Loading...
Times-Advocate, 1983-06-29, Page 4Pogo 4 Timtti6-Advocat.. Jun* 29. 19e3 imes - dvocate Times Established 1873 Serving South Huron, North Middlesex Advocate Established 1881 & North Lambton Since 1873 • Amalgamated 1924 Published by 1.W. Eedy Publkations Limited LORNE EEDY Publisher JIM BECKETT Advertising Manager BILL BATTEN Editor HARRY DEVRIES Composition Manager ROSS HAUGH Assistant Editor DICK JONGKIND Business Manager Published Each Wednesday Morning at Exeter, Ontario Second Class Mail Registration Number 0366. Phone 235-1331 SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Canada $21.00 Per year; U.S.A. $56.00 C.W.N.A., O.C.N.A. CLASS 'A' and 'ABC' Should be corrected - A gaping inadequacy in the system of justice could be corrected in Ontario through a private member's biilpresented prior to adjournment. The bill has been sent to a committee and deserves quick passage. It calls for compensation to innocent persons sent • to jail for crimes they did not commit and in presen- ting the bill, Conservative Doug Kennedy noted that such persons pay high legal costs, suffer considerable personal anguish and face loss of their livelihood while going -through the ordeal. No system is perfect, and there have been situa- tions where innocent people have been sent to jail, on- ly to be released later when it has been proven they were wrongly convicted. The most noteworthy case recently was that of a Sydney, N.S. man who spent 11 years in a federal penitentiary for a murder which he did not commit. Because the system can not be perfect, it is only reasonable that those who suffer from the periodic er- rors have some compensation, although it may ob- viously be difficult to come up with an appropriate award. Kennedy has suggested a ceiling of $60,000 on com- pensation, and while that may fall short in extreme cases, it is nevertheless an attempt at paying for an error. Another resource waning Canada's position as a leading agriculture pro- ducer of the world is being threatened and the ramifications of the situation will be serious for this nation as well as those who depend upon it to feed their hungry. The horror story of paving Ontario's rich agricultural land has been broached on many occa- sions without any appreciable corrective action and now 'word from the Prairies is that thousands of hec- tares are being lost annually through salt poisoning and erosion. Salination occurs when the landgets too much water and leaves concentrated salt deposits during evaporation, becoming worse over time. Already 2.18 million hectares are affected and the total grows by 4,000 hectares annually. - Coupled with the salination problem is the revela- tion that half the topsoil has disappeared from the Prairie provinces since they were first broken to the plow 65 years ago, and nearly 50 percent of the original organic material has been lost. Studies indicated that over the next 17 years, the surplus grain Canada has for export will drop to eight million tonnes from the current 30 million tonnes. Car- ried through to a longer conclusion, the suggestion is there may not be enough productive land to grow the grain needed for domestic use. A soil sciences professor at the University of Saskatchewan predicts that if nothing is done, Western Canadian agriculture will be reduced to a backyard operation in less than a generation. And yet, nothing is being done to correct the situa- tion, and probably nothing will until the public becomes more aware of the problem and start; to press the politicians.r When will the politicians at every level }i1011 their resonsibility of being stewards of the productive agricultural land of this nation? Time is no longer on their side! • Jury was wrong Joggers, bicyclers, hunters and pedestrians may have been misled recently by some very dangerous information. The Canada Safety Council (CSC) is concerned about misconceptions regarding materials to help Canadians see, or be seen, in the dark. A coroner's jury in Hamilton has recommended following the death of a jogger, that joggers should wear fluorescent vests at night. a suggestion that has been widely circulated across Canada in a publication of the Canadian Standard Association (CSA) - "CSA - The Consumer". According to the CSC, the jury was wrong. Fluorescent vests serve no purpose at night, and a plain white shirt would be more visible. White is more than twice as visible as fluorescent red, according to tests Research Council. Instead, fluorescent vests are more visible during dawn and dusk when there are large amounts of ultra- violet light (which makes fluorescent colours appear brighter than ordinary colours) available. Auto headlights, and other artificial lights, have small amounts of ultra -violet. light. Therefore, fluorescence is useless for nighttime visibility. But, retro -reflective materials contain glass beads that reflect light back to its source. They are familiar to most people on bicycles, highway signs and some clothing. The slow moving sign is a good example of both retro -reflective and fluorescent materials. The fluores- cent centre shows well in daylight and the retro - reflective triangle can be seen at night. conducted by the National Tangible proof of improvements While many of the opinions being ex- pressed on the improving state of the economy touch on intangibles with which many people are unfamiliar, there is cer- tainly tangible evidence that the economy of this immediate area is back on the rails. In fact, it appears to be