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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes-Advocate, 1981-07-22, Page 4Page 4 Times -Advocate, July 22, 1981 Amolgomoled 1924 Times Established 1873 mes - W., ,rte _....mow Advocate Established 1881 dvocate soma %wa...tiw.. Vek SERVING CANADA'S BEST FARMLAND C.W N.A. OW NA CLASS 'A' AND ABC MEMBER ONTARIO PRESS COUNCIL Published by J W Eedy Publications Limited LORNE EEDY, PUBLISHER Editor — Bill Batten Assistant Editor -- Ross Hough Advertising Manager — Jim Beckett Composition Manager — Harry DeVries Business Manager — Dick Jongkind Phone 235-1331 Published Each Wednesday Morning at Exeter, Ontario Second Class Mail Registration Number 0386 SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Canada 517.00 Per Year; USA 535.00 Good to remember Three cheers for Elgin Rowcliffe for erecting a sign to designate the location of Rodgerville, the small hamlet south of Hensall that "resigned" in the face of competition from the latter community near the turn of the century. The hamlet was once a thriving pioneer community and Mr. Rowcliffe's action will at least spur the curious into seeking information about its past and present. The demise of Rodgerville was due to a political decision, which resulted in the railway station being placed in Hen- sall. It was the same decision which led to the growth of many communities in the area and the death of others. Some things never change. Politicians are still making decisions that affect the growth of one area over another. Eye of beholder Weather, similar to beauty, is something to be judged in the eye and mind of the beholder. That's why TV and radio weather reporters draw the ire of many people when they make judgements on the forecast. The opinion they express is not always shared by many of their listeners. - A comment that the area may be in for another "gorgeous" -day with sun and clear skies may be appreciated by the people soaking up the sun at the resort, but the description is not shared by the farmer who is looking for some badly needed rain to give his crops and drying pastures a boost. Similarly, of course, the prospect of rain brings the reverse attitude un- der the same circumstances. People who report on the weather would be better to keep their opinions to themselves and let people judge for themselves how they greet the forecast, because there is seldom un- animity on the topic. Not always healthy Forget the idea that farming is one of man's most healthful endeavors. "The truth is," said Dr. Robert C. Patten. "farming is a hazardous oc- cupation with particularly high risk of certain infections and trauma." Patten. former family medicine specialist at the University of Iowa and now in private practice in Troutville, Va. said the proliferation of farming machinery and agricultural chemicals is markedly increasing the health risks to the 13 million Americans still living on farms. Writing in the magazine Virginia Medical published by the Medical Society of Virginia, Pattern quoted the public health service as finding that the farmer is at higher risk than others of death from leukemia, skin tumors, trauma and insecticides and other chemicals. Patten said one form of blood cancer. acute lymphicytic leukemia, is more common among males in areas where cattle density is highest. He said it is higher still where dairy cattle are most common and especially so where a lymph tissue cancer in cattle is most prevalent. "As for skin cancer, there seems to be no doubt that prolonged exposure to sunlight increases the risk of it and the farmer. of necessity, spends much of his time exposed to actinic (ultraviolet) rays." he said. As far as accidental injuries are concerned. Patten said the farm "has been shown to he one of the most dangerous places in the nation" with 2,- 000 deaths and 200,000 disabling injuries annually from farm accidents. He said only construction and By SYD FLETCHER In the Canadian west there is a long-standing tradition of friendliness and caring towards ones fellow man. If you find yourself needing a helping hand on the highway 1t won't be long before you get it. 1 grant you that if it's 35 below zero that everyone realizes the stranded traveller won't last long but there seems to be a genuine interest among the people of the west for others around them. Contrast this to a situation which I encountered along f mining are more dangerous. Vibration and heavy lifting cause much disability among farmers,Patten said. with back pain one of the most common reasons given for abondoning farming. He said hearing also seems to suffer on the farm. And Patten said the modern farmer is exposed to a variety of dangerous bug -and weed -killing chemicals. In a separate report, Dr. Chitaran- jan Saran of Central Missouri State University told the American In- dustrial Hygiene Conference in Portland. Ore., that many farmers ex- pect to feel sick from pesticide use "and they accept it as one of the hazards of their livelihood." He said a survey of farmers in Missouri found that 18 percent said either they or their family members had become ill after handling pesticides. He said symptoms included headaches, blurred vision, pupil dila- tion. nausea and vomiting, increased salivation. change in heart rate and convulsions. Patten said faulty equipment or mishandling in the use of anhydrous ammonia for fertilizer can cause severe burns. irreparable eye damage and severe irritation to lungs. In addition, he said the farmer has an unusually high risk of acquiring animal infections because of his prolonged and close exposure to animals. "Other factors influencing the American farmer's health are remoteness from medical care, lack of medical insurance and lack of anyone to take over the farm chores when il- lness strikes." Patten said. Perspectives 'he 401 highway on the stretch between Woodstock and London, which although not as busy as the Toronto area would certainly come a close second as one of the heavily travelled areas in Canada. It was two o'clock in the afternoon on the hottest, muggiest day of July. Even with the air-conditioning on full blast in the car it was still like a blast from an oven. On the side of the road was a little red station wagon, its hood up, a white towel flying from the aerial, and the back door open. As we backed up you could see little heads popping up from the back seat. The women had four little kids, none of them more than eight years old, plus her grand- mother. They were travelling from Michigan to Buffalo. The red term- perature light