fight such as
the one described above on
the basis that it would not be
in the best interests of the
public or the safety of the
participants.
We are thereforeaskingthat
you and the other
newspapers throughout the
Province cooperate in this
matter by checking to make
sure that boxing events have
been sanctioned by the Of-
fice of the Athletics Com-
missioner before accepting
any advertisements.
Should you have any
further questions in this con-
nection please contact Mr.
Clyde Gray, Supervisor of
Boxing, Ontario Athletics
Commission. 3rd Floor, 555
Yonge St.. Toronto, Ontario
M7A 2H6. telephone (416)
963-0272.
Yours very truly,
James F. Vipond
Commissioner
Dear Sir:
"Singspiration" was the
right name for the youth
choir of Calvary United
Church, London in Exeter
United Church last Sunday
morning. There was toe tap-
ping and tears as the young
people brought their
message of "God's love".
(Who is He and Where is
He?) through songs,
dialogue and prayers.
"Singspiration" was
directed by Michael Farrow,
who grew up in Exeter and
his wife Mary Margaret. The
Exeter United Church
Women were very proud to
sponsor such a talented
group of young people, on
their anniversary.
Here are a few comments
from some people who
attended the service.
"Wonderful" - How do you
put it into.words? - Left me
moved. - A great message -
would love to have stood up
and shouted Hallelujah -
great to see so many young
people involved. - If you
weren't there you missed
something.
Carf Cann,
Press reporter for
Exeter United
Church
the habituees of our school cafeteria drool.
But this is beginning tosoundlike a travelogue, not my in-
tention. I had a grand visit with my only daughter, without
the constant interruptions of her mother.
I played chess with my grandson 7, and barely escaped
with my hide. Twice he forced me to checkmate, a
humiliating experience. And I played without mercy,
regardless of age.
Most days I picked up the other little guy 5, at his
daycare. and he gave me directions for home when I got
lost.
I got through six novels in six days, and didn't mark a
single exam paper. That's what I call a holiday.
We had music. and read poetry, and played dominoes,
and ate like kings. I ripped off three graceful Moosonee
geese. handcrafted by the natives. And I came home with a
better sunburn than confreres who's gone south for their
holiday.
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