recovering at aarticularly fast clip. Friday afternoon the writer was on hand for the grand opening of the new Huron Park facilities of Dunlop Construc- tion Products inc. to hear of the an- ticipated growth of that fledgling enterprise. Over 20 jobs have already been created and the total could go as high as 70 in the not too distant future and the economic spin-off of that payroll is obviously a ma- jor boost for the area. Monday night's session of Exeter coun- cil had further good news in the statistics that the building permits issued for the first five months of the current year have already exceeded by upwards of $300,000 the entire total of last year. The new CTC Store and the expansion. at the Bank of Montreal have contributed most significantly to the totals and the an- nouncement of a new TSC Store for the north -end shopping centre indicates the momentum is continuing. Housing starts are also up significantly. The growth in all three sectors -- industrial, commercial and residential -- are, of course, inter -related in a snowball effect, and in the order in which they are noted above. •Prior to attending the opening of Dunlop Construction Products Inc. on Friday, I took a few moments to drive around the Huron Park industrial and educational complex and it is a very impressive tour. The majority of the hangars and facilities originating from the Centralia RCAF Station have been transformed in- BATT'N AROUND with the editor to attractive structures through an on- going addition of new siding. The drab, old grey of that previous era is quickly disappearing. Activity was evident at the former Hughes Columbia Yacht plant and Stephen Township clerk Wilmar Wein passed along the information that he had been at the Aura Yacht plant prior to the Dunlop opening and learned that about 25' employees are on the job. During conversation with Exeter Reeve Bill Mickle at the same event, he reported dropping into Northlander Industries here in town during the week and found pro- duction in high gear there. So it was a week filled with encourag- ing signs for the area, and coupled with the arrival of summer weather and the news that area farmers had overcome most of the adversities thrown at them by mother nature, is reason to suggest that we should all be wearing big smiles. * There are, unfortunately, incidents which arise periodically to wipe the f smiles from our faces and that must have been the response of everyone upon lear- ning of the vandalism attack on the Bethel Reformed Church last week. It's difficult for n ost people to com- prehend the mentality of those who viciously attack the property o f others, but it reaches even more staggering pro- portions when those attacks are perpetrated against churches, cemeteries and parks. The fact that some can be so out of touch with what those facilities mean to others defies comprehension. 'The lone consolation is that while a community has to live with people of that nature, they also have to live with themselves, and that must be a most dif- ficult task. * * * $ * f The first two major summer celebra- tions staged in the area over the weekend appeared to be unqualified successes with good attendance for both the Hensel) Fid- dlers' Contest and Grand Bend's Burgerfest. Other area communities will be hoping the success will be a good omen for their upcoming attractions. This area has an extremely busy schedule and in the next few weeks there will be the Ailsa Craig turtle races, Ex- eter's Heritage Days, Dashwood's Friedsburg celebration, the Lucan Fair, Zurich Bean Festival, Kirkton-Woodham garden party and Granton's gala days. Add to that the Huron Country Playhouse and Blyth Summer Theatre, along with the usual strawberry suppers, barbecues, golf tournaments and the Ilul- Iy Gully Canadian motocross champion- ship and it indicates a busy time. • Just when the Grits thought it was safe to go back in the political water Don't This is June, the month when newspapers and women's magazines run. articles giving advice to the June bride. Ironically, there isn't a woman alive who either needs or will take advice when it comes to keeping her man in line. But I know somebody who does, so let's have a little advice for that neglected, rather pathetic figure, the June groom. First of all, young fellow, what ever made you do it? There you were, living at home, eating Mom's great cooking, spending your money foolishly but for fun things, kicking up your heels a bit, and without a single worry in the. world. You were in clover, boy. However, it's too late now, and I certainly wouldn't try to turn you away from the cliff. In fact, .I'd hate to see any young fellow avoid such an enlightening education as marriage. But just as I wouldn't send a ten -year-old boy in- to the ring with the heavyweight champ of the world, I don't like to see you going into a battle that will last your whole life with no weapons but your own dim wits. First thing you'd better do, after the ceremony is over, all the jokes smiled at, and all the dumb relatives of hers kissed and shaken by hand, is to let her know who's boss. When you start on your wedding trip, just have a quiet little talk with her. Don't get nasty; just be firm. When she stops cry- ing.and yqu stop apologiz- ing, it will be all settled who is the boss. But don't need or take advice allow a little setback like that to get you down. You didn't really want to be boss and have all that responsibility anyway. Next, try. this. Tell her you think that people should