had come on and so she stopped. Then the car wouldn't start again and there they were, in 100 degree F'. heat, in a strange area with no idea of the closest garage. One would think that with over a hundred cars and trucks passing by per minute that somebody would stop and give a little help, or that eventually a policecar would come. Not so. They sat for over an hour in that heat and not one vehicle even slowed down. Let's hear a cheer for Canadian hospitality! You're still not working? What happened to the post office job you applied for? BATTN' In many labor disputes there are no winners. regardless of the final settle- ment of the terms: Bitterness often creeps into the situation to create hard feelings that subside only in time for the next strike or lock— t and then the cycle begins again, The current'postal dispute is a prime example. and even the public become involved as their annoyance with the disruption of service generates ill feelings towards the striking postal employees. In some disputes, or course, violence breaks out and certainly this area has seen what can transpire in those cases as evidenced by the strike at Fleck Manufacturing in Huron Park a couple of yearsgo. • In that scenario there are soOto. bright spots and there can be few better(' examples than the labor dispute which was settled last week at the local plant of Canadian Canners Ltd. Except for the coverage given the situation by this newspaper, few local residents would even be aware that there was a strike in progress. There was no violence. If there was ocal union members set good example even animosity, it was difficult to detect. One of our healines noted "Peaceful pickets protest at pea pack- ing plant". It was so peaceful, in fact, that the big city media didn't even give the strike any coverage and that gives some credence to the charge they are only interested in reporting on the seamy side of life. The event was newsworthy, in this writer's estimation, from the point of view of the lack of bitterness or un- savory actions. But perhaps of equal importance is that the pea harvest con- tinued with only minor disruptions by striking _employees. 'One does not have to have a vivid im- agination to envision some of the problems that could have been en- countered for all concerned, including area farmers. had the union members decided to flex their muscles in an attempt to shut down the harvest. It is a credit to their intelligence and understanding that they chose to dis- play a co-operative attitude, in a com- plete reversal of the form evident in many labor disputes, particularly when there are people crossing the picket lines to work at the jobs normally filled by strikers. The situation had all the potential dangers of a powder keg and the com- pany. its union employees and the Ex- eter police department should be laud- ed for their efforts in ensuring that it did not get ignited. Definition of the antique business : "Turning a trash can's action into a cash transaction". The comment on the big city media ignoring peaceful strike situations is something akin to the attitude that it is not news when dog bites man. It is, however. news when man bites dog. Those of us in the weekly newspaper business take pride in the fact we cover all aspects of community life, giving equal coverage to the good news as well as the bad. /-16. Sure. we joined the throngs of daily newspapermen. TV and radio reporters when the Fleck strike was boiling at Huron Park. But unlike the other media. this newspaper's reporters have returned to Huron Park on numerous occasions since then to take pictures and report on the activities of the Huron Park minor sports program, the school. the youth and adult groups that busy themselves with the normal routines of a small community. Last week's edition, for instance, contained about 2,000 inches of news and pictures of the area served in South Huron and North Middlesex and etact- ly twenty-four and a half inches of that total was what could be considered "bad news" as it related to unsavory incidents that occurred in the week. That ratio varies, of course, from one week to the next, but it is always weighted very heavily on the good news side. And speaking of presenting a good front. let us indulge in a bit more of this personal horn tooting by passing along a word of thanks to the boss for the beautiful new front at the T -A building. Judging from the comments of many readers. it is a change for the better and keeps us on the pace set by several other local business owners and citizens in general in making Exeter more attractive than ever. Now that the venetian blinds have been installed to hide the editor's desk, the place looks great! I.N_!ainstream Canada The Tipping Conundrum By: Roger Worth You've just received lousy service from the staff at your favourite restaurant. The steak was overcooked, the vegetables nearly raw. The waitress spilled water on your wife's lap and the coffee tasted a lot like Iced lea. The question for Canadians: should the customer leave a tip? In Europe and many other countries around the world there is no choice. An addition- al IS% or so is simply lacked on to the bill in the guise of a Roger Worth Is Director, Public Affairs, Canadian Federation of Independent Business. service charge, no master the quality of the food or service. In these countries, the tradi- tional tip has become an un- conditional lax. You pay the bill or the restaurant sues. In Canada, the argument goes, the situation is somewhat different. Here, the size of the tip is supposedly based on the quality of service and food. But is it? Do Canadians really leave the waitress tipksswhen they are forced to accept atro- cious service or poor food? The quick answer: Cana- dians are prone to leave a lip, however reluctantly. Tipping, of course, has be- come a basic part of the Ca- nadian restaurant system. Price competition has forced restaurant operators to rely on tips for a portion of the em- ployees' wage package. Tips have become an Important ele- ment in the batik to hold down prices at even the finest eateries. While the present lipping system in Canada is frought with inconsistencies and am- biguities, itimporta�tll to note that consum rs still hive the freedom and right to refuse a lip. More than 903/4 of us never take advantage of that rigM as we tip on a regular basis, even if the service Is mediocre. Still, the freedom to refuel is important. 11's the difference between the European stye "Service. charge" tax, and a gratuitous gesture on the part of a res- taurant customer.