get . out by themselves once in a while, after they're'mar- ried If you've only been . JIOY°F `G Sugar - and Spice Dispensed By Smiley wearing the ball and chain for a month or so, she might even agree. Then you get crafty. "In that case," you say, "you won't mind if I go over to Joe's on Friday night. His wife's away and he's having a few of the boys in for a round -table discussion on the merits of a full house as opposed to a straight." If she says, with a pain- ful grimace, no, she doesn't mind at all, she's lying in her teeth. But never mind that. Go ahead and make your plans. Don't say another word about it until Friday night, however cool the domestic atmosphere becomes. Get dressed for a poker party. Then, just before she bursts in to tears, say. "I was only kidding, lam- bie. I'd rather go out with you.': You may belying in your teeth, but she'll be so flabbergasted and reliev- ed that you'll have her eating out of your hand. For a week. When the first baby ar- rives, don't let her pull that "little mother needs her sleep" routine. Stand on your rights. Insist that she get up every other night to walk with the lit- tle squaller, whethfgr she likes it or not. She won't, but you'll feel better about your token resistance. Another important re- quisite for a young hus- band is the ability to tie while looking her straight in the eye. Practise in the bathroom. Better still, ask any old husband for lessons. If she says, "When are you going to cut the lawn?", give her a very sincere look and rep- ly, "Tomorrow night, Iamb. It's too wet tor dry) right now." With any luck it'll bepouring rain tomor- row night or somebody will ask you out to dinner. Something else that will come to you almost automatically after a year or so of your sentence is served, is the ability to change the subject without seeming to. `there's no particular set of rules about this. Just observe closely how your wife does it, and you'll soon become equally adroit %% hen you don't like the direction the conversa- tion is taking. Make it a point to hang up your clothes every night, not just sling them over a chair. In fact, it's not a bad idea to lock them right up. Never, ever get the idea that your wife is above such a thing as go- ing through your pockets. And before changing your clothes, make absolutely sure there is no in- criminating evidence in them, such as a book of matches with "Murphy's Bar and, Massage Parlour" inscribed on it. I know that you wouldn't be caught dead in such a place, and that a friend gave you the matches, but she'll never believe it on a stack of Bibles. I remember one time my wife was away for a couple oz days. When she came back, she found a match book with Park Plaza Lounge on it. To this day, I don't know where I got it, unless some fiend planted it on me, and to this day,sheswears 1 was having a rendezvous with an old flame. Speaking of old flames, avoid them as you would the bubonic plague. An old air force friend of mine took his wife to England for their twenty-fifth an- niversary treat. Met an old girl friend in a pub, in- troduced his wife, had some drinks, got a little too cosily reminiscent with the old flame. He has now been married thirty- five years, and his wife hasn't spoken to him in the last ten. Not a bad fate, really, hit it does create problems. With these few pointers dispensed, I can look with some equanimity on the procession to the slaughterhouse. Above all, don't worry, young groom. The first forty years are the worst. After that, it's a breeze. Haying was pure slugging With the coming of spring and early summer you see the farmers out planting, and then you see the odd one out baling hay. Not too. many fellows in this area keep dairy cattle so there isn't as much de= mand for the .green stuff as there used to be. Hay- ing has come a long way since 1 was a boy. Now, one man can do almost all of the field work if he has one of these balers that bale the hay then throw it right onto the wagon. Even more effi- cient is this outfit that rolls the hay up into one big ball which is left out in the field until the farmer is ready to draw it up to the barn, several months later if necessary. When 1 used to help with the baling there was your arm to make you go nothing so simple as that. to bed after a day of that It was pure slugging as kind of work. Perspectives By Syd Fletclitsi you tried to hoist the bales over your head onto the top of the pile on the wagon, then later, up in the loft, tripping and fall- ing over the uneven hay under your feet, trying desperately to stay ahead of the bales flopping off the end of the elevator. Nobody ever had to twist r And not too many years before the baling system was brought in, the hay was piled loosely on the wagon. They say that a good man on the pitchfork had practically every forkful labelled as he built the load so that the final product was a balanced work of art. My wife can remember that her job as a little tyke was to drive the tractor along slowly' as the load .vas being built by the men. On the way back to the barn her father told her to follow him. Up ori the pile of hay was her mother. Not thinking, her father made a sharp left turn and she followed him. The load of hay tipped over tumbl- ing her mother and the whole load over. No bones were broken though and the only damage was a lit- tle loss of dignity and time spent building the load up again. Maybe something has been lost from those days when the whole family had a part in bringing in the year's crop. 4